Project

Greem only had a couple of hours to rest before Isabella and Irio arrived.

The first hour was terrible, as Isabella continued to complain about the state of the district they were in, her voice dripping with disdain. "I can't believe we have to be stuck in this dump. There's no way anything good can come out of a place like this. It's full of filth and beggars."

Irio looked up from his notebook again, a curious expression on his face. "Actually, Isabella, I think there might be something we can do with this district for our netrunning project."

Isabella scoffed. "You, with an idea? That's a laugh. You don't even know how to turn on a computer."

Irio remained calm. "I know I'm not the smartest person in the room, but hear me out. What if we could create a cyber sword with this design? I inspired myself from the tag in front of Greem's house!"

Greem, who had been quietly working on his own project, looked up with interest. "I like that idea, Irio. With some creativity and the right resources, we could create a cyber sword that could make a real difference between the standard cyber equipment. I noticed you use a wild swordsmanship style, so if we make dents in the sword on the upper blade, it might come with benefits in combat, especially if you wish to destroy another warrior's defensive gear"

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Such a crude sword, how is it supposed to be any good?"

Irio smiled patiently. "Think about it, Isabella. The sword could connect with other cyber equipment such as the mana circuits of the warrior, allowing the dents to act like a chainsaw that would penetrate through the toughest equipment"

Isabella looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "Fine, I guess it's worth a shot. Let's get to work." And with that, the three of them began to brainstorm and work on their cyber sword project, determined to make a difference

After five hours of brainstorming and creating templates, Greem revealed the MVP on his netrunner computer: "What do you think?"

Isabella gasped, and Irio titled his head in confusion: "How is it supposed to be a MVP? Are you a netrunner's in hiding? This is incredible, Greem! I never took you for the capable type. With this model, we might get a good chance to win the project competition"

Isabella could not believe her eyes.

'How mysterious...'

In fact, it was not the first time Greem surprised her today. Every one of his intervention was especially wise, as if Greem truly was a netrunner in secret. Of course, it is not like she had never seen a netrunner before. In fact, some of her father's friends were rank 3 netrunners with high skills.

However, she knew that Greem also happened to be a genius in practical combat.

As for the schematic he produced in five hours, they were definitely on par with some lower cyber schematics that were marketed in lower district companies. It was not something that could be commercialized, but it could be improved by specialists and sold.

Of course, there was no way she would admit that, but her image of Greem was turned upside down in a single day.

Greem stood up and stretched himself: "Then, if it's alright, we can take a break for today. Tomorrow, we have class all day long, but after tomorrow, I believe we have time in the afternoon. We can finish it then"

Isabella and Irio nodded. They were too shocked to speak properly.

Greem did not realize how good of a work he had made until he checked his logs

[You have completed [Grade 1 Cybernetic Chainsaw Sword Schematic]. You have earned the passive skill [Cybernetic Mechanics (Rank 1). Your intellect rises significantly...]

Just as he was about to send his comrades off, Greem met his mother in the kitchen

"Huh...You were home, Greem? And who are they?", his mother looked at him.

Just like him, she had noticeable blond hair and green eyes, as well as fair skin. This was pretty rare to find in the lower districts, and most looked similar to his father, with grey hair and a more tanned skin. However, it seemed like he had inherited more from his mother's genetic pool.

"Hi, mom. These are my friends, Irio and Isabella"

If it were before, both would have protested at the mention of them being friends. However, after working for so long in the same room, they both nodded at the presentation

Isabella bowed slightly, following the etiquette of the nobles: "Greetings. I thank you for allowing your son to invite us in your household...I must say it is quite...a beautiful place in contrast to the streets"

Greem's mom, Jennifer, smiled brightly at the compliment: "The honour is mine, young lady. You can call me Jennifer and drop honorifics. How about you stay here for dinner? It is already late, and you have at least 1 hour of flying bus before returning to your homes!"

Irio was the first to accept, his stomach seemingly seduced by the delicate odor that spread in the kitchen: "I shall accept this!"

Isabella chuckled, and surprised herself, saying: "It seems really good, and it would be impolite to refuse, right?"

Since when had she chuckled for real? Surely, it had been ages, and it was not with her fake friends like Sarah that she could be her true self. She could feel that there was no judgement in Irio, Greem or Jennifer's eyes. There was only goodwill.

"That's a relief! Greem never talks about his friends at the Warrior Academy, and I was worried he would be discriminated against because we could not afford him golden citizenship...However, it seems like he has not lied to me when he said he made a lot of friends!"

Isabella made a bitter smile, but she did not break Greem's trust and only nodded.

As time passed, both Isabella and Irio came to learn a lot more about Greem's life. It definitely was not easy. His parents made heavy sacrifices, working very late and very hard jobs. The tuition fees were considered extremely low in the inner city, as it was only 15 000 NTCs a year, which was miniscule in comparison the Magician Academy, where fees reached over 300 000 NTCs a year.

Yet, this was a considerable burden that forced Greem's family to enter a state of financial burden.