After a few minutes, he concluded that he didn't need to place the debris at the final destination but just nearby, so that the screen ants would have the opportunity to level up.
"Per Joe, calculate approximately how many trips I need to make to earn about 20 XP."
[Approximate calculation for a 9-year-old boy, carrying a wheelbarrow with 35 kg per trip. A 300-meter journey each way. In total, 25 trips will transport 875 kg, earning 1 XP per trip. Total earned: 25 XP.]
And so he did, leaving his load 100 meters away from the final destination so the system wouldn't flag it as cheating.
"Per Joe, calculate the XP gain for those ants on this task."
[Calculating the current task for 1,024 ants. There will be 64 screen ants, each commanding 16 non-screen ants. Five hours of work will give each screen ant 5.5 XP, plus 1.60 XP for using the battalion = 7.10 XP. So, 64 ants will collect exactly 454.40 XP.]
Little Joe wasted no time and began filling his wheelbarrow with as much manure as he could handle, heading off to mark the location.
Many hours passed, and it was already dawn when he finally decided he had done more than enough. Meanwhile, the ants continued, now with reinforcements to help them.
The queen ant, close to him, seemed to be waiting for something more.
"Once you finish, have the other screen ants carry that debris further along, near the old manure. When you're done, come to the front of my room; I have a small gift for you. It will be on the ground at the entrance. Understood, Queen?"
Amazingly, the ant understood, thanks to the standard system's connection with the micro subsystems working together.
Then, little Joe stored away the wheelbarrow just as Van Vil arrived, stunned by the cleanliness that little Joe had achieved.
"You've done good work these past days, kid, but today you've outdone yourself. Here are 30 copper coins as a reward. Now go rest, I imagine you must be exhausted, right?"
The boy just nodded because he was indeed very tired. He then realized he couldn't use more than one active ability at a time, considering that the intelligence ability was passive.
He went home and, after a bath, lay in bed and started to read. But suddenly, he felt like he had forgotten something important:
"Microsubs Status!"
[Message for the Visitor: Congratulations, you have mastered the system Sime's dialogue ability. Because of this, you have gained a derivative of this ability for use in the Per Joe micro subsystem: "Worker Ant Communication." Details: You can assign missions to them without using the queen. Cooldown: 230h. For each mission, the cooldown decreases by one hour.]
"Per Joe, this is really a useless ability. Can I exchange it for something better?"
[You can discard this ability or exchange it for XP, which, unfortunately, you won't be able to use.]
"A useless ability to the end? So, what difference does it make?"
[This XP can be used to improve my database and create more space for future abilities you will unlock.]
Suddenly, a smile spread across little Joe's face.
"Then go ahead, Per Joe, use this XP the best way you can and explain it to me."
>>> Configuration Option <<< 01 >>>
1... [00.1% energy remaining... Energy consumption speed... "Slow Consumption" ability enabled.]
[As you may know, all systems and subsystems consume energy, whether from the user, energy stones, or even the sun. This energy is used to ensure everything runs smoothly and that your XP is perfectly accounted for, avoiding future inconveniences and wear on the user.]
"Do I suffer from your lack of energy?"
[Obviously, since the microsubsystem uses energy to generate orders, translations, refreshing actions, and many other functions. Imagine you did everything right, but the sluggish system simply consumes the XP you earned to stay active. Don't forget that the more abilities you unlock, the higher the energy consumption will be.]
"But you're just a microsubsystem! How much energy can you possibly use?"
[The Sime System is defective, but I am derived from it. That's why I consume so much energy to keep my database intact.]
"What happens if your database gets corrupted, Per Joe?"
[First, Sime takes control over me. Right after that, you will be detected by anyone with a superior or equivalent system. Your abilities will start to fail, and, over time, all your system accomplishments will be lost. Once a system hunter detects you, he'll find you, absorb your knowledge, and leave you as a vegetable, or turn you into the worst kind of slave for the rest of your life.]
Little Joe pondered and concluded that it was much more important to level up the system than himself.
"What can I do to help improve it?"
[Command me with a line of code. You have a credit of 34 XP that can be used to increase your attributes or mine. If you use your XP on me, I can improve my defense against system hunters.]
"Per Joe, create a description table with the essentials."
[Creating Per Joe digital enhancement table:]
β [General Microsubsystem Settings]
1ππ‘οΈ Level 1.02 / 2ππ― Slow Consumption / 3ππ° Consumption Option / 4πβ 0.67 + 34 XP / ? π₯β³2h ββ
"So, you're finished, Per Joe?"
[Yes. I'm just waiting for your authorization to apply the XP.]
"Make the right choice, Per Joe, do your best."