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<td style="width: 98.9846%; text-align: center">[Congratulations -El-L-i-u-a Kn---as Error- You are now being inducted into the World Order System!]</td>
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What? I was already inducted into the system! And what is up with my name!?
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[Your Magic has been determined and your starting Skill has been granted.]
[Your Magic has been determined and your starting Skill has been granted.]
[Your Magic is -Light- and your starting skill is -Light Beam-]
[Your Magic is -Golemancy- and your starting skill is -Create Golem-]
[Congratulations on your induct-]
[Error, System interference detect-]
[Solution Found]
[Activating Backup AI Interface]
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Before I can even think about the strange error messages in this game-like system, or what the hell is up with my brain, A woman pops out of thin air. This woman is beautiful with long black hair and piercing blue and golden eyes.
Standing straight the woman in the maid outfit looks me over before speaking.
“Hello, I am Support Interface 073 and I will be assisting you from now on due to the System having trouble fully interfacing with your soul.”
“Um, ok? what does that mean exactly?”
I inch back incredulously as I try to organize my thoughts, which is quite difficult considering I now seem to be a mix of the two different minds. The sensation of having my memories and thoughts thrown into a blender then pressed into a new personality is rather unpleasant.
Smiling politely, the girl in the maid outfit answers my question.
“Due to an unknown error the system is unable to read your mind which prevents it from providing proper assistance in your path. As a backup you have been provided with access to the supplementary support system.
This system, AKA myself, can be asked whatever questions you have. And if I am permitted I will provide you answers. However since the system can not access your thoughts you must speak aloud to receive said answers.”
Huh, weird. I have never heard of anyone else ever having to query The System verbally or any kind of AI support system. Though I must say I am glad the thing can’t read my mind, It would be creepy knowing this system thing is always listening to my innermost thoughts.
Looking up at the AI lady I wait for it to say more. And as I wait I realize she won’t be saying anything else, which is not very helpful.
Pushing myself off the ground I stand up and look myself over. As far as I can tell my body is that of the person who was originally from this world. Though I don’t see her, my? our? stab wound. I guess it was healed when I was reincarnated / resurrected / I am not sure what to call this anymore. Well whatever.
I shrug my shoulders and stare at my new AI assistant in a maid outfit. She does not seem to react at all to me.
Honestly this is disappointing. I was expecting something more interactive.
“Can you um, I don’t know, act more human-like? Standing there all stiff and responding to me with minimal answers is kind of off putting.”
She just seems to be staring past me, as if I am not even worth thinking about. If I am going to be stuck with an AI following me around all day then I would prefer something with life to it.
I was honestly not really expecting an answer. The AI seemed disinterested if that is even something an emotionless AI can be. However the projection suddenly seems to take a moment before answering with a slightly different cadence in its voice.
“Of course, You may set my personality, appearance, and voice to any settings you see fit. Though you may only do so once.”
The whole response is given as emotionless as possible. Something seems off about the way she is saying it but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Hmm, I am not sure what to do now, there are so many options and I don’t want to turn her into something annoying. I would hate to have to deal with a bubbly personality or someone who is overly pushy. I try thinking it over but in the end it seems like both of the minds that make up the new me are the rather impulsive sort.
“Can you take on the appearance of a cute young villainess type girl who is a bit of a tsundere?”
“Pervert.”
Suddenly standing before me is not a stunning maid but an adorable young girl with blonde hair in cute pigtail drills in a sweet but slightly classy academy uniform. The little villainess is glaring at me with a bit of a blush on her cheeks.
“Perfect, I am going to call you Alice!”
It may have been a rash decision but I already have no regrets.
“Out of all the possible choices you seriously wanted me like this? sigh, stop looking at me like that, I am a mental projection so it is not like you can get your grubby little mitts on me”
I can’t stop grinning at how she looks and how she speaks. It is like she jumped right out of my best fantasies. I am curious how she can so quickly determine my gaze is an impure one, but I have more important things to worry about right now.
“Well whatever. So uh, where am I?”
“Well considering the stupidly massive trees and thick mana in the air my guess would be Avaton or as the human race lamely calls it ‘The Sea of Trees’.”
Looking around at the wooden pillars that reach into the sky blocking my view with their thick dark green canopies, I realize I recognize the scene from one of the books I studied as a kid. A forest full of powerful monsters that covers more area than all of the human nations put together. A place where a level 1 schmuck like me would be crushed in an instant.
I just got dumped into the most dangerous place in the mortal realm.
“Shit.”
Staring up at the skyscraper like trees towering overhead I feel my mind racing as I try to comprehend my situation.
I turn towards my personal and adorable AI Alice and I ask a rather rhetorical question.
“Am I in, like, serious danger right now?”
“Yah, obviously.” She rolls her eyes.
“Well fuck, any suggestions on staying alive?”
“I would start by looking at your status, your only hope is that you can figure out how to use your skills to not get eaten before you inevitably starve to death.”
“Why does it sound like you expect me to die no matter what?”
“Because I do. Now hurry up before something comes to bite your head off for an evening snack.”This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“Right!”
Stopping myself from the constant pacing I had not even noticed I had been doing I focused on opening my status.
…
..
.
“Why is my status not opening??”
“Were you not paying attention? The system can’t read your mind, that is why I am here in the first place. Your only way to access the system is by speaking aloud. Now hurry along and open it!”
Alice snorts as she lifts her button like nose in the air. However I can sense a bit of worry in the latter portion of her statement.
“Ah, I forgot about that. Ok um… Status?”
And with that a glowing panel appears in front of me. Though something about it looks off. I expected something sleek and refined but the screen before my eyes looks like it belongs on a vacuum tube tv from the 80s with orange text reading out my status as if it is a retro text adventure game.
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[Status]
-El-L-i-u-a Kn---as Error-
Species: Human
Level: 1
Class: 1
Magic: Light, Golemancy
Skills:
[Lesser Identification]
[Lesser Clean]
[Lesser Repair]
[Light Beam] Lv-1
[Create Golem] Lv-1
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“Huh.”
My eyes bore into the information, mainly my messed up name.
“Can I just set my name as ‘Lua Knight’ for now?”
I really don’t understand what is going on or how I have managed to break what I thought was an integral part of reality. What I do know is I want to file a bug report, several of them.
“Yes, though you won’t be able to change it again later unless something major happens.”
The AI girl responds with a bit of uncertainty of her own, which I find curious, but don’t have the time to question right now.
“Ok, that is fine, probably best for my name to match my body… How do I use my skills? Just say them?”
“Yes, although I would advise against shouting your skill names like a child playing make believe. Unless you want to announce a free meal to all the nearby monsters.”
“Rude.”
Smiling at Alice and her slightly bitchy attitude I give it a shot.
“[Lesser Identification]”
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<td style="width: 98.9846%; text-align: center">[Tree - It’s a tree]</td>
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“Well, that is not very helpful.”
“I really don’t know what you were expecting.”
Ignoring the disapproving glare at my waste of mana I decide to just go ahead and try another one of my skills.
“[Light Beam]”
And at that I feel a lot more of my mana move inside my body, flooding out towards my pointed finger and straight towards the tree I am pointing at.
Launching out from my finger is a beam as wide as my arm glowing a bright white. I can barely look directly at it, squinting my eyes to keep track of its trajectory without going blind. I see it fly forward and impact the thick gray and brown bark of the tree in front of me.
And a moment later it dissipates, doing absolutely nothing to the tree.
“Um, isn’t this supposed to be an attack skill? Why didn’t it do anything?”
“Well first of all, the trees in this forest are tougher than enchanted steel, and secondly it is a beam of light. The most you are going to do with it is blind someone, or yourself, for a second or give away your position to the monster currently heading your way.”
“That is really stupi- wait, what monster?”
Suddenly I hear a screech coming from my right and in the distance is a small green figure holding a wooden club and staring at me like I just kicked its favorite puppy.
“Shit! [Lesser Identification]!”
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<td style="width: 98.9846%; text-align: center">[Goblin - Lv : 9]</td>
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Scrambling, I try to run away from the goblin that is 8 levels above me. But the thing is already chasing after me, and the bastard is fast for its size.
“Huh, you must be quite lucky to only run into something so low level this deep in the forest.”
“Stop just watching and tell me how to survive this!”
“Sorry, but that is not my job. I am just here to help you use the system. Good luck!”
She smiles and gives me a big thumbs up. Though I can see a bit of an apologetic look in her eyes.
“Fuck!”
Looking around for something, anything that I can use to fight back I notice a silver glint on the ground.
The dagger my mother used to kill me.
Ah, memories.
I leap out of the way as the goblin swings its club at my head and scramble for the knife.
A big thud rumbles the ground behind me as dirt sprays out everywhere.
Holy shit! If I got hit I would have been crushed instantly!
Finally wrapping my hand around the handle of the blade I flip over on my back, facing towards the goblin charging towards me out of the cloud of dust. It brings its club right down on my head again as I lay there clutching the small knife. Just before it can start to bring its arm down I immediately sit up and lean in to doge the strike while also jamming my knife into its chest. Grinning, I know I won.
Clink.
The knife chips off to the side, barely scratching the goblins skin.
“You have got to be kidding me?!”
The club strikes right behind me spraying a cloud of dirt into the air again, obscuring my vision. However the goblin knows where I am as I freeze up, dagger still clutched in my hands. As a reward for my attempt I get kicked in the stomach and end up flying backwards into the distance.
“Gahk-”
I can barely breathe as I cough out an unhealthy amount of blood from the strike. It hurts so much I want to cry. Actually I am certain I am already crying as my vision blurs.
Damn it. How am I supposed to kill something at level 9 when I am only level 1?! And most of all what kind of shitty knife can’t even kill a goblin?!
I can barely move, clutching my stomach with one hand as I try and push myself up with the other. But my hand slips and I end up sliding my hand into a root sticking out of the ground. And the root cuts deep into the side of my hand.
“Fuck!”
This day can’t get any worse. I got to experience dying twice in a day and got brought back to life only to die immediately after. It is unfair, It is stupid. I bet that cube god is laughing at me right now.
I can feel despair creeping in as the pain in my hand worsens. The agonizing internal bleeding and likely cracked ribs from that kick draining my will to live.
I am so tired. I just want to sleep.
I start to close my eyes when I feel a rush of anger flood me, remembering all the shit I have been through until this moment. Being ostracized and discriminated against all my life on earth, getting treated like a tool instead of a human being by my parents in this world. The pain, the loneliness, the fear I felt as I died with a silver blade in my gut.
No.
I won’t die.
Not again!
My mind races, and then it stops. I look down at my left hand, still bleeding from the deep hole into it. Maybe, I am not so dead after all. My pushing on the root managed to knock it out of the ground slightly, It was apparently not a root but a single broken twig. I can work with this.
Looking up I see the goblin barreling towards me once again, I only have one shot at this.
I grab the stick and yank it as hard as I can, over and over to try and dislodge it from the ground. Sweat pouring down my back as the goblin gets closer and closer.
I won’t make it in time! The stupid stick is too stuck!
“[Light Beam]!”
I shout with my other hand aiming straight for the goblins eyes.
A flash of bright light shoots out and the goblin screams. I roll over to the side as it strikes down, missing me just barely.
Finally, blood pouring down my arm from the exertion, I manage to yank the stick out of the ground as the goblin turns towards me; Angrier than ever. And just as it is about to strike down again to crush me beneath its club.
“[Light Beam]!”
I blind it again and ram the sharp end of the stick right into its face.
It screams out for a second and then stops. Dropping to the ground.
I did it, I won!
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[Level 9 Goblin defeated!]
[Bonus Experience is awarded for defeating a creature 5 levels above you!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[Skill [Light Beam] has leveled up!]
[You have learned the skill [Flash]!]
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“Nice.”
Then I collapse onto the bloody dirt beneath me, staring up at the floating text proving my victory.