As I raged and screamed inside, my aimless steps took me further than I thought. I walked without direction, lost in my thoughts, until a sudden emptiness in the landscape hit me hard: I had no fucking idea where the hell I was.
I looked around, confused. Unknown trees and paths, shadows stretched by the setting sun. I was lost.
I then remembered that the only one who had ever shown me parts of the Valentine estate was Elisa.
And in that moment...
Oh, fuck. The memory struck me like lightning. Tonight… that degenerate Jeremy is going to try and rape my mother. (Bah… forget it. I can't help thinking or saying that she's my mother.)
A stab of anxiety twisted in my stomach. I have to stop that event. No matter what it costs. But… how?
My inner monologue was abruptly interrupted.
[Master, why are you so concerned about someone who's not your real mother?]
Quincy's voice echoed out of nowhere. I replied almost instinctively, without thinking:
—She makes me feel how I used to feel, you get it?
[Then the master is in love.]
—NO! No, no… she just reminds me of her, yeah...
[Of who?]
—My mom... my real-world mom, yeah.
[But how can she remind you of someone from the outside world?]
—I don't know… but there's something in her that makes me feel like I did when I was 8.
[I don't understand, Master. What do you mean "did"?]
I took a deep breath. My throat tightened.
—My mother died of cancer when I was 8. —It was after that tragedy that I was diagnosed with Essential Tremor Disorder...
I went silent. The air around me got heavier.
—It's been 18 years since I last saw her... But Elisa reminds me of her. That's why I want to protect her. I don't want anything bad to happen.
[You've developed an attachment based on the memory of your deceased mother.]
—Fuck, Quincy… sometimes I forget you're just an emotionless AI.
—But tell me… do you have any idea how I can stop that shit from happening to Elisa?
[Yes, Master. There is a way.]
—What is it?
[Master… use your basic abilities.]
—What? Basic abilities?
[The ones unlocked through stats.]
—I've already checked my status window like a thousand times and haven't seen any basic ability!
[That's because basic abilities are obtained in a peculiar way, Master.]
—And how does that work?
[They can be triggered by high stats or through specific actions.]
—Ehh!?
[You've raised Intelligence and Wisdom, and you needed an unrivaled hacking ability.]
—I'm interested. Go on.
[Because of that, you acquired the basic skill related to knowledge: "Systematic Transcendental Omniscience."]
—Oh right… I still haven't used my stats to the max for anything...
[That's because the Master is lazy and doesn't have a shred of curiosity.]
—Wait… explain. What does "Systematic Transcendental Omniscience" mean?
[It means, Master, that you possess the highest knowledge that transcends this reality, making it possible to hack anything within it… or in yours.]
—So… I'm like Skynet? Wait a sec… how do you know this is another reality, Quincy?
[...]
—This reality isn't real, is it?
[Correct. Master, this is a testing dimension.]
I froze. A strange mix of relief and vertigo shot down my spine.
—Thanks… I was kinda nervous. But seriously, how do you know it's virtual?
[Because of you, Master. You can be defined as an anomaly… or a reality glitch.]
—Could you be clearer?
[You're the only being capable of interacting as both a user and a part of the system. You even have authority over it.]
—I don't get all of it, but… I feel like you just called me a freak.
—Whatever… Quincy, set my Agility, Speed, and Vision to 100% now.
[Received… processing… adjustment complete.]
A chill ran down my arms. My body trembled.
—Why do I feel… weird?
Several notifications flashed in the air, but I couldn't even read them. A brutal pain ripped through me like my flesh was being torn apart from within. Only one line burned itself into my blurry vision:
[⚠️ WARNING! You will experience extreme pain. If not corrected soon… you will die.]
—KUAARGHHHHH... WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY BODY?! THIS HURTS LIKE FUCKING HELL!!
—QUINCY, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!
[Master's adaptability is too low. There's a high risk of tearing when using stats at max capacity.]
—UURGHGHHHHH... And what the fuck were you doing when I first adjusted my stat points?!
[Raising stats and adapting is the Master's job. My existence is only that of a limiter with manipulation access.]
—You're telling me... KUARHHGG!! —That if I want to max out my stats...
—FUUUCK, THIS FUCKING HURTS!!
I doubled over, sweat pouring in thick drops. My skin burned like I'd been doused in liquid fire.
—So... I have to keep Adaptability maxed at all times... IS THAT IT?!
—AAARRGHHHHH FUCK THIS HURTS!!
[That is correct, Master.]
—Then... ARGH! Raise it to 100% too. —Make it permanent!! —HURRY THE FUCK UP!!
[Received… adjustment complete.]
[Ding]
📢 [System Notification: You have survived an impossible overload. Your Adaptability has surpassed the permitted limit. A new basic skill has been created: "Dimensional Adaptation."]
—Haaa... haaaa... sigh—Great… Let's check…
NPC Status Window•
Name: Sam Raymond
• Race: Human
• Age: 12
• Title: Successor of the Supreme Entity
• Level: 9°
• Vitality: 1080 / 100
• Mana: 2,002,100,000,000,000 / 2,002,100,000,000,000
• Unique Trait: Random NPC, Player's Soul
• Job: Slave (F)
• Class: None
• Strength: 110 (1%)
• Agility: 10,009 (100%)
• Speed: 10,005 (100%)
• Vision: 10,010 (100%)
• Endurance: 109 (1%)
• Intelligence: 111 (1%)
• Wisdom: 110 (1%)
• Adaptability: 10,008 (100%)
• Luck: 110 (1%)
• Charm: 150.15 (1.5%)
• Points Available: 00
• Skills: System Window (EX)
• ➤ View More /
—980 DAMAGE... JUST FOR A FEW SECONDS!!
—Damn… I almost died again. But this time... because of my own power.
My hands trembled. Quincy could've warned me about the importance of Adaptability.
Anger boiled over and I yelled at her:
—HEY QUINCY, IF YOU HAD A BODY I'D BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!
[Master, don't blame me. You didn't ask.]
—YOU'RE AN ASSISTANT! A… SIS… TANT—YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO REMIND ME OF THE IMPORTANT SHIT!
[Adjusting behavior as per Master's instruction.]
—That's more like it. I give orders, you obey.
[I'm your assistant, not your slave.]
—SHUT UP!
[As you command, Master.]
—Now then… how about some exercise? Hehehe...
[I warn you, you might get lost if you go too fast.]
—OK, I've got the fix.—Mark this spot on the System Window locator, that way I won't get lost.
[Received… location marked.]
—Alright… let's do this.
The world blurred. Everything around me moved in slow motion while I ran like time had stopped.A scene straight out of sci-fi.But now, I was living it.
A dream come true.I'd always been a fan of hyperspeed.
And right in the middle of that happiness…
[Ding]
📢 [System Notification: Condition met: Agility, Speed, and Vision have surpassed the limit. Basic skill created: "Infinite Speed."]
—Fucking awesome! Hahaha. Quincy was right. YAHOOOOO!
ARGH...
A burning pain surged through me like fire.
My heart pounded so hard I thought it'd burst.
I didn't see it coming.My foot caught on an exposed root.
I fell.At full speed.I crashed through several trees before completely losing control.Quincy's voice echoed distantly, drowned out by the impact.
—All... stats... 100%...
And I blacked out.Alone.In the middle of nowhere...
***
A rhythmic beeping invaded my consciousness.
Beep… beep… beep… beep… beep.
I opened my eyes with effort, blinking as if my eyelids weighed a ton. But what I saw didn't match where I remembered falling...
I was in what looked like a white, sterile room. A hospital room.From my world...?
I tried to move—but… nothing.I couldn't move a single muscle.I was paralyzed. Only my eyes responded.
I slowly turned my gaze… and I saw her.Leaning against the side of the bed, sleeping curled up, was my sister Britanny Dreifus. Her blonde hair draped softly over her shoulders, and her figure
—imposing and still—breathed calmly. Her light blue eyes were closed, but something in her posture showed she wasn't in a deep sleep.
As if my gaze had woken her, she lifted her face…And our eyes met.
The spark of emotion that lit up in hers tore me apart inside.She covered her mouth with both hands, clearly holding back a sob, and then ran out of the room, shouting for a doctor.
Moments later, the door opened again—and along with the doctor, Alice Whitmore, my best friend, entered.
Her face was soaked with tears.
—Brian… I can't believe you're okay, —her voice trembled with emotion— I'm so… so glad… you finally woke up…
Right then, I knew that what I'd lived through recently… couldn't be real.Was it all just a dream?All that chaos? The slavery? The system? Patrice…?
I wanted to speak, to scream "no," to tell them it wasn't just a dream.But my mouth didn't move.Nothing moved. Only my eyes.
The doctor approached calmly, examined me, and then said with a professionally calm tone:
—This is a completely normal reaction for patients who have been in a coma.—We're going to run an EEG to see if his brain activity has returned.
As he spoke, my mind spun.It wasn't a dream. It wasn't.I felt it in every fiber of my being.I was there.
Exhaustion dragged at me like an undertow.The world blurred again…
Before the darkness claimed me again, I heard Britanny and Alice arguing:
—I can't believe that bitch did that to Brian the moment he fell into a coma, —Alice spat, furious.
—And that piece of shit who pretended to be his friend… fuck them both. I'll never forgive that. —Britanny's voice was icy, filled with venom.
What were they talking about...?
I didn't know...
But it was too late...
Before I lost consciousness, I saw my Aunt Aoki come in.
But everything went dark again.