The stillness of the early morning workshop was broken only by the faint hum of an outdated ventilation unit and the occasional flicker from one of the overhead lights. Inside, amidst the organized clutter of tools and dusty terminals, Ves sat alone at the desk, eyes locked on his terminal screen.
He barely noticed the rays of weak sunlight pushing through the stained blinds. The chair he sat on creaked slightly as he shifted his weight, fatigue finally catching up to him after another night spent scouring the galactic net for opportunities—any opportunity—to make a living off what little he had left.
After graduation from Rittersberg Academy, both he and Ren had returned to the estate on Cloudy Curtain. Their family funds were long depleted. Their inheritance from Benjamin, their grandfather, was modest—a repurposed workshop and some of his old, unused tools. It was barely enough to get started, even with their education.
Ves exhaled a slow breath. "What am I even doing?"
Across from him, a small thermos of cheap caffeine brew sat half-drunk, the bitter taste lingering on his tongue. He opened his virtual interface again, checking the online licensing market for any open-source mech templates. Everything of value required licensing credits—credits he didn't have.
He tapped his fingers against the desk. His first few attempts to sell generic virtual designs had failed. No one was interested in mechs made by a fresh graduate with no reputation and no special design flair. Even on the Blackheart virtual platform, where buyers tolerated amateur designs in exchange for dirt-cheap prices, he couldn't compete.
He felt stuck.
Just as he leaned back, rubbing his temple, a faint chime rang from his terminal.
Ding.
A new icon had appeared on his interface. It wasn't something he'd downloaded. Ves frowned, leaning forward.
[Mech Designer System - Awaiting Activation]
"What the hell is this?" he muttered.
He hesitated for a long moment. It didn't look like a virus. The icon pulsed faintly, like it was waiting for him to click it. His curiosity got the better of him. With a tentative finger, he tapped the icon.
The screen flickered white.
Suddenly, dozens of system messages filled his vision.
[Welcome to the Mech Designer System.][Performing deep scan… user: Ves Larkinson confirmed.][Assigning permissions… initializing user interface… loading starter package.]
His eyes widened. "What in the—"
At that moment, the side door creaked open. Ren stepped in, a small tool kit in hand, wearing grease-stained overalls. His face looked as worn as Ves's, but there was a sharper glint in his eyes—the quiet observation of someone always thinking two steps ahead.
"Still up?" Ren asked, noticing the strange light on Ves's screen. "Did the terminal finally give up the ghost?"
Ves blinked. "No… something just happened. I think… I think I've been given a system."
Ren's breath caught.
He set down the tool kit and quickly crossed the room. "What do you mean 'a system'?"
Ves turned to him, expression serious, slightly shaken. "I just clicked an icon that appeared on my interface. Then it started running something… and now there's this interface."
He brought it up again. The holographic projection shimmered above the terminal, displaying a complex system of menus: Skills, Blueprints, Missions, and more. A soft chime rang again.
[Starter package unlocked.]
A small mechanical object materialized beside the desk with a faint flicker of light.
Ves jolted backward. "It's real!"
Ren recognized the object immediately.
A mechanical cat—sleek, silver, and cat-sized—stood beside the terminal, its synthetic tail curling. It blinked glowing yellow eyes and gave a realistic, almost smug, meow.
Ves stared at it like he had seen a ghost. "That just… came out of nowhere. That wasn't virtual. That was real."
Ren, carefully keeping his expression neutral, crouched beside the cat and reached out to pet it. It purred softly.
"I think it's from the system," Ves said, still dazed.
Ren stood. "So, this system just appeared? No warning, no download?"
Ves nodded. "Yeah. It called itself the Mech Designer System."
Ren's heart pounded in his chest. He knew this moment would come eventually. It was one of the earliest turning points in the story. But to see it with his own eyes… to be part of it… that was something else entirely.
"And it's giving you skills?" Ren asked carefully, voice low.
"I haven't explored everything yet," Ves admitted. "But there's a skill tree. Design categories. Mission logs. Apparently, I have something called 'Design Points' I can spend. Ten, to start with."
Ren looked at him, then slowly took a seat beside the desk. "This is huge, Ves. But you can't tell anyone else."
Ves met his brother's eyes. "I wasn't planning to. You're the only one I trust."
Ren nodded, masking his relief. "Smart. Whatever this is, it's beyond anything normal. If someone else found out... they might try to take it from you."
"I know." Ves exhaled, finally settling into the gravity of the situation. "But… if this is real, and not just some hallucination…"
He opened the Skill Tree panel. Dozens of locked skills greeted him—Electromechanical Design, Material Science, Power Systems, Actuator Optimization, and more. Every category of mech design was laid out before him, waiting to be unlocked.
Ren leaned closer. "Start small. Focus on the core. What are the cheapest skills?"
Ves scrolled, finding basic Electromechanical Design for 1 DP, and Basic Melee Weapon Design for another 1. The rest quickly scaled in cost.
"I could spread the points around, or specialize."
"Pick a foundation," Ren advised. "We're not building a jack-of-all-trades here. Get strong in the basics, then expand."
Ves nodded and spent points accordingly. A warm pulse ran through his body as he made his selections—just as described in the original canon. He wasn't just learning the skills; he understood them. Knowledge flowed into his mind like a carefully curated stream, and he instinctively grasped the fundamentals of what he had just unlocked.
"I feel… different," Ves whispered. "Like I know this now. Not just theory. But deep understanding."
Ren smiled quietly. "Good. That means it's working."
Ves turned to him, eyes shining. "Do you think this was... meant for me? Why would something like this just show up?"
Ren didn't answer. He couldn't—not without revealing his own secret. That he had been reborn from another world. That he had read Ves's story, lived through it page by page. That he had waited years for this very moment.
Instead, he offered his brother the only thing that mattered now: loyalty.
"I don't know why, Ves. But what I do know is this—you've been given a gift. And it's up to you to make something of it."
They sat in silence for a while, the mechanical cat curling up on the desk like it belonged there all along.
"Thanks, Ren," Ves said finally.
"For what?"
"For not freaking out. For being here."
Ren chuckled. "Someone's gotta keep you from doing something stupid."
Ves rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to the interface.
He was no longer just a broke graduate with no prospects.
Now, he had a system—a cheat, almost—and with Ren at his side, he was ready to begin his journey to become a true mech designer.