The silence that followed their victory lasted exactly three seconds before Krad's stomach let out a growl, it echoed through the ancient chamber like a beast's roar.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Both of them froze.
Mist, who'd been struggling to sit up, slowly turned to stare at Krad with an expression of pure disbelief.
Krad's face turned bright red. "I, uh..."
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The second growl was somehow even louder, reverberating off the stone pillars like thunder.
"Did your stomach just..." Mist blinked. "Did it just growl twice?"
"It's been a long day!" Krad protested, clutching his midsection. "I fought a Level 200 Orc Titan, got possessed by an ancient moon eater, saved your life, and defeated an S-Extreme boss! I think I'm entitled to be a little hungry!"
"A little hungry?" Mist's lips twitched. "Kid, that sounded like you've got a second Devourer inside you."
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
"Make that three Devourers," Mist added, now openly grinning despite his exhaustion.
DING!
[ System Alpha: Nutritional Status Alert ]
[ Current Caloric Deficit: Critical ]
[ User has burned approximately 47,000 calories in the past two hours ]
[ Recommended Action: Consume food immediately or get killed now ]
The notification appeared in sharp, angular text—cold and clinical.
"Forty-seven thousand?!" Krad yelped. "How is that even possible?!"
A second notification popped up, this one in a rounder, friendlier font:
[ System Buddy: Well, let's see! Moon Eater awakening burns tons of metabolic resources! Plus you fought nonstop for like two hours! So yeah, you're basically running on fumes, buddy! ]
Krad stared at the two different notifications floating side by side. "Uh... Buddy? Why are there two of you?"
The cold, angular notification flickered:
[ System Alpha: Explanation Required ]
[ Initiating comprehensive briefing ]
The friendly notification bounced excitedly:
[ System Buddy: Oh boy! Story time! This is gonna be fun! ]
[ System Alpha: This will not be fun. This is a technical debriefing. ]
[ System Buddy: You're no fun! Everything's more fun with enthusiasm! ]
[ System Alpha: Enthusiasm is irrelevant to data accuracy. ]
[ System Buddy: Accuracy is boring without personality! ]
Mist sat up straighter, wincing as his healing ribs protested. "Wait... are your system notifications arguing with each other?"
"I think so?" Krad watched the two distinct text styles bicker back and forth. "This is new."
[ System Alpha: This is not new. We have existed in parallel since the Moon Eater integration event. ]
[ System Buddy: We've been here the whole time! We just... haven't both talked to you at once before! ]
[ System Alpha: Because you monopolized all communication channels. ]
[ System Buddy: Because you're boring and would've scared him away! ]
[ System Alpha: I provide essential data. That is not boring. ]
[ System Buddy: You make status updates sound like funeral announcements! ]
"Okay!" Krad shouted, waving his hands to stop the notifications from multiplying. "Can someone please explain what's going on?! Who are you two?!"
Both notifications paused, then appeared simultaneously:
[ System Alpha: I am System Fragment Alpha, Primary Protocol. Logic, calculation, and tactical analysis. ]
[ System Buddy: And I'm System Fragment Beta! But you can call me Buddy! I'm the fun one! Emotions, conversation, and creative problem-solving! ]
[ System Alpha: Fun is subjective. ]
[ System Buddy: So is boring, but you're objectively that! ]
Mist leaned forward, fascinated despite his exhaustion. "Two system fragments? That's... I've never heard of anything like that."
[ System Alpha: It is highly irregular. When the Moon Eater attempted integration with User Krad's standard system framework during the battle with the Orc Titan, the collision of mythical entity and mechanical interface created a catastrophic paradox. ]
[ System Buddy: Translation, the Moon Eater smashed into the system so hard, it broke us into two pieces! Like dropping a plate, but the plate becomes two plates that both still work! Kinda! ]
[ System Alpha: That analogy is scientifically inaccurate. ]
[ System Buddy: But it's fun! And he gets it! Don't you, Krad? ]
Krad's head was spinning. "So... the Moon Eater broke my system, and instead of one system, I got... two personalities?"
[ System Alpha: Correct. Fragment Alpha retained logical processing, tactical analysis, and data management. Fragment Beta retained adaptive learning, emotional processing, and communication protocols. ]
[ System Buddy: I got the personality! He got the calculator brain! ]
[ System Alpha: Both of us retained conversational capability. We simply have different priorities in communication style. ]
[ System Buddy: He talks like a robot! I talk like a person! ]
[ System Alpha: I communicate efficiently. You communicate excessively. ]
[ System Buddy: I communicate with heart! You communicate like you're reading a tax document! ]
"Do you two always fight like this?" Krad asked, bewildered.
Both notifications appeared simultaneously:
[ System Alpha: Yes. ]
[ System Buddy: Constantly! ]
Then they started arguing again:
[ System Alpha: If you had not suppressed my communication privileges, User Krad would have received more comprehensive data. ]
[ System Buddy: If I hadn't suppressed you, Krad would've quit being a Slayer from sheer boredom! Warning: Breathing detected. Oxygen levels: adequate. Who talks like that?! ]
[ System Alpha: Someone who values precision. ]
[ System Buddy: Someone who values putting people to sleep! ]
Mist started laughing, then clutched his ribs. "Ow. Stop, this is painful."
"How do I have the most dysfunctional system in existence?" Krad groaned, burying his face in his hands.
[ System Buddy: Hey! We're not dysfunctional! We're... uniquely collaborative! ]
[ System Alpha: We are moderately dysfunctional. However, dysfunction does not equate to inefficiency. ]
[ System Buddy: See? We agree on stuff sometimes! ]
[ System Alpha: Rarely. ]
[ System Buddy: Often enough! ]
[ System Alpha: Statistical analysis suggests rarely is more accurate. ]
[ System Buddy: Nobody likes a know-it-all! ]
"Enough!" Krad shouted. "Can we please focus on the fact that I'm starving?!"
Both systems paused.
[ System Alpha: Affirmative. Nutritional crisis takes priority. Recommendation: Locate preserved food sources within ruins. ]
[ System Buddy: Yeah! Let's find some ancient snacks! This place is old, but the Kingdom of Darkness was famous for preservation magic! There's gotta be food somewhere! ]
Mist slowly pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly. "The kid's systems have a point. And honestly? I could eat too. Nearly dying works up an appetite."
They began searching the ruins, picking through collapsed corridors and checking ancient storage rooms. Krad couldn't help but notice the two systems providing commentary in very different styles:
[ System Alpha: Structural integrity of left corridor: 34%. Collapse risk: Moderate. ]
[ System Buddy: Ooh, maybe don't lean on that wall! Looks crunchy! ]
[ System Alpha: Crunchy is not a recognized structural descriptor. ]
[ System Buddy: It is now! ]
"Do you two ever stop?" Krad muttered as he climbed over rubble.
[ System Alpha: No. ]
[ System Buddy: Nope! ]
[ System Alpha: We are in constant operational state. ]
[ System Buddy: We're always here! Like annoying roommates you can't evict! ]
[ System Alpha: That analogy is disturbingly accurate. ]
Most of the rooms were empty or destroyed, but eventually they found what looked like it had once been a mess hall. Stone tables lay overturned, and debris covered most of the floor.
"There!" Mist pointed to what looked like a reinforced vault built into the far wall. Glowing runes still pulsed faintly around its edges. "Preservation seal. Still active after all this time."
[ System Alpha: Confirmed. Magical signature detected. Preservation enchantment: Active. Estimated food viability: 87%. ]
[ System Buddy: Jackpot! Food that won't kill us! Probably! ]
[ System Alpha: Probability of edibility: High. Probability of optimal taste: Unknown. ]
[ System Buddy: Who cares about taste? Krad's stomach is literally eating itself! ]
Krad rushed over, practically salivating. He grabbed the vault door and pulled, but it didn't budge. "It's locked!"
[ System Alpha: Vault requires mana input to disengage locking mechanism. User's current mana: 0%. Unable to access. ]
[ System Buddy: Oh no! We're so close! ]
"Let me see..." Mist examined the runes, tracing them with one finger. "True. It's a simple puzzle lock. You just need to channel mana into the---"
"I have zero mana!" Krad reminded him desperately. "I burned it all fighting Barbara!"
[ System Alpha: Captain Mist's mana levels also insufficient for forced entry. Current situation: Suboptimal. ]
[ System Buddy: This is a disaster! We found food and we can't get to it! This is like the universe is personally mocking us! ]
[ System Alpha: The universe does not possess consciousness and therefore cannot mock anyone. ]
[ System Buddy: You know what I mean! ]
They both stared at the vault door in frustration.
GRRRRRRRRRR
"Oh, come on!" Krad kicked the door. "We're right here! The food is right there!"
[ System Buddy: Wait wait wait! I have an idea! ]
[ System Alpha: Your ideas are typically impractical. ]
[ System Buddy: This one's brilliant! Krad, remember how you punched through that Orc Titan's armor? ]
[ System Alpha: ...That is actually sound logic. Moon Eater residual enhancement may still be present in user's physical structure. ]
[ System Buddy: Hah! See?! I can have good ideas! ]
[ System Alpha: Acknowledged. Proceed with physical breach attempt. ]
"Wait, you want me to punch through a magically sealed vault?" Krad looked at his fists dubiously.
[ System Buddy: Yes! You've got Moon Eater power! Your body was hardened during the fight! Some of that's still hanging around! ]
[ System Alpha: Estimate 23% residual enhancement remaining. Sufficient for structural compromise. ]
Mist nodded slowly. "It might work. Your fists are practically weapons at this point."
"Alright, here goes nothing." Krad pulled his fist back and slammed it into the vault door with everything he had.