April 27th. One week since the AION Ring bound itself to his hand.
Aren woke at 5:00 AM to the silent pulse of the artifact—no alarm, just a thought-command triggering the optimal wake sequence. He completed the Foundation Protocol: eighty push-ups, eighty sit-ups, eighty squats, ten kilometers. The morning had become mechanical, STR 21 moving through the motions with the density of forged steel.
By Sunday evening, the Weekly Quests closed.
[MORNING PROTOCOL: COMPLETE] [EVENING PROTOCOL: COMPLETE] [REWARDS: +2 AP | +2 FATIGUE RECOVERY POTIONS | SP INCREASE] [IC: 500/500 — STAGE 1 CAP REACHED — NO FURTHER GAINS]
He allocated the Attribute Points immediately—physical symmetry remained the goal.
[ALLOCATE: AGILITY +1 | 21 → 22] [ALLOCATE: STAMINA +1 | 21 → 22]
Then the exchange:
[20 SC → 2,000 VELTRIONS] [BANK: 32,250 → 34,250 VELTRIONS] (after weekly expenses deducted)
The notification bloomed mid-morning, not from the System, but from the AION Ring directly—a seamless overlay in his vision:
[AION: National Examination Results Announcement Date — May 12th, 09:00 AM]
Two weeks. His classmates flared in the group chat—panicked voice messages, frantic typing about scholarships, about Sovereign University cutoff predictions. Aren did not touch his phone. The Ring displayed the messages in translucent gold text at the corner of his vision, visible only to him. He lay on his bed, hands behind his head, watching the panic of others without participating.
I don't even need to pick up my phone, he thought. No one else can see. No one knows I'm reading.
He smiled. Then he brought himself down. Business remained.
[AION: Stock Foresight Status — 1/2 Uses Remaining (Month Ends April 30)]
April 27th. Three days until reset. One use left.
He activated the skill in the library carrel, hidden from view.
[STOCK FORESIGHT: ACTIVATE]
Three amber panels materialized:
[PREDICTION 1: VELTRION ENERGY GROUP | +9.8% | 4 DAYS] [PREDICTION 2: LUMINARA STEEL | +3.1% | 3 DAYS] [PREDICTION 3: KAELMOOR TRANSPORT | +4.7% | 4 DAYS]
"Aion," Aren commanded, his voice internal, subvocalized. "Execute all three trades. Deploy ten thousand Veltrions on each position. Auto-liquidate at maturity when exact percentages hit."
[AION: Command received. Executing three separate 10,000V positions. Maturity targets: May 1st. Bank balance post-execution: 4,250 VELTRIONS.]
The orders fired through his brokerage link—silent, instantaneous, invisible to the students studying around him.
May 1st. The trades matured.
[AION: VELTRION ENERGY — +9.8% | PROFIT: 980V] [AION: LUMINARA STEEL — +3.1% | PROFIT: 310V] [AION: KAELMOOR TRANSPORT — +4.7% | PROFIT: 470V] [TOTAL PROFIT: 1,760V — BROKERAGE CHARGES: 50V] [NET GAIN: 1,710V]
[BANK: 4,250 → 34,010 VELTRIONS]
Skip to May 4th. Sunday.
Another week of dual protocols. Algorithmic Programming—Level 1 achieved through two-hour daily sprints with the new laptop, AION optimizing his compiler environments, debugging his code in real-time.
[KNOWLEDGE MASTERY: ALGORITHMIC PROGRAMMING — LEVEL 1/5]
He claimed the Sunday rewards:
[WEEKLY QUESTS: COMPLETE] [+2 AP | +2 POTIONS | SP GAINS]
"Aion," Aren commanded, sitting in his room. "Show system details. All."
The holographic overlay exploded across his vision—comprehensive, organized, visible only to him:
[AREN VALE — SYSTEM STATUS] [STAGE: 1 — FOUNDATION] [STATS:] • STR: 23 (21 + 2 AP allocated today) • AGI: 22 • STA: 22 • INT: 125
[CL: 125/125]
[RESOURCES:] • AP: 0 (Unassigned) • SP: ~480 (estimated from gains) • IC: 500/500 [CAPPED — STAGE 2 REQUIRED] • RP: ~120 (estimated) • SC: ~7,400 (post-potion purchases) • BANK: 34,010 VELTRIONS
[ACTIVE SKILLS:] • SUPERBRAIN (Lv1) • STOCK FORESIGHT (Lv1) — [RESET: MAY 1 COMPLETE — 2/2 USES AVAILABLE]
[MILESTONES:] • STOCK FORESIGHT: 4/5 TRADES TOWARD 50K UNLOCK
[KNOWLEDGE MASTERY QUEST:] • 1/3 COMPLETE (Algorithmic Programming Lv1) • 2 REMAINING (23 DAYS LEFT)
[WEEKLY QUESTS:] • Morning: Foundation Protocol (80/80/80 + 10km) • Evening: Dual Protocol (1hr Weights/1hr Sport/30min Martial Arts)
[ARTIFACT:] • AION RING — LINKED
Skip to May 11th. The day before destiny.
Sunday. The final weekly claim before results.
[REWARDS: +2 AP | +2 POTIONS]
But deeper notifications cascaded—three simultaneous mastery achievements:
[KNOWLEDGE MASTERY: HOMECOOKING/FOOD CHEMISTRY — LEVEL 1/5] [KNOWLEDGE MASTERY: MIXED MARTIAL ARTS THEORY — LEVEL 1/5] [KNOWLEDGE MASTERY: SWIMMING/AQUATIC PHYSIOLOGY — LEVEL 1/5]
The third—Swimming—had come automatically from his evening Dual Protocol sessions in the Athletic Club pool, AION tracking his stroke efficiency and breathing patterns until the System recognized practical competence.
[DAILY KNOWLEDGE SPRINT QUEST: 3/3 COMPLETE] [QUEST REWARDS: +1 AP | +2 FATIGUE RECOVERY POTIONS]
Then the unexpected—golden text blazing with crimson borders:
[TITLE UNLOCKED: POLYMATH — LEVEL 1 MASTERY IN 10+ KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS] [DOMAINS DETECTED: Math 2, Science 2, History 2, Native Lang 2, English 2, Stage Theory 1, Algorithmic 1, Homecooking 1, MMA 1, Swimming 1] [TITLE EFFECT: FATIGUE ACCUMULATION REDUCED BY 5% POST-ACTIVE SKILL USE]
Aren sat on his bed, the AION Ring pulsing in acknowledgment. Ten domains. The academic five at Level 2, the practical five at Level 1. The System had quantified his breadth.
He completed the evening meditation, let the 5% fatigue reduction settle into his neural architecture, and prepared for sleep.
The phone rang—not the phone, but the Ring projecting the call directly into his auditory cortex. Vane.
"Come to my house. 8:00 AM tomorrow."
Aren blinked. "Professor?"
"The results will be announced at 9:00 AM. I want you here when they drop." A pause. "My wife is making breakfast. Be ready, son."
The line ended. Aren lay back, the Ring dimming to standby. He had 3 AP unspent, 125 CL, a Title reducing his burnout, and thirty-six thousand Veltrions in the bank. Tomorrow, he would know if he had breached the Top 10. Tomorrow, he would see if the unleashing had been enough.
"Good night, Professor," he whispered to the ceiling. "Good night."
[End Chapter 18]
STATUS AT CHAPTER END:
Date: May 11th (Results tomorrow)
Stats: STR 23 | AGI 22 | STA 22 | INT 125
AP: 3 (Unassigned)
Bank: 34,010 VELTRIONS
SC: ~7,400
IC: 500 (Capped)
Stock Foresight: 2/2 Uses (Fresh month), 4/5 Milestone
Knowledge: 10 Domains (5 at Lv2, 5 at Lv1)
Title: POLYMATH (-5% Fatigue post-skill use)
Location: Academy Room → Professor Vane's House (8:00 AM summons)