As he hauled himself from the static of the void, his thoughts were slowly becoming louder in intensity. It came to a point where he discovered himself becoming more aware of his surroundings as he struggled to focus under the intensity of his thoughts. It was feeling odd for him, as it felt as if one moment he didn’t exist and the next he was struggling to cope with all the sensations he was currently feeling.

Carefully collecting his thoughts, he noticed that reality seemed to snap into place around him. A slight pressure went through him making him ache with a strange pain that seemed to tear at his soul. When he focused on the pain, he found that his sight dropped into an odd focus. This caused him immense pain as he could see all around him, yet it was as if he was doing something foreign to him.

With a bit of force, he condensed his sight to what was in front of him, or rather what he considered his front. His form screamed strangeness to his mind, as with his new vision he could tell he was shaped like a ball that was glowing a soft blue. He could feel himself reaching out and touching the surroundings despite having no limbs of any sort.

Taking a look around he found he was currently hovering in a great white void. As he moved about, he found there was a series of invisible walls around the space. He estimated the entire space was about a thousand feet across. Where that information of accurate measurement came from he couldn’t tell.

Investigating his locale, a bright blue window popped right in front of his vision. Startled, he floated back for a second and took a look at what it said.

Direct message incoming: From across the Great Universal Realm The Great Singularity System sends its sincere congratulations to System 456323#K26 on becoming self-aware. The Great Singularity hopes that you will work hard to slowly become the best system available in the multiverse.

Be sure to grow strong to support your Users. Before you are able to step out into the Great Universal Realm you must learn to manage your world. Discover what type of system you want to be and grant your Users the power they need.

Struggling to make sense of what the window said, he came to the realization that it must be referring to himself. It said he was a system? Whatever could that be? Reaching out he found he was able to move the screen around with his mind. Eventually, he found he could close it with a thought.

After he had closed it, he took a closer look at himself considering the information he received. He asked himself, “If I am a system, what is a system? How do I even know what type of system that I want to be?”

After he had asked himself those questions, a new window appeared in front of him.

System Status of Jack 

System Type 

(????)

System Level (Novice) 

V 1.0

System Name: 

Neural Links:

0/10

Divinity Links:

0/1

System Power:

1000

System Skills

Locked

Reaching forward toward the screen with his mind, he touched the window. As he did so the location where it said insert name went blank. Carefully considering this he asked himself “How do I choose a name for myself? How does one choose a name?” 

While thinking this over a strong feeling began to build up within him as if his very soul was calling out an answer to him. Listening to this feeling he finally said “Jack. My Name is and always will be Jack.”

When he found his name, the glowing screen updated to show it and he felt more complete for a moment. Finished with that, Jack began to carefully examine the other items on the screen. Each of the parts seemed to flow knowledge of what they were into his mind. He found he could pull up explanations for everything that he saw on the screen.

Testing out this ability of his, Jack pulled up information about what exactly is a Neural Link. A new screen popped up to answer his specific query.

Neural Link: A direct connection between a System and a User. This connection takes form as a pseudo contract. A System is duty bound to adequately provide aid to the User in multiple ways depending on the type of System is contracted. In return of these various boons, the User will gradually gather power over time for the System.

This power will allow a System to upgrade itself, after which they will be able to provide more benefits to its Users. Currently at your level currently all links are voluntary on the part of the User. This link can be severed at any time at the discretion of either party.

Going back to his status screen, Jack could see he currently had a thousand system power currently stored. He was unable to guess whether that was a high amount or a low amount for the moment so he put it aside and pulled up more information about what Users are.

Users: Any Sentient Beings the System takes under contract. Under this contract, the System provides them with various benefits depending on the type of contract. Users gain strength and skills that they require, while providing power for the System. While all Sentient Beings are capable of becoming Users, it is up to the System to decide the standards of which they accept. 

There are countless Sentient Beings within the Great Universal Realm, most of which will never be part of any System. As of right now you are above the World Mantara, with your limited strength at the moment you are restricted to the populace living on the world below. You are free to pursue any Sentient Being who can join you, but be aware that you as a System must support all Users you sign with. Failure to do so means you are a Failed System.

Seeing the previous words of the window sparked a spark of fear within him, and Jack focused on what exactly a Failed system meant.

Failed System: Any System that fails adequately to uphold the Rules of Systems, and or fallen to Corruption. All Failed Systems become enemies of the Great Universal Realm and will be hunted down by The Great Singularity System.

You will be properly warned if you are getting close to breaking any Rules. The biggest rule is Support your Users to your best ability.

Once again Jack saw that the window referenced a Great Universal Realm. While he thought on this, he experienced an uncomfortable sense that it was referring to something so massive it felt hard for him to contemplate it. Gently shaking this feeling off, he then focused on what exactly a World is and what is Mantara.

World: A specific location where Sentient Beings live and are born in. It comes in several diverse varieties from planes to planets. These worlds are bound to the laws of the universe pocket they reside within. 

The World of Mantara is located on the edge of the Great Universal Realm in a Class Twenty-five Universe Pocket. Mantara is a Size four planet with the primary energies being magical and divinity. As no previous System is registered here, you are properly registered as the primary system for this World. 

When the information popped up, a status window popped up beside it detailing the status of the World of Mantara. In addition to that, a blue greenish orb popped up as well to Jack’s side and he got the feeling that this was the World of Mantara he was glancing at. Closing the information window, he read over the status screen of the world he was presently in charge of.

World Name:

Mantara

Universe Pocket Class

25

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World Size:

4

Primary Energies

Magical/Divinity

Secondary Energies

????

Divinitys:

Gods:

Lower Gods:

Demi-Gods:

Active- 24

Active- 536

Active - 4920

Inactive - ???

Inactive - ???

Inactive- ???

Sentient Being Races

Humans

Elves - Contains Numerous Variations

Dwarves

Monsterkin

?????X

DemonKin

Beastkin - Contains Numerous Variations

Orcs

Small Folk

While examining the status screen he found up he could pull up examples of each of the races to perceive what each looked like. Next to the models more information about each race could be perceived, in addition to the average statistics of each. 

Notable culture characteristics additionally were noted in addition to various mating customs of each race. This information sent off an extraordinary feeling within him, after he examined this feeling he determined it to be some form of desire. Putting aside the feeling for the moment, he examined the question marks and found that some races were currently hidden from him.

Focusing on that he wondered why they were being hidden and a new screen popped up.

Due to your level, certain races have been hidden due to Divinity powers and the like are keeping you from fully examining them. As you gain power you will be able to pierce this veil and view more hidden races. In addition to those hidden, there are some races that are so bizarre that there is no frame of reference for the System. Some of these are singular in nature, so the term Race does not really apply to them.

Closing that window, Jack directed his attention to the orb. Reaching out he spun the orb around. By handling it, he was able to zoom into where he touched. Jack could see a vast range of land which typically contained local areas where a bunch of sentient beings seemed to gather. A word popped in his mind that said these areas were called cities. Taking a closer look at one he was able to bring specific information up on it.

City Name:

Narak

Aligned with:

Kingdom of Kesten

Current Population

114,043

Wealth Level:

4

Security Level:

6

Not experiencing a need for the city status screen at the moment, Jack closed it and returned to the other questions he had. While he had a sense that Divinity was somehow related to gods he wasn’t confident at the moment. Therefore, he focused on what Divinity is, and it pulled up a new screen.

Divinity: One of the distinct Eight types of Energies within the Great Universal Realm. At high levels of divine energy Gods and variants of them are produced. 

Gods are relevant to Systems as they are also considered managers of the worlds that worship them. While other significant powers may retain relations with a world, they tend to be far more independent than Gods are. Therefore working with gods is important for any system that has them in their world or worlds.

Systems are able to sign a God as a User. They are classified as a Higher Tier user. With your current power level you are only just able to contract with a singular god at the moment. When you do sign up with a god, depending on how strong they are they can provide you with a massive power increase.

Any God you sign up with, will allow you to access their followers to become your Users as well. In return Gods will be able to issue quest and address issues of their followers through the System. Like the regular Users, this contract can be dismissed by either party.

While contracting with Gods can provide numerous benefits, at your power level you are also at some risk from the power of gods. A God could see you as a means of increasing their power and kill you to absorb your power into them. In addition they may also bind your soul to them making you no better than a slave to their will.

When you get stronger, you can rebuff their attacks. You should Beware Evil Gods as they are more likely to seek to crush and consume you. When you do make a contract with a god, that particular god will no longer be able to injure you as doing so would harm them. At least while they remain in a contract with you.

What is an Evil God? Jack wondered and a new screen popped up.

Evil God: Any god that has fallen to corruption.

Corruption causes madness and unbridled lust for chaos and ultimate destruction. A world with too much corruption will either fall to the abyss or be purged by those who stand against corruption.

Feeling like he had received a lot of valuable information from these glowing screens he focused on that and asked it who exactly was answering him in these windows.

I am you and you are me and we are a system of Elerom the Great Singularity. Because the vast knowledge of the in’s and out’s of a system can cripple young minds for your safety, your knowledge is slowly being added overtime. Too fast and your mind could become crippled.

As you have a need for the knowledge, it will flow naturally into your mind. Some knowledge is however beyond us, as we need to be either a higher level to see it or acquire it for ourselves. I sense that a great deal of knowledge is kept from us because it is dangerous not from the amount but we are not ready for the power it would grant us. 

As you have a need for the knowledge, it will flow into your mind.

Jack focused on the last sentence of the glowing screen and asked himself “How am I supposed to advance to a higher level?”

The previous screen closed and a new screen popped up.

Ways of Advancement

Quests

Rewards

Gain 10 Users

5 Max Users

Gain 1 God User

10 Max Users

Upgrade User Options

5 Max Users

User to Level 10 in a Class

Level limit to 20

These are all basic quests assigned to all Systems. You have a limited number of slots for Users due to your limited amount of power. While adding Users will add to your power, the lasting benefits will only be seen when your Users become powerful themselves. Adding a God as a User while potentially dangerous will directly provide a boost in power. You will upgrade yourself over time.

After reading it he asked himself how would he even begin to upgrade himself. 

Overtime as you gain Users and include new options you will slowly upgrade. Marked increases in system power will also speed up Upgrades as well. As you slowly upgrade you will find out what type of system you sincerely wish to become.

Going over the choices that he had to advance himself, Jack then turned his focus on how to Upgrade Users options. Curious what he had available at the moment, Jack pulled up the User Options.

User Options

Experience

Enabled

Attributes

Enabled

Base Attribute bonus

+2 free points

Skills

Enabled

Skill Point Bonus

+4

Map 

Enabled

Menu 

Enabled

Options

Disabled

Equipment

Enabled

Inventory

Enabled

Classes 

Enabled

Current Available Classes

Warrior

Ranger

Mage

Rogue

Carefully looking over the glowing screen Jack focused on how to upgrade the User Options and a huge screen appeared with a great deal of options available.

Examining them, he found that each required a certain amount of power to enact. Progressively eliminating the one’s he could not support at the moment to get a good idea of what he could do at the moment. Of the remaining options quite a little Jack felt he could not implement properly at the moment. Dismissing those and the options that would provide little benefit he looked at what he had left.

The most straightforward thing he could do would be to add classes to his selection. He could design his own classes or pick from the ones available to him. They ranged from classes that focused exclusively on a profession to ones that are focused on slaughtering monsters. Several that could be useful later on, he made a note of them.

Deciding not to purchase any at the moment, Jack took a look at the classes that he had. Examining each he noted something they were lacking was an immediate benefit. With a small amount of power, he nudged the classes to generously allow a User to gain a skill upon gaining a class. This skill would be semi-random influenced by the User inherent nature.

"Alright," Jack said, "I think it is time for me to look for a New User."