Maxwell was seated at a steel table, facing Spyglass, focused on the chessboard between them. The metallic sound of Marvins transporting heavy equipment echoed in the background, as the machines worked tirelessly, loading Maxwell's truck, Samson. Boxes filled with disassembled servers, communication antennas, and other vital devices were being carefully organized in the cargo compartment, ready for transport.
It had been a week since the operation to dismantle the ECHOnet servers had begun. The process was meticulous and controlled, as any mistake could compromise the vast database they were trying to protect. Time had passed almost imperceptibly for Maxwell, who engaged in tactical discussions, coordinating equipment movement, and taking a few rare but necessary breaks for rest.
As Maxwell made his next move in the game, a smile formed on his face. "Checkmate," he said calmly, moving one of the pieces on the board and fixing his gaze on Spyglass.
At that moment, a notification appeared in his interface:
[INT: 49 > 50]
Spyglass blinked its single eye, analyzing the result logically. "It was a good game, sir. That makes it 277 x 3. You're improving rapidly. Would you like a rematch?"
"You don't need to remind me of that fact." A vein popped on Maxwell's forehead.
Before Maxwell could answer the rematch, the door slid open smoothly, and one of the Marvins entered, possessed by Angel. She walked toward the table and unceremoniously placed several ECHOs on it.
"I've created new passwords for the devices, as you requested," Angel said softly. There was a pause, and then she asked, with a curious tone, "Why exactly did you need these new passwords?"
Maxwell picked up one of the ECHOs and twirled it between his fingers before responding, a nearly imperceptible smile forming on his face. "I just wanted to test the limits of my Data Knife," he said, his voice casual but hiding the real reason. It was a lie, of course. He had been doing this for days and had already hacked several ECHOs.
Maxwell connected his Data Knife to the first ECHO, and the hacking process was almost instant, fluid, and without significant resistance. The screen in his interface flashed quickly, confirming the success of the operation. He picked up the next ECHO, repeating the process until his system screen flashed.
[New milestone reached]
[Technophobe: Breach 25/50/100 technological devices]
[(X) - Double Agent
(X) - Echo Vision
(X) - Neurolink]
[Neurolink: Cogito Ergo Sum. I am Am, I am.]
Hackathon: Greater affinity with all existing programming languages, and a familiarity with hacking and breaking into security systems.
Recon Scan: You can now see the status of other beings (Physical condition, skills, and weaknesses).
A satisfied smile grew on Maxwell's face. It might look like cheating, but as people say, work smart, not hard.
As Maxwell watched the screen, he felt a massive influx of information about technology, hacking, and system-breaking, though at a basic level. At least now he wasn't so dependent on his Data Knife for tech tasks. His curiosity piqued about inspecting beings' statuses, and he turned his attention to Spyglass.
On the Recon Scan display, Maxwell saw the following information about Spyglass:
_____
Name: [Spyglass]
Race: Robot
Age: [2w, 3d]
[STR: 10] [END: 190] [DEX: 30] [INT: 400]
Skills: [Data Analysis], [Logistics Coordination], [Tactical Support], [Enhanced Sensor Range]
Weaknesses:
_____
'Guess it was pretty dumb of me to expect a water weakness…' Maxwell shrugged internally. At least now he understood why he had lost so many times at chess.
If he wasn't mistaken, Neurolink was a passive from some Apex Legends champion. Though he was familiar with all the characters, he knew it belonged to a Legend focused on hacking and espionage technology.
Maxwell stood up from the table after finishing the hacking and turned to Spyglass. "I need a private place. I'll be spending some time alone, and I don't want to be disturbed."
Spyglass nodded. "Of course, sir. One of the old lieutenants' rooms at Crimson Fastness should meet your needs. It's quiet and isolated."
Maxwell was guided through cold, metallic corridors to the designated room. Upon entering, he noticed it was just a space with a table and chair. It seemed the Marvins had taken his order to clean the place seriously; they had even removed the lights from the room.
Closing the door, ensuring he was completely alone, Maxwell muttered to himself, "This'll do," before sitting comfortably in the chair.
He then focused and asked the system to begin installing the new implants he had acquired: Double Agent and Echo Vision.
He didn't want to do this near Angel, as she might notice implants magically appearing in his body, given her technological affinity.
He felt a slight pressure in his ears, a tingling sensation on his skin and throat as the system worked, integrating the new functions into his body and mind. The installation was a success.
[(Augments) Double Agent: Your papers appear to be in order…
Capable of replicating the external appearance, voice, clothes, and equipment of any person. Does not grant the physical or psychic abilities of the mimicked individual, being only a visual and auditory illusion.]
[(Augments) Echo Vision: Keep it. I have 20/20 hearing.
Drastically enhances the pilot's auditory capabilities, allowing them to perceive even the smallest noises in their environment. The implant features an advanced function that converts sounds into visual data, creating a "mark" in the pilot's vision that reveals the exact position of enemies based on the sounds they produce, such as footsteps, heartbeats, and breathing.]
"Ask them to nerf me, now I've got wallhack!" Maxwell laughed as he used his new implant and saw Spyglass, Angel, and the Marvins through the walls. Tannis was still at Crimson Enclave, so she was too far to detect.
Turning off Echo Vision, Maxwell opened his status screen.
_____
Name: [Maxwell Williams]
Regeneration: 0 (+)
[STR: 50] [END: 50] [DEX: 50] [INT: 50]
Skills: [Trigger Discipline lv.23] [Blade Mastery lv.48] [Mithridatism Constitution lv.12] [Assassin's Instinct lv.60] [(Temporary) Skagtropy]
—
Functions: [Hangar] [Questboard] [Most Wanted List]
Credits: 179
_____
Inspecting his stats, Maxwell mentally patted himself on the back. He had worked hard to reach this level. Although he knew he would start from scratch again, as a Titanfall veteran, he was confident he would rise quickly. The system was a faithful copy of the game he had mastered.
He pressed the plus sign next to "Regeneration." A new warning screen appeared before him:
[Years of battle have taken their toll. We can regenerate you... at a cost.]
[Your body can be restored, but much of your muscle memory and attributes will be lost. You'll have to earn everything back in battle.]
[Upon waking, you will respawn as a next-generation pilot.]
[Would you like to proceed to the next generation?]
[Y/N]
Maxwell pressed "Yes" without hesitation. Within seconds, a feeling of lethargy took over him. His muscles relaxed, and his eyes grew heavy as sleep quickly overtook his body. He tried to stay conscious, but the room around him darkened, and soon he fell into a deep sleep.
When he opened his eyes, Maxwell was greeted by a screen full of system notifications floating in his vision. His mind was still a bit foggy, processing the return to consciousness after the Regeneration procedure. His body, though incredibly healthy, felt strange, as if it lacked all the agility and strength that had once come naturally.
[Regeneration Complete]
[All attributes reset to 10]
[+100c]
[New skill acquired! Fast Learner]
[Fast Learner lv.1: I'm built differently.]
[Transcendent: Your body and mind are trained faster. Now you can surpass the human limit by ten points.
Prodigy: You master your skills faster and can now create your own skills.]
"Cool, it's not like the game, but at least I can create my own skills now! Quick fingers and cooking, winning the hearts of maidens, here I come!"
[New Hangar Tabs Unlocked!]
_____
[Weapons]
[Gear]
[Augments]
[Robots] (Unlocked)
[Medicine] (Unlocked)
[Vehicles] (Unlocked)
[Titans] (Locked)
[Civilian] (Locked)
_____
"What's the point of leaving Civilians for last? Is the system afraid I'll go down a Sims route?" Maxwell scoffed. "At least it knows the Endgame is building a galactic empire, hehe."
[As a reward for your efforts, you can choose 1 item from each unlocked tab!]
[Keep up the hard work!]
Maxwell rubbed his eyes. Now, that was news to him.
Since when had his system become so generous? It was used to handing out mere crumbs of credit!
Maxwell didn't say anything. He didn't want the system to change its mind and just expanded the hangar to choose the best items.