The next few days were a blur of organized chaos. Victor Stone, now officially the client of Stone Acquisitions LLC, was an unstoppable sponge for tactical knowledge.
The game chosen was a high-speed, tactical shooter—a cross between a large-scale battle royale and close-quarters objective defense, demanding lightning reflexes and perfect spatial awareness. This aligned perfectly with Victor's T-Rank conditioning.
"No, no, the flank is lazy!" Finn Hayes, the former Grand Marshal WraithLord, shouted, his voice echoing in the small office. It was Friday afternoon, and the air was thick with the scent of synthetic cooling gel and desperation. "You have to anticipate the sightline priority! If you commit to that door, you expose your entire left quadrant to the counter-fire from the roof!"
Victor, wearing a set of specialized headphones, ignored the noise. In the span of three days, his reaction time, which was already genetically superior, had been honed by Finn into a surgical weapon. His T-Rank training in spatial geometry and threat assessment translated seamlessly. He didn't just move his mouse; he executed a digital skirmish, always calculating the three-dimensional geometry of the map before committing to an engagement.
In the virtual match, Victor—playing under the anonymous handle "STONE_COLD"—didn't retreat. He simply redirected his movement, exploiting an obscure piece of map cover that Finn himself hadn't used in years. Victor swiftly eliminated the rooftop threat with a single, brutal headshot.
Finn stared at the screen, slack-jawed. "Okay, who are you, man? That move... that's like three years of competitive play condensed into three days. You're learning counter-strategies before you've learned the controls."
"The controls are merely the medium of the conflict," Victor rumbled, disconnecting his headset. "The strategy is immutable. I require more challenging terrain, Warlord."
[TASK COMPLETE: EXCEPTIONAL CLIENT ADAPTATION VIA T-RANK GENETIC PREDISPOSITION.]
[EPIC GOOD DEED ACHIEVED: OPTIMIZATION OF CORE SKILLS FOR TERRAN APPLICATION.]
[SYSTEM POINTS (SP) AWARDED: +25]
[CURRENT SP: 150]
Joshua, meanwhile, was buried under a week's worth of administrative paperwork—forms detailing the unauthorized environmental changes, the EFXS trade, and the creation of Stone Acquisitions LLC. The clock had just hit 5:00 PM.
"I'm heading out, Finn," Joshua murmured, already half-way through the door, clutching a file binder. "Just lock up when you're done. Victor knows the drill."
Finn just waved a hand, completely engrossed in setting up the next competitive simulation for Victor. Victor, staring at the map layout with ferocious intensity, did not even register Joshua's absence. His Tactical Advisor (Finn) was still present, and the conflict was still active.
Joshua breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived the week.
The office was silent that night, save for the rhythmic click of Victor's mouse and the low hum of the servers.
At 9:30 PM, Victor finished a grueling eight-hour tactical training session. Finn had finally collapsed from exhaustion and departed, leaving Victor alone with the equipment.
Victor was satisfied with his digital performance, but his mind quickly reverted to the true Conflict Zone: Finance. He walked back to Joshua's desk and brought up the market screen.
[ECONOMIC INSIGHT (G-RANK) ACTIVATED]
Victor still saw the market as a battlefield, but now, the data models delivered by Joshua's G-Rank skill highlighted statistical anomalies—small, vulnerable skirmish zones that Joshua, focused on large-scale defense, had ignored.
He saw a small, high-growth technology Clan (Ticker: PRTL) that was showing promising early data but was too minor for Joshua's attention. He saw a brief, high-probability dip in a local food-supply index (Ticker: GRWR) that was certain to rebound before Monday.
Joshua had left $7,112 in liquid capital in the brokerage account.
Victor, using his newly acquired knowledge of market mechanics and his own T-Rank aggression, didn't hesitate. He wasn't waiting for permission. The battlefield requires initiative.
He executed three small, independent trades, deploying a total of $2,500 into these short-term, high-risk, high-probability skirmishes. He bought PRTL, shorted and covered the GRWR dip, and invested in one more promising defense supplier.
He finished his work by midnight, shut down the systems, and left the office, confident that he had made a strategic move to further the war effort.
Joshua walked into the office Monday morning, feeling refreshed and ready to begin building Victor's competitive gaming profile.
He sat down, logged into the brokerage account, and saw the green numbers immediately.
The liquid capital was now $7,421.15.
Victor's unauthorized $2,500 investment over the weekend had yielded a quick profit of over $300. The trades were clever, aggressive, and highly successful.
Joshua felt a cold spike of dread mixed with grudging awe. The warrior was now entirely self-directed, utilizing high-level financial tactics without supervision, operating on pure instinct and the System's passively available data.
He looked over the monitor. Victor Stone was already seated, waiting.
"Counselor," Victor said, the digital gleam in his four eyes unmistakable. "The weekend skirmishes were successful. The market yields to initiative. Now that my digital combat skills are honed, which target yields the highest Trophy—the largest acquisition of Tangible Honor?"
Victor Stone is now a self-directed, aggressive trader who requires a monumental challenge. Joshua needs to redirect that aggression toward a project that satisfies the "Tangible Honor" concept without risking all his capital.