Christian, who initially thought he could obtain his driver's license quickly, ultimately relented and decided to be satisfied with just the learner's permit. He resolved to take at least a week or more to learn to drive properly before scheduling a road test.
All these time-consuming tasks were fine with Christian since he knew it was a one-time thing, and he would soon be freed from them. However, the real problem lay elsewhere.
Knowing that he would soon allocate his idle practice time to AI programming once his hacking skills become advanced, Christian began preparing the learning materials and identifying exactly what he needed to get started.
And actually, that's where the problems started. To create an AI, he needed three things. First, technical skills, which he could easily acquire from his idle system, so that was no problem. Second, computational resources, which his shabby computer obviously didn't have.
After reviewing what he needed exactly, Christian realized that simply buying a computer with the best specs wouldn't suffice. He understood that while it might barely be adequate for the job, it ultimately wasn't acceptable for his ambitions. So, he would require more professional equipment.
And here came another problem: space. His room simply wouldn't be enough, and he would need another one. Luckily, their house was spacious. Aside from the bedroom that belonged to their parents, which they hadn't touched since their passing, there was another room they rarely used, and he could take advantage of it.
But even then, he would need to talk to his sister to inform her and ask for her opinion, which she would probably agree with. The real problem was deciding what to tell her, specifically, how much to reveal, since he didn't want to lie to her.
After careful consideration, Christian ultimately decided to be truthful. After all, creating an AI had nothing to do with his Idle System.
Right, after resolving this issue, Christian soon found himself facing another challenge. While purchasing the equipment "hardware" for his needs was fine and all, he still needed the "software" to get the computational power he required.
So, after reviewing everything, Christian thought about the possibility of buying the software. However, as he explored his options, he eventually recognized a significant issue he had overlooked: security.
Christian initially thought that spending a bit of money to buy software, rather than hacking, and going through the hassle to obtain it, would be a straightforward solution. However, he quickly realized that it wasn't as simple as he had anticipated.
While many companies offered guarantees of safety, Christian soon realized that these assurances often meant little in practice. Even reputable firms could not be entirely trusted; one could never be too sure, after all.
And even though the idea that a high school student could engage in such activities might go unnoticed, he couldn't afford to leave anything to chance.
Understanding the risks involved, Christian recognized that for his privacy and to avoid unwanted attention, he had to address these issues. As he knew he couldn't feel safe or comfortable without taking the necessary precautions.
Given the sensitive nature of his actions and the potential consequences, which were far from legal, he needed a solid security plan, not just for his safety but also for his peace of mind.
And the problem is that this phase isn't like the previous steps, which were one-time tasks; this stage is even more time-consuming.
When Christian begins creating the AI, even if he were to respectfully seek help from all the reputable AI companies, it still won't be sufficient. After all, he doesn't want to merely replicate their low-level AIs; his goal is to develop something far superior.
So, while he can use their creations as references, it will still take a considerable amount of time to build his own.
And the problem is that even after creating the AI, it was still not enough, because he will need to upgrade it periodically, and because he will be studying and researching the AI Programming through his Idle system, he will get new idea and knowledge everyday, which means he will need to upgrade it everyday, and will enter the terrifying cycle, of working to death, eventually.
The problem is that even after creating the AI, it still won't be enough. Christian will need to upgrade it periodically, and since he will be studying and researching AI programming through his Idle system, he'll gain new ideas and knowledge every day.
This means he will have to upgrade the AI constantly, even daily, plunging himself into a terrifying cycle of relentless work that could ultimately lead to exhaustion, then death from overworking.
And this contradicts the very reason he wanted to create an AI in the first place, which was to make his life easier, to alleviate his workload, not to add to it.
So, over the past four days, Christian still hadn't made a final decision or any real preparations. But with his Program Hacking skill set to advance in just two more days, he realized his time to hesitate was quickly running out.
But even then, being pressured by the situation like this made him uncomfortable, leaving the decision just as difficult in the end.
So, feeling like he needed someone's opinion or advice, and realizing it wasn't too late, with his sister also in the house, Christian finally decided to ask her.
As Christian walked downstairs toward the living room, he spotted his sister lounging on the sofa, lying on her side, dressed in shorts and a tank top, absorbed in watching some drama.
He wasn't sure how to feel about it. Should he be amused that he was pulling her into his own lazy habits? Or should he feel bad for her?
But then, remembering her behavior over the last few days, how she would wander into his room, interrupting his reading or whatever else he was doing just because she was bored, the slight guilt he had felt quickly faded, disappearing as fast as it had appeared. After all, he was taking the brunt of it anyway.
Annabelle, seeing her brother approach with a troubled expression, immediately wondered what he was going to say this time.
After all, It was always about something specific whenever he came to her on his own.