8 Chapter 8: The System
[Day 0]
[–'Heavenly Path' has been successfully integrated with Host 'Asahi'...]
[–Analyzing the endless possibilities…]
[–Question, do you wish to create a body? If yes, please choose one of the following genders:
A) Female
B) Female
C) Female
…]
A distinctly feminine voice read the intricate golden letters that floated within Asahi's vision. The tornado had swept across the room and completely shredded it, leaving him in the middle of the serene yet beautiful forest.
'Oi, give my body back!'
He screamed in his mind. After all, he floated as a mass of nothingness in the forest, devoid of a tongue to voice out his surprise at the wild situation.
Shifting his attention to the text, he concentrated on scrolling down the list. F, G, H, I… the list scrolled down with the pace of a turtle, giving him the anxiety of his first confession in middle school. The list cast deeper and deeper into the darkness until the very bottom of the list brought a shining beacon of hope to his life.
…
Y) Female
Z) Male]
'Choose Z!'
[–The choice is irreversible. Do you want to lock in the choice?]
'Of fucking course!'
He enjoyed the gender bender genre and futa hentai as a viewer. He never entertained the thought of reversing his gender or changing into a futa. Not by a long shot. He very much preferred having his chest flat and his ass undesirable for men.
[–Option Z (Male) locked!]
The sky darkened ominously as dense clouds swiftly amassed, filling the air with the resonating thunder akin to the roar of ancient creatures. The treacherous thunderstorm unleashed bolts of lightning, painting the sky with their fierce crackling. Heavens reverberated with a rumble that felt as if the gods themselves were enraged. Strangely, not a single drop of rain accompanied this phenomenon; it was a dry storm, leaving the air heavy and parched.
'It's just like Issei.' He mused, his mind wandering amidst the chaos. Ddraig's partner went on and on about the supremacy of oppai and his dreams to form a harem. Yet, when he got his own harem, all he did was… nothing.
Issei Hyodou was his most despised protagonist ever, only second to Scum Che.
The clouds parted and cast a rainbow-colored pillar that connected the sky and earth. Sliding down this pillar were droplets he would've missed with his previous eyesight. In his spiritual form, his vision had reached a superhuman degree.
Once the fluid reached the ground, it instantly expanded into a massive blob — a colorful slime. The rainbow slime gurgled, stretching and reshaping itself, first forming feet, then legs, and gradually, the rest of a human form. It was like watching an artist's sculpture come to life, detail by detail.
In mere moments, a fully formed body stood where the slime once was.
His body.
As he focused, his soul was pulled toward his newly constructed body, merging his consciousness with it. The moment he took control of the body, he instinctively reached down and grabbed a hold of his penis. The pristine condition of his little brother made him sigh in relief.
"It looks more shapely than before…" he remarked with a thoughtful expression before looking around. "Klyscha, where are you? What are you trying to do to your man?!"
"Asahi, ufufu. Didn't you want a thrilling life? What's more thrilling than the prospect of losing your jewels?"
"Don't troll me like that, you little minx."
"I'm sowwy! I just wanted to show you the creation of your new body through heavenly tribulations. Wasn't it cool?"
"Heavenly tribulations… Now that's a word I haven't read since I dropped cultivation stuff. Klyscha, what did the rainbow represent?"
"Your affinity with every element."
"Ah."
"Take a look at yourself."
No sooner had Klyscha spoken than a mirror sprang from the ground. The mirror's reflection revealed a tall, young man with lightly bronzed skin standing completely bare. His short, messy dark brown hair framed an angular yet attractive face, while his bright golden eyes sparkled with youthful curiosity.
"Geez, did gods craft this impeccable human specimen?"
(Not gods. But a lone goddess… She isn't lonely anymore.)
"Huh? You're talking directly in my head? Should I be worried?"
(No, my love. I'm simply incapable of harming you. Nor will I let anyone else kill you.)
The passion behind her throwaway statement was touching for one major reason: she finally got together with the man she stalked—admired for years. She wouldn't let him die at any cost.
"My love is an odd way of addressing me."
{You don't like it?}
"I don't like it; I love it," he said with a chuckle. "Well, enough lovey-dovey moments. Can I see the system now?"
At his request, many lines of text emerged in his vision, momentarily overwhelming him with their sheer volume.
[List of functions accessible in 'Heavenly Path']
–Status: Quantifies your attributes, skills, and divine powers into an easy-to-understand format.
–Class: The Class system quantifies achievements recognized by Heavenly Path and grants attributes and a set of exclusive/non-exclusive skills. Some classes can grant access to new attributes.
Ranking of Class: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, Divine.
–Partners: Quantifies all the connections formed by you, ranging from acquaintances to eternal lovers.
–Shop: Grants access to the Archive of all creations recorded in the Collective Dreams of Mankind.
–Worlds: Shows a list of easily accessible fictional and non-fictional worlds that can be created through the Collective Dreams of Mankind.
As an enthusiast of eroge and RPGs, Asahi was quite familiar with the Status, Class, and Partner functions. The other features weren't too complicated to grasp, either.
(My love, first wear the clothes at your feet.)
Klyscha's reminder about his current state of undress made him chuckle. He grabbed the shirt and shorts lying nearby and quickly dressed himself. Once clothed, he settled into a chair that Klyscha had materialized, waiting for her explanation.
(Umm, you look handsome. I'm tempted to go for another couple of rounds…)
The goddess had been thoroughly smitten after experiencing a day of sex with him.
"Let's finish this System talk first. I promise I'll make you feel even better than before… Why does it sound like I'm paying for your knowledge with my body?"
(Because you are!) Klyscha giggled. (Jokes aside, your grasp over the functions is correct in a sense, but they aren't as straightforward as you think. Take the 'Partners' function, for example; it's like those dating sim games but with room for growth. There are sub-functions you can unlock through specific achievements. For example, a new function will unlock once you form a deep connection with three people.)
"Ohhh. Does it also measure affection?"
(Yes, it does.)
"I'm curious about your profile."
(You'll be surprised,) Klyscha giggled. (Lastly, the Shop function allows you to buy items from fictional worlds using your Karma point. Even Excaaaaalibur!)
"Artoria?! Now I wanna visit Nasuverse!"
He had devoured every Fate visual novel, anime, and literature released to this day. Calling him a Fate fan would be underselling his passion for the franchise.
(My love, let me finish my explanation first. Say open status in your head.)
'Open Status.'
As he mentally commanded, a holographic display materialized before his eyes. The interface was sleek, reminiscent of the high-tech gadgets from sci-fi movies.
