Minh Truong began to test the limits.
Not out of greed—
but out of necessity.
After the incident at school, he realized something unsettling:
The system didn't reward kindness.
It rewarded impact.
Helping someone quietly gave days.
Taking real risks gave years.
That difference mattered.
He started observing patterns.
Late at night, Minh Truong wrote everything down in a notebook.
Good deeds:
Helping classmates with homework: +1 to +2 days
Cleaning public areas unnoticed: +3 days
Honest effort in studies: small, steady gains
Risk-based actions:
Public confrontation: +weeks
Standing against authority: +months
Physical danger: years
The math was terrifyingly clear.
The system valued probability of loss.
One evening, while walking home, Minh Truong noticed a crowd forming near an alley.
Two men were arguing loudly.
One was drunk.
The other looked furious.
People slowed down.
Nobody intervened.
The system activated instantly.
[Choice Detected]
A. Walk away.
Reward: None
B. Call for help anonymously.
Reward: +14 days
C. Step between them directly.
Reward: +6 months
Risk: Physical harm, legal consequences
Minh Truong stopped walking.
Six months.
He clenched his jaw.
Was he becoming addicted to the numbers?
He chose B.
He stepped back, made a call, reported the situation, then left quietly.
Minutes later, sirens echoed in the distance.
The system updated.
[Action Confirmed]
[Lifespan Remaining: +14 days]
Minh Truong felt… relieved.
And disappointed.
Fourteen days was safe.
Too safe.
That night, he stared at the ceiling.
"If I always choose the safest option…" he murmured,
"I'll live longer—but never enough."
A new message appeared.
[System Analysis Unlocked]
[User behavior detected: optimization attempt]
Minh Truong's breath caught.
So the system knew.
[Warning: Excessive exploitation may trigger corrective events.]
Corrective… events?
He sat up.
"So it's not just me choosing," he whispered.
"It's choosing me too."
For the first time since receiving the system, Minh Truong felt true pressure—not from danger, but from being watched.
The system wasn't passive.
It was adaptive.
And tomorrow, it might stop offering easy choices.