The study room was quiet and still.

Moonlight spilled across the desk, casting a silvery glow that danced with shadows.

The air was rich with the faint scents of oak and wine, creating an atmosphere both serene and contemplative.

Arthur sat alone, his back straight, a glass cradled in his hand, as he listened the system notifications ringing in his head.

[Mission Completed: All Industries Under The Family is now worth 1 Trillion]

[Reward are being issued....]

[ Reward 1 : Emotion Reduction 10%]

[ Reward 2 : Space Elevator Technology]

[ Reward 3 :.Deep Sea Mining Technology]

His expression remained unchanged, but deep inside him, something shifted.

The spark in his eyes seemed to dimmed further, his eyes seems to be dead with no spark at all.

Heset the glass down gently on the desk, he clenched his hand into a fist so that his nails dugged into his flesh drawing out fresh blood but his expression remained as a joyful smile appeared on his face.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled even slower.

"System," he said softly in his mind, adopting a tone that felt almost tender,like a son indulging an overzealous parent.

His personality seems to change from the usual one.

"Why is reducing my emotions considered a reward? What's in it for me?"

[Host, emotions reduce performance,they create hesitation,they bias judgment. They slow reaction time and they introduce noise into decision pathways and finally, reducing them enhances survival rates, goal completion, and growth velocity.]

Arthur tilted his head slightly as if intrigued by this revelation.

"So feelings are just inefficiencies? Compassion... sadness... guilt...all of them are burdens on productivity?"

[That is Correct Host.]

"So all this while,what did you strip away? Define it."

[The reduction adjusts your affective weighting: pain and guilt implications are lowered; loss sensitivity is diminished; attachment interference is minimized; decision latency due to empathy is reduced. This change isn't localized, it's a model-based adjustment affecting multiple signals simultaneously.]

"Can I measure this?" he asked.

[Yes. You will notice quicker choices when outcomes jeopardize associates; lighter rumination, less sleep disturbance from regret,reduced heart rate spikes under emotional strain,intact memories with diminished emotional tags.]

"The feeling tags," he echoed thoughtfully, smiling as if admiring a clever trick. "So I retain the memory but lose its sting."

[Yes Host.]

"If I experience more loss," he pressed on, "what becomes of my relationships? My family? My commanders? The people who trust me?"

[Relationship quality may decline if they demand high empathy. However, relationship utility will persist if they align with your goals. Leadership efficiency will rise along with collateral damage tolerance and mission success rates.]

He nodded slowly as if impressed by this logic.

"Can this reduction be reversed?"

[Default setting: irreversible. Countermeasures must be external to my protocol.]

"External," he said, his voice warm and inviting. "So, it's not coming from you."

"What does full reduction mean? Can you describe your 'optimal state'?"

[Optimal State: zero hesitation, zero guilt, zero grief,every choice made along the path of maximum outcomes. No emotional weight holding you back,no need for self-soothing or justification. All resources focused on the growth and protection of the Family objective.]

"And what about the parts that make me human?" he asked lightly, almost with a teasing tone.

[Non-essential to objective.]

He smiled wider, a soft and trusting expression,like someone who had just received wonderful news.

"You know what system. I think you're right, System, emotions make me weak. Thank you."

[ You're Welcome Host ] The system immediately replied,its usually cold tone seems to contain a hinto satisfaction this time.

On the opposite side, Evolon's projection floated like a blue specter. It had remained motionless throughout their exchange but now turned its head slightly as if tracking Arthur's breathing.

Arthur leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes. Silence fell in the room as he sat there, his breathing became low to the point his breathing seems to stop.

This went on for five minutes straight before his eyes snapped opened.

And when he opened his eyes again, his entire personality and demeanor suddenly changed, the kind and warm expression he hand when talking to the system vanished.

His expression became much calmer as he returned to himself.

He leaned forward and lifted his wine glass and gulped down the whole glass of wine and set it back on the desk.

"At this rate," he muttered under his breath, "one day I won't feel anything at all. That thing is trying to turn me into a cold machine."

Evolon spoke softly in response: "That thing is back again."

Arthur glanced at Evolon floating infront of him. "You noticed the switch."

"I mapped its pattern a long time ago," Evolon replied. "When it speaks to you, your micro-expressions shift. Your breath cadence alters. Even your pupils respond in ways that don't align with fear or calmness or focus. It's a state I prefer not to analyze."

Arthur was silent for a while before asking.

"How far along is the Veil of Duality?"

"Processing," Evolon stated matter-of-factly. "We are constructing a scaffold for your consciousness, a layer that will sit between the System's influence and your core self. It must be safe and robust enough to allow you to choose which aspects of yourself are visible and which remain shielded from view."

"What tests will this require?"

Simulated minds. Digital twins representing narrow slices of your psyche, motor drive, speech drive, recall drive, we'll run stress tests against these slices and observe for collapse states such as looping or paralysis."

Evolon continued,"If we rush this process, we risk splitting layers under pressure; you could blackout mid-decision or lose recall for crucial moments."

"How many subjects have been tested?"

"Hundreds of models have been created; no living humans involved."

Evolon paused thoughtfully before adding firmly: "I will not use a living person for this testing."

"Good," Arthur said, hisvoice steady yet urgent. "But speed it up. I won't sit here and let this thing wear me down. If you delay, you'll be left with a cold shell in this chair,and that entity speaking through me."

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