Chapter 4

  Nothing. What the fuck? I shouted all the words used normally by those people in the stories but nothing. “Do I even have a Status Window?” Because bitc—

“Yes. We just have to think about it and it will appear.”

And I did.

Then a bright light suddenly assaulted my very poor eyes, making me look away by reflex. My eyes remained close for a few seconds before opening them slowly, the light started to fade as I did. My dark room is now softly illuminated by an illusory floating completely opaque “window”. ‘I hope that was a onetime thing.’

Huh. It looks somewhat different from what I imagined. I’ve read a lot of ‘The Gamer’ or ‘The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor’ like novels before and they always depicted the menu like how it is in RPG games. Oh, it still has my level, status and some other things but still, this window looks like it was formed from mist that would disperse when you blow it and I did.

Nothing. Pity.

It did not shift or writhe, it just has a misty feeling to it. I tried running it through with my hands, the places I hit turned to wisps of grey smoke that curled around my hands but reforming as I passed. I laughed as I played with it, so amazing- only to stop moments later realizing that I got distracted with something so trivial. *cough*

With eyes gleaming in excitement, I looked at my Status Window. I didn’t actually notice due to excitement but there was more than what I initially thought. It had no clear dividing lines, just small edge-borders indicating where it starts and ends. Looks a bit futuristic, really. I looked at my level –

Level – 7

Odd. “Is the starting Level directly proportional to my experiences for the last 30 years of my life?” Deducing from looking at the experience gauge, 4 percent.

“Also, is it the same with my Skill?” I added while tapping on Skills. I felt something solid - it’s like touching jelly actually, the word disappearing as my finger passed through it. The whole menu changed. Now it just shows the current skills arranged in categories.

It reminds me of my CV actually but with levels and a hell lot cleaner.

“Not quite. The current level is the accumulation of a percentage of our experiences only, the same with your skills. Since we did not have the endowed power of The System then, the inability of humans to retain knowledge, skills and the natural deterioration due to age have inversely affected our Level, Status and Skills. And also it only amount to so much because we have led an indolent life.”

“HEY!”

“As such, since we are The System now, these human limitations can no longer affect us. The System does not only have limited omniscience, as mentioned previously, but also limited omnipotence. The System cannot do what we can and will do without being so. To reiterate, the Host and this fragment of intelligence forms The System. So the Host is the same as The System, powers included.”

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I think this parasite is insulting my comprehension.

Still, it’s understandable why it was negatively affected. But it’s so interesting that I’m now omnipotent and omniscient, limited as it is. Wait.

“WHAT! I AM?” I excitedly screamed.

This is perfect. All the things that I can do now, I’m going to be rich! I felt so giddy that I started giggling like a demented child. I need to calm down. It is as he said, I can now remember everything. With perfect clarity. I cannot emphasize that enough. From what I was scrolling through the last week, the time I ate dinner six years ago; May 26 2013 – 5:32 PM, the people I passed by when I was 8 years old skating through the mall, the sounds, the smell – everything. Whew! Well not everything though.

“Why can’t I perfectly recall everything that I studied besides those that are related Psychology?” It was what I majored back in university. Maybe my brain is out of capacity?

“We are The System. Upon fusing, our physical, mental and overall constitution has been improved to what we consider, as of now, the extreme. Limitations have been placed beyond our control, a mechanism imbedded in us, the fragment, the same mechanism that limited our omniscience and omnipotence. Hence, the full educational portion of our memories remains unavailable.”

I understand now. “The heavens are fair.”

Going to muddle through this step by step then. Discovering things on my own is a lot more exciting, after all. I pinched myself just to check I’m dreaming, again. Still here. I sat down on my bed, digesting everything that has happened and thinking of the possibilities, the future. There is a lot to think about. Sigh.

I closed my eyes and breathed. It is a lot to take in, regardless of my maximized brain. Calm down, bitch.

“So back to my original question, what simulation are you talking about?” I asked as I was going through my Status Window, still unbelievable that I have it. Calm down. Because of all exciting things that has happened, my mind go distracted and forgot about it briefly.

*Ting!* Learned “A Calm Mind”.

I smirked. So, it’s like that. Learning skills based on what I do successfully. So much like a game. I clicked on it while listening to the parasite.

A Calm Mind

Passive

Host will eternally maintain a calm state of being. Partially immune to sudden surge of emotion.

No level indication. It must be maximum already. Perhaps passive skills do not need to level up. Maybe it will change to something better in the future? Time will tell.

“What Host remembered as a dream was actually a simulation that manifested due to our fusion. Since it is debilitating to experience pain in real life while our body has not yet been improved, we redirected it to something more acceptable. It was Host’s own memory and fear that created the simulation, we merely fuelled it. We will still feel phantom pains but to a much lesser degree that will eventually go away.”

Having perfect recall will make that certain simulation a constant nightmare, was left unsaid. Getting this new skill now was timely.

*knock knock knock*

Hearing a series of knocks, I looked towards the now opened door. As I said before, my mom is beautiful. Hair lustrous as onyx stone, softening her face in a cascading bob. Glasses perched on her nose; framing her brilliant brown eyes, because she’s blind without it. My mom is not tall, only reaching 163 cm. But she still carries a soft but commanding aura. And now she’s looking at me like I’m crazy.

“Oh, you’re awake! Stop staring at me like an idiot and eat dinner! Already heated it up for you!” Seeing me nod, she left abruptly as she came. Just like a passing storm.

“Thanks, Mom! I love you!” I shouted, already walking out. I waved my hand as to dismiss the floating window, it faded like mist. Interesting.

“You’re crazy! Come down quickly!” hehehe!

Pausing on the door way. I realized she didn’t see the Status Window at all! I smiled, that’s really convenient.

*GROWL*

Suddenly a monstrous shadow attacked me!

Just my stomach!

I’m so amusing.

Money is Might