[System Announcement: Beginning merge of Host with System.]

It was like a bolt of lightning slammed into my already worn body, setting my mind aflame in a deadly thrill of electricity. The System power melded forcefully into me, both intoxicating and immeasurable. I desperately kept in mind the Main System’s message regarding corruption and struggled to maintain the walls of my mind as firmly as I could against the intoxication of this new system.

Just as the Main System had warned, the new system began to fight back against my hold almost immediately upon rebounding against my mental defenses. While the System was powerful, it had also just been born. Not only that but it was also created in my image according to the Main System.

It was an odd sort of struggle. In my initial interactions with the System, I’d believed it to be some sort of hive mind-like existence, retaining control over a large number of powerful beings. However, my melding with the New System was more akin to meeting a parasite. And the more I adopted the new System, the more I realized it wasn’t exactly an intelligent existence—no, it was more similar to a type of universal energy. Like heart energy. Or the feeling I got from forming my Core.

But, somehow, not quite the same. It was more alive than a Core or pure energy.

I couldn’t quite place the feeling. It was almost like energy had an intent of its own.

The electricity faded as I forced dominance over the newborn System and it eventually submitted to my stranglehold, much as my heart energy had done during the Core formation. It squirmed in resistance for a final second before I felt something settle in my mind.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: You have subdued the New System.]

[New System renamed to the Desire System.]

[System type is currently being decided based on past achievements.]

[Deal-type Dominance System applied.]

There were different types of systems? I frowned, leaning into the armrest with my elbow and rubbing the side of my head in a useless attempt to soothe the splitting headache. Even with my high level of Will, if I didn’t get some rest soon, I knew I would collapse from sheer mental depletion.

“System, explain what Deal-type dominance means,” I commanded and willed the System to answer. It took a moment, but it answered.

[System Message: The Desire System is a Skill obtained by Host Lilith Reiter that allows the Host to bestow System benefits to another being, titling them as a Paragon. Each agreement individually restricts the Host’s ability to command the Paragon. The Host will not be able to interfere with the Paragon’s Path of Desire. The effects of this System exist within the Host and Paragons; it is therefore not restricted to any specific location. Unlike the Main System, the jurisdiction of this System MAY NOT be restricted by the Host or Administrators, should any Paragon be raised to such status.]

[System Benefits: System benefits of increased energy gain, obtaining skill sets, and other bonuses in exchange for acknowledging the Host as their Queen.]

“What is a Path of Desire? What are other System benefits?” I asked. When no answer came, I turned toward my mind and pressed down on the System with some Will, but nothing happened. I repeated my question and finally, it answered. Sort of.

[System Message: The answer to the Host’s question is unknown. Details will be understood once a Paragon is created.]

I sighed and pushed to my feet, a feeling of unsteadiness causing me to stumble and nausea swept up my throat causing me to nearly vomit. I needed to sleep. Badly. All my heart energy reserves were utterly depleted. Perhaps if my Core had reached Silver level, I’d be able to rely on Core energy, what heart energy becomes after long-term marination inside a Core, but that wasn’t currently available to me. Only the heart energy circulating in my Core would be useful. The energy inside my Core that I’d built was too low in quality and quantity to matter much.

“Are you able to purge me of the Main System?”

[System Message: There are no traces of the Main System within the Host.]

My eyes widened with surprise. “It’s been removed? Even Orpheus’ blood?” A moment passed with no response and then—

[System Message: The blood of the Main System’s guardian was purged during the merging of the Host Queen and the Desire System.]

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

I remembered something the Main System had said about my Core. “What about the Core System? Will that be purged from me?”

[System Message: The Host’s Core system is not a True System. It is a mechanism to harness the energy of our Universe. Systems cannot interfere with natural energy mechanisms, though the way a System interacts with mechanisms such as the “Core system” can differ. In the Host's situation, the Main System attempted a direct interference with the Core system causing an error, though the interference was still accepted to a degree.]

I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but when I pressed the System for more information regarding what it meant by “to a degree,” it stubbornly kept silent. Since time was of the essence, I changed the direction of my questions.

“Do you have the ability to purge others the same way?” Though I couldn’t see the System and it didn’t have any physical attributes, I felt like I could sense it nodding as it narrated the red text.

[System Message: Any being who agrees to become a Paragon will be purged of all other System influences. Only a direct invasion from a separate System can combat the purging.]

That last line was ominous, but there wasn’t time to worry about the possibilities of other Systems and the morbid reality of what that implied for humanity's future of freedom as a whole.

Armed with the knowledge I could purge the System from others, albeit only when agreed, I knew it was time to follow up with Dralos. I reached out to the System for the last pieces of pressing information I needed to go forth with my plans.

“Do I retain the heart energy and skills the Main System provided?” I pressed, wondering whether I’d be able to still use the resurrection abilities. That, and if the abilities carried over, it would likely be a lot easier to convert the Slaves.

[System Message: A System convert will retain certain abilities if that is within the authority of the new system. All levels and energy provided by the previous System will be revoked as it is outside the new System’s authority. Energy obtained by a System User while under a System Influence but not bestowed by the System will be retained.]

I wasn’t sure what that meant, and the System refused to answer any more of my questions no matter how much pressure I put on it. Perhaps it didn’t know. I’d try again when my Will had been rested. Still, at least I knew these Paragons of mine would keep their abilities and energy to some extent. This would make convincing them slightly easier. Hopefully.

My feet felt like they were lead as I left the laboratory and headed back down the hallway of slime toward the Slave quarters. I tried to ignore the exhaustion and weight of my body and mind by turning my thoughts to the slaves. With the power already granted to them by the Main System and the addiction levels of Orpheus’ blood, I didn’t know who would take my offer. It was more than likely most would simply choose to stay with the Main System. I didn’t know whether the addictive quality was the dead Paragon’s blood or the System itself, and I didn’t really want to find out, but at the same time, I didn’t want to rely on fighters in withdrawal.

I paused, an idea occurring to me. “System, is my blood addictive like Orpheus’?”

This time the System’s response was immediate and, unlike all the other messages I’d ever received from a System, it was said in an almost conversational manner, colloquial even.

[System Message: Waaaaaay more.]

Shit. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, though replacing one addiction with another was somewhat of a solution. Only time would tell if addictive blood would result in a long-term benefit or not. I imagined a whole army of blood-addicted beasts clawing away at me for blood and I shuddered. It was a risk for sure, especially at my power level. While my System was different from Orpheus’, they had apparently been able to free themselves from his control with bindings. I didn’t know if my System would also allow that type of switch in authority.

I really needed to get stronger.

It was an eerie walk back to the slave dungeons. I hadn’t before noticed the way the hallway itself and the slime pervading it seemed to shift as if alive. Unlike when I’d been accompanied by another, the solemn silence of the trek began to stir a feeling of unease inside of me. The longer I was in the hallway, the more I began to see signs that this wasn’t a hallway. It felt increasingly like I was walking inside the throat of some creature and that the slime was not actually slime, but saliva and phlegm.

I would have sprinted from the disturbing passage on any other day. Today though, I didn’t have the energy. Physically, I was probably in good enough condition to run. But my energy reserves couldn’t support the attempt.

So instead, I just trudged through and hoped if it was a throat that the beast wouldn’t swallow me whole right then and there. Fortunately, I never found out if the mysterious passage was alive or not and managed to exit it back into the dungeon cavern.

While I had hoped that the slaves would line up obediently upon Dralos’ command, I wasn’t surprised to find that many of them stood around the Draconian, red-faced and yelling slurs in his and Chella’s direction. The ones at the forefront of the mob were Gronch and Romeo, catching me off guard. In all my years, I had never once seen a half-orc and an obviously noble-born human so in sync.

“I told you,” Dralos said through gritted teeth, looking more annoyed at the inconvenience than frustrated by it, “Lady Lilliana will be here soon.” In response to his words, a loud female voice struggled to be understood, her words coming out strangled.

I noticed then that Chella, who stood beside Dralos, was actually bound by the cuffs that the old Dralos had tossed at me, and her mouth was tightly covered by a leather gag.

“What is going on?” Romeo shouted for what was probably, based on the vein throbbing on his forehead, the hundredth time. “And why is she,” he pointed to Chella, “tied up? Where is Lilliana?"

Dralos grunted when Chella squirmed in resistance before he kicked her legs out from underneath her. “I told you. I cannot tell you. We must await the Qu… Lady Lilliana’s return.”

“And how do we know she will return?” Gronch growled. His large orc eyes were narrowed into slits, and his hand gripped his axe so hard his dark green skin had turned nearly white. “She’s been gone for hours.”

“If the goal was to have her killed, they wouldn’t have needed hours,” Dralos responded dismissively. “She’ll be here soon and wants everyone to be armed.”

“Why are you all taking this so seriously?” Asked a woman from the back. I recognized her as the woman whom a man had attempted to prey on the first night. “She’s just a girl.”

“She’s basically one of them,” a man I had never noticed before shouted along with the woman. “A fucking noble! I bet she helped put us here. Probably got tired of being with us slaves and got herself an out.”

Gronch turned on the man so fast that he was on the man before I had the chance to even open my mouth and punched him in the face. I saw murder in the war orc's eyes. I let loose a sigh loud enough to illustrate my exhaustion but also with enough force to cause Gronch’s head to swivel in my direction. The moment he saw me, the tension in his shoulders deflated. A little.

That was still a particularly weird reaction. I hadn’t thought the half-orc to care about my survival beyond it increasing the chances of his own. Considering the Church’s clear desire to see me killed and his empowerment by the system, I would have thought him first in line to wish me dead.

Ever surprised by the intentions and thoughts of others, I raised my hand in greeting but didn’t return his smile. Nor did my tension vanish upon seeing the ragtag group of slaves I’d fought with. If anything, the pressure and time sensitivity of the situation descended on me, increasing the tension in my muscles.

“We’re getting out of here,” I said without pausing to give any verbal greetings. “Right now.”