The loops continued to turn, each seven-day cycle adding layers to Chen Mu's rapidly expanding skillset and physical prowess. Loop 17 saw him delving into the fundamentals of Python programming, dedicating hours to tutorials and simple coding exercises, rewarded with [Basic Programming Logic (Developing)] and another modest chunk of System Points. Loop 18 was focused on consolidating his new Touch Typing skill, pushing his speed towards 90 WPM while maintaining accuracy, solidifying it further within the system. His System Point total climbed steadily, passing the 100 mark – a tangible sign of progress, yet still far from the 250 needed to potentially alter the loop duration.
Amidst this consistent self-improvement, a practical, mundane thought began to assert itself with increasing frequency: money.
Chen Mu's family was comfortable, but by no means wealthy. They lived frugally, prioritized education, and managed their finances carefully. University, even a domestic one, would incur significant costs – tuition, living expenses, materials. While his parents would undoubtedly support him to the best of their ability, Chen Mu, with his ingrained discipline and burgeoning sense of capability derived from the system, felt a growing desire for a degree of financial independence. Furthermore, some potential future skills or experiments might require resources beyond his current meager savings – better hardware, specific tools, access to paid information.
Could the system, his cheat code for time, offer a solution?
The most obvious, cliché thought surfaced immediately: the lottery. Winning numbers repeated within the loop would be known information. He pictured himself, walking into a lottery kiosk, calmly buying a ticket with the winning combination he'd memorized from a previous iteration of Day 5 or 6. Instant wealth.
He dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it arose. Firstly, the sheer improbability. While his local reality seemed highly consistent within the loop, could he guarantee the perfect random draw of numbered balls would replicate exactly? A single stray air current, a microscopic imperfection on a ball – the butterfly effect felt too potent for such a gamble. Secondly, and more importantly, the consequences of sudden, inexplicable wealth for an eighteen-year-old high school student would be catastrophic to his carefully maintained low profile. It would invite scrutiny, suspicion, potentially dangerous attention. His goal was controlled progress, not chaotic disruption. It felt... inelegant, and likely incompatible with the system's apparent preference for rewarding effort and skill over pure luck exploitation.
No, if he were to leverage his temporal advantage for financial gain, it needed to be subtle, methodical, and based on observation and analysis – skills the system seemed to value.
His attention turned to the stock market. Not the high-stakes world of day trading tycoons, but the mundane, predictable micro-fluctuations of specific, stable stocks. Companies released quarterly reports, market sentiment shifted, but within the narrow confines of a single week, were there smaller, more reliable patterns?
During Loop 19, Chen Mu allocated specific time blocks, previously used for advanced study, to financial observation. Using freely available online stock tracking websites on his old computer, he focused on a handful of large, established Haizhou-based companies known for stability rather than dramatic growth. He wasn't looking for breakthroughs, just rhythm. He meticulously recorded the opening price, intraday highs and lows, closing price, and trading volume for his chosen stocks each day of the week.
By Day 4, a potential pattern emerged in one specific stock – a local utility company, 'Haizhou Energy Consolidated'. It consistently dipped by a small fraction, maybe 0.5%, around 2 PM on Tuesdays, seemingly due to automated institutional trading patterns, before recovering slightly by market close or early Wednesday morning. It was a tiny ripple, barely noticeable amidst the market's general noise.
In Loop 20, he observed again. The Tuesday afternoon dip for Haizhou Energy Consolidated repeated, almost exactly as before. It was consistent enough for a low-risk test.
Now came the execution phase, planned for Loop 21. He had around 800 Yuan ($110 USD) saved up – birthday money, accumulated pocket money. It wasn't much, but it was his own. Through a basic online brokerage app he'd researched (and hypothetically practiced using in a previous loop's simulation mode), he prepared his move.
On Tuesday of Loop 21, heart beating slightly faster than usual despite knowing the ultimate outcome was temporary, he watched the clock tick towards 2 PM. As Haizhou Energy Consolidated's stock price began its predicted gentle slide, he executed a buy order, investing almost his entire savings. The transaction felt strangely momentous, even knowing it would be undone. He then set a sell order for a price point just above his purchase price, targeting the anticipated Wednesday morning recovery.
He slept uneasily that night, the small gamble weighing on his mind more than expected. Wednesday morning, he checked the app. The sell order had executed. After brokerage fees, his net profit was a minuscule 65 Yuan.
It was practically nothing. Barely enough for a few decent meals or a couple of movie tickets. Yet, Chen Mu felt a distinct sense of satisfaction. He hadn't aimed for riches; he had aimed for validation. He had observed a pattern invisible to others without his temporal advantage, formulated a hypothesis, executed a plan, and achieved the predicted result.
As Loop 21 drew to a close, the system chimed.
[Loop Cycle 21 Completed.]
> Evaluation: Applied Observation (Financial Micro-Trend Analysis). Successful Prediction and Execution.
> Host Memory Retention: Confirmed.
> System Data Retention: Confirmed.
> Reward Calculation: Bonus Applied (Analytical Skill Application).
[Reward Issued: +10 System Points]
[Reward Issued: Skill Enhanced - [Observation (Minor Upgrade)]]
No direct reward for the monetary gain itself, which had already vanished with the reset, but points and a skill upgrade for the process. The system valued the analysis and successful application of knowledge. [Observation (Minor Upgrade)] – perhaps it would help him spot other patterns, not just financial ones, more easily in the future.
Chen Mu reflected on the experiment. It was possible to make money, but the method was slow, required capital he didn't readily possess for significant gains, and wasn't entirely risk-free. Market conditions, even for stable stocks, could theoretically shift unexpectedly, even within a loop, due to larger external factors. Making substantial, life-altering money this way would likely require more capital, more complex analysis, and potentially attract unwanted attention if done repeatedly or clumsily.
Caution remained paramount. This wasn't a path to quick wealth, but perhaps a tool for very slow, deliberate accumulation later, or a way to practice real-world analytical skills. For now, the enhanced observation skill and the System Points felt like the more valuable rewards. As Loop 22 dawned, Chen Mu filed the knowledge away, his focus shifting back to skills that promised more immediate and reliable returns within the system's framework. The financial world could wait; there were more fundamental abilities to acquire first.