The holographic projection of a black box appeared before him, it seemed quite similar to a present with red wrappings. He reached out his other hand and tapped it. The box exploded and the system notifications came up.
[Congratulations, you have received 15 creation points. Use it well.]
Alto did not know whether to feel cheated or elated. "Fifteen, isn't that a bit small?"
[Does the user want privilege rewards for his meager accomplishments?]
Those words stung Alto deeply, he really wasn't worth much anyway. He bowed his head in defeat at the device and said, "Fine, what can I do with fifteen creation points?"
It did not take long for the mech designer protocol to answer him.
[The average cp needed for substantial work on the system is over 100cp, but user can purchase an item at the shop at a discounted price.]
Alto threw his head back on his bed and groaned, he wondered if the system was really useful or not. He felt it was a good attempt at an expensive joke, a very expensive one. "Fine, what can I get?"
The device brought the shop icon and all the items were greyed out except one which looked like a small vial of gold liquid.
[Shop]
Arrendius Elixir: A vial of the elixir helps to grow intelligence slightly.
Price: 15cp
Alto had no idea what this elixir was, but how could he buy something like this without actual money? It was then he realized that it was really a game and not a real mech designer trainer or whatever it claimed to be. But he still bought the strange liquid; at least it would help him pass the time and alleviate his boredom.
After buying the elixir and it was confirmed by the mech designer protocol, he watched as billions of stars exploded before his eyes and shortly after, a small vial similar to a test tube appeared and fell on his lap.
Alto's breath got stuck in his throat and he froze there looking down at his lap where there was indeed a vial half-filled with thick golden liquid. He wanted to scream but he was too shocked to. Now why would—no, how would—no, where did the vial even come from? Was there anything like teleportation of goods? Who was the seller? Why did they accept the creation points?
In that moment, Alto was prepared to accept that everything that had happened was half true. He would only know the rest after he had drunk the strange liquid.
But would he really drink it? He had no idea of its origin or where it came from, or who sent it. But Alto's curiosity was already piqued. He pulled the cork from the head of the vial and brought it closer to his face and sniffed it.
It smelled sweet and enticing; it made him want to drink it even more. Alto did not need more of an invitation before he downed the liquid down his throat. It dissolved on contact with his tongue and spread across his body before even reaching his stomach.
Alto even proceeded to lick the inside of the vial, but before he could savour it, he held his head and started to scream out in pain, the thoughts in his head all flew around wildly.
[The appropriate measure has been taken to properly synthesize the elixir.]
This painful process continued for minutes. By the time it had stopped, Alto was breathing heavily, his face coated in a layer of thick sweat.
"Bloody hell, what did you do to my brain, you damn—"
But the device stopped him shortly after.
[The user's intelligence has increased by 1.0. Mental strength and recollection have been boosted.]
Alto paused, his rage had been quenched by the curiosity. His intelligence had increased by a measly one. He wanted to test it out as much as possible. He soon came up with an idea: he tried to remember the question he had worked on in the test the professor had given him. Usually, he would remember only about twenty percent of each test at best, but now he could recall ninety percent of each test perfectly. He could also remember how he answered them.
Alto pushed his hypothesis even further and tried to remember most of the things he had learned in the past three years, and somehow he was able to remember more than he ever could when learning them. He felt confident that he could get past most of his previous walls with ease now.
Alto did not know how or why, but the mech designer protocol was the real thing. He wondered if the voices calling to him were fate, but he never believed in fate. What he believed in was science and facts. As facts stood, chances were that Alto had the opportunity to be a great mech designer in the future.
He could feel he had received an edge to close the gap between him and his peers.
"Um, can I see the system menu again, please?" he asked the mech designer protocol with renewed recognition.
It did as ordered.
[Mech Designer Protocol System Menu]
Status
Workshop
Shop
Skill Pathway
Inventory
Package
Alto tapped the workshop icon and what happened amazed him. A huge holographic progression of a mech workshop appeared around him, covering his entire room. There was the image of a huge table before him, and in front of his face.
[No new or existing mech designs. User is advised to purchase or acquire a mech designer to use this function.]
Alto could not hold his surprise. "Are you telling me I can build a real mech with this?" Again, the once chatty mech designer protocol kept quiet.
He initiated the skill pathway protocol to see his various skills in a branched structure. Like his computer science skill branching out to coding and AI, his metallurgy skill branching out to advanced metallurgy. He would have to master one class to some extent to learn the other.
Alto took a moment back to reel in everything that had happened. Minutes passed and soon the power was restored back to all of the mech division. The light momentarily blinded him and snapped him back to reality.
In his moment of deep thought, he had realized that being able to use the mech designer protocol was a rare treat, and he would most likely have to keep it hidden from others. Also, to be able to use it he would need to acquire creation points by working on Mechs, meaning he would be working twice as hard for a bigger reward.
"Um, mech designer protocol, do I get free points every day?" he asked earnestly.
The system responded.
[Are you expecting to get special recognition for just existing? A true mech designer accumulates recognition from his work. Try to put in an effort into becoming a novice mech designer able to stand on your own two feet in the world of mech design. Incompetence will not be tolerated.]
Alto smiled weakly even if it pained him. "Sure you'd say that. I have to work based on my own power, right?" He then proceeded to ask, "Can you stay hidden from others?"
The system seemed to already know where he was heading.
[The original makeup of your wrist comm had been replicated and the mech designer protocol merely exists as an app hidden from every type of tampering, including advanced scanners. The user is the only one with access to the system app.]
Alto was already feeling a drawback from whatever he had drunk earlier. He could not help but think he had just received weeks, maybe months' worth of knowledge from a single bottle. He wondered if there was another mech designer protocol like the one he had. He wondered why the professor kept it hidden and not use it herself. He wondered who was its creator and how such a powerful device could be created. His head was weighed down by so many questions that he fell asleep there.