[Inner Confrontation Session Initiated]
Alaric sat still in his chair. Night had fallen. The lighting in his room was dim, only the system glowing brightly in the air.
He stared at the document in his hand, then at the screen displaying names he once thought were family. But now he saw hidden intentions.
The system voice chimed again.
[Next task: Report the data to an official notary to lock in the current ownership status. The system can send a copy of the report to the National Land Department.]
But Alaric didn't move right away.
Something held him back.
"Why do I feel angry but sad at the same time?" he whispered.
"Is it because Dad kept this a secret?"
"Am I afraid that if I save this house now, I'll end up losing faith in the people I once loved?"
He looked at the family photo hanging on the wall. Everyone looked happy, smiling together.
But that smile now felt... fake. Or at least, hiding too many truths.
The system said nothing for a while.
Then slowly:
[This test isn't about finding traitors. It's about realizing that inheritance isn't just about wealth, but also the wounds that must be carried together.]
Alaric was silent.
Then, with a slow but firm motion, he stood up. He took a deep breath, then said,
"All right. I'll protect this house. No matter who almost sold it, no matter what was kept hidden. This belongs to my family. And I will defend it."
In front of his laptop, Alaric uploaded the legal documents from his investigation. He submitted the system data to the national notary server integrated with the AI governance system.
[Upload successful. Ownership status locked. House protected from forced transfer for the next 10 years.]
[System Progress: +6% → Total: 20%]
[New Skill Unlocked: Forensic Link – the ability to detect digital traces in legal documents.]
Alaric smiled faintly. No cheers. No applause. But in his heart, he knew—he had just saved the future.
And perhaps, saved a small part of his father... the part he thought had been taken away.
_
The Helix Core Group headquarters still stood tall, but Alaric could feel something rotting inside. Ever since he awakened from the past, his memories pierced through the fog like bullets. Faces he once trusted... and how they would eventually betray his father.
Now, he walked through the cold, polished lobby. As if masking his awareness, which now far exceeded the age of his young body.
His father, the company's CEO, was still busy with overseas expansion projects. But his health had begun to decline, and his trust in people was clearly misplaced.
"I stayed silent before. But now... never again," Alaric muttered.
[Mission Accepted: Covert Audit at Headquarters]
[Objective: Find fund leaks, report manipulation, and hidden sabotage before the system breaks down.]
[Legal access: Limited. Use past records and system skills to bypass restrictions.]
Alaric headed to the 9th floor, the legal and archive division. He used a guest ID, and the staff greeted him politely, knowing he was the director's son.
"May I see the digital procurement documents and internal vendor transaction records from the last two years?" he asked kindly at the reception desk.
"Ah, those... such requests can only be approved by Mr. Renald or Mr. Charlie," the young staff replied awkwardly.
Renald. The deputy director.
Alaric maintained his polite smile, but in his mind, he activated the system.
[System Active: Temporary Archive Bypass]
[Document metadata analysis: initiated...]
[Anomaly detected: Vendor Solux Prime received 9 procurement contracts without bidding. Total value: 18 billion]
That vendor suddenly appeared since his father's health declined a year ago, and all procurement documents were approved by... Renald.
Alaric swiped through the data and found another name, PT Mentari Logistik.
A company allegedly tied to one of Renald's personal partners.
[Preliminary evidence of sabotage detected]
[Activate Fund Tracking Mode: ON]
"Looks like the money's flowing into a black hole," he thought.
Alaric waited for the office lunch break. He slipped into the server room with a technician he had casually treated to an expensive meal that morning.
Using system access laced with skill support, Alaric traced the company's financial movements.
Graphs flowed across the screen like rotten blood through a body.
[Pattern detected: IT procurement funds redirected via fake invoices, partially funneled into personal accounts under the name R. William and foreign proxy companies.]
"So you weren't just flattering my dad. You were quietly draining the company's lifeblood?"
Alaric's anger surged. But he steeled himself.
[System Progress: +6%]
[Unlock Insight: Legal Perception Lv.1]
[Subtle Confrontation Plan Activated, No Direct Accusations]
The system's voice guided his steps.
"All right," he said, his voice trembling.
Inside, a storm had long been brewing. Alaric gripped the edge of the server desk like it was the only thing keeping him grounded.
His blood boiled, not just from the shock, but from the betrayal stabbing at him from every direction—from the office, from his father's trusted men. And from a system that had pretended to be clean all along.
But Alaric knew, anger was a trap. If he exploded now, it would all fall apart. The evidence would vanish. The masks would stay on. He had to stay calm. He had to play it smart.
His eyes stayed on the screen, displaying a cold, clinical money laundering trail like open-heart surgery done without feeling
He took a deep breath, holding back the urge to expose everything on the spot.
A few days later, Alaric sat in his father's office. The older man looked tired, but still carried the charisma of a business king. The fading echoes of a once-mighty presence.
"Dad, can I ask you something?" Alaric said.
"Of course."
"Why do you trust Mr. Renald so completely?"
His father raised an eyebrow. "He's been with me since the beginning. He's honest and loyal."
Alaric stared into his father's eyes.
"What if... he's not?" he asked quietly. "Could you still accept that?"
His father fell silent.
"I trust him until proven otherwise. But why are you asking this?"
"Because I want Helix to stay ours. Not theirs. Not the ones waiting for you to fall."
His father looked at him deeply. A long pause followed. Maybe... this was the first time Alaric showed his grown-up side.
"I understand," the man said softly. "You've started learning... how to be a protector."
[System Notification: "Relationship with Father NPC has improved."]
Still, Alaric couldn't take Renald down now. That would cause chaos. But the system offered another way:
[Option available: Send anonymous audit report to the company's strategic partners. Let them demand an investigation.]
Alaric wrote the full report, attaching verified system evidence. He sent it anonymously to Helix's largest client—a Japanese firm known for its strict business ethics.
A week later, a major meeting was held.
Renald didn't attend. He was declared "on sudden leave."
All suspicious transactions were now under heavy scrutiny.
"I haven't won yet, but I won't be the forgotten son in this story."
Three days after Renald's sudden leave, the atmosphere at Helix HQ changed. Whispers spread. Some of his sub-directors were quietly summoned for closed-door audits.
Meanwhile, Alaric's system kept sending silent notifications in the background.
[Warning: Financial conspiracy entering verification phase]
[System directive: Save all interaction traces. High risk of internal conflict escalation]
And on the fifth day, representatives from the Japanese company arrived. Not just regular managers, but the Vice President Director of Asia Pacific himself. In the meeting room, he brought two letters.
One was a notice of immediate suspension of all collaboration, effective that day.
The second... an ultimatum.
"We value the partnership we've built. But we are a company that upholds integrity."
"If the name Renald William is still within the management structure in the next 10 days, we won't just cancel ongoing projects. We'll also release a public report on our findings."
Alaric's father sat in silence. His breathing was heavy. Not angry... just wounded.
And in that room, Alaric knew, his father's eyes were truly opened.
That night, an emergency board meeting was held. Renald was absent, but all the evidence was displayed on screen. Internal audits confirmed unauthorized transfers, forged invoices, and misuse of funds for personal gain.
Without resistance, Renald's position was officially revoked. All his assets were frozen pending investigation. The company appointed an external independent committee as a move toward transparency.
Several staff involved as accomplices also resigned.
And a week after that, Alaric stood on the balcony of his father's office. The city lights sparkled below, but his heart wasn't celebrating.
[Mission Updated: "Silent Victory"]
[System Progress +20%]
[Total Progress: 40%]
[Reward Bonus: 1 Integrity Token]
(A rare token only earned through selfless and high-risk actions.)
Alaric took a deep breath.
The notification hovered like a soft hologram in the corner of his vision. He looked at it for a moment. No golden flash, no victory fanfare like in games. Just clean, cold text. But somehow, that made it feel even more real.
["The best victories aren't always greeted with applause. But they leave behind unshakable foundations."]
The system said it plainly. But for some reason, this time—though emotionless, the words echoed through Alaric's chest.
He held the balcony railing, his eyes fixed on the grey Jakarta sky. Not because of rain. But because a part of him had just slipped away.
Time, a sense of peace, and a fragile illusion about justice in this world. And yet, something else was beginning to take root inside him. A sense of control. Not over the world—but over himself.
"I'll protect this..." he murmured.
"So the next generation won't have to fight through rubble like I once did."
Silence.
But the system wasn't done yet.
[Additional Notification]
[Integrity Token Detected]
[System Offer: Upgrade to Level 2 – Mirror System]
→ Cost: 1 Integrity Token
→ Effect: Access to Emulated Feedback, Moral Sensory Trigger, Autonomous Logic Decision Helper
Alaric froze.
"An upgrade?" he muttered, frowning.
His eyes shifted toward the screen, now glowing clearer than ever.