The ceiling fan squeaked as it spun lazily, pushing around the heavy air of a Manila boarding house.
Rafael Dela Cruz lay on his creaking bed, staring at the cracked plaster above him. The humid night pressed on his skin, sticky with sweat. His phone, an outdated budget model, flickered with the last remnants of battery life.
Job applications: 36 sent. Replies: 0.
Graduating with an IT degree had meant nothing when half the country's graduates were also clutching the same diploma, hoping to escape poverty. His father's small fishing boat had been wrecked in the last typhoon, and his mother's sari-sari store barely survived on debt. His younger sister's tuition fees were due next week.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion gnawing at him.
"At this rate… I'm just another statistic."
The bitter thought clung to him.
He reached for the small wooden chest tucked under his bed, a relic from his late grandfather. He had opened it many times before—yellowed letters, a rusted lighter, a family photo taken decades ago. Tonight, however, something new caught his eye.
Nestled in the corner was a black cube, smooth as obsidian, faintly glowing with lines of silver.
Rafael frowned. "This wasn't here before."
As his fingers brushed its surface, the cube pulsed, sending a cold shiver racing up his arm. The glow intensified, and then—
A voice rang inside his head.
"Codex detected. Host recognized. Initialization commencing."
Rafael jerked back, almost dropping the cube. His heart thundered. "What the hell—?!"
The air shimmered. A holographic interface unfolded before his eyes, translucent and layered with cascading codes. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, but the vision remained, projected directly into his mind.
Codex System v0.1Status: Dormant.Functions Available: Scan, Optimize, Simulate.Energy Source: Neural link.Host: Rafael Dela Cruz.
His mouth went dry. "A… system? Like in those webnovels?"
Almost on instinct, he picked up his dying phone. The screen was dim, battery at 3%. He held it near the cube.
[Scanning…]Device Identified: Cheap Android smartphone.Weaknesses Detected: Battery degradation, inefficient processors, outdated firmware.Simulation Available: Optimization paths – 142.→ Predicted upgrade: High-efficiency battery; doubled processor speed; energy recycling up to 92%.
Rafael's jaw dropped. "That's… impossible."
"Host may attempt prototype upgrade using available resources. Simulation suggests success probability: 87%."
His breathing quickened. With trembling hands, he fetched a precision screwdriver from his cluttered desk. He had tinkered with electronics before, but always in frustration—fixing second-hand gadgets for neighbors, barely earning anything.
This time, under the Codex's guidance, every motion felt precise, inevitable. He dismantled the phone, reconnected circuits, adjusted wiring as the holographic blueprint shifted in real-time.
Minutes later, the screen lit up. Not dim and flickering, but vibrant—brighter than ever. The battery read: 100%, and the percentage hadn't dropped despite ten minutes of usage.
Optimization complete.
Rafael stared at the glowing screen, chest heaving.
"This…" He swallowed hard. "This is real."
The possibilities crashed into him like a tidal wave. If the Codex could do this to a cheap phone, what about… laptops? Solar panels? Medicine? Cars?
For the first time in years, his despair cracked open—and inside burned a new flame.
Ambition.
"Host linked. Progression begins. Data is power. Knowledge is dominion."
The Codex's cold voice echoed in his mind.
Rafael looked at the phone in his hand. For the first time in his life, he wasn't just a broke, forgotten Filipino scraping by.
He was holding the key to rewriting everything.