restaurant door, his eyes went straight to the clock.
School was over.
The repairs were still being finished outside, but Grandpa had already opened the back room for him to study.
Vash barely noticed.
His mind was somewhere else.
The System.
All day, he had been thinking about what would happen after the upgrade.
He had finally reached the number he had been chasing for so long.
100 System Points.
And then some.
Vash sat down at the small table behind the restaurant and opened the System.
A familiar blue interface appeared.
---
[ ORDINARY SYSTEM ]
System Points: 101 / 100
System Integrity: 18%
System Initialization: 20%
Condition: Operational
---
Vash stared at the points.
"One hundred and one."
A small smile appeared on his face.
He had spent so much time thinking about reaching 100 that he had almost forgotten what came after it.
Then a new notification appeared.
---
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE AVAILABLE ]
Required System Points: 100
Current System Points: 101
Upgrade Cost: 100 System Points
Upgrade Duration: 01:00:00
Warning: Some System functions may be unavailable during the upgrade.
Proceed with System Upgrade?
[ YES ] [ NO ]
---
Vash's expression became serious.
One hour.
So the System wouldn't simply upgrade instantly.
He liked that.
It made the upgrade feel important.
He pressed YES.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
---
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE INITIATED ]
100 System Points consumed.
Remaining System Points: 1
---
Vash blinked.
"One?"
He quickly checked the number again.
1 / 100
He let out a quiet breath.
So the System really had taken the points.
He had finally reached 101...
And now he was back to one.
Still, he couldn't complain.
This was what he had been saving for.
A second notification appeared.
---
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE IN PROGRESS ]
Progress: 0%
Time Remaining: 01:00:00
---
Vash leaned back.
"An entire hour?"
He glanced toward the restaurant.
Grandma was preparing ingredients.
Grandpa was checking the workers' repairs.
There was nothing urgent for Vash to do.
So he waited.
For the first ten minutes, he checked the System every few seconds.
Nothing.
The timer continued moving.
---
00:49:37
---
Vash sighed.
"This is going to take forever."
He eventually opened his schoolbooks.
For a while, he studied mathematics.
Then English.
Then some programming notes.
But every few minutes, his eyes returned to the System.
---
Progress: 31%
Time Remaining: 00:41:08
---
Later—
Progress: 58%
Time Remaining: 00:25:16
---
Then—
Progress: 84%
Time Remaining: 00:09:42
---
Vash closed his notebook.
His curiosity had completely defeated his concentration.
He watched the final minutes disappear.
00:05:00
00:04:00
00:03:00
00:02:00
00:01:00
Then—
00:00:00
The System screen suddenly went dark.
Vash sat upright.
A moment later, a new notification appeared.
---
[ SYSTEM UPGRADE COMPLETE ]
Reinitializing...
System Core: Online
Interface: Updated
New Functions Detected
---
The screen changed.
It looked different.
Cleaner.
More organized.
Vash slowly opened the main interface.
---
[ ORDINARY SYSTEM ]
Host: Vash
Level: 1
System Points: 1 / 100
System Integrity: 18%
System Initialization: 20%
Condition: Operational
---
Below the status information were the familiar options.
Status
Attributes
Skills
Daily Mission
Mission
And then Vash noticed something new.
His eyes widened.
Two additional options had appeared.
System Shop
Knowledge Database
Ability Database
Vash stared.
"The Shop..."
He tapped it.
---
[ SYSTEM SHOP ]
Available System Points: 1
Categories:
Knowledge Database
Ability Database
---
Vash's eyes moved to the first option.
He opened the Knowledge Database.
The screen expanded.
---
[ KNOWLEDGE DATABASE ]
Basic Mathematics — 100 SP
Advanced Mathematics — 300 SP
Basic Physics — 150 SP
Advanced Physics — 400 SP
Basic Chemistry — 150 SP
Advanced Chemistry — 400 SP
Basic Computer Science — 200 SP
Advanced Computer Science — 500 SP
Basic Programming — 200 SP
Advanced Programming — 600 SP
Basic Artificial Intelligence — 300 SP
Advanced Artificial Intelligence — 1,000 SP
Basic Business Knowledge — 200 SP
Basic Financial Knowledge — 250 SP
Basic Cooking Knowledge — 100 SP
...
Thousands of Knowledge Packages Available
---
Vash's mouth opened slightly.
There was so much.
Mathematics.
Physics.
Chemistry.
Programming.
Business.
Artificial Intelligence.
The list seemed almost endless.
Then he noticed something.
Basic Mathematics — 100 SP.
His current balance was—
1 SP.
Vash slowly closed the database.
"...I can't buy anything."
He wasn't disappointed for long.
Instead, a strange excitement grew inside him.
There was now a clear reason to keep earning System Points.
He opened the second category.
---
[ ABILITY DATABASE ]
Basic Calculator — 200 SP
Basic Simulation — 200 SP
Basic Memory Support — 200 SP
Basic Data Processing — 200 SP
Basic Visualization — 200 SP
Basic Learning Assistance — 200 SP
Basic Analysis Support — 200 SP
Basic Language Processing — 200 SP
...
Additional abilities available.
---
Vash stared at the prices.
"Everything basic costs two hundred?"
The System displayed another line.
---
[ BASIC SYSTEM ABILITIES ]
Standard Price: 200 System Points
---
Vash leaned back.
He remembered how difficult his first few System Points had been to earn.
Back then, even a single point felt valuable.
Now he had discovered an entire System Store filled with things that cost hundreds or even thousands.
And he had only one point.
Vash couldn't help laughing.
"Looks like reaching 100 wasn't the end."
He looked at the System again.
It was only the beginning.
Then he noticed another new option.
[ MISSION ]
Vash tapped it.
The screen displayed the mission he already knew.
---
[ MISSION ]
Mission: Create a Functioning Artificial Intelligence
Time Limit: 3 Years
Progress: 0.00%
Reward: +10,000 System Points
Penalty: System Shutdown Mode
---
Vash's smile disappeared.
Ten thousand System Points.
The number was enormous.
But now that he had seen the System Shop, he understood exactly how valuable those points could become.
He looked at the mission again.
"Three years..."
It was still an impossible-looking goal.
But the System had changed.
And perhaps more importantly—
Vash had changed too.
He closed the interface.
Tomorrow, he would continue studying.
Continue recovering.
Continue helping at the restaurant.
And continue learning about AI.
He had only 1 System Point now.
But for the first time, Vash wasn't thinking about how little he had.
He was thinking about how much there was left to earn.
Outside, Grandpa called him for dinner.
Vash stood up.
The upgraded System disappeared from his view.
But its new possibilities remained in his mind.
The System had finally opened its doors.
Now Vash had to figure out how to walk through them.