A large flat green grassland spread out across the land in every direction. The scattered colorful wildflowers growing across this prairie provided a beautiful rustic garden charm to the scenery. Nearby a clean bubbling stream cut it ways like a winding snake across this picturesque landscape where Ben King happened to be laying on his back with his eye closed.
System Initializingโฆ
15%...25%...45%...75%...100%
*Ding!* [The System will now begin the process of merging with the host Ben King.]
A sharp pain in his head suddenly brought Ben back from unconsciousness. His eyelids fluttered as his eyes slowly opened. His brain felt like someone had dumped a jar of molasses on top of it then gave it a good kick right before they closed his skull back up.
Extremely groggy, he looked around as he slowly sat up to find himself sitting in tall grass surrounded by vibrant exotic flowers. The sound of running water falling over rocks caught his attention and he turned to see a lazy stream tumbling over and around rocks a few feet from where he awoke.
His mouth felt like he had swallowed a handful of sand it was so dry, which made him crawl over and drink directly from the cool stream without even realizing his actions.
He was basically working on autopilot until he had quenched his thirst.
The clean cool stream's water seemed to jog his memory of the fact that, he was just sitting on his balcony playing a game.
"Um, where the hell am I?" He said out loud not expecting anyone to answer him.
*Ding!* [The host is currently on the planet of Victus in the kingdom of Aregard.]
Ben jumped up to his feet startled now fully awake! At first thinking he was alone now it seemed someone was right behind him!
Looking around he could easily see for hundreds of yards in every direction, but he wasn't able to spot whoever had just spoken to him.
'Is someone hiding nearby, trying to play a prank on me?' He thought while examining his surroundings.
*Ding!* [The closest person to the host is currently five miles away. Would you like me to open your map and mark their current location?]
Spinning around he continued to search the area as the monotonous robotic female voice spoke out once again, but Ben was still unable to locate the person speaking to him.
'Now that I stop to think, why does it sound like her voice is in my head and not near me?'
'Wait!!! How did she just answer a question that I had only thought!'
*Ding!* [It is unnecessary for the host to speak out loud. I can answer any questions and perform all available actions by listening to the host's thoughts.]
'You...can read my thoughts? Who are you and where are you hiding at?'
*Ding!* I am [The Sovereignty System] and have now merged with the host Ben King. I am not hiding I am a part of you now.
'The Sovereignty...System? Like those systems in the web novels that help people cultivate or learn skills and powers?'
*Ding!* [The host is partly correct. My main purpose is to offer options used in RTS building games that the host has often played. Once the host chooses a starting [Build Zone] you will have access to a Build Menu to place resource gathering structures within your Build Zone. The gathered resources can then be used to build fortifications, workshops, residents, farms, guilds, and many other various structures.]
"Wait! You are telling me that I have an RTS City and Castle builder in my head now?!" He asked out loud in amazement.
Ben stood there stunned trying to wrap his head around everything being tossed at him so suddenly.
'Somehow It seems I have been sent to another planet called Victus and have merged with this system. This is insane!' Ben reached up and slapped himself hard on the cheek.
Ben felt a sharp stinging pain across the right side of his face that let him know this wasn't a dream.
"Oww, that stung! That means...I'm not dreaming, this is truly happening right now?!" He exclaimed out loud.
'System?...how...do I interact with you, and what options do I have available to help me survive in this new world.' Ben asked in his mind, almost still not believing what was happening to him.
Before his eyes, a semi-transparent holographic interface and keyboard suddenly appeared. The interface menu had a had icons like those found on a computer desktop that opened different categories. Ben examined the five icons with a different name below each of them.
[Build Menu], [Store], [Status], [Map], and [Programs].
When he reached out to touch the Build Menu icon the system told Ben he would need to choose a Build Zone location before the building options were available.
'I don't want to place a build zone down without knowing who or what is around here. This could be the land of some crazy over-powered cultivation sect or I might piss off some powerful kingdom and have them send an army to wipe me out for building a fortress within their borders.' Ben thought as he looked at the next option.
Clicking on the [Store] option a menu with listed sub-categories appeared.
"Let's see here, there are listings for [Resources], [Building Materials], [Mechanisms/Gadgets], [Weapons], [Armor], [Items], [Clothing], [Consumables], [Skills], [Techniques], and [Spells]?"
'System, is this what you meant about me being partly correct? I see these categories for skills, techniques, and spells does that mean this world has cultivators and magi?' Ben asked once he had come across the techniques and spells categories.
*Ding!* [This world has both Qi and Mana energies present. There are currently cultivators and magi both living on Victus, but the use of Qi and Mana is still a new concept that a only very small percentage of the current population wields.]
"Well, that makes thing interesting." Ben whispered with a slight smile.
When he opened the skills category he found what appeared to be a large list of RPG type skills, Occupational type skills, Talent skills, Fighting skills, and Miscellaneous skills. There were even skills to learn how to paint, dance or even perform heart surgery. Just about anything you might want to learn could be bought with gold coins.
Moving on to examine the Spells available he found them all broken down into elemental schools of [Fire], [Water], [Earth], [Light], [Darkness], [Wind], [Wood], [Lightning], [Metal], and [Space]. They had spells like a basic fireball up to high tier spells that could just about level an entire castle to the ground.
Looking at the descriptions and prices Ben could tell everything seemed to be quite expensive.
'Even though I have no idea of how this world's currency is broken down, I can still tell these prices are not on the cheap side.' Ben complained as he went down the list of available spells.
'Speaking of which, can you explain this world's monetary system to me.' Ben asked while pausing to examine the list spells.
*Ding!* [I shall proceed from the lowest valued coin to the highest value. The copper coin is the lowest valued coin and one hundred copper coins are equal to one silver coin. One hundred silver coins are then equal to one gold coin. One hundred gold coins are equal to one platinum coin. The platinum coin is currently the highest valued coin currently available.]
"Well, that seems easy enough to remember. Now, what is with this 200 gold coins for a frinkin newbie village Fire Spark spell! I demand a price restructuring now dammit!" Ben yelled out waving his fist in the air.
*Ding!* [I am sorry, this request is impossible, the system was preprogrammed with fixed features which cannot be altered. Though, some options are still currently not available it is possible to unlock them. Unfortunately, all store prices will forever remain inalterable.]
*Sighs*
'It was worth a try, I guess I can't complain I have all these options available to me. If I can find a way to make some decent money I can use this [Store] to my advantage to grow strong enough to deal with whatever comes my way.' He thought to himself as he looked to the next icon.
"Status?"
When, Ben questioningly read the word [Status] under the next icon out loud a new menu appeared with a list of details about him.
____________________________________
STATUS
[Host]: Ben King
[System Level]: 1
[Strength]: 14
[Agility]: 5
[Stamina]: 11
[Intelligence]: 6
[Wisdom]: 5
[Vitality]: 9
[Charisma]: 4
__________________________________________
"Oi, system-san, what is with this generic tank build roll?"
*Ding!* [All the host's current attributes are based off of your training and education from planet Earth.]
"I guess this is what I get for working construction daily and skipping out on college. Still, what the hell is up with my charisma being 4? Are you trying to tell me something, come out and say it! Just because I don't have a girlfriend or any real friends to speak of doesn't give you the right to give me a charisma score on par with a dead fish right?"
"Hello!?"
System: .....
Cursing under his breath, Ben closed the status menu and moved onto the next icon.
"Let me try out that voice activation thingy again."
"Map!"
An aerial real image map opened up which has the detailed appearance of modern satellite images.
Off to the side, he could see a plus and minus symbol with the word [Zoom] above them. Ben began clicking the plus button and watched as the map zoomed right in on his location. He could see a small blue circle exactly where he was standing alongside the stream. He then began to zoom out until another icon was visible.
He saw that this map icon looked like a walled-in city and when he clicked on it an info panel opened above it.
________________________
Map Icon Type: City
Name: Goldcrest Capital
Owner: Aregard Kingdom
Population: 56,584
_________________________
'This city appears to be the closest civilization to my present location. If, I walk south of here across this grassland I should find this road heading east that leads right to it.' He thought to himself as he plotted out the best course to take.
'System, is it possible for you to place some type of a small mini-map of the surrounding area in the corner of my vision to help me navigate?'
*Ding!* [That option will not be available until the system reaches level 3. The host can upgrade the system by building structures in the build zone, or from buying system upgrades from the [Store].
"Okay, now please point me to the difficulty settings menu so I can take you out of hard mode dammit!"
*Ding!*The system does notโฆ
"I know, I know! Why would we make it easy on me right! You do know that this isn't a game, this is real life so I won't mind if things are set to easy mode! I want to kiss and strangle the one who created you right now." Ben grumbled more to himself than the system.
'Let me take a peek at this last system option now before I get on the road. Something tells me that as pretty as this place is it would be reckless to spend the night out here alone in the wilderness unarmed. I don't want to become some creature's meal on my first day here.'
"Programs!"
When the programs menu opened he was shown a list he was already familiar with.
'This looks like an exact copy of my gaming laptop. Music, games, books, videos, photos, 3d modeling software, paint shop, image-editing software and even the basic programs that came with the operating system. I wonder why and how my laptop data ended up merging with this system and me?'
*Ding!* [While on Earth the host was struck by a bolt of lightning which passed through the laptop. All of the laptop's data was streamed to another universe along with the host. It appears a greater power had transported the host just before death and the laptops data had piggybacked along with the host on a current of residual electricity from the lightning which provided the power to activate the long distance teleportation. Whoever created this system had decided to reprogram my directives after reviewing this unexpected data from the host's laptop. I was originally designed to be a stealth type virus that could help a chosen host advance in cultivation and magic after being placed in their bloodstream. The host would have been able to make rapid advances in cultivation and magic without being aware of my presence.]
'So that's what happened I remember a flash of bright blinding light and then everything went black. If this were to all follow the direction of a web novel I would of been transmigrated to another world by a god or some omnipotent sentient being through reincarnation or translocation.'
Ben paused to look down at his reflection in a small pool along the stream beside him.
'I am still in my original body and seem to be the same age so the system is right about me being transported to this world.'
Ben was lost in thought as he tried to piece everything together that had happened while he was unconscious. He then thought of what the system had said about it being reprogrammed at the last minute.
'System? Can you tell me how and why you were suddenly reprogrammed before being implanted into me?'
*Ding!* [This system was originally named "The Imperium Virus". As previously stated my main function was to provide a host with rapid advancements in cultivation and magic. There is no information stating why this system was altered after the one who created this system had reviewed the laptops data. It seems this system's creator found the games and stories saved in the data...amusing. In what appears to have been a flash of inspiration this system was expanded upon to provide functions similar to those games and stories by using a highly advanced form of programming based off of the laptop's OS. This system still retains the original directives of assisting the host in the rapid development of cultivation and magic while also functioning as a web novel system that provides RTS city builder game options.]
'I thought it was strange that I had a system that worked similar to an RTS builder game merge with me when that was my favorite type of game to play. I guess I didn't just luck into it, someone had actually redesigned you to custom fit my preferences.'
With a better understanding of what had happened, Ben looked down again at the programs menu. He was excited to see that he still had access to everything that was originally on his laptop.
'This is actually pretty damn awesome. I downloaded a ton of stuff on that laptop since it had such a massive hard drive. Especially all of these books, I downloaded a little of everything from cookbooks to skyscraper construction, but it looks like this software I bought to learn Spanish will go to waste though now.' He thought with a smirk.
When Ben closed the [Programs menu] a question came to mind after seeing the learn spanish software.
"Speaking of learning languages how will I know what the people of this world are saying when I meet them?"
*Ding!* The system previously provided the host with all the known languages of this world upon merging with your mind. The host can communicate in any language as if he is speaking, reading, or writing in English with the systems help. You will not notice that you or they are speaking the different languages used in this world.
'Nice, that saves me the time of learning to read, write, and speak new languages or even worse having to buy them all from that damn gold digging System Store!'
Ben closed the interface and got his bearing with the map option again before he set off toward the road that led to the closest city.
'I need money, shelter, food, and information.' Ben thought as he began walking through the tall grass in search of the road he spotted on his map earlier.