I see, finally. I already knew to be able to channel nano-energy from the environment.

Wouldn't have been able breach through the cocoon without it.

Just as I was proceeding to accept the [System] prompt the raspy voice of a woman interrupted me.

"Accepting the contract of the [System] is indeed the right choice, but you should ask it to be without restrictions first" said the voice, that for an unknown reason didn't sound as unpleasant as before.

"I see… And why is that?" I asked her without hiding my curiosity.

"That's because a contract without restrictions means that if the [System] call for your help you are free to refuse. Still, you won't be able to access its most useful [tool]s in the [shop].

Obviously our specie doesn't rely particularly on [tool]s to fight.

There is another reason too, but I can't tell you anything about it yet." said her with a serious tone.

Maybe this decision weighted more than I actually thought.

[System, this user accept. But under the condition that the contract will be without restrictions].

I said to it. Since the communication with it was a telepathic one, the user had to channel

nano-energy on his brain to begin with.

That's probably the reason for such requirement to be accepted by the [System].

[User has been promoted to the lowest rank of the System]

[User's ID card has been upgraded to ID status]

Hearing this I proceeded with the most obvious action one would do at this moment.

I thought about the [status] word. The an holographic imagine appeared through my thoughts.

It displayed some basic informations.

[Name: Xeno] [Surname: Xov'iel]

[Species: Azot]

[Description: rank level insufficient]

[Rank: peasant] [Occupation: none]

[Hobby: miner]

[Residence: none]

[Owning: shack number #122 of quarter #1321, situated in Elkatra]

[Titles:

?????, if gotten heavily injured the user will have his vitality increased]

Stolen novel; please report.

[Merit Points: 0 / 10500]

I was indeed eager to see all this. It's like a new world opening before my eyes.

This very status was available only on the minority of the population, and they clearly didn't go around telling others what they learned.

I think there are official reunions composed of rankers. But the exchange informations there, giving nothing away for free.

"Now, would you tell me at least your name lady?" I asked the voice in a pleading tone. With a hit of irony, but I wanted to stop calling her *The voice* too."

"You can call me Aiduth. I am kind of a guide for you, but I won't Interfere in any unnecessary way with your decisions. Don't count on me that much." Said her before turning silent, probably I won't hear her for a bit.

"All right, thank you Aiduth for before" I said, without getting the slightest sign of an answer.

Anyway, I'm still down in the Canyon. I need to get back before anything else.

Once out of the mines I'll get on a nano-induced tram directed to the [System base].

To get an actual occupation. I was thinking about something like a [Hunter] to kill monster. From hunting the I could get what I needed right now.

Merit points, monster meat and more combat experience.

Now that is time to look for an actual way to go back, I've notice something.

I can't really look, since I don't have eyes. But, actually I've developed a particular kind of sense that utilizes the nano-receptors that are situated in my big elongated head.

(Big if confronted with the rest of my body)

At the end of the day, now my overall senses are three times more accurate than before.

I fixed myself in a quadrupedal position and focused my nano-energy on my legs and arms.

At the same time I channelled a bit of the

nano-energy on my brain too, utilizing the orientation skill of my current hobby.

After thirty minutes the miner's perk was signalling me that up on the left canyon wall there was the space I was looking for.

Then I stopped, and unwrapped my rainbow coloured tendrils.

I infused them with nano-energy and quickly extended them high, penetrating the rock of the slope.

Next, one at a time, the tendrils detached from the wall and pierced in a point a little bit higher.

Letting myself slowly climbing the vertical wall, after about twenty minutes I arrived to the zone I previously jumped from.

Then I left my tendrils resting wrapped on my forearm once again, and started heading out of the mines.

As I reached the third floor, near the elevator many miners looked at me with puzzled expressions.

I was indeed very tiny as my actual body age could be counted in hours. Coupled with my skinny physique I resembled a lost famished kid.

Furthermore I couldn't be an [Inspector] since they would be either in the company of some miners or the could be found only on the first floor.

To make things worse I didn't have a single piece of equipment on me, not even a signle piece of rag.

Most likely they saw me as poor robbed piece of trash. Since to be given an occupation, if not done by the [System] you must reach adulthood they must have thought that my specie was probably weak.

To further confirm my hypothesis I got up on my bipedal position I stood still, waiting to see wait they would do.

"Poor fella, did someone rob you? Do you need some help?" Asked one of the miners that stepped out of the group seemingly concerned.

"Maybe you could do some work for us. We'll pay you some [coin]s as compensation." Added the miner just behind the first one.

They both seemed predisposed to help a poor fellow miner in dire needs.

If it was the old me would be suspicious about their behaviour, maybe I would just have turned them down politely.

But now, I can sense it. Their smug shitty behaviour, that they were trying to clumsily mask with their fake expressions of compassion toward the week.

Enraged I started to rapidly accumulate

nano-energy through my body. I unwrapped my tendrils, letting them wild, moving like hungry snakes before their prey.

The rainbow coloured veins under my skin started to light up, blue intense sparkles crackling around my body.

Focusing my nano-energy on the sound of my voice I left out a powerful high-pitched scream.

"KIIIEEEEEEEEEE!"

After that I saw the miners going limp on the floor, barely hanging on their lives.

Even so I couldn't care less, they were strangers to me. Moreover who am I to care about morals in this shitty world.

In the end two years could have indeed already passed. But in my head, Inea's death was still an open wound.