Level? I'm not really sure what it means. I'm far from weak, so it would be fair to assume it's not a matter of strength, right? I'm level 1, and my EXP is at 0.
As the water's temperature relaxed my body, I found myself sinking deeper into my thoughts.
While studying the information on my status, more and more questions came to mind.
Why was my bloodline marked as locked?
The information that was more or less clear to me was my strength, endurance, intelligence, mana, charm… my rank, I could let slide.
"I don't understand how this data is calculated."
As for my rank — Brigadier — that one was a bit easier. It reflected my actions as a soldier. The system simply used my military grade to assign me a rank.
"And what are these skills?" I thought.
Eventually, I simply remembered something.
The system awakening what did it really mean?
As if to answer that thought, the previous window closed and a new wave of information hit my mind.
[System awakening is complete. Assistance system is now operational.]
"Oh, and what does that mean exactly?"
I was a little curious. It felt like something had just changed, and I found myself hoping for a response from this system.
[You are the Player, and I am the system meant to assist you in this game, so you can reach the ending you desire , you, the Harem King.]
"Oh? So you can hold a conversation? What exactly are you? And why would you do all this?"
[I don't know what I am. I only know my function. I'm here to serve you. But it seems that's not the answer you want. So simply put, increase your value. Right now, you're not qualified to know certain things.]
I found that amusing. I smiled.
Zhen and Lie, having finished washing up, entered the bath, settling beside me on both sides.
"Is something troubling you?" asked Zhen.
"I'm talking to an entity that's supposed to help me. Some kind of system. And it's saying some pretty amusing things."
[...]
"Really?" Zhen asked, skeptical.
I slightly turned my head to look at her. I knew she didn't quite understand what I meant it showed in her eyes.
It wasn't fun to make fun of others, and I rarely teased people, so she didn't know how to react.
Lie, on the other hand, just seemed to enjoy the bath while clinging to me, but I knew she was listening carefully to everything I said.
So I explained the basics, without going too deep into detail, about how the system was giving me information on my status, the quest I'd had so far though I left a lot out, like the parts about the Harem King, etc.
It wasn't that I wanted to keep it secret, but the story would've gotten ridiculously long.
"So here we are: it says I'm not qualified enough!"
[...]
"What do you plan to do then, Master?"
I stood up, my hair wet. I held my head and wrung it out.
"There's no such thing as something I'm not qualified for! If it appears that way, it just means I'm not interested in it in the first place."
I got out of the bath and glanced at Zhen and Lie, who were about to follow me.
"If you've got questions about this little story, save them for later. I think it's time we head to the academy."
Zhen then asked a hesitant question. "You're allowing us to talk about this?"
I knew exactly who she was referring to, but it didn't really bother me. It's not like this information would leak beyond my circle anyway.
"Do what you want."
As her face lit up, Lie helped me put on my robe, and both wrapped themselves in their towels. We'd finished bathing now it was time to get ready.
For our first day at the academy.
[So your personality hasn't changed that much.]
"I'm curious to know what kind of person I used to be, then. I can't get a clear picture."
[That's normal. You don't have all your memories yet. And I don't remember either. So it's just intuition.]
"You're making me even more curious."
"Tell me, how come I'm the Harem King?"
[Your level is too low to access that information.]
"Why are my memories disorganized, and why don't I have access to most of them?"
[Your level is too low to access that information.]
[But by completing missions and raising your level, your memories will return, and everything will become clearer.]
"Then can you explain this whole status thing to me?"
[Of course. Let's start with the stats. You seem to already grasp the basic idea, but these are quantified values based on the system's analysis of your capabilities.]
[Your level increases based on your actions, missions, manas hunts, or killing. The EXP you earn from these actions affects your level, which has a significant impact on your abilities.]
"Missions?"
[Yes. Missions are usually generated based on your personal interests, as completing each one is meant to benefit you. The mission to 'meet the one who started it all' was one of them.]
He said a few interesting things, but we'll come back to that later.
"What about my bloodline and skills?"
[Your level is too low to unlock your bloodline, so there's no point in discussing it yet. As for skills, you don't have any right now. Skills can be seen as abilities you gain through the system.]
[Even though they're unlocked through the system, you can still improve them on your own. Of course, skills also have levels, so their use is limited.]
"I'm starting to understand a little better. But there's one thing I'm still not sure about your goal is to help me reach the ending I want, right?"
[Yes!]
"What ending is that?"
[I don't know!]
"Hmmm… and what do I need to reach that ending?"
[Just complete the system's missions and recover your former status. To do that, you must find those connected to you in the past.]
[You must stop the end of this world!]