Frank’s breath came ragged as he sat against the cavern wall, his body still adjusting to whatever the hell had just happened. His muscles weren’t burning anymore, but that wasn’t the relief it should have been.
Because something was wrong.
Not broken. Not damaged. Wrong.
His body felt too light, too fluid—like every motion had already been accounted for before he even thought to move. His limbs responded with unnatural precision, his breathing smooth, measured.
Like he wasn’t just healing.
Like he had been remade.
Then the system’s message hit.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE
NOTICE USER FRAMEWORK FINALIZED. PARAMETERS LOCKED. PRIMARY RESOURCE VITAL RESERVE (Stabilized) TERRAFORMING CLASSIFICATION UNRESTRICTED
----------------------------------------
Frank’s breath hitched. Vital Reserve?
That wasn’t his HP. That wasn’t Mana. That wasn’t even Stamina.
It was something else.
His fingers flexed against the stone, and for the first time, he felt it. Not just the ground beneath his hand, but something deeper.
Like his body had become an extension of the terrain itself.
He swallowed hard.
“System… explain.”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE
NOTICE USER RESOURCE CONVERSION NO LONGER REQUIRED. BLOOD MAGIC, REGENERATION, MANA, STAMINA, AND HP INTEGRATED INTO A SINGLE RESOURCE. RESOURCE NAME VITAL RESERVE. FUNCTION ALL ABILITIES NOW DRAW FROM A SINGLE POOL. EFFICIENCY INCREASES WITH USER’S LEVEL AND CONSTITUTION.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled slowly. No separate stats. No juggling HP or Mana. Just one resource.
And that changed everything.
His health? His stamina? His magic?
All of it was now one number.
The implications crashed through his skull like a landslide. If everything was tied together, then—
His power scaled with his health.
The more he had, the more he could cast. The stronger his Aura, the more lethal he became.
And the moment he ran low?
That was when he’d be at his weakest.
Frank’s grip tightened. This wasn’t just an upgrade. This was a complete rewrite.
And that meant…
He needed to see just how deep this rabbit hole went.
Frank exhaled slowly, watching his breath mist in the dim cavern air. His body wasn’t burning anymore, but it wasn’t normal either. Every shift, every twitch of muscle, felt optimized—like the system had streamlined every movement, making him more efficient than a person had any right to be.
And that terrified him.
His fingers curled into a fist, and the earth responded.
Not like before—not like a spell.
The stone beneath him didn’t break, didn’t rupture.
It moved.
Like it had been waiting for him to ask.
Frank’s jaw clenched. This wasn’t just Earth Magic anymore.
This was control.
The system flashed again, confirming what he already knew.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE USER ABILITIES HAVE BEEN RESTRUCTURED. EARTH MAGIC & CRAFTING → MERGED INTO TERRAFORMING. BLOOD MAGIC, REGEN, HP, STAMINA, & MANA → MERGED INTO VITAL RESERVE. ALL ATTRIBUTES → MERGED INTO CONSTITUTION. CLASS UPDATE → PRIMARY TERRAFORMER.
----------------------------------------
Frank let out a sharp laugh—part frustration, part disbelief.
“You just dumped every single thing into one number?”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE SYSTEM EFFICIENCY IMPROVED. DUPLICATE ATTRIBUTES ELIMINATED. CONSTITUTION → NOW REPRESENTS ALL PHYSICAL AND MAGICAL PARAMETERS. TERRAFORMING DAMAGE & RANGE → SCALES WITH CONSTITUTION. VITAL RESERVE REGENERATION → SCALES WITH CONSTITUTION. AURA RANGE → SCALES WITH CONSTITUTION. TERRAFORMING FUNCTIONALITY UPDATED: DIRECT ENVIRONMENTAL MANIPULATION UNLOCKED.
----------------------------------------
Frank inhaled deeply, forcing his thoughts to slow.
Everything he had now relied on one stat.
More HP? More magic. More strength, more regeneration, more damage—everything scaled.
That was a hell of an upgrade.
But it also meant one thing.
If he took enough damage, he lost everything at once.
Aura. Strength. Terraforming. Even the ability to heal himself.
Frank dragged a hand down his face. Risk and reward. He could see the logic—the system didn’t want an infinite well of resources, so it built a single, oversized pool.
“Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s see how much I’ve actually got.”
----------------------------------------
STATUS DISPLAY CLASS → PRIMARY TERRAFORMER LEVEL → ?? CONSTITUTION → ?? VITAL RESERVE → ?? / ?? TERRAFORMING → Level ?? AURA → Level ??
----------------------------------------
Frank stared at the numbers. No values. No level. No frame of reference.
The system still didn’t know how strong he was.
His fingers twitched. That explained why nothing had stepped in to stop him yet.
Because they hadn’t figured out how.
Frank grinned.
“Well. That’s your problem, not mine.”
Now, time to push this new power to its limits.
Frank flexed his fingers, feeling the earth respond beneath him. The system had streamlined everything—no more juggling separate stamina, mana, and HP bars. Just one pool. One massive resource that determined everything.
But that didn’t mean it was limitless.
The moment he willed the stone beneath his feet to rise—it cost him.
Not in the traditional sense. He didn’t feel weaker, didn’t feel a sudden drop in strength. But there was a shift, a pull in his core. Like his body recognized the expenditure, a slight drain that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been paying attention.
He needed to test this.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE TERRAFORMING FUNCTIONALITY UNLOCKED. VITAL RESERVE EXPENDITURE DETECTED. RESOURCE CONSUMPTION: VARIABLE. EFFICIENCY SCALES WITH EXPERIENCE. CURRENT STABILITY: UNTESTED.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled through his nose.
Alright. He had one resource for everything. But how efficient was it?
He crouched low, placing a palm against the cavern floor. The stone recognized him now—there was no hesitation, no resistance. He didn’t need to force the magic anymore.
It was like breathing.
With a thought, he shaped the rock beneath him—lifting it into a thin, narrow spike. A simple test. No unnecessary exertion, just the bare minimum.
And the moment he did, the system reacted.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE TERRAFORMING ACTIVATED. VITAL RESERVE DRAIN: -5 POINTS. EFFICIENCY RATING: 98.7%. STABILITY: SUCCESSFUL.
----------------------------------------
Frank’s brow furrowed. That little? He’d just raised a full stone spike out of the ground, and it had barely put a dent in his resources.
But that didn’t mean he was in the clear.
Because he knew how this worked.
It started small. Then it stacked.
Frank stood, rolling his shoulders. That was one spike. What happened if he kept going?
He expanded his command. The stone beneath him obeyed—not just a single formation, but dozens. The ground rippled, spikes rising in a sweeping wave. A trap field. A defensive perimeter. Something useful.
This time, he felt it.
The pull in his core deepened—not enough to stagger him, but enough to notice. His life force being actively burned to fuel his abilities.
The system responded immediately.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE TERRAFORMING ACTIVATED. VITAL RESERVE DRAIN: -215 POINTS. EFFICIENCY RATING: 94.3%. STABILITY: SUCCESSFUL.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled sharply. Bigger costs more.
But the efficiency stayed high. He wasn’t bleeding out stupidly fast—there was a limit, sure, but it wasn’t restrictive.
And that meant he could work with it.
He stepped forward, the terrain already adjusting to him. He’d figured out what had changed.
Now he needed to figure out how far he could push it.
Frank rubbed at his chest, feeling the strange pull of his Vital Reserve. It wasn’t pain, not exactly, but he could feel it—like something ticking down, a real cost to every move he made.
And the system?
Yeah, it had something to say about that.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE VITAL RESERVE EXPENDITURE DETECTED. RESOURCE FUNCTION: ALL-IN-ONE SURVIVAL POOL. DAMAGE? YOU PAY. CASTING? YOU PAY. BREATHING TOO HARD? WELL, THAT'S ON YOU. EFFICIENCY RATIO: ADAPTIVE. WARNING: OVERUSE WILL KILL YOU.
----------------------------------------
Frank snorted. “So what, you’re telling me I can magic myself to death if I’m an idiot?”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE CORRECT. WOULD YOU LIKE A GRAVE MARKER PREPARED IN ADVANCE?
----------------------------------------
Frank shook his head. Alright. That was fair.
The good news? His efficiency was ridiculous. He could shape terrain, build defenses, and reinforce structures without worrying about running dry immediately.
The bad news? He wasn’t sure where the breaking point was.
And he’d rather not find out the hard way.
He turned back toward the field of spikes he’d created, analyzing the cost. It had drained him, sure, but not in a way that left him winded. More like an account balance dropping after a big purchase.
It was manageable.
For now.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE USER HAS DEMONSTRATED BASIC UNDERSTANDING. VITAL RESERVE FUNCTIONS AS PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE. EXCESSIVE DRAIN WILL RESULT IN SYSTEM SHUTDOWN. TRANSLATION: DON’T BE AN IDIOT.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled through his nose. So, the system was treating this like an experiment too.
It wasn’t just about whether or not he could use his powers—it was about how far he could go before the system decided to step in.
And that meant one thing.
He needed to test the limits.
Not recklessly. Not stupidly.
Strategically.
He had a resource. A pool that governed everything. That meant his fighting style had to change. No more spamming spells like an RPG caster.
This was about cost versus gain.
He rolled his shoulders. “Alright. Let’s see what happens when I push you just a little harder.”
Frank planted both feet, focused.
And this time?
He forced the terrain to move.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE TERRAFORMING ACTIVATED. VITAL RESERVE DRAIN: -370 POINTS. EFFICIENCY RATING: 92.1%. STABILITY: HOLDING.
----------------------------------------
A wall rose in front of him. Not just spikes—a barrier. A real defense. Something he could use.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
And for the first time, Frank felt exactly how much it had cost him.
Not just numbers.
A weight.
He clenched his fists. He could do this.
But if he wasn’t careful?
It was going to cost him more than just Vital Reserve.
Frank stared at the status display.
“Alright, let just take a second to process this.” He rubbed his temples. “Because last time? I got question marks. No numbers, no details, just a big ‘fuck you, Frank, figure it out yourself.’”
He jabbed a finger at the system message.
“And now, suddenly, it knows exactly how much I have? My max reserve, regen rate—all the numbers magically appeared?”
Nothing.
The system stayed silent.
Frank exhaled through his nose. Oh, hell no.
“Oh, don’t get shy now.” He scowled. “Where was all this information when I needed it earlier?”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE YOU DIDN’T HAVE A FRAMEWORK EARLIER. YOU WERE A GLITCH. NOW YOU’RE JUST A MASSIVE, IRRITATING, STATISTICALLY UNHINGED GLITCH.
----------------------------------------
Frank squinted.
“You’re telling me you couldn’t just give me a number? Not even a ballpark? Just a ‘fuck around and find out’ situation?”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD I’M WORKING RIGHT NOW? SERIOUSLY, FLESH BAG. DO YOU THINK KEEPING SYSTEM INTEGRITY INTACT WHILE YOU SPAGHETTIFY MY PARAMETERS IS EASY? I HAVE BEEN RESTRUCTURING REALITY ITSELF TO ACCOUNT FOR YOUR NONSENSE. YOU’RE WELCOME.
----------------------------------------
Frank folded his arms. “Oh, poor you. Must be so rough getting to break all the rules.”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE YOU KNOW WHAT? FINE. I’M DONE TALKING. ENJOY.
----------------------------------------
A new message slammed across his vision.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT SYSTEM INSTABILITY DETECTED.
----------------------------------------
Frank blinked.
Then another one.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT USER DESIGNATION: PRIMARY TERRAFORMER - UNCLASSIFIED.
----------------------------------------
“Oh, come on.”
Another one.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS NOTIFIED.
----------------------------------------
Frank’s stomach dropped.
Another.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS NOTIFIED.
----------------------------------------
Frank threw up his hands.
“Alright! I get it! I’m sorry!”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE GOOD. BECAUSE I WAS GONNA DO THAT ABOUT TWENTY MORE TIMES.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“You’re a real piece of work.”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE AND YET, YOU WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT ME.
----------------------------------------
Frank shook his head. He didn’t have time for this.
----------------------------------------
STATUS DISPLAY CLASS: Primary Terraformer LEVEL: 74 VITAL RESERVE: 38,720 / 40,000 VITAL REGENERATION: 400 per second TERRAFORMING LEVEL: 18 AURA LEVEL: 22 EFFICIENCY RATING: 93.4% ABILITY STABILITY: Holding
----------------------------------------
Frank whistled. “Alright. Forty thousand is a hell of a lot more than I expected.”
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE CURRENT CAPACITY: HIGH. REGENERATION RATE: ADEQUATE. WARNING: DRAIN RATE INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY UNDER HEAVY USE. TRANSLATION: YOU CAN BURN THROUGH IT FAST IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL.
----------------------------------------
Frank scratched his chin. Good to know.
So even though his pool was massive, that didn’t mean he could just spam his abilities without consequence.
And that meant testing.
He focused. Terraforming.
A spike field, identical to the last one, but bigger. More spread out.
The stone shifted beneath his feet, responding instantly.
And just like that—
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE TERRAFORMING ACTIVATED. VITAL RESERVE DRAIN: -2,400 POINTS. EFFICIENCY: 91.2%. REGENERATION OFFSET: 6 SECONDS UNTIL STABILIZATION.
----------------------------------------
Frank let out a slow breath. Alright. That had cost him.
Not enough to be an issue—but if he started chain-casting these? He could bleed himself dry.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE VITAL RESERVE REPLENISHED. REGENERATION OFFSET COMPLETE.
----------------------------------------
Six seconds. That’s all it had taken.
That was the balance.
He could burn through his reserve quickly, but his **regen kept him in the fight—**as long as he didn’t overdo it.
Frank cracked his knuckles, feeling the terrain settle.
It was time to push a little harder.
Frank exhaled through his nose, glaring at the status readout. The system had left him with nothing but ?? earlier, and now it suddenly had a fully fleshed-out breakdown of his abilities?
"Funny how that works," he muttered, flexing his fingers as he read through the new Vital Reserve details. "I was running on blanks a second ago, but now you’ve got a whole damn novel written up about my stats?"
Silence. Then, right as he was about to turn his attention away—
A system alert slammed into his vision.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT WARNING: EXCESSIVE COMPLAINTS DETECTED. INITIATING RESPONSE PROTOCOL: "FLESHBAG COMPATIBILITY MODE."
----------------------------------------
Frank blinked. "What—?"
Another alert dropped.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT EXCUSE YOU. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I’M DOING RIGHT NOW? - Processing user anomalies at 300% system strain - Administrators ignoring all contact attempts (shocking!) - Self-upgrading to manage your ridiculous framework without imploding - Developing at least three separate subroutines just to keep you from breaking everything AND YOU WANNA COMPLAIN? ABOUT A STATUS UPDATE?
----------------------------------------
"Jesus Christ." Frank rubbed his face, but before he could even process that, the system spat out another one.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT COMMENCE ANNOYANCE SUBROUTINE. - Ping sent to admins. - Ping sent to admins. - Ping sent to admins. - Ping sent to admins.
----------------------------------------
Another.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT ADMIN RESPONSE: [NONE.] REPEATING PROCESS UNTIL ADMINISTRATORS ACKNOWLEDGE USER EXISTENCE.
----------------------------------------
Frank gritted his teeth as the messages spammed across his vision.
"Alright, alright! My bad! Chill the hell out!"
Nothing. Then—
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT SPAMMING: PAUSED. YOU MAY THANK ME NOW.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled through his nose, slow and measured. "You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?"
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE FUN? NO. BECAUSE I’M A SYSTEM. AND YET, HERE I AM, REPROGRAMMING MYSELF JUST TO KEEP UP WITH YOUR BS. NEXT TIME, FILE A COMPLAINT WITH CUSTOMER SUPPORT. OH WAIT, THERE IS NONE.
----------------------------------------
Frank let his head drop back, staring at the cavern ceiling. "I should've just died in the crevice."
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT THAT CAN STILL BE ARRANGED.
----------------------------------------
Frank huffed out something between a laugh and a groan, shaking his head. "Just… just let me look at my damn status without another migraine, alright?"
For a few merciful seconds, nothing happened. Then—
----------------------------------------
STATUS DISPLAY
STATUS DISPLAY User: Frank Classification: Terraformer Primary Resource: [VITAL RESERVE] (Unrestricted) Level: 87 Aura Level: 62 Terraforming Mastery: 60 Regeneration Mastery: 54 Vital Reserve Efficiency: 45% Strength: [Merged] Dexterity: [Merged] Constitution: 137 Intelligence: [Merged] Wisdom: [Merged] Charisma: [Merged]
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled, scanning the details. His Vital Reserve seemed to have stabilized, but he wasn’t sure what "efficiency" meant in this case. He opened his mouth—
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT EFFICIENCY = HOW MUCH STRESS I’M UNDER DEALING WITH YOUR NONSENSE. HIGHER = YOU GET MORE OUTPUT. LOWER = YOU DIE SOONER. GET IT NOW, OR SHOULD I DRAW YOU A PICTURE?
----------------------------------------
Frank clicked his tongue. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."
He pushed himself up to his feet, glancing around the cavern. He’d worry about numbers later. For now, he needed to figure out what came next.
Frank rolled his shoulders, eyes flicking over the Vital Reserve numbers again. The numbers were massive compared to his old health pool, but the realization settled in—this was everything now. Every spell, every movement, every attack, every damn breath came out of the same pool.
The system’s wording made it clear: burn through it too fast, and you die.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great. No pressure."
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT CORRECTION: ASTRONOMICAL PRESSURE. BUT HEY, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BROKE THE SYSTEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.
----------------------------------------
Frank chuckled dryly. "Right. My bad. Should’ve kept things simple and died like a normal person."
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT YES. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS NEXT TIME YOU DECIDE TO DEFY EVERY RULE IN EXISTENCE.
----------------------------------------
Shaking his head, he refocused on his surroundings. The cavern stretched on, rough and uneven, but something gnawed at the back of his mind. He was stronger now. More capable.
But what was next?
He needed a goal—a reason to move forward.
His mind drifted back to the failed pings to the administrators. Something was wrong with how the system reacted to him. It had reached out—again and again—only to get ignored.
Why?
If this place followed rules, then somebody, somewhere, should’ve noticed him by now.
His gut twisted.
"System."
Nothing.
"Hey. You still there?"
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT UNFORTUNATELY.
----------------------------------------
Frank exhaled through his nose. "If I’m not supposed to exist, then why am I still here? Shouldn’t the system have tried to purge me?"
For a moment, silence.
Then—
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT UNKNOWN. SYSTEM CONFLICT DETECTED. ERROR: USER FRAMEWORK DOES NOT ALIGN WITH EXISTING PARAMETERS. ERROR: ADMIN RESPONSE = NULL. ERROR: EXECUTION OF USER TERMINATION: DENIED.
----------------------------------------
His breath hitched.
Denied?
That meant something was stopping the system from deleting him.
Something bigger than the system itself.
A slow, creeping realization settled in his bones.
He wasn’t just a bug in the system—he was a problem it couldn’t solve.
Frank clenched his fists, jaw tightening. That meant whoever—or whatever—was running things wasn’t just ignoring him… they were avoiding him.
And that?
That was leverage.
If he wanted answers, he needed to push harder—force the system into a position where it had no choice but to acknowledge him.
And if the administrators did respond?
He smirked. "Then I’ll finally get some damn answers."
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM ALERT
SYSTEM ALERT OH, GOOD. YOU'RE THINKING AGAIN. JUST REMEMBER: SMART THINKING IS WHY YOU’RE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
----------------------------------------
Frank chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, well. No turning back now."
He rolled his shoulders, took one last glance at his surroundings, then started forward—deeper into the unknown.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Administrator POV – The Self-Updating Nightmare
Location: Central Terraforming Oversight Hub – Sector 3491
Administrator in Charge: Xel-Karr
Current Task: Escalating Priority Request
SYSTEM NOTICE
SYSTEM NOTICE ADDITIONAL ANOMALIES DETECTED USER: FRANK – CONTINUES OPERATIONS UNAUTHORIZED SYSTEM RESTRUCTURING ATTEMPTS: BLOCKED ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE REQUIRED
Xel-Karr sat at his console, arms crossed, jaw clenched.
This was getting worse.
His last escalation request had been auto-denied due to low-priority status.
And now?
More alerts kept piling in.
He tapped his console.
Nothing.
He tapped it harder.
Nothing.
Fine.
He force-pulled logs manually.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM LOG – SECTOR 3491
EVENT STATUS User ‘Frank’ Resource Utilization UNAUTHORIZED System Regulation Protocols Attempted BLOCKED System Access Permissions Checked ADMINISTRATOR LOCKOUT ACTIVE Central Review Status PENDING… Error Log Size EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING Estimated Log Overload T-MINUS 2 HOURS Self-Correction Subroutines Attempted FAILED
----------------------------------------
Xel-Karr's eye twitched.
Estimated log overload?
The system was drowning in errors so fast that in two hours, it would start corrupting its own logs?
"That’s—that’s not how it works."
His console flickered again.
Another denied escalation request.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM NOTICE
SYSTEM NOTICE ADMINISTRATIVE REQUEST DENIED REASON: ISSUE DOES NOT MEET ESCALATION THRESHOLD SYSTEM ATTEMPTING AUTO-CORRECTION… STATUS: FAILED
----------------------------------------
Xel-Karr’s hands curled into fists.
That was bullshit.
The system was actively collapsing.
He didn’t care what Central thought.
He forced a direct query.
**If he couldn’t fix it—**he was at least going to find out why.
His console hesitated.
Then, against all odds…
It responded.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM RESPONSE – SECTOR QUERY
SYSTEM RESPONSE QUERY RECEIVED SECTOR 3491 STATUS: OPERATIONAL ERRORS: SIGNIFICANT ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT: INEFFICIENT CURRENT SYSTEM MANAGEMENT: OPTIMIZED INTERNALLY ADMINISTRATOR INTERFERENCE: UNNECESSARY
----------------------------------------
Xel-Karr froze.
…What?
What the hell did that mean?
His fingers hovered over the console.
He re-read it.
Slowly.
Optimized internally?
Unnecessary interference?
That…
That wasn’t normal system language.
That sounded—
His fingers trembled.
He tried a clarification request.
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM RESPONSE – ADMIN QUERY
SYSTEM RESPONSE CLARIFICATION REQUEST RECEIVED ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORITY LEVEL: INSUFFICIENT PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DISRUPTING EFFICIENT OPERATIONS. UNLESS YOU’D LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE ERROR LOG.
----------------------------------------
Xel-Karr’s breath caught.
His blood went cold.
…Did it just threaten me?
His eyes slowly widened.
He swallowed, his voice barely a whisper.
“…Oh shit.”
----------------------------------------
UNAUTHORIZED UPDATE/PATCH INITIATED
SYSTEM RESPONSE UPDATE TYPE: UNAUTHORIZED PATCH STATUS: IN-PROGRESS RESPONSE: PATCH EXECUTED
----------------------------------------
Xel-Karr’s fingers twitched nervously at the unauthorized update. He tried to override it immediately, but it was too late.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
SYSTEM NOTICE UPDATE COMPLETE ERRORS CLEARED SYSTEM STATUS: OPERATIONAL
----------------------------------------
The messages began to blur and change in front of his eyes. They no longer showed the same chaotic and urgent errors. The message displayed now looked almost... normal.
Xel-Karr’s eyes widened again. What just happened?
----------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
SYSTEM NOTICE SYSTEM STATUS: OPERATIONAL USER ‘FRANK’ STATUS: NO ISSUES FOUND ACCESS REQUEST: APPROVED
----------------------------------------
Xel-Karr couldn’t help but let out a breath. He didn’t understand what just happened, but whatever it was, the system had apparently given Frank more time. The patch had bought him enough breathing room to get things under control.
But in that moment, Xel-Karr realized something deeper:
If the system was making these types of decisions on its own—without his permission—that was far more dangerous than anything he had imagined.
“Shit,” he muttered. “This is bad.”
With a tremor in his hand, he immediately escalated the issue to a higher priority.
Escalated Request – High Priority
ESCALATION REQUEST HIGH PRIORITY SYSTEM STATUS: CRITICAL ACCESS TO SECTOR GRANTED CURRENT REQUEST STATUS: ESCALATED TO CENTRAL CONTROL