Chapter 1 - A Hacker on Vacation
"Ah, what is this pain?" - Arthur quickly stood up with his hand on his chest, feeling as though he'd just had a nightmare. His head ached as he tried to remember what he had dreamed. "Never mind," he muttered and got out of bed.
Arthur wasn't a boy much different from others his age. At 15, he lived with his parents and his sister, Alice, a mere 6-year-old child. It was easy to think of them as just another Silva family in the eastern zone of São Paulo — poor, with a Black father and a White mother of unknown ancestry. After all, in a reality where you have to wake up at 4 in the morning, who really cares that ten generations ago there was a Dutch ancestor? The truth is, if you're poor... you're poor.
But Arthur had the luck of having both parents employed, which gave them the rare ability to sustain their home. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father had a steady job in a company, taking odd jobs here and there. Because of this, Arthur had the chance that many poor boys around him did not — he could study and didn't have to work during his free time after school.
"Finally, VACATION!" he stretched, raising his arms.
Arthur was starting his mid-year vacation. His parents were out all day, returning only at night because of their jobs. He now felt free, but without a video game or cell phone — his parents had confiscated them after receiving a warning from the school.
“Dear Parents of: Arthur Silva, It is with regret that we contact you regarding the misconduct of the student against our school. We prioritize the safety and well-being of our students. However, on 04/19/2025, the student accessed the school's systems inappropriately, without authorization or approval from the management, corrupting the exam for that date in the LITERATURE subject, and providing the answers in advance to all the students who would take it.
Therefore, a punitive suspension measure is hereby imposed for one week, with the student being marked as absent, and the act will be added to his school record. We require the presence of the parents at the school to confirm receipt of this information.
Lovingly and affectionately,
Public State School Padre Anatão Jesuita
May God be with you.”
"Haha... What terrible writing," Arthur laughed every time he thought about the reprimand.
Now he could spend the vacation on his computer, programming in Java to pass the time. But today felt different.
"Okay, that was the worst nightmare I've ever had. This chest pain is killing me, damn it, it felt like... AH!" The pain stabbed again, and Arthur clutched his head when…
"Arthur, come downstairs! There's a boy on the phone for you," a voice called from the downstairs living room.
"I'm coming, Auntie," he replied.
He ran out of his room, crossed a tiny corridor, and hurried down the stairs in the center, coming face to face with a woman who appeared to be about 35 years old, short with strong arms, brown-skinned, with a friendly but irritated expression.
"Who is it, Auntie?" he asked, reaching for the phone in her hand.
"AUNTIE?!" she exclaimed, pushing Arthur's head back and pulling the phone away. "How many times have I told you to call me LARA?"
"Twice?!" he responded, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh!" Arthur groaned, bringing both hands to his head after getting a flick on his forehead.
"If you call me auntie again, you'll get 'TWO'," she said, mimicking Arthur's face when he answered. "Now answer this already. I'm only here to help your mom because she's my friend and she helped me take care of MY kids, and none of them were as annoying as you, I assure you."
"Okay... Auntie," Arthur muttered quietly while Lara moved away, grumbling.
"Hello?" a low voice was heard on the phone. "Arthur?"
"Yes, who is it?"
"Don't you remember your cousin? Has it been that long?"
"DANTE?!" Arthur shouted excitedly, almost pulling the cord too far from where it was resting on a shelf that had once been white, but now had a questionable yellowish hue, leaning against the living room wall.
"Hmm... seems like you remember, but why didn't you call me?" Dante asked, his voice sounding like he didn't want to sound sad.
"My mom didn't want me to call and have your brother answer. She's afraid he might still want something in return."
"That was three years ago; we were only twelve! It makes no sense," Dante raised his voice, making Arthur pull his face away from the phone.
Arthur didn't want to argue about it; he missed being with his cousin but couldn't go against his mother's wishes.
"Why did you call?" Arthur asked after an awkward silence, though he sounded embarrassed.
"I'm hosting an RPG session at my house. If you want to invite some members, I think it would be cool, but only if you come. Better not tell your mom, though."
"Yeah, she wouldn't let me," Arthur replied in a sad voice. "Don't worry, I'll be there."
"Great!" Dante replied cheerfully.
"See you then, man!" Arthur finished.
~~~~
Arthur began preparing to visit his cousin, bringing along some friends from his server. In fact, he was convincing them right now, using a program they named "YGGBRASIL," which he and his cousin had programmed with a UUCP protocol and Irssi for IRC. These complicated acronyms are fascinating if you're a nerd and enjoy communicating without anyone being able to track you. They also used a BBS system to assist in file sharing, hosting the server on the DEEP WEB, creating a private chat network where only invited users could access and have file and message-sharing rights. Thus, they had the highest level of privacy, even though they mostly talked about RPGs and MMOs — who needs Discord?
"Now I just need to boot up this computer before they call me for lunch... I shouldn't have stayed up reading so late," he thought as he typed the server details to access the network.
Loading, please wait...
The system began to boot up, consuming the maximum processor power but not the internet. The router had been hacked and modified so it didn't need to go through the official internet network. Thanks to Dante.
Starting://YGGBRASIL_NM Kurumin
root@YGGBRASIL_NM:~#
START_SERVER
root@YGGBRASIL_NM:~# host:UNKNOWN
After booting up, he started typing his login and password.
- Enter your username: 4rthur_rei
- Enter your password: *************
Authenticating User...
...
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
User Authorized: Generating Visiting Card...
----------------------------------------
############ INFO #############|
#Autor: D4nt3 ################|
#Email:
[email protected] |
###############################|
----------------------------------------
###############################|
#Warning: If you were not invited and, therefore, added to the YggBrasil safe list,
this server will automatically download a Ransomware.
This is your only warning!
###############################|
### Farewell!
############################|
----------------------------------------
root@ANGRA_NM:~# //DO YOU REALLY WANT TO CONTINUE??
1 - YES
2 - NO
root@ANGRA_NM:~# 1
ACCESSING...
...
You are Online...
...
----------------------------------------
Server - on
▓██***██▓**▄████***▄████**▄▄▄▄****██▀███***▄▄▄********██████**██▓*██▓****
*▒██**██▒*██▒*▀█▒*██▒*▀█▒▓█████▄*▓██*▒*██▒▒████▄****▒██****▒*▓██▒▓██▒****
**▒██*██░▒██░▄▄▄░▒██░▄▄▄░▒██▒*▄██▓██*░▄█*▒▒██**▀█▄**░*▓██▄***▒██▒▒██░****
**░*▐██▓░░▓█**██▓░▓█**██▓▒██░█▀**▒██▀▀█▄**░██▄▄▄▄██***▒***██▒░██░▒██░****
**░*██▒▓░░▒▓███▀▒░▒▓███▀▒░▓█**▀█▓░██▓*▒██▒*▓█***▓██▒▒██████▒▒░██░░██████▒
***██▒▒▒**░▒***▒**░▒***▒*░▒▓███▀▒░*▒▓*░▒▓░*▒▒***▓▒█░▒*▒▓▒*▒*░░▓**░*▒░▓**░
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----------------------------------------
Welcome! ______ Menu [Esc] = Exit
Type __________ Menu [C] = Chat
the option ____ Menu [M] = Music
you wish> _____ Menu [I] = Information
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
//C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_CHAT YGGBRASIL- ON_
_You are logged in... - said the monitor.
_Server date - JUN-29-2025, 14:32:25_
4rthur_rei has entered!
4rthur_rei says: COMMAND//ONLINE
SYSTEM_COMMAND says: ONLINE NOW = (27 Users) = M@rechal,
TUPY, 1337, PKZERA, K4P4DOC!A, FL00rest, Meitius, FeJoCa, Sentinela,
Gaspar, DH3R, GriG0, Din, PEKENO, Dr1ko, Tenebra, BillYards,
DarkPrincess, RapaDuraBoy, Ketherina, SAHARA, Katana, L0B0, MegaXLR,
TITAN, MORGANOX, and LeuroyDM.
M@rechal says: Guys, you don’t know anything, lol.
PKZERA says: YOU know nothing, you idiot!
4rthur_rei says: Hey, guys, it seems like almost everyone is
here, huh? =D
PKZERA says: Dude, I wish I could punch you.
PKZERA says: Hey 4rthur, some might not be...
KamiKZ has just joined!
M@rechal says: Shut up, kid.
PKZERA says: LET’S GO
PKZERA says: 1v1
PKZERA says: M@rechal?
TUPY says: Learn to speak all at once, you keep talking in
parts, you sound like my grandpa texting me…
1337 says: Hi Kami, miss you ♡
4rthur_rei says: Attention, enough fighting, here is the
situation
KamiKZ says: It's KamiKZ
4rthur_rei says: Chill out, guys
4rthur_rei says: I talked to D4nt3, and we are planning our
first group meetup at his house on July 23rd. Since everyone
is on vacation, I want to invite everyone to be there on that
day. I know most of you are not from SP, but I would really
like everyone to come. This would be a unique opportunity for
us, so let's go!!
4rthur_rei says: It would be great to meet you all.
FeJoCa says: If there's food, you don't have to ask twice lol
Messiah says: You're going to steal my kidneys, I know it, I
don't trust anyone here!!
MetMedo Just Entered!
L0B0 Just Entered!
4rthur_rei says: GREAT, I think NOW everyone is here, right?
4rthur_rei says: I'm not going to steal anyone's kidneys lol
4rthur_rei says: D4nt3 said he's not logging in today, he's
preparing things at his house. He said it was a surprise, and
everyone who goes won't regret it.
4rthur_rei says: He warned there won't be any drugs or
alcohol, maybe... lol
Messiah says: AAAHHHHH!!!!
TUPY says: What a bummer lololol
M@rechal says: Come on, as if you guys use that stuff haha
MetMedo says: WHO STILL LAUGHS WITH ‘HAHA’ ANYMORE, OH MY
GOD!
1337 says: hahahahahaha
KamiKZ says: WHAT A BUMMER! lol
4rthur_rei says: Bye guys, gotta go now!
L0B0 says: See you later.
4rthur_rei says: COMMAND//ESC
4rthur_rei HAS LEFT! T.T
You are logged out...
"Arthur!" someone shouted from afar, "Come down now!"
"I'm coming, wait a second," Arthur shouted back.
He turned off his computer and ran to lunch, but she wasn't very friendly with him and made sure to keep him busy so she wouldn't have to put in much effort. Arthur's parents paid her a small amount to take care of the house, him, and his sister. At only 25 years old and without a job, she accepted the role to help with her own household and her children, whom she often brought with her. These kids had a knack for grabbing any cable andcausing problems so frequently that Arthur began locking his room almost unconsciously.
He left his room, heading straight for the stairs, jumping three, sometimes even four steps at a time until he reached the living room and entered through the nearest door, which led straight to the kitchen, where his aunt was waiting, washing the dishes.
"Arthur!" his aunt shouted again, knowing he was close enough to hear.
"I'm here, Aunt... Lara," he replied, irritated by her shouting his name all day. And today, especially today, he couldn't afford to annoy her.
"Have you made Alice's bed?" she asked, ready to scold him, already putting her hands on her hips and turning in his direction.
"Of course, Aunt," he responded immediately with a forced smile on his face.
"Stop calling me Aunt, you know my name!" she said, irritated by Arthur's smile.
"Okay, Lara, but don't complain later."
"What did you say, kid?" She said, grabbing Arthur by the shoulders.
"No-nothing, Aunt... I mean, Lara!" he replied, stuttering and immediately regretting irritating her.
"Eat up, Arthur, before..." She was already irritated, and Arthur interrupted her, running to the table, shoving the food down his throat without hardly chewing, smiling with food between his teeth, which luckily for him only made her grimace at the mess and ignore what she was saying.
As soon as he finished, Arthur ran back to his room while Lara shouted that he had to wash the lunch dishes. He ignored it and started packing his bag, in a hurry to leave the house and return to his old neighborhood to meet his cousin.
Arthur grabbed his bag and rushed to the stairs, took a deep breath, and descended almost floating down the steps, jumping two or three at a time, and went straight to the door leading outside.
"Lara!" he shouted, opening the exit door, "I'm leaving!"
"Arthur, aren't you going to wash...?" she shouted back, almost dropping her food.
"I'll wash it when I get back from Dante's house, he's waiting for me, I'll call when I arrive!"
"Arthur, get back he—" The door slammed, and the sound of the gate was all she could hear.
Arthur was already on the sidewalk, and the bus was just passing by. He waved while running to the bus stop, but the driver was about to pass by until someone inside gave the signal to get off.
"Thank you," Arthur said, getting in and noticing that the driver didn't even look at him and was already closing the door before he had both feet inside. "Idiot," he muttered under his breath as he crossed the turnstile.
Arthur walked down the aisle of the bus and sat in the back seat. It wasn't too crowded, but no one seemed very happy; everyone had a stern look or was sleeping with their head against the window. But he managed to sit by the window, with no one next to him, and put his backpack on the seat.
"There are only idiots in this city. How can no adult be less stressed?" he thought, frustrated with the driver's and Lara's attitudes. "Only my grandpa knew how to be happy, more than any adult I've ever met."
Near the Corinthians-Itaquera Bus and Train Station, Arthur saw an overturned car with a lot of fire, police officers, and people gathered around.
"Wow, that one looks bad; I hope they made it out alive," he thought, worried about who might be inside the car.
Soon, the bus entered the station and stopped at the drop-off platform. When he got off, there were people everywhere, but he was getting used to it—the various shops selling all kinds of knick-knacks in the middle of the station. Still, a thought crossed his mind.
"It looks like a market, or a fair; there are so many shops everywhere, all sorts of things. You can buy anything from candy to a screwdriver, all in one place. Reminds me of those medieval fantasy RPGs," he thought, smiling at the comparison.
"Do not block the door and keep the entrance clear if you are not getting off at this station," said the female recorded announcement over the metro speakers.
Arthur entered and sat in the first empty window seat he found. The platform wasn't too crowded, and the doors didn't take long to close. Soon, the train started moving, departing from the station. After a journey across the city, getting off at Morumbi and taking a bus, he finally arrived at Paraisópolis, the largest community, or as it is commonly called, favela in the state.
"I hope he's not stressed today, it gets on my nerves," thought Arthur, worried about what the "CHEFE"¹ might do if he saw him there. But he kept walking towards the main entrance of the favela². Even the police didn't dare to walk around here.
"HEY, kid!" someone shouted.
Arthur looked back and saw who it was, letting out a...
"Oh Fuck."
~~~~