Chapter 2: "A new start"
Egon pondered the mysteries of programming as he held a small stone in his hand. He contemplated the newfound power he possessed, the ability to control real-life objects with programming languages. It was a revelation that left him questioning the very nature of reality itself. Could programming languages communicate with atoms?
His gaze shifted from the stone to a rat scavenging through a nearby dumpster. Inspiration struck him, and he decided to conduct an experiment. He then turned his gaze to the hologram screen and the stone's name and position was already written as he held it. Egon then added a condition: if the stone touched the color blue, it would halt at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour; otherwise, it would continue its path.
When he executed the program, the stone shot forward at blinding speed, striking the rat in an instant, ending its life and later halted after hitting the dumpster. The sound of impact rang out, and Egon worried that it might have alerted someone nearby. A security guard approached, informing him that everyone was required to take a test. Egon followed, concealing the deadly projectile he had just created.
At the test area, Egon found himself as the last to take the exam in his city. He sat before a computer and glanced at the questions. They appeared deceptively simple, but Egon was cautious. He answered only one question, fearing the consequences of getting them all right.
Once the results were tallied, the world's hierarchy underwent a dramatic shift. High-ranking professions like doctors and engineers were now considered low graded jobs, while previously overlooked roles like programming were elevated to nobility. Egon noticed that five people had answered at least one question, and one person had aced 15 out of 20. Those with one correct answer were deemed F-rank programmers, while those with 10 or more received A rank programmers title.
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Egon fell into the F-rank category and was assigned to live with other F-rank programmers, receiving free food and a monthly stipend of 300,000 units. Those with A-rank were given their own luxurious dorms and beautiful maids, living a life of privilege with monthly earnings ranging from 1 to 10 million units.
As Egon settled into his new dormitory, he met three roommates: Max, the hotheaded sports enthusiast; Dio, who was quite fond of girls and despised attractive boys; and Gon, the quiet and reserved one. Their shared love for anime and films quickly forged a friendship among them.
However, tension arose when they witnessed bullying in the cafeteria. A-rank programmers were harassing lower-ranked individuals, and when one A-rank student, Rocksta, began mistreating his own maid, Dio couldn't stand idly by. Dio confronted Rocksta, leading to a challenge—a fight.
Rocksta, confident in his superiority, laughed off Dio's challenge. If Dio won, Rocksta would only have male maids, but if Dio lost, Rocksta would have Dio's stunningly beautiful sister as his maid. Egon observed the unfolding events as it took place cautious of Rocksta action.
The duel commenced, but before Dio could make a move, Rocksta brought up a gun and fired at him. Dio was struck and fell back, wounded but not fatally. Egon, had previously programmed Dio's shirt with a unique condition: if anything smaller than Dio or bigger than Dio touched the fabric, it would shrink in size, reducing the impact of the gunshot.
Egon then decided to challenge Rocksta himself. Rocksta, still armed with the gun and wary of Egon's intentions, accepted the challenge. As Egon contemplated his programming language of choice, the hologram screen appeared in his hand, ready to change the course of the battle.
"I've got a bit rusty", he said while walking closer to Rocksta. "So I could use a Toy. Now, show me what you got. A rank!". Egon then gave a chilling smile that filled the whole room.