Michael face broke into a small smile, as he could see what Jeremy was trying to do. The intention warmed his heart, and reminded him of all the gains he had made in this week already. Furthermore, he had new abilities he'd earned today from completing the first stage of the system's Extra Credit project. He'd only just started to train his body, after all - he shouldn't be too hard on himself about not being able to keep up with those five.

"Still - there will be a day soon where I'm running side by side with them, and then a day after that where they're chasing me," he resolved internally. After making this resolution, he decided to put these thoughts aside for now and focus on his upcoming task. There was a job to do, and money to make.

The three kids quickly arrived at their destination. Ben was once again behind the counter, and Jeremy waved at him before he and Valeria returned to the computer bay. Valeria sat in Michael's seat from the day before so that he could start his work on her computer. Michael chatted with Ben briefly about his plans and got the login information for the machines, as well as the credentials for the network shared drive so that he could store any files needed there instead of having to save them to a disk to run on each machine. After discussing a few more details with the manager, he made his way over to the computer and got to work.

Since he said that he'd not only run the patch but also give the systems any other required updates, he had decided to run a simple script that would go over the steps for him. It would take longer to write initially, but would save him a lot of time in the long run. He'd written these kinds of scripts before, both for his own use and for his parents' company a couple of times when they'd had a client that needed it, so he was pretty familiar with the process. He took out a notebook to start sketching out his thoughts.

Even before the introduction of the system, he'd always been of the mind that writing down one's thought process was an excellent way to keep the mind on track. Maybe it was a byproduct of so many roleplaying games, and following instructions for models and experiments. Come to think of it, he really agreed with the system's reinforcement of an ordered mind!

The first step in the process was going to be downloading the patch for the video card's driver, and he had the site address for that so he could do it as part of the script. In fact, he could download it once and then just store it on the local shared drive, which would simplify things even further! Following that, he could then have the script install the patch. There was an internal command for the system that would check for any software updates for the system, so he could use that to make sure the system was up to date. Then, he could run a system diagnostics tool to make sure there weren't any flaws - as a precaution, he could also run a disk defragmentation routine just to make sure the storage s.p.a.ce was being used optimally.

Once the first version of the script was run, he could then investigate the system to see if he needed to make any tweaks. After deciding that this was enough for the first pa.s.s, he opened up a terminal window on the computer and executed a command to open a text editor. Seeing a familiar layout and blinking cursor, he entered the command to begin inserting text and got to work.

Time pa.s.sed quickly as he wrote the simple script. He downloaded the driver, uploaded it to the shared drive, and executed the script on his test machine. Monitoring the output on his screen, he tweaked the lines to the handle some of the problems he hadn't antic.i.p.ated until the script finally ran perfectly. Nodding with satisfaction, he looked at the time and noticed that he had about an hour until he had to leave. He decided to use this time to check the system and see if there were any other flaws he could resolve. He noticed that there were a few driver updates available for some of the other devices on the system, like the sound card and network card, so he decided to add those steps to his script by copying the existing sections of the script for the video card and making the necessary changes. He also decided to add a step for updating the antivirus software's database and tightening up the firewall rules.

Unfortunately, he ran out of time before completing the latter, so he'd have to tackle it tomorrow. He quickly saved his work, uploaded his work to the shared drive, and said goodbye to the other three. Jeremy and Valeria seemed distractedly waved goodbye, and Ben grunted while not looking up from the book he was reading. Michael shrugged a little helplessly as he walked out the door and made his way home.

---

Michael's somber mood returned on his walk back. He was feeling like the task out forward by the system was a little too daunting. He needed to hurry and build up his strength so that he could prepare himself for the Regional Games, but between his academics, household responsibilities, and trying to make a bit of money, time really wasn't on his side. He had to make use of every minute available - the potential rewards of completing his tasks was just too tempting! With a determined look on his face, he tightened the straps on his backpack and picked up his pace, moving up from his depressed shuffle to a slow jog.

After all of the events of the day, his endurance was really starting to flag. However, a little was better than nothing and he continued in a sort of stuttered half-run whenever he could. He was sure that he probably looked pretty pathetic to anyone watching, as he was quickly red-faced, soaked in sweat and heaving breaths, but he couldn't be bothered. When he approached the grocery store on the way home, though, he had a sudden idea and made his way inside.

He scoured the shelves and quickly found what he was looking for - magnesium sulfate crystals. He'd read in one of the nutrition and fitness books that soaking in them could help with muscle recovery and inflammation. He also picked up small tubs of both fast and slow-release protein powder based on some of the information he'd read, then brought all of his items to the front. The total made him wince a bit, and he had to split the cost between his remaining pocket money and his debit card. He knew that his funds were quickly dwindling, and resolved to check his bank balance using the online portal after dinner. He then collected the items and placed them in his backpack, repositioned it on his back, and continued on his way home.

The final leg of his journey pa.s.sed quickly with his intervals of walking and jogging, while he tried to sort out the rest of the evenings plans. He had to discuss the renovation plans and upcoming project with his parents as well as finish his homework. He concluded that he'd be able to complete his Latin homework as well as make more progress on his English a.s.signment. The sooner he finished that up, the more time he'd have for other projects. He was restricted in his ability to work on his Computers project, so he didn't need to worry about that as much, but once his English a.s.signment was done, he'd be able to spend more time planning on how to effectively use his time while he was in cla.s.s. Besides, he'd soon have to spend more of his time outside of school on the new work project for his parents, so more free time would be better. He even had a faint inspiration at that moment of another crazy idea, but he decided to put it aside for the moment. Just like his computer script, just like his trip home, he needed to take things one step at a time.

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"No one said I couldn't run, though," he muttered with a smile as he pushed open the door to his house.