Classes officially began.
Despite having already covered most of the syllabus through books and self-study, PK attended every lecture without exception. He knew better than to ignore the system. The first lecture—basic computer fundamentals and introductory coding—went smoothly. The concepts were familiar, almost trivial, but he observed carefully, noting how the university framed knowledge and evaluated students.
Around him, the classroom buzzed with conversations.
Midway through the lecture break, a hushed excitement spread among the students.
"Did you hear?"
"Someone from our university got selected for an international hacking competition."
PK's heartbeat skipped.
For a brief moment, a sharp thought crossed his mind—Was I exposed too soon?
He listened carefully.
The rumors continued.
"They're twins."
"Both of them."
"Names are Lana and Luna."
Relief washed over him quietly.
PK glanced across the hall and noticed them.
Lana and Luna sat together, effortlessly drawing attention without trying. They shared the same sharp features and symmetrical expressions, but their presence felt distinct rather than mirrored. Their confidence was subtle—no exaggerated gestures, no need to seek attention. One carried herself with composed elegance, her posture precise and calm. The other had a softer demeanor, her expressions relaxed yet observant.
Their beauty wasn't loud or theatrical.
It was refined—noticeable in the way people unconsciously looked twice, then looked away.
PK understood immediately why rumors would gravitate toward them.
So even here, he thought, people are already playing with systems they barely understand.
The idea didn't excite him. If anything, it reinforced his resolve to remain invisible.
After classes, PK returned to the dorm, took a quick shower, and powered on his laptop.
This time, he wasn't working from physical books.
He accessed digital resources—ebooks, documentation, recorded lectures, technical walkthroughs. The effect was immediate. Concepts aligned faster. Connections formed naturally. Patterns revealed themselves without effort.
The ability didn't discriminate between mediums.
Learning was learning.
PK didn't stop.
Languages.
Systems architecture.
Kernel behavior.
Memory management.
Low-level computation.
Hours passed unnoticed.
At some point, he leaned back and realized something unsettlingly clear.
He wasn't just learning how computers worked anymore.
He could design one from the ground up.
Hardware logic.
Instruction sets.
Operating systems.
End to end.
If he wanted to, he could build an entire machine—
and write the system that ran it.
And this time, the thought didn't thrill him.
It felt… inevitable.