"How can I make these conditions as ideal as possible," he mused. After a few moments thought, he decided to ask a question.

"System, can you play the same background sounds you play in the Lucid s.p.a.ce here, too?"

>

Shortly, Michael could hear the faint sound of rain falling outside. He also saw a new notification.

+0.2

Opportunist => +0.4>>

He was quite pleased as he hadn't seen much activity on these recently. His expression changed quickly, though, as he received yet another notification.

'Opportunist': Increase effectiveness of actions by 10% when exploiting an identified weakness.

Tier 1 'Limit Pusher' t.i.tle accomplished. Unlocked 'Limit Break' active ability.

Limit Break: Increase effectiveness of next action by 100% in exchange for commensurate damage. Cooldown: 1 week.>>

Michael was stunned.

"So... that's what t.i.tles do?"

>

"Hey kid, looks like you unlocked a t.i.tle! These are something I built into the System to... encourage certain behaviour. Bet you're surprised, huh? Pretty neat, right? Keep looking for more t.i.tles, they're hidden in lots of different behaviours, and some of 'em might surprise you... also, keep pursuing the behaviours you've found already, since t.i.tles can rank up, though it gets harder as you do."

>

"Congratulations on unlocking a t.i.tle in the first three months! Keep it up. Here's a little bonus."

- Basic Enhancement Module.

- Minor Armoury Access.>>

"... what the heck?"

< ^_^="">>

"... from playing some background noise?"

>

"Sure. Let's deal with this later, ok? I really need to make headway on this."

>

"Yeah."

Michael decided to take a few moments to practice his breathing to refocus - he hadn't expected yet another sudden rush of 'gifts' and it had shaken his previous concentration.

He followed the pattern he had learned from the System, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth in a steady rhythm. Soon that spinning sensation reappeared and washed over his body, making him a bit lightheaded. He could also feel a gentle tingling sensation flowing through his limbs, mainly focused on the nape of his neck and his forearms. He stored away that information for later and after he had calmed down, opened his eyes again and directed his gaze to his computer.

"Ok, System, let's activate one of these Universal Focus Hours."

>

"Ok, let's get cracking," Michael murmured as his eyes sharpened and the gentle green glow of his terminal application reflected in his eyes. The low rumble of thunder echoed in his ears as his fingers set down on the home position on the keyboard.

---

"...activate another hour, System."

"Yeah. My brain always ran a bit faster than my fingers - or my mouth - but it's more p.r.o.nounced now. At least I'm not tripping over my feet. It takes some practice, but if I type the last thing I thought about while I start thinking about my next move, it's a bit better."

>

"If you say so," he smirked.

---

"Another."

"Not yet. I'm on a roll."

---

"One more."

"Of course. Didn't you say there were no side effects? Compared to all night gaming sessions, this is nothing. Besides, the slow cooker doesn't need my attention, and it's way too early to worry about sides."

>

---

"One more."

---

1:15pm, September 14th, 2000 CE

Michael took a deep breath and stretched his arms up over his head.

"That was... exhausting."

>

"Oh?"

>

"... Seriously?"

>

"... If you say so. I'm hungry."

With that, Michael got up, grabbed his long-empty coffee mug, and made his way upstairs. The smell of the contents of the slow cooker wafted into his nose as he climbed up the stairs. He spied and made a beeline for the remaining contents of the coffee pot before opening up the fridge and pulling out some of his remaining ingredients. He reminded himself that he needed to get groceries soon. He lamented his quickly dwindling bank account, and the fact that completing his parents' project so quickly meant that he would ultimately lose out on some of the project funds. Still, it's not like he could drag it out artificially. His work ethic wouldn't allow for that. He consoled himself with the fact that his new project with Jeremy and Ben would start the following weekend, so he'd have some ongoing income. He could pay off the remaining renovations that way, as well as afford his ongoing expenses, as well as start to save up.

"Still, it'd be better to come up with some other income sources," he mused. He'd always felt that he was an industrious individual, with an entrepreneurial spirit. Maybe it was time to put that into effect?

He thought about this as he cooked up a couple of chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s and finished off his remaining salad, which was starting to look a little wilted after a week in the fridge. Most of it was still fine, though, so he picked out the bad bits and heated the rest up with a bit of b.u.t.ter.

He decided to defer his thoughts on further financial pursuits til after he had the current items sorted, and focused on finis.h.i.+ng lunch. Based on the time, he had a few more hours before he had to start on the rest of dinner. He poured the last of the now cold coffee into his mug and marched back downstairs to battle with the code.

---

"Activate another focus hour, please."

"…"

---

"Again."

<>

t.i.tle 'Focused' => +0.01.>>

---

"Almost done."

"You know it. If I finish beforehand, I'll write some tests. They'll like that."

>

"… Cute."

"So, every hour spent in focused time is 1%?"

>

"Simple enough. Though it's going to take some time, especially after I finish off these reward hours."

>

"Yeah. Alright, back to it. Last push."

---

5:10pm, September 14th, 2000 CE

"Aaaaand done. Now just to push up to the test server."

>

"Thanks, System. Now let's get cooking - literally!"

>

"Sorry, not sorry."

Michael chuckled as he brought his empty mug back up to the kitchen.

He pulled out the various ingredients from the fridge and pantry. He had decided on some root vegetables, squash, and seasonal sprouts. He started by preparing them in various ways, peeling, chopping, or tr.i.m.m.i.n.g them up until they were in the format he had in mind. He had decided to test his skills a bit by roasting some and sautéeing the rest.

To liven things up a bit, he put one of his favourite jazz alb.u.ms on and started to sing along. It had been a while since he had enjoyed himself so much - after the intense focus of the day's work, cooking was quite relaxing. Once he had finished with the vegetables, he still felt that something was lacking, so he decided to prepare a simple green salad and vinaigrette as well. It was during this process that the rest of the family walked in.

They appeared to be in good spirits, though a bit exhausted. They brightened a bit at the pleasant smells and sounds that greeted them as they entered, though, and everyone quickly began to contribute once they'd removed their coats and shoes.

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Flavius came over to help Michael remove the roast from the slow cooker and plate the dishes, while Rowena went to select a bottle of wine for the parents. Anne and Lou quickly went about setting the table, and soon everyone was comfortably seated at the table.

The two girls chattered non-stop, regaling their brother with tales of hay rides, hot cider, and corn mazes. Michael listened with semi-sincere interest, peppering in appropriate 'Oh?'s and 'Neat!' several times during the retelling. Afterwards, he described his rather uneventful but ultimately successful day, and informed his parents that the first version was online and ready for testing, much to their surprise and delight.

"That reminds me," Rowena suddenly broke in. "Your father and I wanted to discuss something with you."