Krad's heart pounded as he stared at the glowing options floating before him:
[ Clear the Game ] or [ Get Killed Now ]
"Okay, so..." Krad tilted his head, squinting at the ominous choices. "Is this one of those choose your own adventure things? Because I gotta say, the second option seems like a total ripoff."
The dark crimson interface remained silent, hovering ominously.
"Hello? Game Master? Admin? Developer? Whoever's running this thing?" Krad waved his hand through the holographic display. "You know the second option is basically just die, right? That's not even a real choice. That's like asking someone if they want pizza or a punch in the face."
The interface flickered, almost indignantly.
[ User 143, your selection is required. Failure to comply will result in termination. ]
"Termination!" Krad laughed, slapping his knee. "You sound like one of those old robot movies! What's next, are you gonna say exterminate? Do you guys have a script you have to follow or---"
The cracks on the interface spread violently, the entire display shaking with what could only be described as barely contained rage.
"Whoa, whoa! Okay, touchy!" Krad held up his hands. "I'm picking, I'm picking! Jeez, you don't have to throw a tantrum about it!"
He jabbed his finger at the [Clear the Game] option. "There! Happy now? I picked the one that doesn't involve me dying. You're welcome for not choosing the stupid option, by the way."
The holographic interface blazed so brilliantly that Krad had to shield his eyes.
"Whoa!"
Everything blurred, and suddenly Krad was standing in the middle of a bustling medieval town.
"Holy---!" His eyes went wide as he spun around. "This is amazing! Did you see that? That's so cool!" He looked up at the sky. "Hey, System! That was actually pretty awesome! Give whoever designed that teleportation effect a raise!"
DING!
[ In this realm, all races, creatures, and individuals you encounter are real. There are no NPCs. ]
"Wait, wait." Krad held up a finger. "So you're telling me everyone here is a real person?"
The notification blinked once, as if confirming.
"But then..." Krad's eyes lit up with mischief. "Does that mean you're real? Like, is there an actual person typing these messages? Are you sitting in some control room eating chips and watching me?"
The notification flickered erratically.
"Oh my god, you are! What's your name? Is it Kevin? You look like a Kevin."
The notification disappeared abruptly, almost like someone had rage-quit the conversation.
"Wait, come back! I didn't mean to offend you, Kevin!" Krad called out to the sky. Several townspeople gave him strange looks. "Okay, fine, maybe you're a Steve. Or a Gerald!"
A burly man with a leather apron stopped walking and stared at Krad like he'd grown a second head.
"Oh, hey!" Krad jogged up to him. "Do you know where I can find a tutorial? Or like, a beginner's guide?"
The man's eye twitched. "What are you on about, boy?"
"You know, the tutorial? Every game has one. Usually there's a friendly old wizard or maybe a talking animal that shows you the ropes---"
"A talking animal?" The man looked genuinely concerned for Krad's mental state.
"Yeah! Or sometimes it's a fairy. Ooh, is there a fairy? I'm not big on fairies, but I'd take what I can get at this point."
The man backed away slowly. "Stay away from me, crazy boy."
"That's fair!" Krad called after him cheerfully. "You have a great day, sir!"
DING!
A new notification appeared, the text somehow conveying exasperation:
[ There... Are.... No..... NPCs.... No tutorials.... No guides..... Figure it out yourself. ]
"Oh, System! You came back!" Krad grinned at the floating text. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me. We're like best friends now, right?"
The notification shook violently.
"I'll take that as a yes." Krad nodded sagely. "So, System, can I call you Buddy? I feel like we're close enough for nicknames."
[ NO. ]
"Buddy it is!" Krad pumped his fist. "Okay, Buddy, level with me. How do I know what I'm supposed to do? Like, is there a main quest or---"
DING!
[ First Quest: Hunt 10 Devourer Slimes
Rewards: 100 Pesos, 50 XP ]
"Ten slimes! Awesome!" Krad paused. "Wait, what's a Devourer Slime? Is it like a regular slime but angrier?"
The notification flickered with what seemed like aggressive silence.
"Come on, Buddy, throw me a bone here. Just a hint about the slimes?"
[ ... ]
"Nothing? Really? You're just gonna leave me hanging?"
The notification disappeared.
"Buddy! Don't ignore me!" Krad shouted at the sky again, earning more stares from passing townspeople. "This is a partnership! We're supposed to communicate!"
A woman hurried past, pulling her child closer and whispering, "Don't look at the strange boy, sweetie."
"I'm not strange, I'm just trying to have a conversation with my system!" Krad called after her, then turned back to the empty air. "See what you did, Buddy? You made me look crazy."
DING!
[ You are making yourself look crazy. ]
"Ha! I knew you were listening!" Krad pointed triumphantly at the notification. "You pretended to leave but you were watching the whole time! You care about me!"
The notification vibrated with barely suppressed fury.
[ I do not care. I am a system, I have no feelings. ]
"That's exactly what someone with feelings would say." Krad crossed his arms, nodding knowingly. "It's okay, Buddy. You can admit we're friends."
[ We are not friends. Complete your quest. ]
"Okay, bossy." Krad rolled his eyes. "But just so you know, you're being very tsundere right now."
[ What does that even mean?! ]
"It means you pretend you don't like me but deep down---"
The notification exploded into static before vanishing completely.
"Buddy, come back! I was just kidding!" Krad waved his arms. "Don't be mad!"
After a solid minute of silence, Krad sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll do the quest."
The notification actually glitched, the text scrambling for a moment before reforming:
[ I am going to assign you the hardest quests available. ]
"That's the spirit!" He pulled up his minimap, because every game had one of those, and found the marker for the slimes in the eastern forest. "I can tell you're smiling."
[ I do not nave a face. ]
"That's what makes it even more impressive!"
Krad cheerfully made his way through town, completely oblivious to the system interface's digital breakdown happening in the background. He crossed the small bridge leading to the forest, humming a tune.
"Hey Buddy, do slimes have feelings? Should I feel bad about hunting them?"
[ They are trying to kill you. ]
"So that's a no on the feelings?"
[ Just find the slimes. ]
"You're cranky when you don't get enough sleep, huh? Do systems sleep? Or do you just go into like, standby mode?"
The notification that appeared was just a string of symbols:
[ @#$%! ]
"Whoa, language!" Krad gasped in mock offense. "There could be children reading this!"
[ There are no children reading system notifications! ]
"You don't know that."
As Krad ventured deeper into the forest, his minimap blinked, indicating he was close to his target. He crouched low, trying to look professional.
"Okay, Buddy, this is it. My first real battle. Any advice?"
[ Don't die. ]
"Wow, inspiring. Really feeling the support here."
[ You asked. ]
And there, just ahead through the trees, Krad spotted them... several gelatinous blobs pulsing with an eerie purple glow.
The Devourer Slimes.
"Oh man, they do look angry!" Krad whispered excitedly. "This is gonna be awesome! Watch this, I'm about to be so cool!"
A notification appeared with what could only be interpreted as resignation:
[ This is going to be a disaster. ]
"That's the spirit!" Krad charged forward with a battle cry. "Believe it!"
[ Why did I get assigned to this slayer? ]
The final notification read before fading away.