Sadly, they couldn’t compare their stats to the rest of the world unless they trusted egomaniacs playing at who had the biggest on the web. Yet it was just a question of time; Information agencies were already digging into the subject. It was easy money, after all.

With their discussion over, Loris had no time to waste. Although he had no weaknesses, not having strengths was disastrous—a death sentence in such absurdly specialised meritocracy.

However, thanks to their meeting, he had found something to work on: intelligence. Matching genetically-altered people who had developed their cognitive abilities was a pipe he didn’t dare to daydream anymore. They weren’t playing in the same league. Getting close, however... - He had to give it his all.

When his body was exhausted, he could train his mind. Regrettably, the Noflo Method wasn’t famous for its purely cerebral modules. The Noflo monitoring system could only observe the human brain from its outer layer. Long called the organ of life - curbing the robotic trans-humanist tendencies of other nations - the brain was still full of mysteries.

Although the module he had bought - Nine Steps to Conquer Yourself - included mastery over the mind, it wasn’t really about developing cognitive faculties.

Hence, Loris needed to buy another module. Ah, money again.

Back in his room, he scrolled through the list of modules, limiting the search to those with intelligence-related tags that cost less than ten thousand merits.

Once again, an avalanche of catchy modules engulfed him.

…

[Outsmart these big-headed that called you muscle brain.]

…

[Intelligence for idiots.]

...

[Becoming one with artificial intelligence.]

…

[The module that makes geneticists crazy: become a Brain in three steps.]

…

In such a catalogue, finding a module worthy of the name was like looking for a breadcrumb in the desert: easy only for the pigeons.

A notification interrupted his research; it was a message from Fabrice. “We got a reward for the information we’ve sent to the government. Anastasia insisted on sharing it.”

“Nice btw I’m searching for a good module to develop my cognitive faculties. Any recommendations?”

“Huh, can’t you be more accurate? What do you want to focus on? Memory? Logic? Speed of thought? Awareness rate?”

“Wannabesmarter”

Fabrice took more time to reply. It was easy to imagine him facepalming, or shaking his head in astonishment, as he used to.

“Try: 1001 mini-games to stimulate your brain. Initially, it was just an app, but it positively affected regular players to such an extent that the Noflo company bought it and added its coaching method.”

“Thanks.”

Loris quickly found the module. Looking at the price, his eyes popped out of their sockets.

[19500 merits]

Only a mafioso union could hide behind such prices. Almost twenty thousand merits, damn. He could bargain the execution of any undergrounder for half of that.

Loris sighed. No matter how much he grumbled, being poor was his fault.

He checked his savings, just in case. Fabrice mentioned a reward, after all. His pupil inflated at the sight of the holographic number.

[51195 merits (+33333)]

No way.

Knowing Anastasia, she definitely split it evenly. The government has always responded generously to citizens’ contributions. Still, a hundred-thousand-merits… Wow. It was her sole contribution, but he wouldn’t spit on this money. Not in such a situation.

Loris typed a message. “You’re the best.” He sent it to Anastasia - his favourite eagle-eyed girl - attaching a holographic pop-up. She would see an array of heart-shaped calla lilies blooming when opening the message.

He didn’t think twice before buying the module. [31695 merits (-19500)]

A good thing done. Only at this rate, his module list would be packed in no time. What bullshit to buy extra slots for every three modules owned. As if the base subscription wasn’t expensive enough. What a screwed brand. Loris still hadn’t digested the delaying of the custom-made monitoring nano-robots. Without them, he wouldn’t be able to do a proper NoFlo session. The NoFlo guidance rate of his last session was too low to get detailed feedback.

His plan was to record the entire feedback and all the statistics provided by the Noflo algorithm after each training and associate it with the corresponding score from the Dark-core. This way, he might find variables that Anastasia and Fabrice could overlook with their meticulous approach.

His actual goals were:

Find at least 70% of the variables that influence the score of an accomplished goal. Follow the Noflo training method for a day. Follow the Noflo training method two days in a row. (a day left)

Loris had set the same goal as last night, hoping to abuse the system and get twice the reward. Sadly for him, as always, Fabrice was faster to confirm this impossibility.

Expecting the score to derive from his first daily Noflo training session, Loris would rather wait for the nano-robots to be delivered.

He equipped his mixed reality kit and launched the application, part of the module he had just purchased. As it was initially a game, nothing stopped him from just playing. It could be fun, after all.

A long list of topics filled his field of vision. Adaptability, concentration, language, logic, mathematics, memory, multitasking, problem-solving, speed and visual-spatial perception were some of the many themes under which the 1001 mini-games were classified.

Not knowing where to start, he let the application choose randomly.

He played for hours. Each mini-game was very interactive, and after a few exercises, the difficulty calibrated to his level, leaving no exercise too easy.

While he was playing a three-dimensional version of Tetris, the smooth voice of Aina interrupted him. “The package has arrived.”

Finally! He hurried to collect his parcel for the long-awaited unpacking.

Four tiny caps lay at the bottom of the package. The Noflo monitoring nano-robots. He swallowed one with haste. One a week, according to the instructions.

However, it wasn’t yet the time for a Noflo session. The nano-robots inside would take hours to spread through his body. Meanwhile, he continued to play.

Because no mini-games took longer than five minutes, he discovered several dozen within the following hours. Yet, no two were the same; all required different combinations of skills with varying intensities.

These games were very addictive, especially for those who liked competition, as it included a ranking system. Loris was at its bottom, but climbing the leaderboard gave him a sense of euphoria.

It was almost 8 p.m. when a notification brought him back to reality. He had been playing all day. Yet his blood was still rich in sugar. Thanks to nutritional drinks, feeding took seconds.

Beep Beep.

Finally! The monitoring nano-robots were operational. He hadn’t even trained that he could already see their effectiveness.

As in games, various data appeared to fill his field of vision. Through different hormonal concentrations, it described his fitness level and health. But that’s without counting on the malleable ergonomics; he set it up to see his stats as partially filled bars depending on his form. A red, a blue, and green appeared in his vision.

Like in many fantasy MMOs, he had a bar of health, endurance, fatigue, satiety, and many others.

In addition, the Noflo’s algorithm could now make many recommendations outside his training session. For example, recommending how and when he should eat, sleep, train, and rest to optimise his training results.

Without further ado, he let the algorithm control his bed, his food printing machine, and some other furniture under Aina’s supervision. As Loris had nothing to do all day, killing himself in training didn’t seem such a bad idea.

As soon as he activated this function, the algorithm recommended he take a nap for fifteen minutes. Loris rushed into his cocoon.

Once in, the bed sent a lot of micro pulsation, making his cells vibrate.

When he got out of it, he was sweating. Now warmed up, it was time to train like a machine.

A physical training session similar to last night’s followed: inhuman.

Yet there was a fundamental difference. Whenever he was about to give up or slow down, the algorithm displayed his far from empty stamina bar. This taunt proved very effective.

Under great pain or stress, it was natural for him to create all sorts of justifications to relax, take things step by step and do better the next day. Yet faced with the fact that his cells still had sugar to consume and oxygen to burn, he could only feel ashamed. Imagination was comforting, but reality hit hard.

He could have pushed his body further in dangerous situations, so why not now? In the end, it was just a matter of motivation. And now that the Noflo algorithm had the right tools to keep him safe, it would do everything to boost his motivation and help him push his limits. ‘Training to death to survive the D-day.’ Such was the sentence Loris repeated to himself as he was about to give up.

Almost three hours later, the liquid-soaked floor would make anyone slip. It was still absorbing and filtering the sweat flowing from the young boy lying on the floor. His eyes were closed.

[Noflo guidance rate: 61%]

[Noflo tracking rate: 32%]

A cold and authoritative voice spread through his bedroom. “Get up, go to bed. You’ll be awake in an hour and a half.”

An irresistible urge to comply ran through Loris, who cracked his eyes open and got into bed. He was half-conscious, but this tone was deeply engraved in his mind. It was his mother’s voice.

The Noflo’s guidance was expensive, but it did not baulk from the means to help its adherents. When Loris passed out during his training, the algorithm synthesised this voice to ensure his optimal recovery.

Loris fell asleep at the mere touch of his bed. A small tube inserted itself into his mouth, providing the nutrients for his recovery.

He woke up as scheduled, an hour and a half later. It was just a little nap, and he could feel it. He was cramping all over. It was easier for him to identify where it didn’t ache, his skull being the only exception.

Although he’d been through an entire sleep cycle, he hadn’t experienced this fully conscious dream with the Dark-Core and white void. What a pity he could have chosen new goals.

He couldn’t give it a second thought that the algorithm recommended starting his cognitive training. Despite using, Loris remained somewhat pessimistic about the effectiveness of the Noflo method in this context.

All neurologists agreed that coordinating and using all the brain’s resources to meet a single purpose was only possible on paper. However, multiple individuals at the top of their game had claimed and proved to switch into such a state spontaneously. They called it the zone.

It was a shame that the Noflo training method, which sought to be flawless, failed to bring people into this paramount trance. This gave it a terrible reputation for developing cognitive skills and subconscious skills.

No instructor claimed to outperform the algorithm. Still, many stated they had a better intuition for getting something across. For these reasons and its high cost, even those for whom intelligence was essential were reluctant to use it.

Yet, it pleasantly surprised Loris. Even though he enjoyed using his brain, that didn’t mean he could use it properly, at least compared to these big-headed monsters. Still, as he played the game all day, he couldn’t help but notice the added value of the algorithm.

With a brief break between each game, it made him play each mini-game several times. As if the algorithm could read his mind, every time his attention relaxed or scattered, he received annoying beeps, and a putrid smell permeated his nostrils. Mixed reality devices would make a perfect torture tool.

And the Noflo-Algorithm did not shy away from using it. It turned a fun and straightforward game into a hellish training device. During the breaks, he got various tips and practical knowledge to help him improve, and it worked.

After hours of practice, he soared on this game’s leaderboard to finally broke the 5% mark in the overall ranking—a remarkable feat for Loris. He who had started at the bottom for each mini-game.

He was no longer among the worst 5% of all players.