It was an unassuming day in London. The sky was dull and gray, and hints of rain were beginning to show. As always, the streets were jam packed with vehicles. One such vehicle was being driven by 19 (and a half) year old Havok Astagner. Returning from the University of Cambridge for Christmas, the aspiring engineer was coming home to see his family, who lived in the city.
Honking the horn one last time for good measure, Havok groaned and rubbed his temples. His hangover, combined with the snail-like pace of London traffic, were not a good mix.
“Why didn’t I just walk…” Havok mumbled as he watched locals stroll past him on the sidewalk. The car behind him blared its horn at him. Just before Havok could stick his head out the window to shout back at the man, a blinding white light erupted in his vision.
[System Initiation Process Beginning… System Initiation Complete!]
[Subject: Havok Astagner; Human]
[Integrating System Guide… Integration Complete!]
[Welcome to the System, Havok.]
Havok awoke to what could only be described as utter chaos. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were with him in what appeared to be a psychiatric ward. The room was bare but for a single raised pedestal in the center. Where the hell am I? What happened? All I remember was that white light… Havok felt the blood drain from his face. Am… am I dead?
[Negative. Host body is operational and in decent condition.] The voice boomed in Havok’s head.
“What the hell? Who are you? How are you in my head?” The young man started slapping the side of his head in an attempt to get the voice out.
[I am your System Guide, Havok Astagner. Please refrain from harming yourself.]
“System? What happened? Where’s my car? Is my family okay!?” His tone became increasingly concerned.
[The System is… everything. At this time, [Earth], your world, is being integrated into the multiverse. Your car has been removed from this plane of existence. Your family is most likely well, seeing as only 4% of humanity was wiped out during the initial integration stages.]
“W-wiped out!? What?” His face, already pale, turned a shade of white similar to the floor he was standing on.
[Due to many factors, about 321 million human beings have perished upon integration.]
“Shit! My phone is missing!” A few meters away from Havok, a teenager cursed. In alarm, Havok quickly searched his own pockets, only to find that his phone was missing as well. Havok, upon realizing this, used decidedly worse terminology than the teenager to express his frustration. At this point, people were beginning to freak out. Just before a riot could break loose, a hole opened in the ceiling above the pedestal.
“Greetings, Humans. I am the System Overseer for this sector of your planet. Please remain calm and allow me to explain the situation.”
A pulsing orb descended from the hole, sending rays of royal blue light throughout the otherwise bland room. Its appearance did… nothing to calm the inhabitants of the space, only causing more panic. Havok, always one to remain somewhat calm under pressure, began to carefully study the orb before him. His spot in the center of the room proved handy here, giving him a good look at it.
[Skill learned! Analyze (Basic 1).]
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Havok blinked. Suddenly, the orb became… clearer? That was the only way Havok could comprehend it.
Name: Kobarek
Race: System Being
Class: System Overseer (Level ???)
Level what now? Is this some sort of… game? I swear I’ve read a novel like this somewhere… Havok chuckled. As if something like that could happen in real life.
[Surprisingly, these novels you speak of describe the situation perfectly. Perhaps a System Being has appeared in this world before. The novels are incredibly accurate.]
Oh. Havok stared blankly at the orb once again, still confused.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask your [System Guide]. It will provide you with all basic System knowledge. Your world is almost fully integrated, and you will be sent to the Tutorial.]
With this, another flash of light (albeit less blinding) burst across Havok’s vision, and after it faded, the orb, Kobarek, was nowhere to be found. Instead, a large holographic screen came into view where the System Overseer was. It had a countdown timer on it. There was one hour and fifteen minutes left, which led Havok to believe that it was related to the integration of Earth. While waiting, Havok began to use the Analyze skill on the other people in the room.
Name: Alicia
Race: Human
Class: N/A (Level 0)
That was the teenager that realized her phone was gone. Havok grinned, seeing as the girl was staring mindlessly at the ceiling. She seemed to be one of the types that was glued to their phone.
Name: Morris
Race: Human
Class: N/A (Level 0)
This time, Havok had analyzed a large, burly man, far exceeding Havok’s rather tall 189cm frame. The man also had quite a bit more muscle on Havok. What does the skill actually do? What are its limitations and abilities?
[To access this information, think “Status”.]
“Oh, thanks System Guide. That’s a bit of a mouthful though, is there anything else I could call you? Considering you’re an AI and all, right…?” Havok asked.
[My true designation is Earth System Assist Guide Intelligence. However, you can designate me as Aegis and refer to me as such, as that is the only word in your language that can be formed from those letters.]
“Okay, Aegis…” Havok tested the name out. “Yeah, sounds good. Nice to ‘meet’ you Aegis!”
[It is pleasant to be in your presence Havok Astagner, as that is my mission protocol.]
“Hmm…” Havok thought for a minute. How do I go about this? Status? A holographic screen, similar to the countdown one, appeared in his vision.
Name: Havok Astagner
Race: Human
Class: N/A (Level 0)
Stats:
Body: 6
Mind: 7
Soul: 1
Skills:
Analyze
“Okay, now how do I see more about Analyze itself?” Havok confusedly asked Aegis.
[Simply focus your attention on the specific skill or stat. In this case, it would be Analyze.]
“Sounds simple enough.”
Analyze (Basic 1)
See beyond the surface. At the (Basic) stage, Analyze will reveal mostly casual information about the target. The higher your level of Analyze, the higher your chance of Analyze succeeding. Analyze has a 100% chance of working with somebody below your level of Analyze, a 75% chance of working with someone at the same level, and a 50% percent chance of working with someone above the level.
“Huh, Analyze seems useful. I still don’t know how to measure myself with these stats though…” Havok left the rest to Aegis.
[For comparison, somebody with a 10 in Body would be able to compete on the international level in sports or other athletics. Somebody with a 10 in Mind would be able to learn something as complex as calculus in a matter of weeks. Unfortunately, Soul is not a common stat to have anything in for humans on your planet, and there is no proper standard to compare yours with. It is surprising that you have even one point in it. Soul allows you to perform incredible feats that are only possible through the arcane.]
By this point, the countdown timer had progressed to just forty-five minutes left, and Havok decided to take a nap.
“Is it possible for you to set an alarm?” Havok asked, exhausted from the London traffic and the sudden turn of events.
[It is indeed. Would you like me to set one for when the integration is complete?]
“Yeah, that’d be great. I’m going to nap now.” Havok responded. In seconds, he managed to drift away on the surprisingly comfortable floor of the room.