The house followed a rhythm.
Adrian Cole learned it without effort. Morning sounds were sharp and hurried. Footsteps moved faster. Voices carried purpose. Evenings slowed everything down. Chairs scraped softly. Conversations lingered. Night was quiet except for distant movement and the steady breathing of the house itself.
He lay still and listened.
Elaine Cole moved first every morning. The kitchen came alive before sunrise. Cups. Water. The faint hiss of heat. Marcus Cole followed later. His movements were heavier. More deliberate. He checked locks before leaving. Every time.
That mattered.
Adrian Cole watched from his limited perspective. Ceiling patterns. Shadows shifting with the sun. Reflections in nearby glass. Every detail was logged. This world did not reward haste. It rewarded understanding.
The system remained closed most of the time. Not because it was ignored, but because it no longer needed constant checking. Adrian Cole already knew what it was doing.
Seconds passed.
Minutes followed.
Hours accumulated.
When the system was opened again, the numbers reflected exactly what Adrian Cole expected.
Name: Adrian Cole
Age: 0
Status: Immortal
Shared Immortality: None
Currency Generation
$0.01 per second
$0.60 per minute
$36.00 per hour
$864.00 per day
$25,920.00 per month
$315,360.00 per year
Total Accumulated: $6,048.00
Spent: -$225.00
Current Balance: $5,823.00
No surprises. No inconsistencies.
Time was not abstract here. It was measurable. Banked. Compounding.
Adrian Cole closed the interface and continued observing.
Elaine Cole spoke often while holding him. Not to communicate information, but to fill silence. Marcus Cole spoke less. When he did, it was usually to confirm something had already been decided.
Different strategies. Same goal.
Adrian Cole evaluated responses. Emotional reassurance worked on Elaine Cole. Structured reasoning worked on Marcus Cole. That information would matter later.
Visitors arrived occasionally. Family. Friends. Acquaintances. Some voices lingered longer than others. Some touched without permission. Adrian Cole remembered those.
One visitor laughed loudly. Too loudly. Held him without care. Elaine Cole tensed immediately. Marcus Cole stepped closer without speaking. The visitor adjusted behavior within seconds.
Boundaries were enforced quietly.
Adrian Cole noted the method.
The system shop was opened that night.
Shop Categories
Knowledge
Potions
Skills
Assets
Knowledge came first.
Programming Knowledge Book $100
Psychology Knowledge Book $150
Psychology was tempting. Understanding behavior accelerated control. But integration pain still existed. Intelligence was rising, but restraint remained important.
Programming knowledge came first.
Purchase confirmed.
Total Accumulated: $6,048.00
Spent: -$325.00
Current Balance: $5,723.00
Integration followed. Pressure formed briefly. Less intense than before. Information settled cleanly.
Logic structures. Algorithms. Systematic thinking. Foundations that would scale decades later.
Adrian Cole did not rush to ааquire more.
He closed the shop.
Time passed.
Another day.
Another routine.
Currency continued accumulating as time passed.
Adrian Cole understood something fundamental now.
Waiting was not passive. It was investment.
Every second carried weight. Every minute added leverage. Acting too early wasted future potential. Acting too late surrendered opportunity.
Balance mattered.
Adrian Cole remained quiet.
The world continued moving around him.