Two days crawled by. Wednesday, April 9th, 2025. Chris found himself in a strange state of hyper-aware boredom. He went through the motions – school, homework, deflecting questions from friends about why he seemed so distracted – all while mentally refreshing the status of his invisible System panel every few minutes. [Monitoring Reality for Benefit Events...] remained stubbornly displayed below the [Current Setting: Global Human Intelligence +0.1].
He was starting to wonder if the slight quickening he'd perceived in Calculus class was just wishful thinking. Maybe the +0.1 IQ was too small. Maybe it needed weeks, months, years to manifest any 'tangible benefit'. The thought was disheartening.
He was slumped over his desk, supposedly studying European History but actually scrolling through unrelated articles on his laptop, when a faint, clear chime resonated directly inside his head. It wasn't alarming, more like a pleasant notification tone.
He froze, his eyes snapping wide open. He instantly recalled the System panel.
It glowed slightly brighter for a moment, and new text appeared with a smooth animation:
[+1 System XP Acquired!]
[Reason: Accelerated Discovery - Final validation protocols for promising Lewy Body Dementia treatment pathway completed 2 days ahead of projected timeline. Benefit attributed to cumulative cognitive enhancement (+0.1 IQ) within relevant global research teams, improving data analysis efficiency and collaborative problem-solving.]
Chris leaped out of his chair, heart hammering. "Yes!" he whisper-shouted into the empty room. It worked! It actually worked! One XP. It wasn't just a potential cure, but it was found faster, specifically because of his setting. Two whole days faster! That felt significant. It was real.
Before the euphoria could fully settle, the panel updated again.
[System XP Available: 1]
[Allocate XP:]
[Option 1: Enhance Parameter Range (Global Human Intelligence): +0.0 to +0.1 => +0.0 to +0.11]
[Option 2: Add to System Level Progression (Current XP: 0/???)]
Chris stared at the options. Leveling up the whole System was the ultimate goal, unlocking completely new settings, potentially far more powerful ones. But the required XP was unknown – it could be hundreds, thousands even. Option 1, however, offered immediate enhancement. Increasing the IQ boost, even by another hundredth of a point... could that accelerate XP gain now? Make the benefits appear faster, more frequently?
The memory of the agonizing two-day wait, the uncertainty – it swayed him. Faster progress felt more appealing right now than a distant, unknown level-up. He wanted more confirmation, more results.
He focused his intent on the first option.
[Allocation Confirmed: Option 1 - Enhance Parameter Range.]
[Parameter Range Updated: Global Human Intelligence maximum +0.11]
[Current Setting automatically adjusted to new maximum: +0.11 IQ]
[System XP Available: 0]
The change felt... well, exactly like before. Utterly imperceptible. But knowing that the global baseline was now just a fraction higher gave him a thrill. He paced his room, restless energy flooding him. What would happen now? Would it take another two days? Or would the slightly increased intelligence yield results quicker?
He didn't have to wait long. Less than an hour later, as he was trying (and failing) to explain his sudden good mood to a friend over text, the chime sounded again in his head.
His breath hitched. He pulled up the panel, eyes wide.
[+1 System XP Acquired!]
[Reason: Accelerated Problem Solving - Dr. Evelyn Reed (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) achieves breakthrough in formulating proof structure for the 'Crimson Conjecture' (previously unsolved Diophantine equation set) estimated 3 days ahead of projected timeline. Benefit attributed to enhanced individual cognitive function (+0.11 IQ) facilitating novel conceptual linkage.]
Chris's jaw dropped. Again? Already? And this time, it mentioned a specific person – Dr. Evelyn Reed. He quickly typed the name and 'Crimson Conjecture' into his laptop's search engine. Dr. Reed was a known figure in theoretical mathematics, and while the 'Crimson Conjecture' wasn't a mainstream famous problem, math forums buzzed with its notorious difficulty. Three days faster on something deemed almost unsolvable... because of his extra hundredth of an IQ point? The feedback loop was more sensitive than he'd imagined.
The System panel promptly displayed the allocation choice once more.
[System XP Available: 1]
[Allocate XP:]
[Option 1: Enhance Parameter Range (Global Human Intelligence): +0.0 to +0.11 => +0.0 to +0.12]
[Option 2: Add to System Level Progression (Current XP: 0/???)]
This time, there was no hesitation. The immediate reinforcement was undeniable. Increase the boost, get results faster. It was working.
He selected Option 1 again.
[Allocation Confirmed: Option 1 - Enhance Parameter Range.]
[Parameter Range Updated: Global Human Intelligence maximum +0.12]
[Current Setting automatically adjusted to new maximum: +0.12 IQ]
[System XP Available: 0]
He stared at the updated panel: +0.12 IQ. It still felt like such a tiny number. Yet, in the span of an afternoon, it had seemingly contributed to accelerating a medical breakthrough and solving an intractable math problem. He had gained and immediately reinvested two points of system experience, incrementally sharpening the minds of the entire human race.
The initial feeling of helplessness was fading, replaced by a giddy sense of potential. The climb to Level 1 might still be long, but he'd found a way to quicken his pace. Each tiny increase, each new XP point, was another step up the ladder, powered by the collective, almost imperceptible, enhancement of human thought. He couldn't wait to see what happened next.