The next morning in the workshop began like most others—quiet and still, interrupted only by the occasional hiss of the old climate control system and the subtle clinks of metal shifting on metal. But for Ves, everything felt different now.
His eyes sparkled with a clarity Ren hadn't seen in months. For the first time since they'd returned from Rittersberg Academy, Ves moved with purpose. The weight of uncertainty, which had dragged at his shoulders since graduation, seemed lighter now—pushed back by something invisible, yet profound.
Ren watched him from across the worktable as Ves's fingers flew across the outdated terminal, eyes flickering with intent. The System was active now, fully integrated into Ves's visual interface. He didn't talk much that morning. He was immersed—lost in the possibilities that had been unlocked.
The sleek silver mechanical cat—Lucky—stood by his feet, tail curling with its usual smug elegance. Every now and then, it emitted a soft chirrup, as if offering silent encouragement.
Ren leaned over, arms folded. "So, what now?"
Ves didn't look away from the screen. "I'm going to design a mech."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Right away?"
"Not a full one," Ves clarified. "I want to test the System. See how it reacts to changes in a base model. There are thousands of public domain templates floating around. I found a simple one—an industrial mech, not even meant for combat."
Ren moved to stand behind him. "The old Buffalo IV?"
Ves nodded. "Yeah. Cheap, ugly, and outdated. But simple enough to experiment on."
The Buffalo IV was a civilian utility mech that had long since been phased out of commercial use. Its blocky frame, slow joints, and power inefficiency made it an excellent test case. Even a slight improvement would be noticeable.
Ves selected the file and opened it in the system's Virtual Workshop interface—a feature not previously accessible until the System activated. Ren leaned in, quietly fascinated despite himself. The 3D model of the mech unfolded into a layered diagram, each component labeled and editable.
"System," Ves whispered. "Show potential weak points in the Buffalo IV template."
A soft chime echoed in his ears, and various parts of the mech lit up in red, yellow, and green. The red areas marked key inefficiencies: the overtaxed servo joints, the outdated power core, and the absurdly heavy armor for a civilian unit.
Ves inhaled sharply. "It's actually doing it."
"Start with the joints," Ren suggested. "Low-risk area. If you improve the energy efficiency even by a few percent, it's a win."
Ves nodded. He zoomed in on the joint structure and began to modify the internal arrangement of the servos. The System didn't dictate solutions—it merely gave feedback. As he worked, a bar in the corner of his vision began to fill.
[You have earned 3 Design Experience.]
[Design Evaluation: Marginal improvement detected. Project quality: +0.2%.]
Ren grinned. "Now that's more like it."
For the next several hours, Ves tinkered with the design. He altered the leg supports to reduce drag, swapped out the archaic core for a more modern but still open-source variant, and optimized the wiring routes. The gains were modest, but measurable.
By the time he finished, the System issued another notification:
[Modified Buffalo IV v1.01 saved. Upload available.]
Ves leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "It's done. It's not perfect—not even close—but it's a start."
Ren clapped him on the shoulder. "You just made your first design improvement under the System. You sure you want to upload it?"
Ves hesitated. "It's just a test run. I doubt anyone will buy it… but if someone does, that's experience. And maybe a few credits."
He uploaded the modified template to the Blackheart virtual platform under an anonymous alias. The pricing was dirt cheap—just enough to cover the licensing fee.
Then came the waiting.
That evening, as the pale moon of Cloudy Curtain rose in the sky, casting its dim light over the estate, the brothers sat on the balcony overlooking their small garden. The wind was cool. A far-off farming machine hummed in the distance.
Ves sipped a cup of instant tea. His thoughts were still racing.
"I don't know how to explain it," he said. "It's not just the skills. It's how right everything feels when I work on the designs. Like I'm seeing connections I didn't see before. It's… addicting."
Ren gave a small, knowing nod. "That's the difference between theory and insight. You're no longer just working with knowledge. You're designing."
Ves looked at him. "Did you ever feel that at Rittersberg?"
Ren smiled faintly. "Not like this. The coursework was rigorous, but it was rote. Linear. This—this is different. You're interacting with a living system, Ves. Treat it with respect."
They fell into silence for a moment, watching as Lucky leapt onto the railing, tail flicking idly.
Ves broke the silence. "I don't want anyone else to know. Not even our future clients."
"Good," Ren said. "Keep it secret. Let them see your results, not your methods."
"I'm going to need more than public domain templates eventually."
"We'll figure it out," Ren assured him. "First, get good. Build a foundation. Work with what's free. Make a name."
Ves nodded slowly. "I'll need to choose a direction eventually. A design path. A philosophy."
Ren's ears perked up at that. He remembered well from the original story—the moment when Ves would begin pondering the essence of his mechs, the soul he wanted to put into them. But it was still too early. Ves hadn't encountered the challenges that would shape that path.
"You've got time," Ren said. "Focus on the fundamentals. Your philosophy will come."
He didn't mention his own. Not yet.
Ren had been thinking too—quietly shaping a vision in his mind. While Ves would eventually become the designer who instilled life into his mechs, Ren wanted to pursue a different path. Precision. Harmony. The perfect strike from the perfect range.
A marksman's soul.
The next day, Ves logged into Blackheart to check on his design.
His jaw dropped.
[Modified Buffalo IV v1.01: 6 downloads. Total earnings: 30 credits.]
Ren glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "Told you it had potential."
"It's not much," Ves murmured. "But people paid for it."
"And that's all the confirmation you need," Ren said. "You just made your first credits as a mech designer."