My Hacking System

Hacking Skill Upgraded

Time passed. The POS terminal was much harder than the Wi-Fi. Adrian’s fingers began to ache, his neck hurting, his shoulders stiff.

[Attempt failed.]

Come on.

Adrian tried a different approach.

[Attempt failed.]

Adrian clenched his teeth. He stared at the screen and took a few moments to stretch his body. Then he start typing again, and finally—

[Hacking successful]

[Hacking skill upgraded to Intermediate]

He slowly leaned back.

Sigh!

His fingers were cramping, his neck was killing him. But he has done it. He hacked into the restaurant's POS system.

Finally.

“Adrian. We are closing soon. If you're going to order something, you should probably do it now.” 

Adrian looked up and saw Kaitlyn stood beside his table. Kaitlyn lowered her voice and said it. Then he looked toward the restaurant and saw the dining room had begun to empty.

“Actually… I was thinking about treating you to dinner.” Adrian looked at her and smiled a little wider.

“Me?” Kaitlyn blinked.

“Yeah. I figured I should wait until you finished your shift.” Adrian nodded toward the empty chair across from him.

“Wait. You've been sitting here for an hour because you wanted to have dinner with me?” She glanced around the nearly empty restaurant.

Adrian's smile froze.

Shit. That sounded much better in my head.

“You know you could have just asked.” Kaitlyn's lips slowly curled upward.

“I could?” Adrian stared at her.

“Yes. You didn't have to sit here staring at your laptop like that.” She let out a laugh.

Adrian's eyes lingered on her for a second.

Okay. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

“Then you know what the best dish here is. I will leave it up to you.” Adrian smiled and handed the menu back to Kaitlyn.

“I can get you a ten percent discount as an employee.” Kaitlyn glanced at him for a moment before leaning slightly closer across the table and whispered.

Adrian paused because he knew exactly why she was offering. Not only Kaitlyn, but the whole classroom knew his situation.

Judging by the way she was working a closing shift at a restaurant after university, she probably wasn't doing much better herself. That was one of the things Adrian appreciated about her. She wasn't looking down on him. She was simply trying to help without making a big deal out of it.

“Thank you for being considerate. But don't worry about the money.” Adrian smiled.

“Don't worry?” Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow.

“Let's just say I won the lottery.”

“You what?” Her expression changed immediately.

Adrian didn’t say anything and leaned back with a grin.

Kaitlyn stared at him for a few seconds.

“Fine. No discount, then.” She rolled her eyes, but a smile appeared on her face.

“Hey, I didn't say that.”

“Too late.”

Kaitlyn picked up the menu and turned away.

Adrian watched her walk toward the kitchen before leaning back in his chair, and a quiet smile remained on his face.

He just discovered that he could potentially access almost every device connected to the restaurant's network. But more importantly—

He learned the system wasn't just a tool for breaking into computers. It was a gateway into a world Adrian had never even known existed.

And if he learned how to use it properly, maybe he would never have to worry about money again.

I can do this. I don’t know exactly how far my new ability could take me. But I knew one thing…

He looked at the system panel.

Today, I lost my job. But tomorrow I might not need one.

Adrian started to press on the keyboard.

After a moment.

Shit! With my current skill, I can’t pull money out of the terminal and transfer it into my account.

The POS was not a digital wallet filled with cash that he could empty whenever he wanted. The system and his hacking knowledge could help him access and manipulate the transaction process, but it couldn't magically create money or move the restaurant's existing funds into his account. In other words, Adrian couldn't steal money from the machine and suddenly become richer.

But there was one thing he could do. He could manipulate a transaction.

A little while later, Kaitlyn returned carrying a deep-dish bacon and BBQ chicken pizza along with two glasses of cola. She carefully placed it on the table and sat across the table.

The smell nearly made Adrian forget everything else as he stared at the pizza.

Fuck, that looks good.

“Do you want me to serve you?” She asked.

"Actually… I would like to serve you.” Adrian stood up and said with a smile.

“You?” Kaitlyn blinked.

“Yeah. Just let me have my moment.”

Kaitlyn laughed.

Adrian grabbed the pizza spatula and carefully slid the spatula underneath one of the thick slices. The moment he lifted it, melted cheese stretched between the slice and the rest of the pizza. And steam rose from the hot crust.

Then he transferred the slice onto a plate, then used the spatula to gather the dangling cheese and place it neatly back on top. Then he set the plate in front of her.

"Wow, you actually know how to do that.” Kaitlyn stared at the slice and then at him.

“Well, I used to be a waiter.” He took a slice for himself and sat on the table.

“That explains it.” Kaitlyn laughed.

Adrian smiled.

For the first time that day, he felt relaxed. No angry customers, no final notices, no thoughts about rent. Just food and a beautiful woman sitting across from him.

They talked while they ate. Nothing important, just stupid things about university, professors they hated, classmates they couldn't stand, and the ridiculous amount of money college costs. Kaitlyn told him about some of the customers she had to deal with. Adrian told her about some of the idiots he met while working as a waiter.

By the time the pizza was gone, Adrian realized he had been smiling for almost an hour.

It felt strange to him because he couldn't remember the last time he simply sat down and enjoyed himself without worrying about money.

“I'll be right back.” Kaitlyn gathered the plates.

“Take your time.” Adrian leaned back.