[Side Mission Completed]
Mission: Earn more than ₱100,000.
Reward Unlocked: Insider Market Intelligence
Below is a blinking icon:
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Elian stared at it, his heart beating from the turmoil and clarity of the day. The lamp on his desk gave a lovely glow across the keys. The rest of his room was motionless, like the silence before a storm—or possibly the calm after one.
His fingers paused over the trackpad before he clicked.
A window unfurled in front of him, unlike any he had ever seen.
It was not flashy. There are no animations or complicated system popups. A clean, terminal-like interface with scrolling data—company names, timestamps, alert percentages, AI-analyzed financial changes, and predictions.
He clicked.
A new window appeared that looked like a terminal prompt. It looked like a confidential financial report: tight, crisp, and fiercely thorough.
[Notice: Exclusive Insight; Accuracy Confidence: 100%]
ArgoCore Inc., a mid-sized logistics and warehousing technology firm, will see a share value increase of 1253% during the next 48 hours.
Reason: Global Freight Holdings, a conglomerate, will announce the acquisition publicly.
Status: Not yet in the public news.
Tip Origin: AI Signal Fusion from Board Meeting Minutes, Patent Activity, and Insider Trading Trail.
Elian focused on the blinking digits. His mouth became dry.
1253%.
That was more than just a windfall. That represented generational riches.
He exhaled. "But I need more capital."
His fingers typed quickly. He accessed GoBank's microloan platform; he had an excellent credit score from his NovaTech work and a consistent freelance design side gig.
[Loan amount requested: ₱300,000].
[Purpose: Investment
He submitted it, adding his NovaTech contract and a bonus slip as evidence of income.
[Loan Approved, Instant Disbursement]
+₱300,000 Credited.
Total available capital: ₱500,000+.
"No turning back," he mumbled.
He returned to TradeWave with his hands trembling slightly.
ArgoCore Inc. has received a buy order for 48,172 shares.
Order value: ₱497,600.
Remaining balance: ₱2,400
He clicked [Confirm].
The deals went through.
Then he waited.
Every day felt like a tempest brewing inside his chest.
While his father was being prepared for surgery, Elian paid visits, ensuring that the room remained clean and that the staff were attentive. His mother no longer appeared frantic, instead holding his father's hand with fresh hope.
They moved his father to a private room barely one day after Elian's cashout. The contrast in care quality was astounding. The spotless linen, the quiet hallway, and the attentive staff—it was a place worthy of someone who had dedicated their entire lives to raising a family.
Elian didn't discuss the investment. Not yet. There was no need to raise concerns or scrutiny.
Elian stood outside the door, looking through the glass. His father was awake now, exhausted but breathing well. The procedure was successful. The swelling had reduced, and the doctors predicted he would be able to walk again in a few months with therapy.
"You're really something else, Anak," his mother replied, taking his hand.
He offered a warm smile. "Just doing what Dad would've done for us."
Mia came over from the vending machine, carrying juice packs. She appeared brighter now, more like a teenager than someone burdened by adult anxieties.
The doctors provided them with a recovery plan. It would be more expensive, but now they could afford it. All of it.
That afternoon, NovaTech headquarters.
Elian arrived at NovaTech's main building in Taguig wearing the same clothing he had worn to the hospital. He checked in at the guard station and was sent to the 11th floor, where glass panels and sent lights gave everything a futuristic appearance.
"Mr. Reyes, correct?" remarked Emil, one of the project's leaders. "President Valdez said you'd stop by. Your remote access package is ready. "I'll be your team's temporary leader."
Elian was given a small kit including a business laptop, a secure identification key, a noise-cancelling headphone, and a signed contract confirming his full-time job. The compensation was fixed at ₱120,000 per month plus a performance incentive. Remote setup and flexible hours. He was a fully qualified NovaTech engineer.
But it did not end there.
Elian was led into a conference room with sleek glass walls and a big digital board displaying live project dashboards.
Emil had already waited for him.
"You'll be working under me for now," Emil replied, his arms crossed and his eyes sharp beneath thin-rimmed glasses. "We've assigned you a legacy optimization project. It is for one of our long-term government clients, the Department of Local Infrastructure Development.
Elian straightened and listened intently.
"They are still using a .NET 4.5 monolithic system. Huge codebase. Poor documentation. Half of the original developers have left. It's been patched over a dozen times by freelancers who didn't care about architecture, naming conventions, or basic sense.
He displayed a PowerPoint with a complex web of modules—Forms Authentication, static views, no API endpoints, and multiple spots labeled "Security Risk."
"They require a complete performance audit, a front-end refresh, and a thorough backend cleanup. The user interface is still built with Web Forms. And don't even get me started on their database—40+ stored procedures, the majority of which produce five different results depending on the moon phase.
Elian blinked and then smiled. "Sounds... fun."
Emil lifted his eyebrow. "Timeline? "
Elian tilted his head. "Two weeks?" "
Emil offered a little nod. "Exactly."
He dug into his rucksack and gave Elian a USB drive and a sealed Manila folder. "That contains your VPN setup, client staging server credentials, and access tokens for our GitLab instance. On the development branch, you have full administrative privileges. Use it carefully.
Elian received it with awe. Others might see it as paperwork. To him, it represented the beginning of the struggle.
Later,
Elian stepped inside and gently dropped his suitcase by the shoe rack. His mother looked up from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel.
"You're home early," she explained. "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet, Ma. I'll eat in a bit. I just need to get started on something."
She gave him an inquisitive look. "Work already?"
"Yeah. Got assigned a project today. I'll be busy for the next two weeks."
She grinned pleasantly. "That's good. Just don't forget to rest, okay?"
"I won't," he said, walking to his room.
Once inside, he unlocked his laptop, placed it on the desk, and took out a notepad from his drawer. He flipped to a new page and began writing down the idea.
Legacy System Optimization: Task List
- Performance Profiling
- Codebase Cleanup (Refactoring Legacy Services)
- UI Modernization (Migrate outdated components)
- Security Vulnerability Audit
- Logging Improvements
- API Endpoint Optimization
- Database Query Tuning
- Final Regression Testing
He gazed at the list for a time before nodding to himself.
It's time to prove it wasn't a fluke.