With my System fully restored and these incredible new rewards at my disposal, I found myself facing a decision that could fundantally reshape my capabilities. The Job Integration Protocol offered access to any job title I’d previously observed, and as I scrolled through the available options, each one brought back mories of the people who’d wielded them.
Job Switcher was Mark’s title. The ability to switch freely between different job without the usual restrictions. It was undeniably useful, allowing for incredible versatility in any situation. But sothing about the impermanence bothered . I’d built my identity around mastering and truly understanding each profession I took on. The idea of constantly switching felt... hollow. Like being an expert in everything but a master of nothing.
Job Inverter is Sienna’s unique ability to reverse the effects and applications of her current job and skills. Fascinating from a theoretical standpoint, and I’d seen how devastatingly effective it could be in the right circumstances. But here was the issue: I could already copy Sienna’s skills directly when needed. More importantly, the job was incredibly situational. Its effectiveness depended entirely on having the right opposing force to invert against. Too specialized for my needs.
Alexis had the Job rger title, and this one imdiately caught my attention for multiple reasons. First, it would allow to combine my current jobs together for exponentially greater effect rather than simply running them in parallel. But more importantly, it addressed a persistent problem I’d been dealing with: overheating from having too many jobs at the sa ti.
Alexis had claid that the bitun vial had fixed my overheating issues, but I hadn’t fully tested this theory yet. Having Job rger as a backup safety asure would significantly reduce the risk of system overload. The ability to consolidate multiple jobs into streamlined combinations would be invaluable as my collection of skills continued to grow.
Job Maxer is likely Camille’s title, allowing her to temporarily boost all skills to level 10. The power implications were staggering. Combined with Full Profession Sync, I would be essentially invincible for about ten minutes. But that word "temporarily" was exactly the problem. I’d learned to be wary of abilities that provided massive short-term benefits followed by equally massive drawbacks. I was building a foundation for long-term success, not looking for flashy tricks that would leave vulnerable afterward.
Portfolio Copier is definitely Evelyn’s ability, allowing her to duplicate any of my organized skill portfolios. But obviously, I had no need to copy my own jobs and skills. The very concept is nonsensical and redundant.
System Scanner - I was confident this belonged to 3830, providing an advanced scanning ability that revealed information like job titles and system ssages. Massively useful for intelligence gathering and strategic planning. However, there was a significant limitation: job titles were still relatively rare. In the World Leaders eting, only Valeska had shown clear signs of possessing one. Even if soone like the World President had a job title, it would likely be quite so ti before I encountered him in person. The utility was too situational for imdiate needs.
System Disabler - 3829’s ability, allowing targeted disruption of others’ System connections. Theoretically powerful, but it suffered from the sa line-of-sight limitations that made it impractical. It required either direct visual contact or knowledge of soone’s specific location, and the more general the targeting area, the weaker the effect beca. Another situational ability that wouldn’t provide consistent value.
Siren Job - The final option, almost certainly Valeska’s supernatural ability to influence and persuade others without their conscious awareness. I’d experienced its effects firsthand and understood both its power and its limitations. More importantly, I’d proven that it could be overco through sufficient willpower and skills. I had already beaten her and so with Instinct at level 9, I doubt that the job title would work on anymore.
As I weighed each option, the choice beca increasingly clear. Job rger offered the most comprehensive benefits with the fewest drawbacks. It would enhance my existing capabilities rather than replacing them, provide crucial safety asures for system managent, and scale effectively as my skills continued to expand.
The aircraft’s engines were winding down as I made my selection. Job rger it was.
The mont I confird the choice, I felt a subtle shift in how my System interface organized itself. New options appeared for combining and consolidating job classifications, though I decided to wait until I was ho to experint with actually rging anything. Things like these needed careful thought and planning.
"We’re here," Anthony announced, though the change in engine noise had already made that obvious. Through the aircraft windows, I could see the familiar landscape of Canadian countryside passing below as we made our final approach.
"Good timing," I said, closing my System interface and turning my attention back to the present mont. "I’m ready to face whatever’s waiting for us."
Famous last words, as it turned out.
As we disembarked from the aircraft, I expected to see the usual small crowd of airport personnel and perhaps a few reporters who’d been tipped off about our arrival. What I definitely didn’t expect was the scene that greeted us as we walked across the tarmac.
Hundreds of people had gathered outside the airport terminal. The crowd stretched from the building’s entrance all the way to the parking structures, a sea of faces turned in our direction. Many were holding signs supporting my candidacy, others were simply cheering and applauding as we appeared.
But what caught my attention most was the podium that had been set up near the terminal entrance, complete with microphones and what looked like a small dia platform for caras and reporters.
"Did you know about this?" I asked Anthony, gesturing toward the unexpected reception.
He was already scanning the crowd with professional alertness, his security instincts activated by the large gathering. "No, but I should have anticipated it. The news coverage of the Geneva vote has been extensive. People are excited about what this ans."
Evelyn moved closer to my other side, her Psychological Insight probably picking up on the intentions that the crowd had for . "They’re expecting a speech," she said quietly. "I can hear people discussing what you might say."
As we walked closer to the terminal, the crowd’s energy beca more apparent. These weren’t just curious onlookers—they were genuine supporters who had taken ti out of their day to welco ho soone they saw as a potential agent of change. The responsibility of that expectation settled on my shoulders like a familiar weight.
Airport security was doing their best to maintain order, but it was clear they hadn’t been prepared for a crowd of this size. A path had been cleared from our aircraft to the terminal entrance, with security barriers creating a corridor through the gathered people.
"Mr. Vale!" soone called out from the crowd. "What’s your next move?"
"Does this mark the beginning of your official candidacy?" shouted another voice.
The questions ca from multiple directions, creating a cacophony of curiosity and excitent that made it impossible to address any single inquiry. But the energy was infectious—these people weren’t here out of obligation or political calculation. They were here because they believed in the possibility of real change.
As we approached the podium, a man in an expensive suit materialized beside us. I didn’t recognize him imdiately, but his confident deanor and professional appearance suggested he was soone from the Canadian governnt’s communications departnt.
"Mr. Vale," he said, extending his hand. "Jas Morrison, Deputy Communications Director. We set this up when we learned about the crowd gathering. Thought you might want to say a few words before heading ho."
I shook his hand, appreciating the foresight even if the surprise had thrown off balance. "I wasn’t expecting this, but thank you for organizing it."
"The people deserve to hear from you directly," Morrison replied. "After what happened in Geneva, there’s a lot of anticipation about what cos next."
He was right, of course. These people had invested their hope and energy in supporting , and they deserved acknowledgnt of that commitnt. More practically, this was an opportunity to control the narrative before others had a chance to spin the Geneva results in directions I might not prefer.
Anthony appeared at my elbow, having completed his quick security assessnt. "Crowd’s friendly but large," he reported quietly. "Airport security has things under control, but we should keep this relatively brief."
I nodded, then looked toward the podium. The crowd had noticed our approach, and the noise level was building as people realized I was about to address them directly.
This wasn’t how I’d planned to spend my first monts back in Canada, but leadership often ant adapting to unexpected circumstances. As I reached for the microphone, I found myself genuinely curious about what I was going to say.
The crowd fell silent as I stepped up to the podium, their anticipation almost palpable in the evening air.
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