The room was quiet.
Vash sat on the edge of his bed, holding his new phone with both hands.
The restaurant had finally become quiet for the night.
Grandpa and Grandma had gone to sleep.
For once, there was nothing he needed to prepare, no homework waiting on the table, and no immediate task demanding his attention.
So Vash did something he was still getting used to.
He explored.
He opened the browser.
Then he closed it.
He opened the calculator.
Then the notes application.
Then the camera.
He took a picture of the old recipe book.
He looked at it for a few seconds.
Why did I even take that?
He deleted it.
Vash smiled.
He was still learning what his phone could do.
It was strange.
A device this small could connect him to more information than he had ever imagined.
He opened the browser again and started scrolling.
He wasn't looking for anything specific.
News.
Technology.
Games.
School material.
Random articles.
He kept scrolling.
Then something caught his attention.
A name appeared several times.
ChatGPT.
Vash stopped.
He stared at the word.
"Chat... GPT?"
He had heard people talking about it earlier, but he hadn't paid much attention.
Now he was curious.
He searched for it.
Several results appeared.
Some articles called it an AI.
Others talked about people asking it questions.
Some were discussing how unusual it was that a computer program could communicate through conversation.
Vash frowned.
An AI?
He searched again.
What is AI?
He read the explanation carefully.
Artificial Intelligence.
A broad term for computer systems designed to perform tasks that normally require forms of human intelligence—such as understanding information, recognizing patterns, solving problems, or generating responses.
Vash leaned back.
"So computers can learn?"
He looked at the screen again.
The idea reminded him of something.
Pattern Recognition.
Deep Analysis.
Learning.
The System.
But this was different.
This wasn't the System.
This was something ordinary people were using.
At least, that's what it seemed like.
Vash returned to the search results.
One result mentioned ChatGPT again.
He tapped it.
A simple interface appeared.
There was a box where he could type a question.
Vash stared at it.
So I just ask something?
He hesitated.
Then typed:
What is artificial intelligence?
He pressed enter.
A response appeared.
Vash read it.
The explanation was surprisingly easy to understand.
He scrolled.
Then read it again.
It wasn't just a list of search results.
It was answering him directly.
Vash's curiosity increased.
He typed another question.
Can you explain HTML to a beginner?
The answer appeared.
It explained that HTML was used to structure webpages.
Vash's eyes widened slightly.
That's what we learned today.
He opened another tab and looked at the simple webpage he had made in class.
Then he returned to the conversation.
He asked another question.
This time, he wanted to understand something he had struggled with earlier.
Why do HTML tags need to be closed?
The answer explained the basic structure.
Vash compared it with what he had learned in class.
It made sense.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
He continued.
Question after question.
He asked about programming.
Then computers.
Then the difference between a website and a program.
Then he asked something simpler.
Can AI learn?
The response explained that different forms of AI learn in different ways and that modern AI systems can be trained using large amounts of data.
Vash stopped scrolling.
His expression became serious.
Large amounts of data...
He looked at his phone.
Then at the dark room around him.
The idea of a machine processing enormous amounts of information was fascinating.
He had spent months watching the Ordinary System analyze his body, studies, cooking, business, and activities.
But he had never really considered how much information a computer could process.
He typed another question.
How does AI learn?
He waited.
The answer appeared.
Vash began reading.
Then—
The screen flickered.
Vash froze.
The browser remained open.
But another interface appeared over it.
Not the normal System status window.
The letters seemed to appear one after another.
[UNUSUAL ACTIVITY DETECTED]
[ANALYZING EXTERNAL SYSTEM...]
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DETECTED]
Vash's eyes widened.
"What?"
The browser was still visible underneath.
The System had never reacted like this before.
Another line appeared.
[PROTOCOL 19995 ACTIVATED]
Vash stared at the number.
"Protocol... 19995?"
He waited.
Nothing else happened for several seconds.
Then more information appeared.
[PROTOCOL 19995]
Status: ACTIVE
External Artificial Intelligence:
DETECTED
System Compatibility:
UNKNOWN
Analysis Capability:
LIMITED
System Integrity:
18%
Access Level:
INSUFFICIENT
Vash frowned.
"Why can't you analyze it?"
No response.
He waited.
Then the System displayed:
[EXPLANATION UNAVAILABLE]
Communication Module:
INSUFFICIENT INTEGRITY
Vash leaned closer to the screen.
This was different.
Normally, when the System couldn't do something, it simply showed that the function was unavailable.
But this time, it had reacted to something outside itself.
Why?
He looked at the AI conversation again.
Then back at the System.
For the first time, Vash wondered whether the System had been waiting for something like this.
He didn't know what.
And the System wasn't telling him.
A new window suddenly appeared.
[LONG-TERM MISSION GENERATED]
Vash's heart skipped.
He read the next line.
Mission ID: 19995
Objective:
Create a functioning Artificial Intelligence system.
Time Limit:
3 Years
Reward:
+10,000 System Points
Vash stopped breathing for a moment.
"Ten thousand?"
He checked the number again.
10,000.
Not 100.
Not 1,000.
10,000.
His current System Points were only:
83 / 100
He had spent weeks completing tasks, studying, helping at the restaurant, recovering physically, and learning new skills just to reach that number.
And now the System was offering more than a hundred times what he currently had.
Then another section appeared.
[MISSION REQUIREMENTS]
1. Learn programming fundamentals.
2. Study artificial intelligence.
3. Understand data processing.
4. Develop the required software architecture.
5. Create and train an AI system.
6. Demonstrate functional operation.
Vash slowly lowered the phone.
He looked at the wall.
Then back at the screen.
Create an AI?
He had only learned basic HTML that day.
He wasn't even good at it yet.
His Web Design skill was only 1%.
He had spent nearly two hours making a simple webpage.
And now the System wanted him to create artificial intelligence.
Vash almost laughed.
Almost.
Then he noticed the final section.
His expression disappeared.
[PENALTY]
Failure to complete Mission 19995
within the allotted time will trigger:
SYSTEM SHUTDOWN MODE
During Shutdown Mode:
• System assistance unavailable.
• System analysis unavailable.
• System functions locked.
• System missions unavailable.
Shutdown Mode will remain active
until Mission 19995 is completed.
Vash stared at the words.
"Three years..."
The room suddenly felt much quieter.
Three years sounded like a long time.
But creating an AI sounded like something people with years of education and experience did.
Not someone who had just returned to school after spending two years in a coma.
He looked down at his hands.
His life had changed so much already.
He had learned to walk again.
He had returned to school.
He had learned cooking.
He had helped Grandpa understand the restaurant's finances.
He had learned basic computer skills.
And now—
The System had given him something completely different.
Something that couldn't be solved in a few days.
Maybe not even a few months.
Vash looked at the mission again.
10,000 System Points.
Then the final line appeared.
[MISSION 19995]
Progress:
0.00%
Remaining Time:
3 Years
Status:
ACTIVE
Vash didn't touch the screen.
For several seconds, he simply stared.
Then he opened the browser again.
The AI conversation was still there.
He read the explanation about artificial intelligence one more time.
This time, he wasn't simply curious.
He was looking at it differently.
If I'm going to do this...
He swallowed.
I need to understand what I'm dealing with first.
Vash opened his notes application.
At the top of a new page, he typed:
AI
Underneath it, he wrote:
What do I need to learn?
He paused.
Then added another line.
Programming.
Another.
Mathematics.
Another.
Data.
He looked at the growing list.
It was only the beginning.
He had no idea how difficult the road ahead would be.
But for the first time, Vash wasn't afraid of the size of the problem.
He was curious.
He looked at the System one final time.
[MISSION 19995]
Progress: 0.00%
Vash locked his phone.
Tomorrow, he would still have school.
He would still have restaurant work.
He would still have homework.
His recovery would still take time.
Nothing about his ordinary life had disappeared.
But now, somewhere in the middle of that ordinary life, a new goal had appeared.
A goal that would take years.
Vash placed the phone beside his bed.
"An AI, huh..."
He smiled faintly.
"Then I guess I have a lot to learn."