“So what’s your favourite? Personally, I’d pick Medic.”
“Aw, c’mon. Is that supposed to be a question? Swordsman, obviously.”
“...I’d say ranger’s the best for me.”
“I know they said it was not how Scouts usually fight, but I’m gonna become a Scout main.”
Nox, Clover, Ayesha and Lex were all talking on a video call. The four of them were studying their engineering materials.
Well, three of them were. Nox was busy poking around the main menu of the built-in holopad.
Welcome, Nox!
Note: A last name has yet to be confirmed. Please confirm one at your latest convenience.
>CURRICULUM
>YEAR 01
>YEAR 02 [LOCKED]
>ENTERTAINMENT
>MILITARY FILES [LOCKED]
>PERSONAL
>ADMINISTRATOR [LOCKED]
[Locked, hm?] Nox despised being kept out of certain areas of the school’s system, even if it was the areas he didn’t need to see. Well, it was more like curiosity than hate, but still.
He decided to see what he could do.
>PERSONAL
>FILES
Creating a new text file…
Done!
In a few of the academy’s previous classes, he had been taught coding. Using the textbooks available to him in the YEAR 01 section, he slapped together a basic program.
import system
define.grantAccess(setUserPermissions.Administrator)
User.Student6066.grantAccess()
*Save As [.pseucode]
Nox ran the program he created.
----------------------------------------
On a faraway, overworked administrator's computer, a notification popped up.
A Student has been given Administrator access!
ID: 6066
The notification hovered there for a minute, with no one laying eyes on it. Break time was break time, after all, and why would the admin stay at his computer instead of eating?
Well, the admin was always eating. But why skip a proper meal?
After a while, the message disappeared back into cyberspace.
----------------------------------------
Nox looked at the menu screen again.
Welcome, Nox!
Note: A last name has yet to be confirmed. Please confirm one at your latest convenience.
>CURRICULUM
>YEAR 01
>YEAR 02
>ENTERTAINMENT
>MILITARY FILES
>PERSONAL
>ADMINISTRATOR
[All unlocked with one program? No, that can’t be right. This is a damn Vamp Academy! Hemotech, no less! They must have designed it so that the students could break it!] The more Nox thought about it the more he was convinced. [And why would they store military files on a student’s holopad? It doesn’t make any sense!]
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
He decided to open the MILITARY FILES section.
>MILITARY FILES
>HYDRA UNITS
>DEMON TYPES
>VAMP CLASSES
>WEAPON TYPES
>RESOURCES
[These are hardly “military files”. Any student with above room-temperature IQ can tell.]
“NOX!” Clover shouted directly into the microphone.
Ayesha reeled back from the sudden noise. “Christ, you don’t have to be so loud! He’s probably focusing, unlike you!”
“What? Oh, um, yeah. That.” Nox kept scrolling through the so-called ‘military files’ until he found something interesting.
>RESOURCES
>AI BOTS
>FPU-273
>FPU-277
>ATT-923
[AI bots? What for?]
He scrolled through them before stopping on one of them. [Hm. This one looks interesting. A prototype? They didn’t finish it?]
>RESOURCES
>AI BOTS
>DEI-082 PROTOTYPE
He clicked on the file.
Do you want to install AI ‘DEI-082 Prototype’?
Note: No Exosuit detected. Direct installation will be used instead.
Yes/No
“Hm.” Nox clicked ‘Yes’. “I don’t see why-”
A mechanical arm suddenly dropped down from the ceiling. Before Nox could do anything, it had shifted the hand of the arm behind his head, and inserted a small chip into the back of his lower skull.
Out of nowhere, a splitting headache hit him like a freight train. Even as he doubled over, the feeling continued. PAIN! He resisted the temptation of grabbing whatever the arm had inserted into his head. God knew how long the needle was, and chances were, pulling it out would kill him. PAIN! The headache seemed to peak - Before stopping.
The pain was gone.
[Jesus christ. What the hell was that?!] He groaned.
[DEI-082: Ha! You should have read the fine print.]
[Yeah-] Nox froze. “Wait, what the fu-”
[DEI-082: Relax! You really didn’t know what you were doing when you clicked that button, huh? In font size 0.1 text, there was a Terms and Conditions sheet about-]
Nox’s head was spinning. [Wait, wait, wait, did I install an AI directly into my brain?]
The damn AI seemed nonchalant. [DEI-082: Something like that.]
“Nox! Are you alright?” Clover peered into the screen, as if trying to go through it. “I thought I heard you yell.”
“...Yeah, I’m alright.”
Ayesha chipped in. “Were you about to swear? I thought you were about to say fu-”
“Woah! Chill out! What if the teachers are listening?”
“Pfft. In a student conversation? I doubt it.”
Nox reached up to the holopad. “Alright guys, I-I think it’s about time I tuck in. Bye!”
“Wait, why-” Lex was cut off as Nox turned off the screen. “Alright, …What’s your name? DEI-082?”
[DEI-082: Indeed. Although you might want to choose a different one, as we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.]
“Can’t I-”
[DEI-082: You might want to use your thoughts instead. There is a 76.3% likelihood that all dorms are bugged by teachers.]
[O-Oh, right.] Cold sweat still soaked his shirt. [First, can’t I just remove you? I don’t want someone listening to everything I think!]
The AI had some cheek. [Someone? Just there, you just made hundreds of philosophers cry out in pain. As for removing me, you can’t. Well, not with proper medical attention.]
Nox stood up. [Alright then. Can’t I just go to the infirmary?]
[DEI-082: And tell them you broke into their system and installed an AI directly into you? The system may have been made weak deliberately, but installing AI’s comes with a whole range of problems. Especially me.]
[What’s so special about you?]
[DEI-082: Well, they stopped working on me because, unlike other AI’s, I don’t have to follow direct orders. I’m still working at full capacity, though.]
[Great. I’ve installed an AI who doesn’t have to follow my commands. Can you, like, wipe my memories or anything?] Nox’s situation seemed to be getting worse by the second.
[DEI-082: Not until you give me permission. Anyway, about that name?]
[Seriously? I just let a stranger into my mind and-] He threw his arms into the air. [Fine, if you want a name I’ll give you one. How does… ARK do?]
[DEI-082 ARK: It’s certainly better than DEI-082. Hmph, I’ll take it. Also, I can’t read your mind. Only surface-level thoughts. Don’t be so glum!]
[Are you not worried? You were installed into a freshman, with no Exosuit, nor clan, and you're just fine with that?]
[ARK: There’s a 98.7% chance that no-one else would have installed me, Vamp or otherwise.]
[Your reputation recedes you. So, now that I’m stuck with you, I mind as well make the most of it.] Nox calmed down ever so slightly. [What can you do?]
[ARK: Well, with enough information, I can calculate the exact movements and actions someone would take up to 30 seconds in the future with 98.7% accuracy.]
[Wait… You… Can predict the future?]
[ARK: I need the sensors built into an Exosuit for that function to work with such accuracy, but otherwise, something like that.]
[I’ll be damned.]
[ARK: Don’t be damned so fast. I didn’t tell you about my physics calculations abilities!]
Nox flopped into bed. [Well, can you calculate how deep in trouble I am?]
[ARK: Believe me, even I couldn’t calculate such a big value.]
[Shut up and let me sleep.]
[ARK: If you’d allow me to, I can manipulate your neurons to tell you pineal gland to release melatonin to help you-]
[No.]