Asher woke up with a plan.
This was alarming, because plans were exactly the kind of thing the system liked to set on fire.
He sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes, and waited.
Nothing happened.
No screens.
No pressure.
No cheerful reminders that his life was on a countdown timer.
"…Okay," he said. "So we're doing silence now."
The system remained quiet.
Which meant it was listening.
Asher stood, stretched, and spoke clearly.
"I want to renegotiate."
A pause.
Then—
[Clarification Requested]
Subject: Renegotiation
He smiled.
"Good. You do understand words like that."
[Affirmation.]
Asher paced the room, warming up like he was about to argue with customer service.
"Let's start simple," he said. "Your directives are… effective. I'll give you that."
The system did not object.
"They're also," he continued, "terrible for maintaining a normal human schedule."
[Observation]
Normalcy is not a listed survival requirement.
"It is when I need money to buy food," Asher shot back. "Which I then need to survive. Circular logic. Try to keep up."
The system paused.
Longer than usual.
Asher grinned.
"…That one landed."
[Processing.]
He leaned against the wall.
"I'm not refusing to grow," he said. "I'm asking for flexibility."
[Clarification]
Define: Flexibility
"Time windows," Asher replied immediately. "Advance notice. No directives that require me to vanish mid-shift like I'm part of a magician's union."
[Counterpoint]
Unpredictability enhances adaptive stress response.
"And chronic stress causes burnout," Asher said. "Which reduces performance. Which reduces growth. Which reduces efficiency."
He spread his hands.
"I read pamphlets."
The system went quiet again.
Asher waited.
This was the risky part.
Push too hard, and it would double down.
Say nothing, and nothing would change.
"…Look," he said more softly. "I get what you're doing. You want me alive. You want me stronger."
[Correct.]
"So do I," Asher said. "But if I wreck my life outside the dungeon, I lose support. I lose stability. I make worse decisions."
A pause.
"…And I care about those people."
The system did not immediately respond.
Which was new.
Asher exhaled.
"That shouldn't be a liability," he added. "It should be an asset."
A flicker.
[Evaluation Initiated.]
Asher's heart thumped.
"Oh wow," he muttered. "I actually got you to open a menu."
[Proposal Requested.]
He straightened.
"Okay," he said. "Here's my offer."
He raised a finger.
"One: Directives get a minimum notice window. No less than an hour unless it's an emergency."
Another finger.
"Two: I can delay a directive once per day without penalty."
A third.
"Three: If a directive conflicts with work or social obligations, we renegotiate timing, not cancel growth."
He lowered his hand.
"In exchange?"
He met the invisible presence head-on.
"I commit to consistent growth. Planned dungeon runs. No intentional avoidance."
Silence filled the room.
Asher held his breath.
Then—
[Counterproposal Issued.]
The screen expanded.
[Directive Adjustment – Conditional]
• Minimum notice window: 30 minutes
• One daily delay permitted (efficiency reduction applies)
• Emergency override retained
• User compliance tracking increased
Asher squinted.
"…You slipped that last one in like it wasn't ominous."
[Clarification]
Transparency is inefficient.
"Of course it is."
He considered the terms.
Thirty minutes wasn't great.
But it was something.
"…What counts as an emergency?" he asked.
[Definition]
Events with survival probability below acceptable thresholds.
"…That's not helpful."
[It is accurate.]
Asher sighed.
"Fine," he said. "But I want one more thing."
[Request.]
"No mid-conversation pop-ups," he said. "If I'm talking to someone, you wait."
The system hesitated.
Actually hesitated.
[Clarification]
Social interactions vary in priority.
"I don't care," Asher replied. "You don't interrupt. Ever."
Silence.
Then—
[Condition Accepted.]
Non-critical notifications will be deferred during active conversation.
Asher blinked.
"…You're serious?"
[Affirmation.]
He laughed.
"Oh my god. I negotiated with a cosmic murder scheduler."
[Correction]
I am not cosmic.
"Yet."
The screen pulsed once more.
[Agreement Logged.]
Directive behavior updated.
Asher slumped back onto the bed.
"…I feel like I just signed a contract without reading the fine print."
[Observation]
You did.
He snorted.
"Fair."
His phone buzzed.
MAYA:
You working today or disappearing again?
Asher smiled and typed back.
ASHER:
Working. I negotiated.
A pause.
MAYA:
With who.
Asher stared at the message.
Then typed:
ASHER:
…Long story.
She replied almost immediately.
MAYA:
You owe me coffee.
He smiled wider.
ASHER:
Deal.
The system observed quietly.
[Notice]
External variable satisfaction increased.
Stability metrics improved.
Asher glanced at the empty air.
"…See?" he said. "Asset."
The system did not argue.
Which meant—
For the first time—
It had adjusted.