When I was able for coherent thoughts again decide that my life could not get any worse. I have died and was trolled by a god. All my assets gone and worst of all I am still stuck in a black void.
As my mind clears I begin to contemplate what lead me to this point. The purge of the members of the Ronson Society makes no sense to me. To the society the members of the upper class were like its lifeblood so why did the higher-ups purge us?
Just thinking about it causes a headache.
Sitting in the vast void I think about the past, the greed that I had is still there but rather than for wealth and power it is instead greed for colors, sounds, anything to alleviate this boredom of mine.
I begin to sympathize with the Stray, this darkness is insufferable.
[*Ding*]
As if to answer my prayers I hear a noise that breaks the silence.
[System Initilising]
[Loading, Please wait]
[|||| - - - - - - - - - - - - -]
A light blue display appears in my vision and a loading bar begins to fill up. Eventually, it fills to its max and the display fills with text.
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[Welcome to the system management interface V0.9.0]
[Warning: Minimal functionality activated, please wait about (8 Years) while system updates]
[Menus:]
[Status]
[Powers]
[Library]
[Host Selection]
[Host Management]
[Notifications]
[Mail (1)]
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Seeing that it will take 8 years for the system to upgrade I feel cheated, most of the menu option is grayed out and the only ones that only two of the menus are active the library and the mail menus.
Right next to the mail menu is a large red number 1. Mentally I try to select the mail option and much to my surprise the screen changes. It displays a single message titled “Welcome” from Stray, the lost god.
“I see that the interface has awakened since you can read this, I was not able to transfer enough power through the crack for all of the capabilities to activate and it will take a while for enough energy to traverse the gap, that is what the update is you see”
“As it will probably take some time for the update to happen I have left some presents for you in the library tab, there is also a manual on how to use the interface. Best of luck to you. Sincerely, Stray the lost god”.
Opening the menu for the library I was immediately greeted by a massive wall of bookshelves materializing in front of me. The screen then switched to show the titles and cover of many thousands of novels.
Sighing in disdain at the sight of all the fictional novels, I begin my search for the manual that will explain the functions of the interface. Finding a book aptly titled “Running your own system for dummies” I select it.
The book opens and I notice that it is only a single page long.
[Steps to running your own system]
Summon a host
Assign the host quests
“Liberate” energy from the creatures the host kills
Reward the host
Strengthen the host
Repeat
If I had arms I would have chucked the book off into the distance never to be seen again. It was clearly written as an afterthought and had no explanation as to what I am supposed to do next.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Taking some time to calm myself down I randomly choose a novel from the large library that Stray has ever so “graciously” granted to me. As much as I find fictional novels to be a waste of time it seems that I have 8 years to waste before I am able to do anything.
____________________________________________________________________________
---8 Years Later---
I can’t say that I have taken all this time to my self very well. The only thing that I have been able to do for the past few years is to read the novels in the library. I mean it sucked at first but slowly I learned to enjoy them, similar to how if you bang your head on a wall for long enough you eventually go numb.
I have made more sense of my situation though. From the novels I have read I now understand what a system is, but for what reason does a system exist for. Most act for the host but gain nothing in return, so why do they exist.
“Sigh, its a work of fiction, anything can exist in fiction”
Before I can finish my thoughts I was interrupted by a sharp [*Beep*]
[*System Update Complete*]
[*Basic Functions Are Now Avalible*]
Opening the menu I see that all the options are available and no longer grayed out.
Mentally opening the Status menu a new screen appears on the display.
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[Status]
Name: Melvin Hawkins
Titles: [System], [Proffesional NEET]
[Status]: Disembodied soul, system
Strength: N/A
Agility: N/A
Endurance: N/A
Dexterity: N/A
Ether: N/A
Intelligence: 5
Soul Strength: 7
(Note: The average person has their status values around 1)
Cultivation level: N/A
Linked Hosts: 0 / 2
Energy: 100 / 3000
Daily Energy Production: 0 per hour
Average Income From Hosts: 0 per hour
Void Energy: 0
Title Effects:
[System]: Is a system created by a god
Grants access to the management interface
[Proffesional NEET]: Granted to those who spend years alone, reading web novels
Has no effects, but the title holder should really go outside and get some sun.
Active Powers:
none
Passive Powers:
none
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Curious as to why my soul strength is valued at 7 and a bit peeved that I got the Professional NEET title, I decide to move on to the next Menu.
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[Powers]
(Powers can be developed through the use of energy and void energy and upgrade the system)
(Energy and Void Energy can be harvested from monsters the host kills, when the host is cultivating, or from consuming artifacts through the use of the recycle function)
[Spacial Storage]: A space in which hosts can store things (Cost:50 Energy)
[Store]: A store that the host can buy from, prices are set by the system, costs energy to create a weapon or item (Costs: 100 Energy)
[Recycle Function]: Recycle items into Energy and Void Energy, System can set a percentage of this energy to give to the host (Cost: 300 Energy)
[Basic Manifestation]: Creates a body that the system can possess, must stay within 100 km of a host, the body cannot exceed the cultivation rank of 9th tiered ether gathering, costs energy to create the body (Cost: 1 Void Energy, 10,000 Energy)
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Not seeing the point of staying in the shop menu because I cannot afford anything I open the host selection menu.
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[Host Selection]
(The system can choose from one of the available hosts to bind to, The system will then choose a way for the host to die, the new host will be transferred into a new world where they will be reborn)
(The system may also choose a random soul that has recently died, choosing this option does not give the system a chose in the soul they bind too, the host will be reborn as a child and have no memories but it is free since it is following the natural reincarnation cycle)
[Options (1)]
Jeffery Adams (Summon cost, 50 energy + Starting kit 15 energy = total cost 65 energy)
A mob boss who runs the largest gang in City K earning the nickname Sinister Six because it took 6 days for his gang to wipe out the 3 other major gangs in the city when rising to power. [Further info cost 10 energy]
[Random Selection]
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Deciding that I could not wait for a child to grow up I selected the option for Jeffery Adams. A menu showing the options that I can use to kill him pops up.
[Select cause of death]
[Truck]
[Murder]
[Disease]
[Random]
Selecting “truck” because it was the first option I wait in silent anticipation since I will no longer be alone.
[*Ding*]
[*Choice confirmed*]
[*Please Wait*]