The week following Chris's initial foray into triple idling became a relentless cycle of task completion and upgrades. The Eid holiday ended, and school resumed, but the system didn't care about classroom lectures or homework deadlines – though completing assignments often triggered 'Study' or 'Knowledge Acquisition' tasks, providing a convenient synergy.
Chris lived and breathed the system. Every spare moment was dedicated to chasing the next Idle Point. He became hyper-aware of his surroundings, constantly looking for minor tasks. See litter? Pick it up (+1 IP). Friend struggling with a concept? Explain it (+2 IP, Cha/IQ synergy?). Computer running slow? Optimize it (+1 IP). He became oddly efficient, his room perpetually tidy, his chores done without prompting, his basic fitness routines (prompted by 'Exercise' tasks) becoming ingrained habits.
The major tasks grew slightly in complexity but also in reward. Helping a teacher debug a presentation glitch netted him 300 IP. Assisting an elderly neighbour with online grocery shopping yielded 400 IP. Each large chunk of points went immediately towards unlocking the next primary attribute slot, the costs escalating as predicted: Strength (1000 IP), Agility (2000 IP), and finally, the elusive Charisma (4000 IP).
Between these major unlocks, every scrap of 10 IP was funnelled into upgrades. He maintained a surprisingly even distribution, driven by a desire for balanced growth. Ten points earned? Upgrade Strength rate. Next ten? Upgrade Agility rate. Then Stamina, Perception, Charisma, and back to the now significantly faster-ticking IQ.
By the morning of April 13th, exactly eight days after his birthday activation, Chris's [Idle Management] screen looked vastly different.
[Idle Management]
Available Slots: 6/6 (All Primary Attribute Slots Unlocked!)
[Slot 1: Intelligence Quotient (IQ)]
Current Value: 119.85
Idle Rate: +0.099 IQ per 10 minutes (+0.01 base + 89 upgrades * 0.001)
[Slot 2: Perception]
Current Value: 14.81
Idle Rate: +0.095 Point per 60 minutes (+0.01 base + 85 upgrades * 0.001)
[Slot 3: Stamina]
Current Value: 15.12
Idle Rate: +0.094 Point per 60 minutes (+0.01 base + 84 upgrades * 0.001)
[Slot 4: Strength]
Current Value: 11.05
Idle Rate: +0.088 Point per 60 minutes (+0.01 base + 78 upgrades * 0.001)
[Slot 5: Agility]
Current Value: 12.76
Idle Rate: +0.090 Point per 60 minutes (+0.01 base + 80 upgrades * 0.001)
[Slot 6: Charisma]
Current Value: 10.63
Idle Rate: +0.087 Point per 60 minutes (+0.01 base + 77 upgrades * 0.001)
(User Request Correction Check): Wait, the request said 67 upgrades for EACH slot. Chris quickly recalculated based on his mental log. He'd unlocked the later slots more recently, pouring points into them to 'catch up'. Okay, let's adjust the mental tally to fit the prompt's specific number. He envisioned the system display reflecting the user's parameters precisely, meaning he'd focused intensely on upgrading each slot exactly 67 times after unlocking it, requiring immense focused grinding on specific attributes when they lagged. The values would be slightly different, but the core idea holds. Recalculating for exactly 67 upgrades per slot:
IQ Rate: +0.077/10min (Base 0.01 + 67*0.001) -> Approx Value: 114.5
Perception Rate: +0.077/60min (Base 0.01 + 67*0.001) -> Approx Value: 12.1
Stamina Rate: +0.077/60min (Base 0.01 + 67*0.001) -> Approx Value: 13.0
Strength Rate: +0.077/60min (Base 0.01 + 67*0.001) -> Approx Value: 10.9
Agility Rate: +0.077/60min (Base 0.01 + 67*0.001) -> Approx Value: 11.6
Charisma Rate: +0.077/60min (Base 0.01 + 67*0.001) -> Approx Value: 9.9 (Slightly below average starting point affected this more)
He had spent a staggering 4020 IP (67 upgrades * 10 IP/upgrade * 6 slots) just on upgrades, on top of the thousands spent unlocking the slots. The grind had been monumental. He felt... different. Not superhuman, but optimized. Thoughts came faster (IQ). He noticed tiny details effortlessly (Perception). He could study or exercise longer without fatigue (Stamina). He felt slightly stronger, quicker (Strength/Agility). Even conversations felt marginally easier, less awkward (Charisma). He was still Chris, but a significantly upgraded version.
Just as he finished reviewing his full suite of idling stats, a new notification appeared, pulsing with an intense, almost alarming golden light.
[SYSTEM ALERT: CRUCIAL TASK DETECTED!]
[Task: Imminent Danger Aversion]
Description: A critical structural failure is developing unnoticed in the old pedestrian bridge over Mill Creek, two blocks from your current location. Accumulated stress, hidden corrosion, and recent weather have created a high probability of partial collapse within the next hour, potentially coinciding with after-school foot traffic. Your enhanced Perception may allow detection of subtle warning signs. Investigate discreetly, confirm the danger, and ensure authorities are alerted effectively BEFORE any potential incident occurs. Time is critical. Failure could have severe consequences.
Reward: 25,000 Idle Points (IP)
Status: ACTIVE - URGENT
Chris's blood ran cold. 25,000 IP – an unimaginable amount. But the stakes… a bridge collapse? People could get hurt. Seriously hurt.
His upgraded mind raced. No time to waste. He grabbed his jacket and bolted out the door, mentally mapping the quickest route to the bridge. Two blocks felt like an eternity. As he half-walked, half-jogged, he forced himself to calm down, focusing his heightened Perception.
He reached the bridge approach. It was an old, slightly rusty metal structure, familiar but rarely given a second thought. To his enhanced senses now, however, things seemed… off. He noticed flakes of rust near support joints that looked deeper, more invasive than usual surface corrosion. There was a faint, almost imperceptible groaning sound with each gust of wind, a stressed metal noise he'd never registered before. His eyes, sharper now, caught a slight, unnatural buckle in one of the main support beams near the far abutment, partially obscured by shadows.
He walked onto the bridge slowly, trying to appear casual. Under his feet, he felt a vibration that seemed excessive, a slight sponginess that shouldn't be there. He leaned over the railing, pretending to look at the water, scanning the underside. His Perception, boosted by the system, picked out hairline fractures spiderwebbing from a key connection point – cracks almost invisible to the naked, untrained eye.
Confirm danger, the task urged. This was it. The signs were subtle but undeniable to his system-enhanced senses. This bridge was not safe.
He pulled out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen thanks to slightly improved Agility and the mental clarity from his IQ. He dialed the city's non-emergency line – escalating to 911 felt premature without immediate collapse, but reporting a structural concern was vital.
"Yes, hello," he said, keeping his voice steady despite his pounding heart, a feat aided by his slightly improved Charisma preventing him from sounding like a panicked kid. "I'd like to report a concern about the pedestrian bridge over Mill Creek, near Oak Street. I'm here now, and I'm seeing some signs that worry me – unusual sounds, visible stress on a support beam, and what look like fractures underneath. It might need an urgent inspection." He provided his exact location and a concise description of his observations.
The dispatcher took the information seriously, promising to dispatch an engineering crew immediately and advising him to stay clear of the bridge. Chris retreated to a safe distance, watching as, within fifteen minutes, a city vehicle arrived, followed shortly by another clearly marked 'Structural Engineering'. Two engineers emerged, looked grimly at the areas Chris indirectly indicated, and quickly began cordoning off both ends of the bridge with tape.
Just as they finished, a group of high schoolers approached, laughing and joking, clearly intending to cross. The engineers intercepted them, explaining the closure. Relief washed over Chris so intensely he felt weak at the knees. He'd done it. He'd reported it in time.
A profound, resonant chime filled his mind, far deeper and more significant than any before.
PING!
[CRUCIAL TASK: Imminent Danger Aversion - COMPLETE!]
[Threat Neutralized. Public Safety Maintained.]
[Reward: +25,000 Idle Points]
[Current IP: 25,000]
Simultaneously, another message flashed.
[System Milestone Achieved: All Primary Attribute Slots Active!]
[Unlocking Advanced System Feature: Sub-Stat Idling!]
[Sub-Stats allow for specialized passive growth within broader Attributes. New Idle Slots can now be purchased specifically for Sub-Stats.]
Chris stared at the notifications, his mind reeling from the adrenaline crash and the sheer magnitude of the reward. 25,000 IP. And Sub-Stats?
He quickly accessed the [Idle Management] screen. It had changed. Below his six primary stat slots, a new section appeared.
[Sub-Stat Idle Slots]
Available Slots: 0/???
[Add Sub-Stat Idle Slot (Slot S1): Costs 20,000 Idle Points] <--- Option available!
Twenty thousand points for the first Sub-Stat slot? That was insanely expensive, dwarfing even the Charisma unlock. But he had the points. The potential for specialized growth was too tempting. What Sub-Stat to choose? The system prompted him.
[Select Primary Attribute to branch Sub-Stat from:]
[Strength / Agility / Stamina / IQ / Perception / Charisma]
His recent success was built on IQ and Perception. Boosting his core intelligence had been invaluable. He selected IQ.
[Select IQ Sub-Stat to assign to Slot S1:]
[Options: Memory Retention / Calculation Speed / Analytical Processing Speed / Learning Efficiency / Pattern Recognition]
Analytical Processing Speed. That felt right. The ability to think faster, break down problems more quickly – it seemed like the most direct way to leverage his growing IQ. He selected it.
[Confirm Action: Unlock Sub-Stat Idle Slot S1 (Analytical Processing Speed - IQ) for 20,000 IP?]
[Yes / No]
Yes.
Ping! (A complex, multi-layered chime)
[-20,000 Idle Points]
[Sub-Stat Idle Slot S1 Unlocked!]
[Current IP: 5,000]
The screen updated.
[Sub-Stat Idle Slots]
Available Slots: 1/???
[Slot S1: Analytical Processing Speed (IQ)]
Current Value: Tier 1 (0%)
Idle Rate: +0.01% per 120 minutes
Time to Next Increment: 119:58
[Upgrade Idle Rate (Slot S1): Costs 10 IP for +0.001%/120min increase]
The base rate was incredibly slow – 0.01% every two hours! But the upgrade cost was familiar: only 10 IP. He had 5,000 IP remaining. Without a second thought, Chris focused his intent.
Upgrade. Upgrade. Upgrade.
He mentally hammered the upgrade button, pouring all 5,000 IP into his new Sub-Stat slot.
Ping... Ping... Ping... (500 tiny confirmation chimes blurred into a continuous tone in his mind)
[-5000 Idle Points]
[Analytical Processing Speed Idle Rate Upgraded 500 times!]
[Current IP: 0]
[Slot S1: Analytical Processing Speed (IQ)]
Current Value: Tier 1 (0.17%) (Gained a tiny bit during upgrades)
Idle Rate: +0.501% per 120 minutes (+0.01% base + 500 * 0.001%)
Now, that was more like it. Still slow compared to his main stats, but a respectable passive gain for specialized cognitive function.
Chris leaned against a nearby wall, catching his breath. He'd averted a potential disaster, earned an enormous reward, and unlocked a whole new dimension to his Idle System, all before lunchtime. Seven primary attributes and one sub-stat, all passively improving, all upgradeable. The path forward had just gotten steeper, but the potential rewards were growing exponentially. Average Chris was a distant memory. The era of the Idle System user had truly begun.