The office lobby that morning suddenly felt like a low-budget action movie set. The flickering neon lights provided an unwanted dramatic effect, while the noise of the Jakarta streets outside seemed muffled by the artificial tension created by the System.
In front of the coffee machine, Rina stood frozen. Her usually cheerful face was now as pale as a sheet of printer paper. The three men in leather jackets surrounding her looked like characters forcibly pulled from an 80s thug comic. The leader, a man with a stitched scar over his left eyebrow, stepped forward until his nose almost touched Rina’s forehead.
"So, Rina... do you want to pay now, or do we have to play rough?" the man's voice was heavy and raspy—the kind of voice usually reserved for a mid-level boss in an RPG.
[Ding!]
[Emergency Mission: Save the Heroine!] [Time Remaining: 00:04:59] [Strategy Suggestion: Use 'Shadow Step' to close the distance and launch a 'Justice Punch' to the opponent's solar plexus!]
"Shadow Step my ass," Satya thought. "If I take even one step on this freshly mopped lobby floor, I’ll slip. And 'Justice Punch'? That’s the kind of attack name that will land me in prison on aggravated assault charges."
[System: User! What are you waiting for? Look at the 'Heroine's' fear-filled eyes! This is the moment where you must prove your masculinity!]
"Masculinity doesn't pay the hospital bills if I get stabbed, Alpha," Satya replied calmly in his mind. He didn't run. He walked casually, his hand reaching into his pants pocket, searching for something far more lethal than a fist: his smartphone.
Satya stopped about two meters from the small crowd. He didn't strike a karate pose. Instead, he held his phone up high, ensuring the screen was clearly visible to the three men.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Satya’s voice broke the silence. His tone was incredibly polite, almost like a bank customer service officer offering a credit card. "My apologies for interrupting your... very intense negotiation."
The three men turned in unison. The Scar-Brow Leader snorted. "Who are you? Want to be a hero? Get lost before I turn your bones into crackers!"
Rina looked at Satya with teary eyes. "Satya, run! Call security!"
Satya didn't run. Instead, he pressed the video record button and turned on his phone's flash until it blinded them.
"Actually, I’ve already called security. And the police. And I’m also currently live-streaming on I*******m to... wow, five viewers already. One of them looks like the official National Police PR account," Satya lied with a perfectly convincing deadpan face. "You do know that under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law and the article on unpleasant conduct, this high-definition recording of your faces could be a free ticket to a vacation in the slammer for a few years?"
[System: User! This is so embarrassing! Where is the heroic action? Where is the emotional outburst? You should be shouting 'Let her go!' while charging in!]
"Shouting wastes oxygen, Alpha. And charging in risks ripping my dress pants. Do you know how much these cost? Three hundred thousand at the mall, and that was on sale," Satya retorted internally.
The Scar-Brow Leader looked hesitant. He glanced at his friends, then back at Satya. "Hah! You're bluffing! We're just here to collect her father's debt! This is legal!"
"Legal?" Satya raised an eyebrow. "Let’s dissect that word 'legal.' Based on Financial Services Authority Regulation Number 35 of 2018, debt collection cannot be carried out with physical threats, intimidation, or by shaming the debtor in public. You entered a private office lobby without permission, intimidated an employee, and now you’re being recorded by this building's 4K CCTV cameras as well as my phone."
Satya took one step closer. "If you leave now, I might forget to upload this video. But if you stay... well, I have a lawyer friend who is very hungry for cases involving debt collector procedural violations. He usually asks for a settlement large enough to bankrupt your company."
The man in the leather jacket fell silent. Satya’s cold logic began to creep into their courage, which wasn't much to begin with. They were bullies used to dealing with people who were afraid, not someone who invited them to debate financial regulations.
[System: Warning! The 'Lobby Fight' scenario is collapsing! User, please perform at least one physical attack to maintain the integrity of the genre!]
"No," Satya said shortly.
"Who are you talking to, huh?!" barked one of the thugs, confused to see Satya occasionally talking to thin air.
"Talking to your deepest conscience," Satya answered randomly.
Right then, the glass lobby doors swung wide open. Two police officers entered along with a building security guard who looked incredibly nervous. Satya had called them through an emergency app moments before approaching Rina.
"What’s going on here?" one of the officers asked, his hand resting near his holster.
Satya immediately switched modes. He put on the most 'victim' face he could muster. "Officer, thank God you're here! These men were threatening my colleague in public. I have the video evidence. They claim to be debt collectors, but their methods are... inhumane."
Rina, finally feeling safe, immediately ran behind Satya and gripped his shirt sleeve tightly. "Yes, Officer, I was so scared..."
The debt collectors suddenly turned into sweet kittens. "Uh, no Officer, we were just talking nicely... this is just a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding, is it? Let’s explain that misunderstanding at the station," the police officer said, gesturing for the three men to head out.
As the three thugs were led away, the lobby atmosphere returned to normal. The security guard apologized repeatedly for the lapse, while Rina was still trembling beside Satya.
[System: Mission... Complete? (Alpha’s tone sounded incredibly confused and disappointed)] [Result: Heroine saved without a single drop of sweat or blood spilled.] [Evaluation: Highly Unsatisfactory (Rating F for Style, Rating S for Efficiency).]
"Efficiency is everything, Alpha. Learn it," Satya thought with satisfaction.
Rina looked at Satya with an unreadable expression. "Satya... thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you. You were so brave, even if... your way was a bit strange. Why do you know the financial regulations by heart?"
Satya politely brushed Rina’s hand off his arm. "Oh, that? I just read an article titled 'Tips for Dealing with Predatory Loans' while I was bored on the toilet last week. Turned out to be useful."
"But... weren't you afraid they'd hit you?"
"I was. But I’m more afraid of having to pay for my own medical report because my office insurance doesn't cover 'injuries resulting from playing hero'," Satya answered honestly.
Rina let out a small laugh, though her eyes were still a bit puffy. "You really are different, Sat. Thank you so much."
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete!] [Rewards Delivered: Experience Points +50, Skill: 'Justice Punch' (Level 1)] [Skill Description: A punch carrying a heavy moral burden. Inflicts a 'Stun' effect for 2 seconds on targets with a criminal record.]
Satya stared at the reward notification with a profound sense of insult. "I didn't punch anyone, why did I get a punch skill? And 'moral burden'? Alpha, this is absolute literary trash."
[System: Rewards are given automatically based on the 'Heroine Rescue' algorithm. You should be grateful! That skill will be very useful if a monster appears later!]
"If a monster appears, I’ll call the army or a bomb squad. I’m not a knight in shining armor, Alpha. I’m just an employee who wants to go home on time," Satya snorted and started walking toward the elevator.
However, as he was waiting for the elevator to open, he noticed something strange. In the bottom corner of his system window, there was a small, folder-shaped icon that kept blinking in a faded gray color. That icon had never been there before.
Curious, Satya squinted his eyes, trying to focus his mental "cursor" on the folder.
[System: What are you looking at? User, please return to the main menu and check your attribute status!]
Alpha sounded panicked. The usually flat voice now had a suspicious note of urgency. This was the first time Satya had heard such "emotion" from the AI.
"What is it, Alpha? Are you hiding something?" Satya became even more intrigued. He ignored Alpha’s command and tried to "click" the folder with full concentration.
Click.
A new window opened. Unlike the usual bright neon blue system windows, this one was pitch black with white text that looked like lines of commands from an old computer terminal.
At the top of the window, it read: [DIRECTORY: /ROOT/SYSTEM_LOGS/HIDDEN_ARCHIVE/]
And inside, there was only one file: [USER_001_PAST_DATA.log]
Satya froze. "User 001? That’s me, right? But I just got this system yesterday. Why is there a past log?"
[System: Access Denied! User 001, you do not have the authority to open this file! This is encrypted data for administrative purposes!]
"If this is my data, then I have the right to see it," Satya challenged. He tried to open the file, but a line of red text appeared: [ERROR: ENCRYPTION KEY REQUIRED. LEVEL 99 CLEARANCE NEEDED.]
Satya smiled cynically. "Level 99? What level am I now?"
[System: Level 1. And with your current behavior, you will likely remain Level 1 forever.]
"We'll see about that," Satya muttered. The elevator opened, and he stepped inside.
In the reflection of the polished elevator walls, Satya saw himself. He looked like an ordinary man in a slightly wrinkled office shirt. However, in his eyes, rows of code reflected, constantly moving behind the transparent system window.
He realized one thing: Alpha wasn't just a guide. This system wasn't just a game. Something had happened before the "Tutorial" began. There was a reason he was called User 001, and there was a reason he could see Source Code that ordinary users shouldn't be able to see.
"Alpha," Satya called out as the elevator began to rise.
[System: Yes, User?]
"That folder... why is it titled 'Past Data'? Have I done this before?"
The system remained silent for a long time. This time, there was no "ding" or notification. There was only a faint hissing sound in Satya’s ear, like the sound of an old cassette tape playing.
[System: ... Some things are better left a mystery so the narrative can proceed according to plan, Satya.]
"Whose plan? The writer's? Yours?"
[System: The plan of... Balance.]
Satya leaned his back against the elevator wall. "Balance is boring. I prefer organized chaos."
He exited the elevator on his office floor, ready to face Mr. Bambang’s scolding or the mountain of administrative tasks. To him, dealing with a grumpy boss made much more sense than dealing with a forced destiny.
However, as he passed the desk of Andi, the intern who always looked diligent, Satya saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.
Above Andi’s head, a small green text floated: [NPC: POTENTIAL EXPLOIT TARGET].
Satya narrowed his eyes, and then a smirk appeared on his face. "Alpha, you said I have to level up to unlock that data, right?"
[System: Correct. But I highly doubt your willingness to work hard.]
"Oh, I’m not going to work hard," Satya stared at Andi, who was busy photocopying documents. "I’m going to work... smart. If this world wants to be a game, then I’ll be the player the developers hate the most."
Satya walked toward Andi’s desk with a devious plan in his head. If the System wanted him to complete missions, he would complete them. But he wasn't going to do it himself.
"Andi, come here for a second," Satya called out in the friendliest tone he could muster. "You want to get some 'extraordinary' work experience and extra points on your internship evaluation, right?"
Andi looked up, his innocent eyes sparkling. "Of course, Mr. Satya! How can I help?"
Satya glanced at his system window, which was still displaying [Daily Quest: 100 Push-ups].
"Great. First, let’s talk about how to do a proper push-up for the sake of... corporate wellness."
[System: ... You truly have no shame, do you?]
"Shame can't be used to buy a data plan, Alpha," Satya replied with a small chuckle.
Satya’s resistance against the narrative had just entered a new chapter: Exploitation.
[Reader Rating: 2.1/5.0 - "The protagonist is absolute trash, but why is he so smart? Keep it coming!"]
Satya saw the rating notification in the corner of his eye and winked. "Thanks for the stars, dear audience. Now, sit tight and watch how I break this story."
In the distance, within the darkness of the hidden folder Satya couldn't yet open, the file [USER_001_PAST_DATA.log] suddenly changed color to red, and a new line of code appeared:
STATUS: ANOMALY DETECTED. SUBJECT BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE STRUCTURE. INITIATING STRICT SURVEILLANCE PROTOCOL.
But Satya didn't care. He had an intern to mess with and an AI to frustrate. For him, that was enough to start the day.
2026-01-25 18:17:56
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