Chapter 5: The First Crack

Kaito stood in the middle of an empty alley, staring at the holographic quest screen hovering before him. The blue glow of the text reflected in his eyes, illuminating his skeptical expression.

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New Quest Assigned!

Quest: Deliver a package to the marketplace.

Objective: Reach the destination within 10 minutes.

Reward: +5 EXP, +1 Dexterity.

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Aria's voice cut through the silence. "This is a simple one. Reject it."

Kaito hesitated, glancing back at her. Aria stood a few feet away, her posture calm and confident, as if this was just another day at the office. Yuki, on the other hand, leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching him like a hawk.

"Are we sure about this?" Kaito asked. "I mean, what if the System doesn't take no for an answer this time?"

"That's the point," Aria said. "We need to see how it reacts when you assert your independence."

Yuki smirked. "Worst case, you get a headache or a warning screen. You'll live."

"Easy for you to say," Kaito muttered, taking a deep breath. "Alright. Here goes nothing."

His finger hovered over the Decline button. With a deep breath, he tapped it.

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Quest Declined.

Warning: Frequent rejection of quests may result in penalties.

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The warning blinked for a moment before the screen vanished.

Nothing happened.

"That's it?" Kaito asked, glancing around. "No sudden lightning bolts? No scary System enforcers dropping out of the sky?"

"Don't jinx it," Yuki said, but even she seemed relieved.

Aria nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, wait for the next quest."

Moments later, a new holographic screen materialized in front of him.

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New Quest Assigned!

Quest: Clean up the alleyway.

Objective: Dispose of five pieces of trash within 5 minutes.

Reward: +5 EXP, +1 Charisma.

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Yuki burst out laughing. "Oh wow, the System thinks you're a janitor now!"

Kaito groaned. "Seriously? Cleaning duty?"

"It's adapting," Aria said, her tone thoughtful. "It assumes you'll find this task easier or more acceptable. Decline it again."

"Do I really have to?" Kaito asked, wincing.

"Unless you want to be the System's personal garbage collector," Yuki teased.

Kaito sighed and pressed Decline again.

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Quest Declined.

Warning: Quest rejection rate exceeding standard limits. Temporary penalties may apply.

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Kaito tensed, expecting some kind of backlash, but once again, nothing happened.

"This is getting weird," he muttered.

"It's not used to this level of resistance," Aria explained. "The System is designed to enforce compliance, but your low Integration Rate disrupts its ability to assert control. Keep going."

Another quest appeared.

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New Quest Assigned!

Quest: Assist a lost child in the marketplace.

Objective: Escort the child safely to their guardian.

Reward: +10 EXP, +2 Empathy.

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"Wow, it's getting desperate," Yuki said, shaking her head. "Now it's appealing to your nonexistent sense of empathy."

"Hey!" Kaito protested.

"Decline it," Aria instructed.

Kaito hesitated again. This one didn't seem so bad. Helping a lost kid felt less… demeaning than picking up trash.

"You're hesitating," Aria observed. "Why?"

"I mean, it's a kid," Kaito said. "It doesn't feel right to just… ignore that."

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You know it's not a real kid, right? Just some NPC the System cooked up to guilt-trip you."

"Still…" Kaito trailed off.

Aria stepped closer. "This is exactly how the System manipulates people. It presents seemingly harmless tasks, knowing most Users won't question them. If you give in now, it will tighten its grip on you."

Kaito swallowed hard. "Alright. You win."

He pressed Decline once more.

Quest Declined.

Penalty Applied: -1 EXP.

Yuki whistled. "There it is. The System's starting to bite back."

Kaito grimaced. "Great. So now I'm losing experience just for saying no?"

"It's a small price to pay," Aria said. "The penalty is minimal because your Integration Rate is low. For most Users, rejecting a quest like that would result in harsher consequences."

"And what happens if I keep rejecting?" Kaito asked.

"That's what we're here to find out," Aria said.

Another quest appeared, this one noticeably different from the others.

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New Quest Assigned!

Quest: Subdue a rogue drone.

Objective: Disable the malfunctioning delivery drone before it causes damage.

Reward: +20 EXP, +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity.

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"Subdue a drone?" Kaito said, reading the text aloud. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Yuki grinned. "Looks like the System's done playing nice. It's testing whether you can handle something more dangerous."

"This feels like a trap," Kaito muttered.

"Not a trap," Aria corrected. "A challenge. The System is trying to reassert control by pushing you into a situation where you're likely to fail."

"Great," Kaito said sarcastically. "So what's the plan? Reject this one too?"

Aria shook her head. "No. This is the kind of quest we need to exploit. If you can complete it on your terms, it will disrupt the System's expectations even further."

Kaito blinked. "On my terms? What does that mean?"

"It means you don't follow the System's instructions blindly," Aria said. "Find another way to disable the drone—one the System doesn't anticipate."

"Like what? Throw a rock at it?"

"Use your surroundings," Aria suggested. "Be creative. The System relies on predictable behavior. The more unpredictable you are, the weaker its control becomes."

Yuki cracked her knuckles. "I say we just punch the thing until it stops moving. That's creative, right?"

"Please don't punch the drone," Kaito said, rubbing his temples.

"Then hurry up and come up with a plan," Yuki shot back.

Kaito sighed, staring at the quest screen. "Alright. Let's find this drone and see what we're dealing with."

The three of them tracked the rogue drone to a nearby plaza. The small, hovering machine buzzed erratically, its movements jerky and unpredictable. It had already knocked over a fruit stand, and the vendor was yelling at it from a safe distance.

"There's our culprit," Yuki said, cracking her knuckles.

"Remember," Aria said, "the goal is to subdue it in a way the System doesn't expect."

"Yeah, yeah," Kaito muttered, scanning the area. His eyes landed on a stack of empty crates near the edge of the plaza. An idea began to form.

"Yuki," he said, pointing to the crates. "Can you stack those into a makeshift barricade?"

"Sure," she said, already moving. "But what's the plan?"

"We lure the drone into the barricade and trap it," Kaito explained.

"And how do you plan to lure it?" Yuki asked.

Kaito grimaced. "I'll… figure it out."

Yuki smirked. "Good luck, hero."

Kaito sighed, stepping into the plaza. He waved his arms wildly at the drone. "Hey! Over here, you flying tin can!"

The drone whirred, its sensors locking onto him. With a loud buzz, it charged.

"Oh crap," Kaito muttered, sprinting toward the barricade. "Yuki! Is it ready?"

"Almost!" she shouted, shoving the last crate into place.

Kaito reached the barricade and dove to the side just as the drone slammed into it. The impact caused the crates to collapse, trapping the drone underneath.

"Got it!" Yuki cheered.

The holographic screen appeared again.

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Quest Completed!

Reward: +20 EXP, +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity.

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Kaito grinned, breathing heavily. "That… actually worked."

Aria nodded, a hint of pride in her eyes. "Well done. That was your first step toward exploiting the System's rules."

Yuki smirked. "Not bad, Kaito. Maybe you're not as useless as I thought."

"Thanks for the glowing review," Kaito said dryly.

As the drone buzzed weakly beneath the collapsed crates, Kaito couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment. For the first time, he had outsmarted the System—on his own terms.

But he also knew this was just the beginning. The System wasn't going to take this lying down.