CHAPTER 15
[System Activated and fully functional]
'Huh?' Ray's eyelids fluttered rapidly as he tried to process what he was hearing and seeing.
Because in his field of vision, a glowing, translucent blue screen hovered, displaying the same text he had just heard.
He was not panicked or shocked at all.
The year was 2256, so something like this was not abnormal for someone who had played a lot of virtual reality games at arcades.
In fact, he had read a few fantasy novels when he was younger.
Immersed in their writing and plots, he already knew what this was.
Usually, only transmigrated main characters got something like this, so why him?
And how did it even come to be? How did he gain a system?
Thinking harder, he finally came to a conclusion after putting two and two together.
The first time he heard the notification was right after the strange rock fused itself into him, so maybe that was how he obtained the system.
But that was strange.
Why him out of the millions of humans on Alcatraz?
He simply stared at the screen, unperturbed.
He was not about to act like those dumb main characters he had read about who would shriek like little girls being asked out to prom just because they saw a system.
He kept his composure and waved the interface aside before turning to look at Van, who was now lost in thought.
His posture looked weakened, as though he had been carrying too much inside him, yet he still tried to hold himself steady.
That was when Ray remembered how he had treated his friend on the train.
The memories struck him with a pang of guilt, making him feel like slapping himself across the face.
But that would not fix anything.
Hopefully, this would.
"Van…" Ray called softly, snapping his friend out of his thoughts.
The innovator turned to face his silver haired friend.
"I just want to say I'm deeply sorry for how I spoke and treated you on the train. That was stupid and immature of me, and I should not have done that, especially after all our years of…"
Van shook his head with a warm smile as his eyes grew moist.
"I'm not angry. I was never angry at you, Ray. I understood your pain and what you were going through.
After all, you watched your family get killed in front of you, so I knew you just needed a place to let everything out.
And honestly, I would rather become your punching bag for all that bottled up emotion than watch you walk down a dark path."
Hearing this, Ray beamed at his friend.
"Thank you, bro."
"Always. Bros for life?" Van raised his knuckle toward him.
Ray glanced at it before nodding.
"Bros for life." He bumped his own knuckle against Van's, making his friend grin widely.
After a few moments, they both burst into laughter as Van shuffled to his feet.
"Now rest up. Let me go get something for you to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry."
Before Ray could stop him, Van had already rushed off, disappearing into the crowd and leaving Ray behind to stare blankly ahead.
After a short while, he spoke softly.
"Status."
From the countless online novels he had read, he knew this word alone was enough to trigger something.
Even the now banned animes had drilled that belief into him.
A faint ding rang in his head as the translucent screen materialised in front of him once again.
This time, however, it displayed several stats and pieces of information.
Ray stared at them with a conflicted expression as his gaze lingered on a few particular details.
__
[Status]
[Name: Ray Dawson]
[Age: 15]
[Race: Human]
Suddenly, an error popped up, the blue screen flashing red for a few moments before it finally calmed down and a new message appeared.
[Warning: Race not fully confirmed. Body still syncing]
'Huh? Body syncing? Wait. My race is not confirmed yet? What does that mean? Am I about to change, or am I already changing?'
A gnawing headache washed over him as he rubbed his temples, deep in thought, refusing to dwell on it for too long.
[Level: 1]
[Exp: 0/100]
[HP: 10/10]
Ray stared at the screen for several seconds, rubbing his temples as his brows furrowed.
'That is it?'
As if responding to his thoughts, his eyes caught another tab off to the side, which he selected with his mind.
{Attributes:}
[STR: 8]
[AGI: 9]
[INT: 7]
'… According to common knowledge, ten points is the peak capacity for a fully grown human. And I am already close to that? How? I am just fif… why am I even whining?'
He dragged his palms down his face before shaking the thoughts away and staring at the numbers again.
But the earlier error still gnawed at him as he glanced at the screen hovering in front of his face.
Currently, his race was still displayed as human, yet the syncing message unsettled him.
What did it really mean? What was going to happen to him over time?
He exhaled sharply, refusing to dwell on it further, then shuffled backward toward a small empty corner and leaned his back against the wall while the screen continued hovering before him.
That was when his gaze caught a small glowing tab pulsing softly, as if trying to get his attention.
Clicking it, his eyes narrowed.
[Quest:]
[Main Quest]
Sitting upright, he began to read.
[System has recognised that host wants revenge on those who took everything from him. Host is set to eliminate the Abberants.
But you cannot do it while looking like a toothpick. Host is currently too weak to defeat even an ant…]
'Hey. That is an exaggeration…'
[So the system has designed and tailored a daily quest that will groom host from a scrawny stick of pasta into something far more formidable, capable of properly harnessing the power of the system and the gift thereof.]
Ray clicked his tongue after reading the words, a faint scowl crossing his face as he selected the quest.
[Daily Quest:]
[100 push ups]
[100 squats]
[100 sit ups]
[10 km run]
[Rewards for daily completion: +10 EXP]
'Okay… that is too much.'