Chapter 1: The Accrual of Pointless Debt
Kael Verridian's eyes opened at 5:00 AM, precisely one second before the first sliver of sun breached the sagging silhouette of the Verridian manor roof. To remain unconscious longer would have been non-viable.
His internal interface—the persistent, intrusive remnant of his prior existence—painted three meters of diagnostics across his sight, for him alone:
[CURRENT EFFICIENCY SCORE: 48%]
Status:Sub-Critical. Elevated Waste Index Confirmed.
[TIME SURPLUS(TS): 11.4]
[TIME DEBT(TD): 987.5]
TD Accrual Rate:0.05 TD per minute (Environmental Inefficiency Penalty).
Kael exhaled, a rasp of sound. Nine hundred and eighty-seven units of Time Debt. In his past life as Hiroshi Tanaka, this would have represented a full year of unrecorded, uncompensated overtime, due immediately. He had perished fleeing that treadmill, only to be chained to an even more exacting, universal auditor.
Rule Zero: Expend nothing.
He executed his morning protocol—six minutes of optimized physical conditioning, followed by four minutes of mana channeling, each movement graded by the System in real-time.
Action: Morning Routine (10:00 minutes total).
Efficiency Rating:99.8%.
Correction:0.02 minutes lost during water thermal equalization.
Result:+0.01 TS. TD Accrual Temporarily Suspended.
"Inadequate," Kael stated flatly, donning a tunic that was durable but thermally suboptimal. Every aspect of the Verridian estate was a sinkhole of waste. The walls were permeable, the staff operated at a crawl, and the core revenue stream—agriculture—was a comprehensive failure.
He proceeded to the kitchen. The cook, elderly Master Garen, was manually working dough.
[BOTTLENECK IDENTIFIED!]
Target:Master Garen's Dough Preparation.
Estimated Output:1 loaf per 20 minutes.
Potential Efficiency Gain via Magically-Augmented Mixer:+75%.
Recommendation:Terminate manual process immediately.
Kael dismissed the flashing red alert. A magical mixer was fiscally inaccessible. His immediate objective was more fundamental: the harvest.
His father, Lord Verridian (a man whose E-Score Kael projected at roughly 12%), slumped at the table, cradling a cup of faintly flavored water.
"Kael. Good, you're awake. The crown's courier has arrived. More tax demands against funds we do not possess."
Kael's visual field was inundated with crimson text.
[CRITICAL SYSTEMIC BOTTLENECK: VERRIDIAN ESTATE FINANCIALS]
Inputs:Subpar Farmland, Antiquated Irrigation, Excessive Local Levies (20% above efficient baseline).
Output:Net Deficit (3 consecutive years).
Immediate Threat:Complete Asset Forfeiture. Projected TD Accrual Spike: +1,500 units.
This was the origin of his catastrophic Time Debt. The perpetual, looming collapse was consuming his metaphysical capital. If the estate fell, he would be rendered itinerant, forced into a continuous cycle of low-return subsistence activities. True Retirement would become a statistical nullity.
"Father," Kael said, tone devoid of inflection. "The taxation is a symptomatic issue. The root cause is agricultural output. I must survey the western fields prior to full daylight."
"The western fields? But they're blighted, boy! Old Man Hemlock swears—"
"Hemlock's account carries a 9% reliability score and is founded on hearsay, which is statistically insignificant," Kael interjected. He moved past his father and out the door, the dawn light glinting off the faint, scrolling emerald text in his perception.
He reached the western fields. The wheat was stunted, sallow, and sparse. Its appearance was poor, but Kael was concerned with metrics, not impressions. He activated the most vital utility of his new reality:
"System. Execute Analysis Module on Field A-17."
A intricate, schematic visualization superimposed itself over the failing crop. Mana current, nutrient concentration, soil alkalinity—all resolved into exact numerals and charts.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE: FIELD A-17]
Primary Issue:Inhibited hydro-absorption.
Manifestation:Nutrient depletion.
Causal Agent:Subterranean basalt formation impeding drainage, inducing cyclical root necrosis.
Current Mitigation(Manual): Excavation of deeper irrigation channels (90% Labor Cost, 5% Efficacy).
Proposed Optimal Solution(Magical): Precision Geomancy to fragment basalt shelf.
Required Input:Intermediate Earth Mage (unavailable), OR Kael's Mana Reserves (20 units/day) for 72 hours.
Potential Gain:Upon success, +400 TS (Resolution of Major Bottleneck, Yield Enhancement).
Risk:If mana expenditure is inefficient, +50 TD and corporeal degradation.
Kael stood amidst the shriveled stalks, the dawn dampness leaching heat from his skin. A familiar, frigid resolve crystallized within him.
"I require 60 units of mana expenditure over the next 72 hours with an efficiency rating exceeding 95%, while sustaining estate operational efficiency above 60%," he whispered, compiling the parameters.
It was irrational. It was hazardous. But the alternative—an infinite, disordered struggle against a Time Debt that would only compound—was unacceptable. He had exchanged corporate indenture for celestial indenture. The sole distinction was that here, the objective was physical.
Kael lifted his gaze to the ascending sun, a flawless orb of squandered luminosity.
"Very well, Arbitrator," he thought, directing the sentiment to the unseen authority behind the System. "You demand efficiency? You shall receive efficiency. But I do not labor for you. I labor for True Retirement. And the initial phase is to shatter this stone."
He extended his hand, sensed the crude, untamed energy of the world coalesce, and commenced weaving the complex, invisible formulae of the Earth-Shaping spell. The Time Debt counter persisted in his peripheral vision, measuring his dwindling margin for error. He had no time to lose.