Three days after launch, the first ripples had begun.
A teacher on a niche online forum posted:
"Found a weird program called Athena on a tech board. It's actually insane. One of my students who never gets anything just solved three math problems in a row. I thought it was a prank."
It spread slowly at first. One teacher tried it. Then another. Someone uploaded it to a public subreddit. The post sat for a day before catching attention. Then a small YouTuber made a video showing it in action.
"I'm not kidding, this thing teaches better than any app I've seen. It's like it knows what I'm struggling with before I do."
Leon watched from his terminal. He didn't comment, didn't engage. He just monitored the download numbers ticking upward—measured, steady.
SYSTEM: Athena Protocol Detected on 93 New Devices
SP Earned: +12,400
Cumulative Reach: 3,202 Users
Multiplier Threshold Nearing: 78%
The growth was what marketers would call a "slow burn." No ad campaign. No media blitz. Just word-of-mouth and genuine results.
Leon reviewed early user feedback. Most didn't even know who to thank. A few speculated it was a secret project from Google. Others thought it was a Trojan virus in disguise.
That was perfect.
Confusion meant safety.
The fewer people looking for the creator, the better.
SYSTEM: Quantum Emulator Node Purchase Now Available.
Cost: 130,000 SP
Leon paused.
He didn't authorize the purchase. Not yet. With only 79,808 SP in his account, the Quantum Emulator Node was still out of reach. He bookmarked it for later, knowing the moment Athena crossed the next threshold, it would be his next acquisition.
For now, he stayed focused. The added computing power could wait—but user feedback, adaptation, and refinement couldn't.
He spent the next two days refining Athena's modules—boosting creativity support, improving translations for non-native speakers, and adjusting for cultural learning differences. Each tweak made the software better. More adaptable. Harder to match.
By the end of the third day, three mid-tier tech blogs had written short articles. None had any real information.
"Anonymous AI Tool Disrupts Learning Apps — Where Did It Come From?" — SoftWire Weekly.
"Athena Protocol: The Pirate Software That's Actually Fixing Public Education?" — Undercurrent.
"Decentralized Genius? Reddit's Favorite New Learning App Has No Known Creator." — CircuitSlate.
Leon read them silently.
SYSTEM: SP Multiplier Updated
Region: North America (West Coast)
New Yield Bonus: +31%
No announcement. No branding. No identity.
Just results.
And now, the system was paying more for each one.