Back when I was riding a lot, I would go so far as buying a cassette and three chains, rotating between them at frequent intervals. Heck... I've tried everything, and have gone so far, I've worn out
front chainrings on numerous occasions.
Just get out and ride, enjoy it, and by the time you wear out a cassette to the point where you are jumping gears, you will have a much better idea of what you will want to upgrade to. In a worst case scenerio, in several thousand miles, perhaps 5-10,000 miles, you will have a small cog on the rear cassette wear to the point where the chain jump over it during real hammering. At that point... It's miles of smiles!
judging from your tinkering nature, you will have upgraded all this stuff to di2 or whatever long before any chain /cassette combo wears out.
All this is to share a funny story. In high school (1987?), I bought my best friend a mtb. He never really rode it. He sat it behind his house and it rusted. In 2000, he wanted to ride again, so I rebuilt it for him, buying a new drivetrain (chain, etc...). He never rode it. So outside his house it rusted again. In 2016, he asked me to rebuild it again, so I took it back to my house, and rebuilt it again.
The chain was essentially new, but had rusted solid, so I soaked it in old motor oil, and let it sit in the ultrasonic for about two weeks, at which point it freed up.
I rebuilt the bike, and my friend asked when he could get it back. I told him he was a douchbag, that since he never paid me for it, it was my bike, and since he wasn't going to ever ride it, that he drive an hour and half and could come and get it. I gave it to my wife. Now she never rides it, but at least it's in a garage!
The seven speed chain works great btw and will NEVER stretch as it's a 7 speed and could drive a motorcycle it's so big by today's standards! oh well!