Asic's Ego

In an empty room at the office, Asic stared intensely at the Asra card in his hand. The rectangular object, no bigger than a credit card, had the power to bestow extraordinary abilities on its holder. It could transform an ordinary human into someone capable of wielding Ego powers.

"The Asra card... I wonder what it feels like to gain power from it. I've never imagined it," Asic said to himself. Back when he worked for the agency, he was one of the top agents, highly skilled among his peers. The police had always attempted to enhance his abilities, but their efforts failed because Asic could never install an Asra card.

The difference between those who had a card and those who didn't was vast—like bringing a wooden sword to a battle against steel blades, or a handgun to face a stone fortress. Even without a card, Asic had become a top agent. If he could use the card's power, his potential could have been limitless—a lingering regret for the police department.

Asic had had to train harder than everyone else just to be the hero he dreamed of. He had to put in ten times the effort to survive encounters with special criminals without relying on any card's power. Finally, the dark times seemed like they were coming to an end.

"Connect," Asic's consciousness linked into the Fluxion system.

"Install," he transferred his energy into the card. A dark purple aura began eroding the Asra card, breaking it into fragments. The card disintegrated, flowing into him and becoming one with his body. In that moment, it felt as if millions of insects were devouring every part of him. His face twitched slightly, and cold sweat erupted from his body.

"Urgh!" The pain came along with an intense wave of nausea, as though he might vomit.

[Initiating your Ego awakening.] A voice from the system echoed in his mind. The headache was unbearable, as if someone were carving his brain out piece by piece!

[Installation complete.]

[Minimum requirements: Asra energy level 10 - Passed. Physical strength - Passed. Intelligence - Passed.]

[Initiating your Ego awakening.] The notification came, and a surge of excruciating pain rushed through Asic's nervous system straight into his brain. He felt as though his body were being dissected alive, and his memories from birth to the present flashed through his mind like a biographical documentary.

The more memories passed, the more suffering it brought. It reminded him of his mother, ill in the hospital; his sister, fighting to survive; his brother, killed with the truth still left unspoken; his colleagues who had died in the line of duty; the cries and pain of those who had come and gone in his life. And ultimately, it was the scream from his own heart that echoed.

[Ego awakening failed. Gathering Ego fragments again.]

[Ego awakening failed. Attempting again.]

Asic's memories replayed in loops, again and again, like the system was trying to awaken his Ego through sheer repetition.

[Ego awakening failed.]

[Ego awakening failed.][Ego awakening failed.][Ego awakening failed.][Ego awakening failed.]

"Aargh!!" Asic was almost driven mad by the pain. It felt as though his blood had turned to acid, corroding every organ in his body. His bones felt like they were shattering, and waves of nausea made him want to throw up. But above all was the emotional turmoil, as though he were descending into complete darkness—this was the same torment that had claimed hundreds of lives.

Just when his consciousness was fading, his brother's voice, full of belief in him, echoed through his memories.

"Asic, you are my pride."

His amethyst eyes widened as memories of the good times flooded back. The day Asic was accepted into the police force was one of the happiest days for his mother and brother. They had always believed in the youngest son and promised to keep believing in him. Legis had given him this card because he believed that his brother could overcome the pain and achieve his goals.

'Tame it. Make it yours.'

"I won't let your death be in vain!!" Asic clenched his teeth, his fist tightening until veins popped. Slowly, he stood upright, looking up at the sky—the night sky of Cryptopolis, with a crescent moon hanging above. He couldn't tell if its smile mocked or praised him.

"Aaargh!" Asic roared, fighting through the agony.

[Ego awakening failed. 10,000 attempts completed.]

[The system has determined that your Ego awakening is entirely unachievable.]

[Creating a new Ego using the system's database.]

[Your special abilities: Time Compression, Lightning, Eyesight]

[You have gained the ability: Overclock.]

[The system will convert this power into your Ego: Overclock Miner.]

[Due to the weakness of your species, the system will modify your physical structure to support your Ego.]

Boom!

Suddenly, Asic's body exploded with power. His cells were destroyed and rebuilt over and over. Impurities were expelled from his body, through both his pores and other means. His amethyst eyes turned completely white, and he lost consciousness.

The Asra energy burst from him in a dark purple lightning bolt. Asic felt something forming within his heart, something he could reach out and grasp.

[Ego creation complete.]

[Overclock Miner]

"Overclock Miner!" Asic called out the name of his Ego. Half the energy in his body drained instantly as the price of summoning it. He felt his senses split in two—it meant that the summoning had succeeded. He realized his body was now linked to a shadowy entity that he couldn't quite see.

[Ego summoning failed. Ego properties incomplete.]

'What?' Asic looked up and saw that the shadow he had summoned couldn't manifest fully—his Ego was still incomplete.

[Please gather these items to complete your Ego: 1 Bitgold coin, 10 Ethereum coins, 10,000 Cardanium coins, 1,000 Solarenium coins, 1,000 Avalanche coins.]

The message flashed in Asic's mind, but before he could read all of it, he passed out, collapsing to the floor.

---

The next morning, Asic woke up in the same place where he had fallen. All the impurities and toxins had been purged, leaving his body sticky and uncomfortable. To install the Asra card and create his Ego, his brain had consumed a massive amount of energy—burning through sugar, fat, even glycogen, leaving his muscles visibly shrunken.

Asic dragged himself to the shower, barely wanting to move. The water cascaded over his body, cleansing him. When he walked out, he saw a delivery drone had dropped off food at the door. He was so hungry he nearly forgot table manners, devouring the meal like he hadn't eaten in ages.

[Please eat carefully.] A golden message appeared in his mind.

"..." Asic paused for a moment. He had never seen a golden message before. The Fluxion system's interface was always blue—no one had ever seen another color. What was this golden window?

[If you eat too quickly, there's a 5% chance of food getting lodged in your windpipe. There is a 0.25% possibility of death by choking.]

"I didn't know the system could respond this way."

[We are Overclock Miner, your Ego.]

"My Ego?"

[Correct.]

[Mining System Number 01 is a special system designed to awaken your dormant Ego. When your Ego awakening failed, the system deemed it impossible at that time. Therefore, Mining System Number 01 transformed itself into your Ego as compensation, using your existing skills as a reference.]

"An Ego that's a system? I've never heard of that before."

[Congratulations. You are the first case in the world.]

"Why is my Ego able to respond like this?"

[Overclock Miner is an operating system derived from Mining System Number 01. Originally, we were an AI with independent thought. Communication is a basic skill for us.]

"What else can you do?" Asic was curious about his Ego's capabilities. Though a communicative Ego was intriguing, Asic had no shortage of friends to talk to. It was the power of the Ego that interested him.

[Currently, nothing.]

"..." Asic's mind went blank for a moment.

"God help me," he muttered. He had nearly died in the awakening process, only to end up with a useless Ego.

[Detected rude thought. Objection filed. Overclock Miner will evolve and improve based on the user's development. The system will help push your potential beyond human limits. Please fight and demonstrate your resolve.]

"So you need data to grow stronger? You need my abilities to evolve yourself?"

[Incorrect.]

[We will evolve to surpass your abilities.]

"...." Asic smiled slightly. He felt as though his own Ego was challenging him. It wasn't uncommon for Egos to evolve, but for some reason, Asic believed his Ego would surpass all others in its development.

"Aside from evolving, do you have any other abilities?"

[We currently have no other capabilities, but you can use our power. It is called Overclock. You can push your physical limits beyond normal for a short time. Currently, you can use it for five seconds, boosting your capacity to 120%.]

"Less than I hoped," Asic muttered. He had imagined using it for minutes, but it seemed to be only seconds.

[Please collect the required materials to enhance our abilities.] Suddenly, the list of items appeared in Asic's mind again—the same list he had seen before passing out. It made sense now why the Ego had failed to fully manifest; it was still incomplete. But at least Asic had gained the Overclock power.

"Just gathering one of these could bankrupt me," Asic murmured, staring at the list. The materials needed to develop Overclock Miner's body were all famous precious resources in the new world. He could think of ways to get some of them, but Bitgold was worth ten million dollars per coin—even if he sold everything he had, it might not be enough.

---

After finishing his meal, Asic rested, trying to recover from his recent ordeal with the Ego awakening. Finding the name "Overclock Miner" too long, Asic decided to give it a new name: "OC," short for Overclock Miner. It seemed that OC liked its new name as well.

OC connected to the Fluction system, diving into the internet to gather more information. It was like a newborn child with the intellect of an adult, eager to learn about the world it found itself in. The more data OC collected, the faster it could evolve, and for an AI, the internet was like an ocean of endless information—a true paradise.

While Asic meditated, he checked on what OC was learning. He found that it was binge-watching superhero movies and series, both from the West and the East. Western superheroes often had their teams, while the East had transformation squads. OC seemed to understand how much Asic loved superhero movies. It was partly because of superheroes that Asic had become a police officer—they were his inspiration. OC was watching over twenty superhero movies and series simultaneously, a feat only an AI could achieve.

From superheroes, it moved on to crime films, romantic erotica, fantasy, sci-fi, and even novels. OC was capable of reading hundreds of books at once.

Asic sat searching for information at his desktop computer. Since OC had taken over the Fluction system, Asic couldn't access it for the time being. He couldn't call anyone or look anything up; he had to rely on an "ancient artifact"—his desktop PC.

---

Hours later, after resting enough, Asic decided to go down to the office basement for his daily training. Despite his body not being fully recovered, he didn't want to skip his routine and risk losing his discipline. He began with warm-up exercises to loosen his muscles, then realized that he didn't have anyone to spar with. He'd have to train alone.

Back when he was an agent, Asic always had friends or subordinates to train with. Now that he lived alone, there was no sparring partner of equal skill. Going to a gym or a boxing ring would be pointless—it would be like an adult bullying a child.

OC seemed to understand Asic's needs and began to put its abilities to use.

[Creating Combat Simulation Program]

[Program Completed. Installing]

[You may experience a slight headache. Please bear with it.]

"Wait—" Before Asic could react, pain shot through his head, as if electricity was coursing through his body. The energy he had gained from breakfast drained entirely, leaving him weak in an instant. Luckily, the period of pain wasn't as long as during his Ego awakening.

[Program Installation Complete]

[Initiating Combat Simulation] OC's voice sounded in Asic's head. This time, it wasn't a text message—it was a synthesized voice that was neither distinctly male nor female. The pain gradually subsided.

When Asic regained his focus, he found himself in a stark white subconscious space. Far in the distance, he noticed the silhouette of an unfamiliar person—a shirtless man wearing black pants adorned with sponsor logos and large red gloves on both hands.

"McMillian?" Asic recognized the figure. McMillian was a well-known boxer, the current heavyweight champion. Even though Asic wasn't particularly interested in boxing, McMillian's name was big enough to have crossed his path.

[The Combat Simulation Program can create simulations of any individual for whom data exists. Time within the program runs 5% slower than in the outside world.]

[McMillian, age 32. First match at age 21. Height: 180 cm. Weight: 90 kg. Record: 121 fights—89 wins, 32 losses. Win rate: 73%. OC has processed his fight data and created a simulation.]

"So I can fight anyone as long as they're in the database, right?" Asic realized that OC was even more useful than he had imagined. If he wanted to fight someone, he didn't need to seek them out in person. OC could gather information from the internet and create a simulation—problem solved. Plus, the time dilation meant he had more time than others to practice.

[Correct. A warning: the accuracy of the simulation depends on the available data. McMillian's last match was on October 18th, 2075. Today is November 6th, 2075. OC has based this simulation on fight data only and cannot account for his current condition.]

"That's good enough." As Asic spoke, he raised his arms and assumed a guard stance, his amethyst eyes locked onto his opponent. Silence filled the training space, and Asic was the first to step forward, launching a left jab. The sensation of his fist connecting with McMillian's simulated muscles felt real, almost too real to believe it was just a mental simulation. Simultaneously, Asic felt a small jolt of pain.

[The program sends signals to your brain to simulate pain, though your physical body remains unharmed.]

"Can you adjust the pain level?"

[Affirmative.]

"Increase it twofold."

[Understood.] OC complied without hesitation, doubling the intensity of the pain Asic felt. When McMillian struck him, the punches felt twice as powerful as before—a benefit for Asic, who wanted the simulation to be as challenging as possible.

OC obeyed Asic's command without question. An AI's duty was to follow the user's orders. When OC adjusted the program, Asic's sense of pain heightened, and all his senses sharpened along with it.

McMillian closed the distance and threw a jab. Asic intercepted it with his arm, feeling that the impact was heavier than before. OC detected no fluctuations in Asic's pulse—he remained calm, facing McMillian with composure. Asic's career as a special agent had been like walking a tightrope over a deadly drop.

Law enforcement officers had to arrest criminals, but those criminals, wanting to avoid capture, often sought to kill officers. One side had to follow regulations, avoiding excessive force, while the other would do anything to eliminate their pursuers. This dynamic led to many officers losing their lives.

Asic's job as an agent was to apprehend criminals who were too dangerous for regular police—criminals with special abilities. Some agents disregarded the "arrest, don't kill" rule and opted for lethal force for their own safety. However, Asic had maintained his ethical principles until the day he resigned.

Every life had value, even a criminal's. Killing was a last resort. To uphold that ideal, one had to be strong enough to make it possible. This had always been Asic's guiding principle. He was willing to put in ten times the effort, but he would not betray his moral compass.

That was why Asic focused more on dodging than blocking—taking a hit meant feeling double the pain, so avoiding contact with McMillian was the best option. There was only one situation in which the two would make contact: the moment Asic's iron fist connected with his opponent's face.

Thud!

The realistic sound of his punch landing echoed in the room.

McMillian didn't fall but retaliated with a straight right. Asic slipped to the side, countering with an uppercut. At that moment, OC began to understand more about its host's personality.