2 Chapter 02: Broken and Useless

A few hours had passed since the nameless man lost consciousness. When he finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by unfamiliar runes hovering in front of him.

[System activated]

[Do you wish to proceed?]

"What illusion is this? Proceed what?" The man was clueless about the meaning behind these words, uncertain whether it was a good or bad thing for him. Nevertheless, since he is trapped inside this cave with no food and a weak body, barely allowing him to walk properly. He desperately needed any form of assistance.

The nameless man guessed that the red diamond that his body had absorbed earlier might be connected to these strange runes, so he decided to take his chances. After all, what other choice does he have?

"Proceed," the nameless man uttered, and numerous messages appeared in quick succession.

[System synchronized with the user]

[Error Error]

As this message appeared, the man felt a small headache

[Missing Data, Unable to synchronize with the user]

[Searching for an alternative solution]

[Error Error]

Soon, the headache escalated rapidly into pain, causing the nameless man to inhale deeply.

"Another pain? When is this going to stop?"

[Backup Data corrupted, Unable to recover]

[Unable to find a solution, System malfunction]

[Searching for an alternative solution]

A crimson glow emanated from the man's chest, accompanied by a surge of heat.

[Magic core detected, User permission is required]

[Error Error]

[System override, User must survive, Magic core is consumed]

The crimson glow vanished and the man heard a shattering sound, like a broken glass inside his chest.

[System successfully created The User Assistant]

[Welcome User]

The messages stopped, the pain stopped, giving the man a breather and time to think about what just happened.

"It seems something went wrong," the man pondered.

"You're right," a voice resounded out of nowhere. The man instantly became alerted, looking around for the source.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" the man exclaimed.

"I am right here inside your …*bizz 'empty' *bizz… head," the voice spoke in two distinct tones, leaving the nameless man confused.

"Who are you?" the man inquired.

[I am your assistant, User …*bizz 'You wish' *bizz... I'll help you in the best way I can to ensure your ..*bizz 'You're a dead meat' *bizz.. survival.]

The man shook his head. utterly confused by this assistant of his. It seemed as though two separate voices were speaking simultaneously. Nonetheless, if he was going to help him, then this was a good thing, right?

"So?... How can you help?" the man questioned.

[System is able to...]

[Error Error]

[Apologies User, …*No, not really,*... it appears that all of my functions are either corrupted or lost. Due to this malfunction, the system is able to provide the User with only the Status option at the moment,] the system responded.

The nameless man didn't like this answer. Sure, he didn't understand what the system was talking about, but it sounded like a problem.

"What is this status option?"

[The system is able to analyze and give details about your current …*weakling*... body, as well as information, progression, and skills.]

The man thought about what the system said. Of course. Understanding his body's capabilities and limitations was crucial. Information is key to what he could and couldn't do, especially considering his current feeble physique. This is a matter of life and death. Thus, the man eagerly requested to view his status.

"Show me this Status option," the man commanded. and instantly, more of these mysterious runes appeared before him.

…

[Status]

Name: ????

Race: ????

Level: 01

Class: ????

Health: 100/100

Mana: 50/50

Strength: 10

Stamina: 5

Agility: 5

[Skills]

...

As the nameless man looked at this tab, he noted a few key pieces of information. To his surprise, he was able to understand the meaning behind each rune. What really captured his attention most was his name. There was none.

"What about my name?" the nameless man asked the system.

[The System was unable to find any memories. The User lost all of them, thus the system is incapable of recovering this information.]

The nameless man took a deep breath, stretched his body, and cracked his neck. No matter how much he wanted to know his name and its significance to him, without one, he was basically nothing. At least, that's what the nameless man thought.

But alas, there was nothing he could do about it. He hoped that with time, his memory would come back to him. He set aside this matter for now, since there are more pressing things at hand.

"System, what's your opinion on my status? Are they good or not?" the man asked.

He wanted to know how good he was and if he could perform well if things didn't work out for him, like facing a life-threatening situation and having to fight through it. Since he had no way to compare himself with others at the moment.

[User, your overall status is …*Weak as hell*.., below average due to your physical condition and the absence of memories. I advise you to avoid any conflict; …*They will crush you like a bug*... at least until you grow stronger,] the system responded.

The nameless man cast his gaze downward. He wasn't pleased with the system's assessment. Even if he was weak, he didn't like to hear it. Not forgetting the other system's voice making fun of him.

"Weak as hell? Is he making fun of me? And what's with the bug? I bet you have bugs in your brain," the man shouted in his head out of frustration.

[Negative User], the system snapped. [I lack a brain. Bugs cannot affect me, as I exist solely within your consciousness.]

The nameless man rolled his eyes. "So you are the 'bug' in my brain?... Anyway, stop calling me User. I don't like it. It feels odd."

[Affirmative, switching name to …*Sucker*... Master.]

'Sigh…I can see that my future is a dark one, since I'm stuck with a broken and useless 'thing' inside my head'

While the man and the system engaged in their awkward exchange, they both failed to notice something important going on behind them. Well, it was the nameless man's fault since the system could only observe through the eyes of his Master. Consequently, they both missed the strange rune that appeared on the dark-stone pillar.

Two runes could be seen on the pillar, and with each second, they changed to a different one. These runes were, in fact, numbers, and the numbers were steadily counting down this whole time without the man even noticing it. When the countdown reached zero, the unthinkable happened.

Out of all the things that could happen to the poor man, the worst possible scenario unfolded. an earthquake. And to make matters even worse for him, he was inside a cave with no way out.

The pillar suddenly began glowing red, Illuminating the whole cave, followed by vibration beneath the man's feet snapping him out of his thoughts. He instantly realized what's happening.

'I think now is the best time to leave this damn cave before it comes crashing down on my head.'

Without any further delay, the nameless man sprinted toward the door on the other side of the cave. He struggled on his way due to his weak body, he stumbled several times along the way, yet he managed to hold himself together. When his life was at stake, pain was secondary to him.

Rocks begin to rain down as the vibration intensified. One stone found its mark on the man's shoulder, but that didn't stop him from reaching the door. When he did, the man repeatedly rammed his shoulder against the giant door, hoping to force it open, but to no avail.

The door shared the same material as the coffin and the pillar –this dark-stone. It wasn't until the nameless man tried to break it that he finally realized how strong the material is.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open this giant door. The door had no handle, lock or anything of that sort; it was completely sealed. and for the first time, the nameless man began experiencing panic.

"Hey! Do something! I am dying here!" the man cried out, hoping that the system could offer assistance.

[Analyzing, searching for a solution], a message appeared. After a brief pause, the system responded.

[Master, place both your hands on the door] it instructed.

The nameless man was confused. 'I need to break this damn door! Place my hands? How can this help? Crap!, am I going to die?' the man protested inwardly.

[...*Stop whining like a little girl and do as I say NOW!*...], the other voice of the system snapped at the man, leaving the nameless man no choice but to comply. When he placed both his hands on the door, a message appeared.

[Analyzing]

[Lock combination detected, attempting to unlock]

[Error Error]

[Attempting to bypass, bypass successful]

[Door unlocked, magic circle activated]

A circle of shadows appeared in the middle of the door in front of the man.

[Master, enter the portal quickly], the system urged, leaving the nameless man with no alternative but to leap forward.