The ripples from Tony Stark's press conference spread rapidly through the financial world. Stark Industries stock plummeted, competitor stocks saw erratic jumps, and uncertainty clouded the entire defense sector. For Adam, this chaos wasn't a threat; it was fertile ground. He immediately directed his upgraded laptop and his own [Accelerated Calculation] Aspect towards analyzing the fallout, searching for predictable short-term volatility.
He bypassed the obvious plays – betting against SI or on major competitors like Hammer Industries felt too visible, too prone to manipulation. Instead, he focused on the secondary effects: the suppliers. His analysis quickly flagged Aether Circuits (AEC), a mid-tier company heavily reliant on Stark Industries for specialized guidance system components. Public records and financial reports confirmed their exposure.
Adam formulated his prediction: the market would overreact, punishing AEC severely due to its SI contracts, but the company had enough smaller, diverse contracts to ensure partial recovery once the initial panic subsided. He crafted the anonymous tip: "Aether Circuits (AEC) stock: Expect sharp drop (~15-20%) within 24 hrs post-Stark announcement due to contract exposure, followed by partial recovery (~5-8%) within 72 hrs as market adjusts. Overreaction provides short-term opportunity." He submitted it via his anonymized channels to the financial blog that had published his previous correct tip.
[Intel Dissemination Quest: Market Fluctuation]
[Objective: Ensure the anonymously submitted prediction regarding AEC stock movement is proven substantially correct within 72 hours.]
[Reward: 250 IP + Bonus IP based on accuracy.]
[Failure Penalty: Minor IP deduction.]
He watched the market feeds intently over the next day. As predicted, AEC stock took a nosedive, dropping nearly 18% as investors panicked. But by the second day, reports emerged of AEC securing smaller contracts elsewhere, and analysts began suggesting the sell-off was excessive. The stock began a slow, steady climb, recovering about 6% by the 72-hour mark. His prediction was spot-on.
[Quest Complete: Market Fluctuation]
[Accuracy Assessed: Very High. Impact: Moderate (Specific stock prediction). Bonus IP Awarded.]
[Reward: 250 IP + 75 Bonus IP Awarded.]
[Current IP: 1130 (805 + 325)]
Over 1100 IP. More than enough for the 1000 IP required to attempt the fusion of [Accelerated Calculation (B)] and the stored [Data Packet Analysis (C)]. This fusion promised to elevate his analytical and information-processing capabilities to a new level, synergizing perfectly with his intel-gathering strategy, and crucially, freeing up a slot for the [Kinetic Absorption] Aspect he desperately wanted integrated.
There was no hesitation this time. Back in the security of his apartment, Adam calmed his mind, focusing his intent. "System, initiate fusion: [Accelerated Calculation (B)] + [Data Packet Analysis (C)]."
[Fusion Initiated: Consuming Aspects [Accelerated Calculation (B)] and [Data Packet Analysis (C)].]
[IP Cost: 1000. Current IP: 1130. IP After Cost: 130.]
[Warning: Fusion proceeding without Catalyst. Success Chance: 85%. Failure Chance: 15% (Resulting in loss of IP and Base Aspects) or unpredictable mutation.]
[Proceed? Y/N]
"Yes."
The mental process was less stormy than the previous fusion, more intricate. It felt like complex algorithms optimizing themselves, data streams aligning, processing pathways streamlining. He perceived the raw structure of information from [Data Packet Analysis] merging seamlessly with the rapid processing power of [Accelerated Calculation]. There was a brief moment of intense mental pressure, a feeling of his cognitive limits being stretched, then a click – a sense of profound clarity and enhanced processing power settling over him.
[Fusion Successful!]
[Aspects [Accelerated Calculation (B)] and [Data Packet Analysis (C)] have been consumed.] [New Aspect Acquired: Cognitive Stream Processor (Rank B+)]
[Remaining IP: 130]
[Available Integration Slots: 1/3 (One slot freed)]
He immediately accessed the description.
[Aspect: Cognitive Stream Processor (Rank B+)]
[Type: Passive/Active, Mental]
[Description: Massively enhanced cognitive function integrating rapid calculation, pattern recognition, and intuitive data stream analysis. Allows for processing multiple complex data streams simultaneously, advanced tactical prediction, basic decryption analysis, and identifying minute digital/logical inconsistencies. Active focus enables short bursts of extreme hyper-computation and predictive modeling.]
[Integration Cost: N/A (Result of Fusion)]
Excellent. This was exactly what he needed. He felt the passive effects immediately – his thoughts flowed faster, clearer; he could hold multiple complex ideas in his mind simultaneously without losing track. The world felt richer in data.
Now, for the freed slot. He still had [Kinetic Absorption (Minor) (B)] waiting in storage. "System, integrate Kinetic Absorption (Minor)."
[Integration Cost: 150 IP. Current IP: 130. Insufficient IP.]
He mentally cursed. Short by 20 IP. Unwilling to wait, he immediately dropped to the floor and began a furious set of exercises – push-ups, burpees, squats – pushing his body to its absolute limit, focusing solely on triggering a training milestone reward. His muscles screamed, but his determination was absolute. After ten minutes of non-stop, high-intensity effort that left him gasping on the floor:
[Sustained Training Milestone Reached. +25 IP Awarded. Current IP: 155]
Barely pausing to recover, he issued the command again. "Integrate Kinetic Absorption (Minor)."
[Deducting 150 IP. Integrating Aspect...]
[Integration Complete! Remaining IP: 5]
[Current Integrated Aspects: Shadow Instinct (B+), Cognitive Stream Processor (B+), Kinetic Absorption (Minor) (B)]
[Available Integration Slots: -/3]
Slots full again, IP virtually gone, but his Aspect loadout felt powerful, balanced. He now had top-tier evasion and awareness ([Shadow Instinct]), top-tier analysis and computation ([Cognitive Stream Processor]), and a solid defensive layer ([Kinetic Absorption]).
He stood up and deliberately bumped his shoulder against the doorframe, harder than usual. He felt the impact, but it seemed... dampened, less jarring than it should have been. A faint, almost imperceptible thrum resonated within him – the absorbed kinetic energy, already dissipating due to the low storage capacity of the Minor version. It wasn't invulnerability, but it was something.