Fred Curry jerked awake, eyes darting around his surroundings. Gray walls loomed around him, and a dull smell hung in the air.
"Wait...what just happened?" His voice trembled, the suddenly a blue, transparent screen materialized in front of him. He poked it cautiously, feeling its smooth, cold surface.
"What the hell is going on!?" he shouted, banging on the screen angrily. The screen glitched from the bang and a caused it to ding loudly
[I am a system that responds as your conscience. The only things I know are your abilities and you. Please don't be aggressive, Fred Curry.]
"Wait hold up, you're a system!? Am I isekai'd or something!?" He yelled out excitingly.
[Yes, would you like to review your abilities?]
"Abilities?" he muttered, confusion evident in his voice.
[Here is your list of Abilities]
Analysis Lvl. 1
[You can gain more abilities from defeating various enemies and others who have been brought here as well.]
"Do I have stats!?" Fred demanded.
[Stats]
Lvl.1 Fred Curry
0/1000 EXP
[EXP can be gained while defeating enemies.]
[EXP is not consumed when you Level up, they are to be spent on skills you may obtain.]
[Each Level Up, you may gain more access and information to the System.]
[You are denied of having Stat Points System.You are the only one with the Game System after all.]
"Fair enough. Guess it's best to grind while trying to figure out what's going on... I was about to grind for the Sword Of Excalibrating too..."
A sudden dark presence thickened the air around him. Fred gulped, looking down at his hands and realizing he was clad in an Ozzy's Crazy Train shirt and his classic brown shorts. Embarrassing.
His eyes widened as a shadow loomed nearby—something with countless tentacles. The squelching sound and a shrill ringing in his ears were terrifying enough, but the creature's shape was even worse.
A tentacle brushed his shoulder, and he spun around, screaming, "DON'T KILL ME, I'M JUST A NOOB!"
He blinked and found himself staring into the eyes of a woman with long black hair and pale skin. She wore a shirt like his and similar brown shorts. The only difference was she was packing more on her chest and Fred found his voice caught in awe and fear.
The woman seemed shocked too, touching her face and then grinning with delight, as if discovering something wonderful.
"Hot damn..." His face shone bright red
[This is getting weird. Use Analysis on this woman.]
"Do I actually have to say Analysis?"
[Yes, now stop ogling at her and analyze her stats.]
"Right, Analysis!" he shouted, glad for a distraction. The woman gasped and smiled.
"It talked!" She gasped again, touching her mouth. "Mouth can talk, I can talk?" She started rubbing her lips with fascination.
Fred watched her, wincing his face in confusion and tainting the image of what he imagined her to be.
[Analysis Complete!]
Name: Adanavokalayaokinnuanreedsdisin
Age: 700 Years Old
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Species: Eldritch Horror
Ability: Transformation
[Level Up Analysis to learn more.]
"You're an Eldritch Horror!?" he blurted out, covering his mouth, not noticing that her face is inches away from his Gosh, she seemed even taller up close.
She laid a hand on his face, her touch persistently gentle but unsettling. Fred pulled her hand away.
"Human feels disturbed. Why you scared, Human?" she asked, her curiosity plain.
Fred’s mind raced. Was she mocking him for being weak? He calmed himself, cleared his throat, and feigned bravado. "I'm not scared of an Eldritch Succubus. If you're going to kill me, then try if you can!"
The woman just blinked and started walking after him, her feet wobbling and taking her time with each step.
He dashed down a hallway, walls twisting and turning. He kept wondering where the exit might be. The walls only stayed the same dull color, was there even an end to these walls.
"Hey System! Where's the exit!?" Fred yelled in frustration, as the blue screen appeared by his side.
[You don't have the ability to know that.]
"Well at least give me a hint!"
[Well I don't know it either! I'm just your conscience! Most of the time!]
He then suddenly stopped running, his path blocked by a small green creature.
"Oi! Stop right there!" shouted a small creature standing in his path. A goblin, clothed in rags.
"A goblin!" Fred readied his fists, bracing himself.
"Hoho? This human is brave! Weird clothes, you must be noble!" it snickered, as shadows behind it formed into a sinister hand.
Fred's eyes went wide. Goblins shouldn't have that power...
"Analysis!" he shouted.
[Analysis Complete!]
Name: Borg
Age: 3
Species: Goblin
Ability: Shadow Control
"Hmmm? You make things appear too? I don't care, human! You die now!" The goblin lunged, the shadow hand aiming for Fred’s head.
Fred yelped as he stepped back, eyes squeezed shut, until he heard a satisfying clang!
"What!?" The goblin flailed, its shadow hand pierced in the System Screen and stuck there, it tried pulling it out but it was way in too deep.
[Goddammit]
Fred grinned. "Well that's new! My turn!" He punched the goblin, sending it crashing to the ground.
The screen's hole vanished, and Fred looked down at the dazed goblin. He himself knew his fist strong, but enough to bring it down. See? Regular push ups can still make gamers strong.
"I hate you humans..." The goblin rose again, shadow hand reforming. "WHY WON'T YOU LET ME HAVE EVERYTHING!?" It lunged once more.
"Cuz you're not asking nicely!" Fred caught the System Screen and slammed it down on the goblin, smashing its head in. It then falls, suddenly it's body disintegrates into light, scattering up into the air.
"Wait... I only wanted to knock it out," he muttered, letting go of the screen.
[Congratulations on defeating a fellow spirit. You have gained 500XP [500/1000 for Level Up] and the ability: [Shadow Hand Lvl.1]]
"Wait, what do you mean fellow spirit?"
[Creatures with abilities like you are spirits. You were all killed and brought here. That is all I know.]
"Killed, huh? That light...Eh whatever, so how do I activate Shadow Hand?"
A shadowy force rose from the ground, forming a hand.
"Whoa!" Fred admired the shadow, moving it like a third arm. "This is a sweet ability!" His eye then shone brightly as he realized something.
"Can I upgrade my skills with the XP!?" He tapped st the screen.
[Yes, here are the skills you can upgrade.]
[Ability List]
500 XP
Analysis Lvl.1 [150 XP to upgrade]
Shadow Hand Lvl.1 [250 to upgrade]
350 XP Spent!
Analysis Lvl.2 - You can now see species information!
Shadow Hand Lvl.2 - You can now control Two Shadow Hands!
[You have 100 XP left. 500/1000 XP left to Level Up.]
Fred summoned his new shadow hands, high-fiving them before they merged back into his shadow. "This is so...cool." He spotted the woman from before, peeking around a corner, smiling as she came forward with a wacky waddle.
"Human..." Her legs wobbled as she approached.
Fred watched her. If that goblin was brought here by the light, then this...eldritch girl is like me. It’s disturbing that she's actually an Eldritch Horror.
"Human! I'm Adanavokalayaokinnuanreedsdisin! What your call?" She sounded like she was casting a demonic spell when she said her name.
Fred pondered. She must transform based on who she touches—so she doesn’t know how to be human, yet she speaks the language.
"I'm Fred Curry." He held out his hand with a friendly smile.
She stared at it, then covered it with her lips, chewing it without biting.
"HEY! DON'T DO THAT!" He wiped his hand on his shirt, frowning. "Human hates me....I forgot..." She collapsed, her head hitting the ground.
"Yo what!?" He stepped out of the way as she collapses.
She lied there on her back, raising her arms up and smiling at the sight of them.
"Hey, you okay...Ada yada yada?" Fred then sighed as knelt beside her. "Can I just call you Ada?"
Ada's eyes lit up. "Human give name!" She squeezed her own cheeks happily...then she reached out to grab his cheek.
"It's a nickname..." Fred sighed, letting her pinch him. She giggles as she just kept doing it, then the hand was slapped away. He stood up. "So, Ada, you're just like me huh? Minus the fact that you're acting like a big baby." He told.
Ada wriggled on the ground, struggling to move her limbs.
"You don’t know how to get up, do you?" Fred sighed, pulling her arms and summoning his shadow hands to prop her up. Her expression remained unaffected and then held her stomach as her legs wobbled.
"Human... Ada wants something in here." She pointed to her mouth.
"Have you ever felt like that when you were...not human?" he asked, arms crossed.
"No. This first. It feels bad."
"Do you know how to get back to your... actually nevermind, I don’t want to see that." He turned away. "Analysis, I want info on her species."
[Species: Eldritch Horror]
These creatures wander space seeking worlds to inhabit. They feed on emotions to live beyond 1000 years. This one has yet to feed.
"So...how are they born?"
[No one knows.]
"Oh come on, I thought I’d solve one of mankind’s unsolved mysteries!" He shook his fist in mock anger.
Ada sniffed the air, her eyes shone, her mouth open with drool dripping out. She then slowly waddled to the direction of the smell.
[I'm your conscience, not a wiki!]
"Fine, fine...Wait, Ada?" He noticed her already ahead and sprinted to catch up. "Hey! Wait up! where are you going!?" He called after her, running towards her.