As Emir neared the elevator, he heard many students mingle about, heading to their next class.
"You guys checked out the new update?"
"Yep."
"Yeah, it's still AI, right?"
"I legit can't see a difference between it and a real girl."
"Facts."
"But how much does it cost?"
"Dunno, but the fucker that made it just locked it behind a few AUC, so I bet only degens like us are gonna buy it."
"True."
"Say sothing other than a single word you piece of shit!"
And it seed there was a new trend. As was usual in this place. Last ti, it was the language archive, and now it was this.
Unfortunately, most couldn't participate in this trend.
AUC, Academy Unity Credits, were rare.
A credit point system only for people registered in the Academy which included both staff and students.
And this credit system was the reason why the Academy was so popular.
After all, that currency was the only one that could buy skill implants and instant knowledge from the Archive In Between.
'...I'll be getting a lot of that soon.'
Emir's snickering arrival brought the student's conversations to a close.
They quickly made way for him, and he stepped into the professor's elevator.
After arriving on the tenth floor, he headed to his office.
Beep.
Soon, he entered his office, passed the desk, and sat on his comfortable chair. The door closed.
'Huh...'
That weird feeling he had... just left him.
Why?
What even was it?
He didn't know.
[Ly? You felt it too, no?]
[What do you an?]
[Like you find anything different about yourself?]
[No... not really.]
Emir nodded, still lost in thought.
'Let's see...'
The door to his office opened as it received his neural network's command.
And the weird feeling arrived once again.
'Interesting.'
[Lyra, initiate a self-check.]
[Alright...]
Not asking why, she imdiately began:
[What's your na?]
Emir relaxed his right arm on the chair.
[Emir Oliver.]
[Blood family mbers?]
[Lily and Laura.]
[Who is Lyra to you?]
[My partner... my right-hand woman.]
[...And your left?]
[Ragnar.]
[Elijah, is your?]
[Little brother.]
[The others are?]
[Family.]
[No inconsistencies there... I'll start with plans and goals.]
[Go ahead.]
[Alex's head?]
[We'll use him to pit Templar against the Liberation Army, then end them.]
[Third party?]
[Constant identification failure; objective is to kill that bastard.]
[Sofia?]
[Absorb into the family.]
[Quinn?]
[Absorb into the family.]
[Aria?]
[Absorb into the family-]
"Fuck."
Emir's body imdiately tensed as his mind registered the mistake he had just uttered.
He was now sure that...
'My head's been tampered with.'
He was under the influence of sothing.
[Lyra, jolt my nanobots until I get knocked out.]
His command wasn't sothing she wanted to do ever.
Hurting him was her nightmare.
Yet she would never go against it, as that was a far scarier nightmare.
[...Sure.]
Emir began to spasm while still on his chair, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Pain was giving him a visit.
It bordered on death.
But thankfully, like the pain he experienced during the breakthrough, it hadn't crossed that
line.
Not yet.
And the man was soon asleep.
He woke up just as he was knocked out, and the feeling wasn't there anymore.
However, he soon felt it trying to invade his mind again.
But it wasn't going to enter. He wouldn't allow that to happen.
Emir was ready this ti around.
He took hold of his neural network, focusing his complete attention on shielding it while also
activating counterasure programs.
Then, in doing so, he detected the invading parasite.
It was a wave among the many that surrounded him.
Yet this one particular wave was aggressive, extrely so.
It tried to hijack, or rather connect, to every open source.
Every system.
And Emir, like any other hunter, had a nanobot injection.
So he too was a system.
One that was in that wave's line of sight.
'Good.'
His anti-malware program was now fully activated.
The virus, or whatever it was... could no longer enter his system.
And sure enough, he eventually detected the source.
After closing his eyes, he tracked it.
Ninth floor?... No.
Eight floor?... No.
Seventh floor?... No. Sixth floor?... No.
Fifth floor?... No.
Fourth floor?... Yes.
It was exactly where he 'taught' his students.
In the class.
To be more specific...
'Arthur.'
The signal ca from Arthur.
'Ah...'
And everything clicked.
'I get it now.' Emir quickly understood this to be one of the protagonist's 'cheats.'
It seed that Arthur had a certain effect on the people around him.
This 'effect' caused their IQ to decrease and their thoughts to change, subtly at least.
A protagonist's halo.
Basically, a spell-like program inside his system that would disrupt the neural network of
those in his vicinity.
Even those who only interacted with him once or twice.
What Elijah experienced in the test was exactly that.
His mind was slower, dumber.
It was almost unrecognizable by the average man, but it existed nonetheless.
'Hmm...'
Emir began thinking of ways he could use this to his advantage.
He could bring Arthur around and dumb down the people that he'd negotiate with in the
future.
His existence would bring him an advantage in every possible situation.
But would that even work on those Archon ranked and above?
It might not even work on those above the Champion sub-rank.
No, no, it barely worked on him, so it definitely wouldn't on those stronger.
Amon wouldn't leave it be if it affected him.
This was no speculation. Besides, it was too much of a hassle.
Emir deed it best to just kill the source.
A simple touch would do the trick.
All he needed to do was activate a program and attack the parasite.
[Ly, it's Arthur; you already figured it out, didn't you?]
***
[No.]
'Yes.'
Was that what Lyra wanted to say?
She didn't know.
[What do you an no? Are you affected?]
[I'm really not... Is everything alright? I don't see what you're so suspicious about.]
'I am, but my systems are already compromised; I need you to kill the source ASAP!'
Emir, who was in the process of leaving his office, paused his steps.
He turned around.
[Show yourself.]
[Of course.]
'Of course.'
Lyra's hologram materialized in the middle of the room.
Her smiling face appeared... normal as if nothing was wrong.
[Are you brainwashed?]
She quizzically tilted her head.
[Emir, seriously... Are you alright? Sothing happened to you, am I right?]
'I am... Please, help .'
[...]
Emir's gaze turned cold.
It was a sight that sent her trembling to the core.
He then donned his shades and headed towards the door.
[Wait! Where are you going?]
Lyra chased after him, her hologram appearing before him.
[To Arthur.]
Emir walked through her, not caring one bit.
[Don't hurt him!]
'Kill him!'
His hands clutched into tightened fists as he swung his right at the door.
Bang!
[What the fuck did you just say?!]
Lyra materialized in his line of sight once again.
Her face was no longer happy.
She was mad, extrely so.
[I said don't hurt him! It's a really bad idea!]
'Please kill him! How dare that bastard do this to !'
But Emir wasn't.
He only looked at her silently.
And his eyes weren't cold like before...
'I see.'
Now they showed utter indifference.
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