<< … System initialization commencing… >>

Scott was going through a rigmarole of emotions at this point. Foremost in his mind was betrayal, the one act he despised more than anything else. Following the sense of betrayal closely behind, was rage. Scott was angry beyond reason, and he desperately needed an outlet to let loose.

He didn’t ask for any of this. He wasn’t interested in being that character in the webnovels he read when he was young, the character who got hit by a moving vehicle (usually a truck) and then just happened to reincarnate in another realm with a system, in the body of someone who was probably considered a ‘trash’. He didn’t want the pleasure of face-slapping people who looked down upon the previous ‘owner’ of his body. He didn’t care for a meteoric rise to fame, to shock nations and dynasties alike.

He just wanted a do-over. A chance at righting the wrongs of his life.

Scott solemnly made a vow at this point. He decided, if Hraxanthus really did bring him over to this new ‘realm’ just to mess with him, after sealing a deal which had guaranteed him a chance at retribution, then he would find a way to make him pay. As for how, that wasn’t something he could think of right now. He was in no position to pick a fight with a deity who could send him across a different realm at his will. Yes, he knew he’d most probably end up dead if he did actually go against Hraxanthus. But that didn’t stop him from hating his guts and making his own promises about him.

There was also the question of the sincerity of their deal. Unless Scott was gravely mistaken, Hraxanthus would not go through so much trouble just to fuck with an ‘insignificant mortal’. There obviously was something that Hraxanthus wanted him to do on this realm, and probably he’ll get hints or assurances in some form from him, at some point of time. Scott realized this was as good as blackmail. Hraxanthus was probably banking on Scott’s desire for retribution to be strong enough for the latter to overlook the injustice of what he’d been subjected to. Scott hated to admit it, but the deity was right, at least for the time being. Scott really didn’t want anything to come between him and his goal to undo the tragedy that befell everyone he loved. He tried to refocus himself.

<< …System initialization is reaching completion…User is advised to get rid of stray thoughts for initial calibration and go into a meditative state to minimize risk of possible failures during the process… >>

Well, so much for that.

Scott raced towards the tree-line in the distance, trying to get himself out of the open ground as soon as possible. If the system really wanted him to be in a zen state or whatever, staying out there in the middle of the glade wasn’t a good idea.

As he ran, Scott realized he’d totally forgotten to check his body once he’d arrived. His body felt uncharacteristically fit and stronger than ever. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever being this fit back on his own world. Scott hoped the change was permanent. He wasn’t going to complain.

He reached the thickets just before the next notification popped inside his head.

<< …System initialization will commence in 15 seconds. User is advised to clear the mind and get ready for the calibration process… >>

By then, Scott had propped himself against a tree, sitting cross-legged on the slightly damp forest floor. There was a large rock shielding his back and the grasses around him were long enough to not make him stand out immediately. When Scott ‘transmigrated’ into this realm, he’d been wearing a dark olive shirt and black jeans, so the chances of flashy clothes giving him away was also absent. He was as prepared as he could be, under the circumstances.

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<< …System initialization started. User is requested to name the System as the first step. Please note, for any interaction with the System, the user needs to only communicate mentally. The System is capable of predicting the User’s intents while calling upon the System to avoid stray commands…>>

Well that’s a bummer. Scott was kind of glad the System informed him about the intent, because he was tempted to name it ‘Hrax needs to go fuck himself System’.

Yeah, that probably wouldn’t be a good name.

‘Hrax’s useless Promise turned into a System’. ‘I didn’t ask for this System.’ ‘Please get me back System’.

Scott discarded all the names that popped into is head as a product of his frustration and anger. He didn’t know whether there was a time limit to naming the System, so he was just going to go with something like the Strongest System ( and it was one of the novels he really liked ) but then, he had another thought.

‘System….I name you…Brianna.’

As soon as he said that, he was starting to regret his choice and wished he could ‘undo’ the change. However, the System apparently wasn’t having any of that.

<<… System name set to Brianna. User is requested to keep in mind, the name is final and irrevocable. System initialization will continue… >>

Scott was offered a moment to himself since the System went quiet after its statement. It apparently didn’t want Scott to know the exact process and was abstracting the details. Scott snorted at the thought - he was half expecting loading bars and percentage completion signs.

Scott wondered whether the concept of this ‘System’ was a result of Hraxanthus’ own foray into popular culture of humans. It seemed the most likely scenario. He briefly wondered whether there was any truth to all those Isekai fantasies he’d enjoyed. Immediately, he felt stupid. Unless this was a rather intricate dream that he was yet to wake up from, Scott was practically ‘living’ that fantasy. He was probably the worst person to be given the system to, judging by the standards of the protagonist’s of those novels.

‘I was advised to keep my mind clear of thoughts, wasn’t I?’ Scott suddenly remembered the ‘warning’ of the System. He’d totally forgotten about that. He chuckled and realized that just probably proved his point about being the worst inheritor of this System.

Scott decided to try some pranayama, a series of techniques to control breathing, that he’d picked up in a Yoga class he’d attended. He remembered those helping him calm down when he was at a really bad stage after the tragedy struck.

‘Breathe in, allow your mind to accept all your thoughts. Breathe out, slowly filter them out. Don’t force them, just let them go.’

‘Think of your thoughts as entities. They can listen to you, obey your command. There is no need to be aggressive.’

‘Tell them they are free. Release them as you would a bird from its cage.’

Scott slowly fell into the well-practiced rhythm of his actions and his mind became calmer than before. He wasn’t completely devoid of thoughts, it was practically impossible given his predicament. But he was not bothered by them, so he could ‘pretend’ that they didn’t exist in his mind.

<<… System initialization finished… >>

The notification was surprisingly curt. Scott waited for more, for quite some time. He was wondering whether the System only had that much to say after all the hoopla.

‘Looks like that was all. Now what?’

Scott tried to feel the presence of the System in his mind. He was semi-successful. He instinctively ‘knew’ that his mind wasn’t just his own anymore. There was an indescribable ‘presence’ deep within, that he couldn’t touch. He could only feel the presence vaguely.

‘Hmm…I wonder…’

Scott took a deep breathe and with trembling heart, projected his thought onto the System.

‘Brianna?’

There was no response. It was eerily calm in the forest. Scott realized for the first time that he hadn’t heard any noise of birds or animals ever since he’d been there.

Did he mess up somehow?

Scott was reluctantly contemplating a second attempt when suddenly…

<<… Hello Scott. I am Brianna. How can I help you today? …>>

Scott almost fainted. That voice…the voice in his head.

The last time he heard that voice, it was whiny, petulant, annoying. The voice was nagging at him.

It was the most wonderful voice he’d ever heard.

For the second time, since that day - at least relative to what he’d experienced, the actual timespan can vary- Scott broke down in tears. This time it wasn’t a nerve-wrecking blubbering. Scott wept silently.

No, he didn’t feel like he’d made a bad decision. He’d have give anything to listen to that voice. No matter how ‘fake’, how ‘artificial’ it was.