Low-key Genius

The two barely said a word until they had gotten out of the hospital.

His mom was the first to speak, her voice trembling with worry, "How have you been? Hope you've been eating well?"

Deep lines etched across her forehead and around her mouth, making her appear older than her years would suggest.

Levi's response came out in a hesitant, stuttering tone, "Y-yes."

"You seem different," she said pausing for a moment, her fingers gently reaching for his face, her touch warm but filled with concern.

Inside, Levi felt a surge of panic. If there was one person who could unravel his secret, it would be her. How broken she would be if she knew her son was actually gone.

"You've lost weight, and look so pale" she continued, her voice softening. "Come around one of these days so I'll cook for you. You know I worry about you."

He could only manage a nod in reply as they embraced, the weight of his newfound identity pressing heavily upon him.

Levi hurriedly rushed to the bus stop, barely making it in time. He sat down on the first empty seat, gazing out the window. "I would love to explore the central district a little bit... maybe next time," he muttered 

It looked like it had gotten even busier with people now returning home from work

The journey back felt shorter, and soon enough, he was back in the house. The first thing on his mind was food. He rummaged through the kitchen, relieved to find instant noodles. Luckily there were a few packs since Levi basically lived off it. 

Taking only three minutes to prepare, the weird looking slender ribbons floating in his plate according to Levi's memories was something that would quench his hunger.

He was a bit wary but he couldn't negotiate with his grumbling stomach. Using a fork to twirl and lift up a strand he gently placed it in his mouth and began chewing.

His eyes widened with a mix of surprise and delight. The rich aroma of the savory broth filled his senses, and the flavors that exploded in his mouth were nothing short of extraordinary.

The cheweness of the noodles only made it more desirable.

He didn't wait to finish chewing before filling his mouth with another spoon, before he knew it he had gobbled down the whole plate.

It wasn't anything much. But to Cian, who hadn't tasted anything but bread and cheese, with the rare inclusion of meat almost all his life, this tasted like a food of luxury. It was so good his eyes began to tear up, the simple pleasure of a meal touching his soul.

A slurping sound could be heard as he drank the remainder of the broth.

'I'm sure those proud Highland nobles has never tasted anything like this '

Now with a clear mind and full stomach he could finally think carefully. Up until now he hadn't thought about what he was really going to do. He had successfully pulled off being Levi for the whole day thanks to his memories and residue emotions but is this what he wanted?.

With the way the memories and emotions had woven into his being, he was certain that he wasn't just Cian anymore.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice. It's not like I could return to my life before, I wouldn't even want to go back to being so weak" he thought.

His life was already mundane in Aetheria even before he found out he was a NPC. Yes, he did live in a fantasy world but he lived hidden away from all the magic and myths.

To Cian, Levi and him had a very similar existence, they both longed for a life that was beyond their reach. Levi wanted to be a doctor just like he wanted to be a warrior but circumstances ripped them off the life they craved for.

 But now he has been give the opportunity to achieve both their dreams. 

'I owe him that much, I'll pass the exam and also protect his family since it's the least I could do for him.'

'I wonder how worried father would be right now, he'll probably be looking everywhere for me'. His heart sank at the thought of his father.

He turned to the console on the table, the mysterious device that had brought him to this point. "What exactly was wrong with this thing?" he wondered, picking it up for closer inspection.. He stared at it for a while before having an idea generated from Levi's memories. 'The Internet' 

The Internet was a place filled with all the information he could possibly need. He searched on his smartphone for information on the Xgear 3rd generation; he recalled the AET app Darcy had mentioned and also began installing it.

Most of the numerous pages just spoke about how outdated the Xgear 3rd generation was which made sense since It was the first console used in launching the Virtual Realm. It had been under development for roughly a decade before being released to the public five years ago. 

The 2nd generation was released three years after 'Aetheria' was launched. Before Active-vision released the 1st generation last year and now there are rumours of the 'generation zero' being developed.

Each new generation of console showed a few improvements, the immersion rate remained more or less the same with very little noticeable changes. 

The major improvements were the in-game experiences and the console cool down time. With the 3rd generation your playing time couldn't exceed 7 hours before suggestively logging out players with a cool down time of 2 hours, but with the more recent generations being pods, it was safe to go past 10 hours.

As he read further the rate at which he processed the information about the console was astonishing even to him. He had not realised how powerful his mind had become until now. This was someone who struggled to learn the basics of crafting a good sword.

'I always knew I had it in me, maybe I just never really liked Crafting. it felt like slavery, just hammering away, endlessly'. He mused as he recalled his life in the workshop 

After an hour of browsing he had almost gotten a full grasp of the technology behind the Xgear 3rd generation

He was sure with what he had seen it was possible to fix the Xgear; he just had to follow the pattern he learnt from the schematics. He began working on the console with the few limited tools in the house and some duct tape. 

Luckily the Xgear 3rd gen had a lot of outdated parts that he could easily take out from his desktop CPU. Although it meant his desktop was now an empty shell.

"I'm sorry Levi but it's for both our sakes, you wouldn't want to disappoint Darcy now, would you?" he said to himself.

By the time he was done, he took a step back to fully view his handiwork. It looked even more grim than before with tape here and there. The image that reflected in his eyes was like that of a skull ☠️.

"At least I covered all the main issues" he said as he stared at the scary device.

Although it looked dreadful he was more than confident in the skills he had literally just acquired after watching a few videos and reading some things online.

The Xgear console covers a player's whole head with its single interface and controls the player's consciousness. It interferes with the signals the brain sends to the body and sends its own instead to stimulate the five senses. Allowing players to be fully immersed in the game.

It was a groundbreaking technology, something that could only be achieved after investing billions of dollars in research and development.

He had just tampered with something that advanced. Just that fact alone created a sense of fear in his mind. Imagine losing his life just like his host.

'Do I really want to do this?' he wondered. 

"It's all just wires and simple connections when you think about it" he tried to reassure himself as he picked it up, staring at it as it held the answers to his uncertain future.

Taking a deep breath, he placed it on his head, feeling his heart race and his body grow cold.

But he hesitated, removing it quickly as doubts over shadowed his rationality

"I'll just tell her I got scammed" he decided before placing it back on the table and lying on the bed.

Staring at the grey ceiling, he pondered his options. Levi had left him with a host of problems and responsibilities, and he needed money if he was going to survive in this new world.

"With my Peak Intellect, I could learn anything. Passing the medical exam would be a breeze, but that would take too long. I can't wait six years to start getting paid," he reasoned.

'Even if I promised to accomplish his dreams it's not the right time. I first have to return to Aetheria at all costs, I can't let those monsters get away with what they did to Elsa.'

'And that might be the only way I ever get to see my father again'.

"But I don't want to die," he cried out, tousling his hair in frustration.

-Ding- 

A notification from his phone drew his attention