Similar to the previous occasion when his mathematics was close to levelling up, Lexus was studying intently in the privacy of his room. He had found himself gradually making fewer and fewer visits to the library, preferring instead to be able to speak freely to the system whenever he wanted to.

Ding!

---

Computer Science EXP +1

Computer Science levelled up from Level 0 to Level 1. Congratulations!

---

Unlike last time when his mathematics levelled up, Lexus suppressed his excitement, waiting patiently for the next notification.

Ding!

---

Feature unlocked [Computer Science]: Increased Processing Speed (passive)

---

“Oh. My. God.” Lexus was certain that he had hit the jackpot. “System, does this mean what I think it means?”

The system was amused by Lexus’ response. “What do you think it means?”

Mesmerised by the words on the notification screen, Lexus reached his hand out in an attempt to touch it. Unsurprisingly, his hand simply passed through without any resistance.

“Wait a moment, how do I know whether the feature is actually affecting my learning speed?” he asked. He certainly didn’t feel any smarter as a result of the level up.

“Get ready for what’s coming,” the system said.

“Wha-aaaaaaarrrgh!!” Lexus screamed and collapsed onto his knees on the floor of his room, his hands clutching his head in an attempt to reduce the searing pain, if even by a little. He was suddenly reminded of the day the system intruded into his brain - it felt like that, but ten times worse. At that moment, Lexus felt like he was at death’s door.

Then, as suddenly as it came, it was gone.

All that was left was the sounds of harsh breaths echoing throughout the room. At this point, Lexus was sprawled on the floor facing up, with one hand over his eyes and sweat covering his entire body. “System, never do that again. Especially without a warning. Please.”

The system was sympathetic in its reply. “Sorry, Lexus. Refactoring the neuron synapses in your brain necessitated the pain. Look on the bright side! At least you can learn a bit quicker now, even though you’re still just as dumb as you were before.”

At that moment though, Lexus had no capacity to feel the slightest bit of elation. All he could think was, it better be worth it…

=====

Thanks to the newly obtained feature [Increased Processing Speed], Lexus was able to speed through the rest of the books on the book list in a few short weeks. Despite not having gotten any smarter, being faster allowed Lexus to learn at an unprecedented pace. He devoured the rest of the books like a madman, and soon enough, he received the notification which he had been working towards for months.

---

Congratulations on completing book “Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach”

Quest progress: 10/10

Mathematics EXP +5, Computer Science EXP +5

: Quest complete!

---

“Finally!” Lexus breathed out a huge sigh and leaned back on his chair.

Over to his side were the stack of books that he had spent week after week reading: “How to think like a mathematician”, “Mathematics for computer science”, “A First course in probability”, “Linear Algebra”, “Discrete mathematics”, “Game Theory”, “Introduction to Algorithms”, “Algorithm design”, and finally “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”. Lexus picked up the newly read “Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach” and placed it at the top of the stack.

Looking at the pile of books that he had spent so much time and effort reading, a sense of accomplishment welled up from within. Yes, it was difficult, but it was also interesting.

After this experience, Lexus was sure that he was going to continue reading and learning, even when there wasn’t a quest driving him. The knowledge and experience were too good to pass up!

When he compared him now to the person he was at the beginning of the year, Lexus couldn’t help but reflect on how far he had come. Outwardly, it seemed like nothing had changed: Lexus was still a first year computer science student, occasionally going out with friends, playing badminton on the side and otherwise spending his time studying his subject.

However, only he knew how much progress he had made in the past few months. He not only knew so much more, he was also more willing to search for knowledge on his own. No longer did he rely on his professors to spoon feed the knowledge to him, he took his own learning by the reins, searching for answers on his own and proactively asking questions to his professors when he needed guidance.

And of course, there was the system. Honestly, he didn’t really know what to think of it when it first came into his life, and he still didn’t.

What was the system? What did it want? Why him, of all people?

His line of thought was interrupted by another notification.

Ding!

---

Quest: Publish a research paper

Embark on your research journey! Publish a paper in a journal or conference with SJR of 3 or above.

Quest Rewards: Mathematics EXP +50*SJR, Computer Science Experience +50*SJR

---

“Oh, research!” A pang of excitement washed over him. He was glad that the system’s quests aligned well with his career plans; if the system had asked him to join a competitive programming competition, Lexus didn’t know what he would do.

Now that he had been given a research quest, Lexus felt more motivated than ever.

The sudden notification from the system shed some light on his previous queries. “System, is this why you chose me? Because I want to do research?” Lexus asked.

The system replied, “Partly, yes. It helps that you’re theoretically inclined, so I don’t have to waste the energy to force you into a research career.”

The words “force you into a research career” rubbed Lexus the wrong way. “What, if I didn’t want to do research, you would just force me into it? How would you even do that? Can you stop me?”

The system didn’t directly answer his question, instead asking, “What would you do if you couldn’t earn experience for the rest of your life?”

Lexus paused. His heart clenched. He looked up and around, trying to get a glimpse of the supernatural being that was so rudely intruding in his life, but to no avail. “No. No, you wouldn’t.”

The system didn’t expect Lexus to take it so seriously. In an attempt to remedy the situation, it replied, “You’re right, I wouldn’t. I’m stuck with you, so I’ll support you however I can. Trust me, my task is to help you as much as I can.”

Despite the system’s assurances, Lexus wasn’t fully convinced. Sure, his life had only gotten better since it appeared. Sure, it had given him a huge boost in terms of academics, and in terms of confidence. Sure, it had bestowed upon him overpowered powers like [Increased Processing Speed].

But how was he to know whether the system meant any harm?

“System, can you be quiet for a second? I need to think.” Lexus moved over to his bed and crashed on top of the blanket, wrapping his arms tightly around the pillow.

Lexus had always known it, but it was the first time in which he acutely realised that the system wasn’t always his ally. It had an agenda of its own, and would do anything in order to accomplish its goals. The most frustrating thing was, Lexus had no clue as to what its goals were. World domination? Slavery of the human race? Or something more benign, like helping humanity combat its biggest problems?

He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was no way Lexus would be able to tell anyone about the system - “oh I happen to have a talking voice inside my head and can see weird glowing screens that give me experience points when I complete a quest”? Haha.

But there was also no way that Lexus could blindly obey the system’s instructions without knowing more about its intentions, and what it truly was. He didn’t want to risk it. If he trusted the system too much and followed its instructions blindly, he could potentially cause irreparable damage. He would have to do this covertly though - the system was outrightly blackmailing him, and he didn’t want to throw away his future just yet.

He also didn’t know what would happen if he blatantly ignored the system’s instructions. Given his previous experiences with the searing headaches, it was safe to say that the system had some control over the inner workings of his brain. If he went against the system’s wishes, would his life be at risk? A shiver ran down Lexus’ spine. God, how did I get from worrying about my grades to worrying about my life?

Lexus thought for a while more, and came to the conclusion that there was only one sensible course of action to take.

=====

“You want to do research in artificial intelligence?” Professor Emerson asked.

Lexus nodded firmly. “Yes. Do you have any advice for how I can get into AI research?”

Professor Emerson nodded. “It’s a shame that you’re not into theoretical computer science. Given your potential and work ethic, I’m sure that you’ll be well suited to it. Oh well, do you know which subfield in AI you want to work in? The popularity of AI has exploded in recent years, and we have multiple professors here at Cambridge working in different subfields.”

Lexus took a second to consider. Honestly, he didn’t even know if the system counted as a form of artificial intelligence. If it did, it seemed rather… advanced. How should he go about trying to understand the entity within his brain?

Seeing Lexus hesitate, the professor said, “What you choose right now isn’t really that important. You’re probably going to switch research topics as your career progresses, so there’s no point worrying about it at the undergraduate level.”

Makes sense, Lexus thought. At the stage he was currently at, he wasn’t going to get even remotely close to understanding the truth behind the system, even if the system was understandable using the concepts of artificial intelligence.

“Just choose whatever interests you the most,” the system said in his head. It obviously had no idea just how much trouble it was causing him. Lexus wanted to scream, “You’re the only reason why I’m having so much trouble deciding what to research!” But he refrained.

He didn’t want to look like a madman in front of his professor.

The system and the professor had a point. At the end of the day, his research career was his own, and he should take into account his own interests in addition to his considerations regarding the system. After all, he wouldn’t want to be stuck with a field he didn’t enjoy, having to slog day after day without the promise of any reward. That would be the worst!

At last, Lexus came to a decision. He looked straight into the professor’s eyes, and spoke. “I want to…”