8 The System
Ding!
"Wah!!"
Seth suddenly woke up from the sound. It was like an instinct for him to wake up according to this specific sound after fixing his sleep schedule.
"I live? Or did I die again?"
He was confused. After dying once, he can't differentiate between life and death anymore.
'Or life is just an endless cycle of a loop?! Maybe we get repeatedly sent to the next world when we die!'
Seth looked around and found he was in some medical room. There is a glass cabinet made of wood with a lot of medical equipment inside it opposite his bed.
'No, it doesn't….'
He tucks his shirt out and sees a giant scar in the middle of his chest, indicating that he is still in the same body penetrated by another man's sword.
Ding!
[No, it doesn't.]
A cold and lifeless voice of a girl echoed in his head.
"!!"
Seth was startled after a voice suddenly appeared.
Ding!
[I'm in your head, host.]
The mysterious voice echoed again.
"Who are you?"
Seth was instantly calm. His emotional threshold for the abnormal event now is very high after witnessing the miracle of being reborn and staying alive after getting stabbed.
And the voice knows it.
Ding!
[I'm the system, full name: Heroic System.]
It introduced itself.
"Go on."
Seth let it continue; he wanted to learn what it was, not its name.
Ding!
[My purpose is to help you on your journey in this world.]
And the system knows it too.
"Yeah… if you want to help me, let's start with turning off the ding. What is the command for it? Turn off notifications?"
Seth is the type of guy who turns off his phone notifications. He hates the ding sound so much that it annoys and distracts him when working.
[I will stop it now.]
It doesn't start its sentence with an annoying sound anymore.
"Wow… you understand it."
Seth is surprised. Doesn't all systems have to be explicitly commanded to work? Having a system that understands human meaning sounded very convenient.
He often heard from the software department how the computer couldn't function as intended. They must be jealous to learn that there is a system that understands human language.
[Yes, my algorithm is wired directly to your cognition. I will work according to your every command exactly how you want if the order is in my capability and not prohibited by the creator.]
The system explained.
"The creator?! Is he the one who sent me here too?"
After hearing it, Seth stands up with his eyes open wide.
Does he finally get to learn the identity of his savior?
[Yes.]
"Who is he?"
[The answer is prohibited.]
'Of fucking course, it is prohibited!'
Seth yelled in his head before noticing something.
"Wait, you know I will question it. You said that you knew what I wanted. Why not give me an answer immediately? That should be more convenient, isn't it?"
If the system is truly wired to his head, then it should automatically follow his desire, with no need for him to give it input.
[I'm programmed to only respond to your order when you ask for it with your cognition. And I must remind you that if I find your order to conflict with your inner motive for some reason, such as being influenced by strong emotion or under extreme stress, there will always be a confirmation check to it.]
It also can decline his order when it decides that the user is in an incapable state.
"So, it has some fail-safe mechanisms, like a PIN or 2-factor authentication."
Seth is asking for confirmation.
[Yes, my creator notes that human error is my biggest concern. This is the method I created from your memory. Do you want it to be more secure? Like you have to pick a smiling animal from these pictures.]
A monitor is floating in front of him. Of 9 pictures of a dog, 3 of them are smiling.
"No, I think I will stay with just yes or no. And if you can read my cognition and memory, then."
Seth wanted to test something.
'Can I speak with you in my thoughts?'
And he hopes it works.
[Yes.]
It does work!
'Then why don't you say so! If someone sees me, they must think I'm a lunatic!'
He screamed in his head. If somebody sees it, how will the people think of him?
[I'm just a system, if you want to learn more, please ask.]
The system answered back in a cold and lifeless manner.
'Yes, I do! You said you are a "Heroic System," but how does it work? Are you a friend to keep me company like a hero's sidekick?'
Instead of answering with words, the system popped a floating monitor in front of his eyes.
[Name: Seth Anderson]
[---]
He clicked on the [---] that he assumed was the [see more] button.
[You can also use my interface with your thoughts without physical input.]
This time, the system gave him advice after it learned that Seth wanted to know its primary function.
'Thank you for warning me this time. Man, I am addicted to a touchscreen.'
Seth laughed at his habit.
His first instinct after seeing a floating monitor is to control it by touch, even when the system tells him they could communicate with thought.
[Name: Seth Anderson]
[Mana: 8/8 (1.2/second)]
[Age: 18 (Real Age: 30)]
[Heroic Point: 0]
[Affinity: unknown]
[Strength: 12/100]
[Durability: 20/100]
[Magic: 4/100]
The monitor expanded and showed more tabs and numbers.
'My stat seems pretty low… or it doesn't? How do I measure it? And what is this "Heroic Point?"'
Seth wanted to know what /100 means and how the system calculated all these numbers.
[The 100 is your body limit, biologically.]
When the system explains, there is also an infographic of his body with a presentation of what all the stats do appear.
[The Heroic point can be spent to increase your power level.
[Strength is your overall body strength, including speed and accuracy.]
[Durability means your body's tolerance, such as against poison, physical damage, and weather.]
[Magic is a new concept to host, so I'm sorry I didn't have much explanation for you, what I have now is your mana capacity and its regeneration rate.]
'You really did wire to my head…. If I have to guess, the details will be more after I learn more, correct?'
Seth finally realizes how deeply the system depends on him.
[Yes.]
And it was confirmed.
'Even if it is a cheat, it all still depends on me.'
Seth didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
He may not have a fast track to greatness like many novels he read in his past life, but he will learn that he earned all this power to a certain degree.
After being content with himself, he clicked his mind on the status to check.
[Strength +1: 10 points require]
[Durability +1: 50 points require]
[Magic +1: 10 points require]
'Why does Durability cost me more?'
Seth wondered.
[The creator notes that it is about the "rates." The higher the number, the effect will grow exponentially with each point, so the cost must also grow to compensate for its return.]
The system, too, doesn't know why. Sometimes it does what it does because of how it was created, but most of it came from Seth.
If Seth doesn't know, it will have a 99% chance the system isn't.
'Does it mean, if I upgrade my durability now, I will become more durable than I gain power if I upgrade my strength?'
Seth theorized.
[Yes.]
'Then, let's see the last one.'
Seth clicked on the last panel on the monitor.
[Skill]
[Mana control(passive): Mana regeneration rate +20%]
[Quick Thrust: 3 mana/use]
And when he clicked on it, a picture of him using it appeared, accompanied by a small list.
[Krista]
And when he clicked on it, he saw how Krista used her [Quick Thrust.]
'Not only does it show how I'm using it, but it also shows how others are using it too. Pretty neat!'
Seth is amazed by the system.
The creator must be thoughtful to add all of this to the system.
[Yes, but it's all up to your memory, even if it isn't [Quick Thrust], but you think it was, it still will be shown up here.]
The system warned him that it presented the information; whether true or false was up to Seth.
'That is dangerous… I will remember.'
But he got a better idea. It also checks how much control he has over the system interface.
'Can you add a note that it is subjective to me?'
[Will do.]
The system grants his wish. Now, the memory panel also has a giant red [! The memory you see can be a fault. Please, process with caution.] sign.
[The skill panel is the skill you learn in your journey. After you learn, it will be forever imprinted into the system. I will calculate how much it costs or if it has any downside.]
'Well, if you can calculate how much it costs, why can't you tell me how many times I can use it? In terms of physical wise. For example, how many times can I use [Quick Thrust] before I'm tired.?'
[The word you search for is "SP" or Stamina point, correct?]
"Yes! That one."
[I can't. I try to find a factor for your stamina, but it is too unpredictable. Sometimes you have the energy, but your body refuses to move, and sometimes, it should run out, but you can still move. I can't find the correct measurement for it. This is also a problem for "HP," I'm sorry.]
Human nature is too unpredictable for the system. Seth's database has too many factors to calculate these two points, so it abandoned it entirely.
For the mana, it is just a cost for paying to use magical skills. He can still function as an average person without mana, but the definition of "stamina" and "health" are too essential factors to be measured vaguely; loss either means death or fatigue.
The system doesn't want to hinder Seth's motivation in future events.
It is afraid that if it says 0, Seth will stop trying his best for fear of death.
The system's primary purpose is to push Seth forward, not pull him back by numbers.
'Ok…. Then the last question, you said you linked to my memory. Am I have to remember It for you to answer, or did I not?'
Seth is eager to learn the answer.
If the answer is what he hopes for, the system will benefit more than just an upgrade station.
[You don't need to. Everything, when you learn it, see it, hear it, will imprint onto me, and you can ask me to recall it anytime you want, sound, picture, or sense. I can even see you back to those moments if you wish.]
'One more! Do I have to be conscious?!'
He starts to can't keep his excitement in check.
His body starts to tremble from all the hype within him.
The only thing that keeps him from going out of control is the last question.
[You only can't recall the image if your eyes are closed, but for other sensations such as smell or sound, you don't need to.]
But it delivers.
"LET FUCKIN GOOOOO!!!!!"
Seth jumped off the bed and let out a big scream of victory!
'This shit is OP! ALL HAIL THE CREATOR!!!'
He danced around the room like a maniac after knowing how valuable the system was.
The power upgrade is fine, but even without the system, Seth knows he can obtain the power by training.
But a sentient AI assistant that knows his every need and can recall everything he ever wanted without miscommunication?
As an ex-office worker, this is the system's most valuable function!
[…]
The system knows that Seth is trying to exploit it, but it is in the code that it must encourage its user to think, so it stays silent.
*Crude*
The wooden door opens after Seth yells out loud, and the male soldier who comes in watches him with absolute confusion.
Before, it turned to a smile after seeing Seth seem energetic and healthy.
"Oh, you're finally awake."
He gave Seth a warm welcome.
