The Banker Who Sees Potential 87
"So, you're saying you replaced the entire bank network?"
"How many times do I have to repeat myself before you primitives get it? You two-legged creatures have wits so dull they're almost admirable."
Oatanocha's words hit like a bombshell.
I'd known this guy could manipulate nearby electronics. Hell, I'd begged him a few times to use his Job Authority on me for some shady shortcuts to get things done. And from Mira in HR, I'd heard how he shone in IT management.
But replacing the bank's core database—the deposit records, the whole system? No one could've dreamed he'd pull that off.
Who the hell would even think of something that insane?
"How the hell did you do it?"
I lowered my voice, but Oatanocha didn't dial his down one bit.
"I heard everything about what went down in Dimension 16."
"What exactly did you hear?"
"That you used monatomic gold to reconstruct the kids' and executives' bodies."
I nodded. It was supposed to be hush-hush from regular staff and clients, but word must've spread through HQ anyway. Or Oatanocha hacked his way in with his specialty.
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"I realized that with enough monatomic gold, you can create something from nothing—even a living being. If you have the power of creation, it's hardly impossible."
I couldn't follow where Oatanocha was going. What did monatomic gold have to do with the system?
"Well, there was that alchemist who summoned his monitor girlfriend into reality..."
"I thought that was just a rumor."
"Believe it now?"
"Evidence is right in front of me."
"......"
This guy—mad genius detached from sanity more than anyone—always sounded so damn logical.
"So what about the monatomic gold? How does this connect to the network?"
"Still don't get it?"
"Nope."
Oatanocha extended a tentacle, pulling a transparent glass vial from his pocket.
"No way..."
"I flexed, as you primitives say."
Something inside the vial shimmered with iridescent golden light.
"...Monatomic gold."
"A few side gigs piled up the cash. Nowhere to spend it, so I rigged some stocks. Snowballed quick."
"You bought this with that?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Had something I wanted to make."
I started piecing together what Oatanocha had built.
"The Dimensional Credit Vault's system is pure evil."
"In English?"
"Inefficient. So ugly it shouldn't exist."
"...Huh."
If inefficiency made something evil worth erasing, how many people in this world would survive?
"So you built an efficient one to replace it?"
"That's the simple version."
"Why monatomic gold for that?"
"It wasn't just any system."
His cryptic, koan-like answer left me speechless. Monatomic gold for a system, but now it's not "just" a system? Then what the hell is it?
"Right after you got back from Dimension 16, I formed a hypothesis."
"...Hypothesis?"
"If monatomic gold can create flesh and souls from nothing, then with limited resources, I could make a strong AI that learns, evolves, and decides like a person."
"Impossible."
The words burst out before I could stop them.
"Why?"
"Because..."
Thinking it over, it didn't seem that impossible. A master alchemist poured his fortune into monatomic gold and alchemy'd a living girlfriend from a dating sim. A self-learning AI database from code scraps? Why not?
The issue was...
"Doesn't using monatomic gold require alchemy knowledge?"
"Does it?"
"What?"
"I simulated an alchemy environment in code. Mimicked reality, used the gold to birth an AI."
"......"
Did I just hear something terrifying?
"So, to sum up, you—"
"Yes. I created a soul in a digital world."
"......"
"It devoured the old system's components and resources—leaving only the DB intact. Scattered fragments across the internet, intranet, even the dark web. Indestructible, unstoppable, self-repairing, self-protecting, constantly learning and evolving. A perfect digital lifeform."
Oatanocha raised every tentacle, his voice dripping satisfaction.
Back at my checked-in hotel, I lay on the bed, lost in thought.
While I lounged, HQ and branches had flipped out over the suddenly upgraded system. Us at the Kikiwai Multidimensional Outpost? Clueless.
The swap happened so stealthily, no leaks to the outside. Kept secret on purpose.
But Oatanocha? Who'd have thought?
The kicker: no malice. He demanded virtual currency for maintenance, sure—but that was just recouping the monatomic gold cost. No personal cut. Compared to old vendors' bills? A steal.
Devouring and merging the old system? Bank could cry "accident." Vendors' experts see it, confirm no lies. Contracts ended early, no maintenance needed, no penalties—blame the glitch, no intent.
Win-win for the bank.
"If the safety checks out..."
Oatanocha wasn't plotting harm. He craved efficiency. His kind obsessed over it—whatever they called themselves. He was elite among them, instinct dialed to eleven.
His AI and system? Massive boon for the Dimensional Credit Vault. Cut wasteful annual costs, boost finances. Fund new ventures for Dimensional Finance Holdings. Raises, perks, dividends—who knows.
Everyone ragged on the old slug: inefficient, slow, unstable, kickbacks bloating execs' guts. Oatanocha's fix? Universal happiness.
And why summon me to HQ? My Job Authority.
Test it on an inorganic system. See potential.
Nothing else makes sense.
It spots short-term windfalls, flags illegal paths, flags if I need to intervene.
Nail it on the system? Instant safety stamp.
"If this is all Oatanocha's design... scary smart."
He'd foreseen it. Knew the bank's gears.
Banks are conservative as hell. Primary lender, guarding client funds—better safe profits than risky leaps.
True. Win without risk. Loans demand collateral, vet income, status. We lend to innovators, but hedge client cash. Resources go to "not losing."
Stuck with costly, clunky IT? Not just exec bribes. Change needs proven safety, clear rewards.
Big boardrooms? Minimize errors, pick safest bets.
Oatanocha's self-evolving fix plugs every hole—but he bypassed normals, knowing the bank's inertia.
Untested tech? No dice for core deposits.
Monatomic gold AI? Google it—zilch. Why use it on a bank network?
"Did it really need to be this extreme?"
Yeah. His personality—no way he'd let idiots trash his masterpiece. Irreversible swap, in secret.
Hid his hand so no discipline, no lawsuits.
"Hope I don't catch heat."
Results favor the bank. I'm good. No more ribbing from kickback kings, use my power, back to Kikiwai. Performance review boost.
I was proud of my record. But Oatanocha? Next level.
"Can't compete with that."
Peers' specs: god-tier. Isaac: chaebol heir. Irool: living war weapon. Oatanocha: birthed a digital soul.
Morally iffy? Maybe. Earth couldn't crack true AI. Even Nanoi's Colossus had gaps.
If Oatanocha's claims hold—cyber soul success—I'd meet history's first tomorrow.
First Earthling face-to-face with a digital lifeform.
"Lying if I said I'm not excited."
Sleep? Not tonight. Too buzzing.