I reach my apartment building and open the door. It's a small building with five floors, and roughly six apartments per floor. Each apartment fits between six to eight people, giving space for a maximum of 180 people to live in. I walk upstairs to the second floor, and find my apartment.
I enter the apartment. The apartment consists of six rooms- three bedrooms, each with a bunk bed, two bathrooms, and a conjoined living room, dining room, and kitchen. Aside from Kyte and I, there are four other people in our apartment. Those four people are seniors attending SIT, but they are currently away doing some sort of bootcamp training. That leaves just the two of us here.
I see Kyte leaning back on the couch. I expected him to be busy on his multi-monitor setup he has, so I ask.
"I'm back. Something up?"
"Hi Arg. What do you mean?"
"Hows the task going?"
"Umm. I think I need a new strategy."
"For?"
"The task."
"Huh? Didn't you reach over 1000 completes recently? Thats one fifth of the way there."
It took about a week to get that fair. If he continues at the current rate, he'll finish in a little over a month. That's pretty good timing for a task that gives some superpower, if I had to say.
As if reading my mind, Kyte responds.
"The rate of progress will decrease. The guildmates can't help me forever, and will soon get bored. New content will come out and when that happens, I'll be lucky to progress at all."
"I see."
I head over to the fridge.
"Want some juice?"
"Orange please."
I pour a cup of orange juice for kyte, then a cup of apple juice for myself. I walk back to the couch and hand him his cup of orange juice, then sit down myself.
I relax for a while, and start browsing through the system user interface. As I browse, a question comes to my mind.
I decide to ask Kyte about it.
"What do you think about evil subsystems?"
"You will have to be more specific."
"Why do evil subsystems exist? What's their purpose?"
"I don't know. I doubt anyone does, really."
I suppose thats a fair answer. I don't think any human truly knows why they exist.
Humans have various attitudes regarding subsystems. Some regard them as gods, others as super A.I or aliens. I've heard one crazy theory that they appear as physical manifestations of dreams. The craziest theory I've heard was that they don't actually exist, and are purely constructs of our imagination, created to help us in our 'evolutionary journey', whatever that means.
Kyte continues speaking.
"Well, they probably only arrive to suspicious people in the first place."
Ouch!
"I guess they could just fire out tasks to random people, but most subsystems don't do that, do they?" Kyte continues speaking, unaware of the mental damage I'm taking. "I understand if you come from a poor background it could try and tempt you with a new, successful life. Otherwise, for example, your family is well enough for you to attend SIT, I can only think an evil subsystem would try and catch someone incredibly greedy, or petty."
Greedy... petty...
I ask Kyte something else, trying not to let my actions show my dejection.
"Well, why do you think people do the tasks they give?"
"That I can guess. A love of power, desperation, spite. Anyone who robs banks might as well follow a system's tasks while they're at it."
Haha. I guess thats a normal answer. I don't think anyone would respond to that question with a 'hey, maybe the villians just think the world will explode if they don't, and they are trying to protect us in their own way!'
With that in mind, I ask Kyte another question.
"Would there be any scenario where you think it would be acceptable?"
Kyte thinks for a moment.
"If... the subsystem gave out a task to rescue a cat stuck in a tree?"
"Pfft! Euagh, cuh, pah!"
I cough out some apple juice.
I retort, "What sort of subsystem helps cats stuck up trees?"
Kyte shrugs, and responds with "The animal helping system? Maybe there's an eco-terrorist system out there that does it as well."
Kyte and I both have a fairly open mindset about subsystems, partially due to the wide variety of tasks you see and hear.
Regardless, that isn't quite the type of answer I want. I formulate a slightly different question in my head, a question that's based on what little I've observed from my current subsystem.
"Suppose a person gets some task that gives a rediculously good reward, like the power to stop time. But the task is also really simple, like you just have to shoplift something to get it. Then that person does the task, and uses it to save the world. What do you think?"
"You mean something like the 'for the greater good' argument?"
"Yea! Something like that!"
Kyte immediately shoots down the thought.
"No, that's terrible."
"It definitely sounds good in theory, but then you have to ask, where do you draw the line? How do you even know you will save the world later with the power you get? Furthermore, if the subsystem starts giving out tasks to kill people, would you do it just because you might save more people in the long run?"
"True. It seems to just turn into a downwards spiral."
"I guess when you think more about it, you get to stuff like the trolley problem."
Ah, the trolley problem. Five people are tied to a train track, and a single person is tied to a nearby track. A trolley is inbound for the five people, but a nearby lever can swap tracks, so the trains only runs over one person. A person is then given the choice of flipping the lever or not.
"Would you pull the lever?"
"No."
Kyte responds instantly.
"It might sound harsh, but it simply isn't my responsibility to make that decision, hence I would let the five die. What about you?"
I think about the trolley problem. To be the one to make the decision. To change the fates of six people, and end one life in the process. After thinking about it hard, I think I would be too scared to act in that situation.
"I probably wouldn't, either."
Friday arrives, and I prepare to leave for SIT. As I'm about to leave to leave the apartment, Kyte enters the room, fully dressed in his SIT uniform.
"Wait, I'm coming today, as well."
Surprised, I ask, "What about your task?"
I know he's having difficulty with his task, so I become slightly concerned that he's given up.
Kyte dispels my worries, however, answering with, "I need to change my approach, so I thought going outside might help me with that."
We start walking to SIT.
The apartment we live in lies on the southeastern outskirts of Trigon city. Although it's technically still part of the city, it has a quiet atmosphere similar to countryside.
The various streets in the neighborhood join together, and eventually meet at a single road. That road connects this little region with the heart of Trigon city, and also SIT. Between our apartment and that road, is the neighborhood park.
As we walk along the park road, I hear a faint mewing.
"Meww."
We look around for the source of the sound.
"Meww."
"Up there. that tree."
Kyte points out a tree.
On the tree is a cat we both are well familiar with. It's a brown cat with orange spots, appropriately named "Cookie".
"Cookie! What are you doing up there?"
"Meww."
We wave to it, then continue walking, ignoring the mewing.
It's an adorable, but troublesome, cat.
Then, a red beachball flies down from the sky on a direct collision course with my chest. I stop moving and brace for impact. As it hits, I remember that it's a subsystem, and it doesn't physically exist. The subsystem collides harmlessly into my chest, then bounces back with a "plink" sound.
"Something up?"
"No. Nothing."
Kyte notices my sudden stop, but we continue walking as if nothing happened.
[The Super Villainy Subsystem desires to know what the host plans on doing.]
"What do you mean? We're heading to SIT."
[The Super Villainy Subsystem requests information on the cat currently located on nearby tree.]
"Huh? You have an interest in the cat?"
Beachball nods. I don't know how something that looks like a star is meant to nod its non-existant head, but I feel like whatever movement it's currently doing is meant to be a nod. I start talking- no- thinking? Thinking to it about Cookie.
"The cat's name is Cookie. It belong to an old woman in the neighborhood. It hunts well, and is perfectly capable of getting down the tree by itself. It just likes attention."
[The Super Villainy Subsystem desires to verify, the cat is safe?]
"Perfectly safe. It does this often. As soon as you approach it, it will jump off the tree."
[The Super Villainy Subsystem requests to know what you are going to do with the cat named Cookie.]
"I'll pet it later, but not right now."
The subsystem stares at me- somehow, that's just the feeling I get from it- then disappears. Seconds later a bolt of intent strikes me.
-THE SUPER VILLAINY SYSTEM-
[Task: Rescue the cat]
[Progress: Incomplete]
[Rewards: 1 mP]
"Kyte, wait." Kyte stops as I continue speaking, "I have to go help Cookie."
Kyte looks at me funny.
"Why?"
We both know the cat can get down by itself. But that doesn't matter. Now is the time for action.
I start trying to think for a reason to give to Kyte.
Remembering the conversation yesterday, I answer.
"An eco-terrorist subsystem wants me to."
"..."
"..."
"What?"
"Sorry Kyte, no time to waste!"
I run off to the cat that is undoubtedly capable of getting down from the tree by itself.
[The super villiany subsystem desires to inform the host that it is not a eco-terrorist subsystem.]
"Well, you are now!"
I approach the tree Cookie is on. In response, Cookie lowers her body and leans her head towards me.
"Meww."
I grip the sides of the tree with my hands and feet, and start to climb up, slowly.
Yes, feet. Some strange people in this world think you are meant to climb trees by hugging them with your legs. That's nonsense. If you ever tried climbing a tree by hugging it with their legs, you would soon realise how uncomfortable it is, and how little leverage your legs give you in that position.
I reach halfway up the trunk, and look at Cookie.
Then Cookie jumps- onto my face.
Her front paws land on my forehead, and her hind paws grip onto my cheeks for support. After landing, she crawls up onto the top of my head, and jumps onto the grass beneath.
Without so much as a glance in my direction, Cookie wanders away.
Typical Cookie.
-THE SUPER VILLAINY SYSTEM-
[Task: Rescue the cat]
[Progress: Completed]
[Rewards: 1 mP]
[Rewards: Issued.]
