Chapter 751: More disappointment.
He was putting pressure on her, as if this question was the answer to the universe. Sunshine didn’t blink. "The organization would be lucky to have my son work for it. He’s smarter than half the people I saw in the lobby today."
The bluntness of her words seemed to stun Melvin. He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, realizing he wouldn’t win this round. "Alright then. We will put him down as temporary. I am sure that when you have your own biological children, you will change your mind."
She scoffed. "Being a mother is not simply about DNA, Commander."
He nodded. "I understand, but still, I am going to have it assigned as temporary. Children grow up and change their minds. If by the time of your death, he is interested in the job and qualified, we will reach out to him. If your biological child shows more talent, we reserve the right to override your wishes." He cleared his throat and raised his hand to stop her from arguing. "Moving on to the... unpleasant news."
Sunshine braced herself, after seeing Zevran here she knew there would be issues.
"It has been decided," Melvin began, pacing the floor, "that even though you have reached the Master level, you cannot become a supervisor. Not just yet. You have been a repairman for less than two years. There are concerns about the... improper means you used to accelerate your growth. Your methods are unconventional, and the council feels you lack the seasoning required to lead others. You will teach them to take unnecessary risks while they are still green and we cannot have that."
Sunshine cut him off with a dry laugh. "Commander, do not worry about that and please tell Zevran that I’m not interested in becoming a supervisor. I don’t want to manage people; I want to fix things. What I want to know is when my training as a future Grandmaster repairman begins. I was told by the system that classes are given."
Melvin stopped pacing and blew out a long breath of air. "That is another problem. Training for the Principles of the Grand master Level is a group endeavor. We only hold the sessions once the number of new Masters reaches at least fifty. It’s a matter of energy efficiency and resource management."
Sunshine felt the air leave her lungs. "Fifty? How many are there right now?"
"Ten, I think, before you joined...so eleven?" Melvin said with uncertainty. "The others are years away. And before you ask_ no, you cannot move to the Grand Master level, regardless of how many points you earn, until you have completed the training. It is a prerequisite, that is why repairmen like Vortan are still stuck on Master level. He is also waiting."
"You’ve got to be kidding me," Sunshine scoffed, standing up. "This is unbelievable. Why are you standing in my way? Is this because of the Prime Core? Are you trying to keep me grounded so I can give it up?"
Melvin’s face flushed a deep red. He felt the sting of the insult. Without a word, he reached into his personal space and pulled out a massive, leather-bound volume: The Book of Repairman Laws. He flipped through the translucent pages until he found a specific clause, shoving it toward her.
"Read it," he hissed. "It is the law. It has been the law for a thousand years. I am not a ’standing block,’ Sunshine Raine. I am the gatekeeper of the rules. And just so you know, I have been advocating for a change in this law, but some members are still rigid."
Sunshine read the text. Her vision blurred for a second. There it was, in black and white. A lump began to grow in her throat, thick and painful. This was what Vortan meant. He knew. He knew that the higher she climbed, the more the ’system’ would use its own weight to crush her momentum. "I need to upgrade and you know why." she whispered.
"Unfortunately," Melvin said, his voice dropping to a slightly more sympathetic_ but still cold_ tone, "your peers are not as enthusiastic as you. The last time we had a group large enough to train was thirty years ago. You could be waiting a long time. You can keep repairing things and increasing your points, but your level will not be going up anytime soon."
Sunshine didn’t say another word. She couldn’t. She nodded as if she understood, her face a mask of stone. "I will excuse myself now, Commander."
She turned and walked out of the office, past the confused gaze of Vortan and the worried chirping of Nine. She didn’t stop to talk. She didn’t stop to celebrate. The moment she reached a secluded corner of the hallway; she vanished into her private space.
Sunshine collapsed onto the floor, her knees hitting the ground hard.
Tears of pure, raw frustration poured down her face. She sobbed into her hands, the sound echoing in the empty space. She had worked so hard. She had risked her life, ignored her exhaustion, and fought through the impossible just to save her people, to reach here and now she was stuck. She felt trapped by a piece of paper and the laziness of others.
"What am I supposed to tell them?" she whispered through her tears. "How do I tell Hades that I’m stuck? How do I tell my kids that their mom is a ’Master’ who can’t move an inch?"
[Host, do you need a calming shot?] The system asked, that was all it could offer her.
"Yes, thank you system."
For the first time ever, Sunshine was actually glad the system had a way to calm her down. She felt a strange, cool sensation wash over her, like a glass of cold water on a hot day. Suddenly, the hot anger and the heavy worry in her chest just... evaporated. It was replaced by a deep, quiet peace.
As her heart slowed down to a normal beat, her spirit didn’t stay broken. Instead, she felt her strength coming back. She wasn’t going to let a book of rules or a grumpy Commander stop her.
"I’ll keep training," she whispered. "There is always a way."
[That is the spirit, host. I am doing a lot of research to help you. I too believe that there is a way and I have come up with at least one option so far.]
"Thank you system." She whispered. Rather than cry, it was best to train and seal the small rifts first. Only the big rift would make her think twice.
She spent the next few hours in total focus. Every time she sealed a tiny crack, she felt a little more powerful. She wasn’t just a student waiting for a teacher anymore. She was a Master sharpening her blade.
The organization thought he was blocking her path, but Sunshine knew better. She was just taking a different road. She would fix the world one small stitch at a time, and when she finally stood before the Grand Master level, she wouldn’t just have the rank_ she would have the talent to back it up.