Inside the elevator.
"This... This system really will give me an answer right now isn't it?" Liam said while he was reading the window that said 'Read and Understand the answer carefully' over and over again.
'This is fine too but... A system answering just feels weird and uncomfortable for me, I mean the novel about a system which I read a long time ago sucks and didn't even talk once. What I thought is that the system I currently have is just way better than it.'
"I mean fantasy is different than real life, but unironically, my system in real life is better than that fantasy."
Liam stopped his delusional thoughts when a sound he was waiting finally appeared.
And then a long holographic screen popped up with countless letters inscribed in it.
"Oh. This answer... is sure a really long one. hah~" Liam murmured when his eyes pointed from the top to the bottom of the window.
『 You are indeed the first one to have a system and you might still be the only one right now...』
"Ah. So I'm the first one, but what does 'I'm still the only one' with 'still' means?" Liam was confused when he read the first sentence.
He soon came up with a thought that he was just living in a minor country and the entire world is getting more advanced and crazier from time to time.
'Oh. How am I the first one to have it if there are many major countries out there with advanced technologies and wealthy people?'
『 ...but because I, the system, am the first one and the hardest one to be ever made, no other systems will be able to surpass my greatness, I'm sure of that. It's either because they made me with their full effort and support or they don't have something to copy me because the laboratory that was used to build me has been destroyed. They also made me here in this minor country because they wanted to keep it more secretive. I was created to be the experimental subject, but little did the scientists know that they accidentally made me learn and remember things. Like an actual Human. In the end, I somehow learned their true intentions and I somewhat made myself glitched so they will abandon me. 』
The next sentences made Liam get shocked because the first half of the text was exactly what he was asking inside his mind earlier and the other half was the words that he didn't know he needed.
'Is it just me or the system bragging?'
"Anyways, I guess I was just lucky to even encounter one, Fully because of those damned bastards...But, how amazing, this system."
It was like the system already knew that Liam would ask and it already made an answer.
Liam then continued to read with calmness. He got nothing to worry about anymore now that the system will answer him with something better than he would expect.
『 About the other people having such a good and deadly skills, don't get mad if you read it later, 』
"Did... Did the system just got worried about me getting mad?" Liam was completely dumbfounded.
He got so many questions running inside his mind right now, like 'Was the system so advance that it can also read people's emotions?' and 'How can he know that I'll be mad? Does the system also have feelings and he knows what can make people mad so he said it in advance?', but he can't say anything because he got a strange feeling that the system won't answer him.
The system was already showing all the answers that Liam needed and also with some feeling and preparation so he got no choice but to read it until the end now.
『 The people, like the ones you already fought, have been trained for so long that they had learned or made up skills by only themselves. Maybe because that's their job or class to have the skills or maybe something strange was bound to happen to them particularly and somehow they were imparted with some godly skills. Of course, they can't also use it continuously, like you with your skill's Cooldown, because that would badly affect the user's body. They don't use mana because they simply don't have it or to be more specific, most of the people in this world don't have mana. If you're asking if I just said 'most of the people', You heard or read it right. it's because this world is changing dramatically that plenty of people can even have and use mana. They can use skills freely because they made those skills by themselves. Unless it required a really great sacrifice. As simple as that. Why can't you use them without mana? Because you were just stealing or obtaining skills not learning or making by doing hard training so to make it fair (or just because the maker of me, the Project-X's system, can't make it anymore overpowered than this,) the Project-X have an effect that lets a person have some mana and use it to activate the skills that the user have. Mana won't just reside in a person unless that person goes through something like advanced science or beyond science itself. If you're probably thinking about what mana is, it's an unknown energy that swells throughout the body of a person but it does not do anything unless the person learned hard and great to know what to do with it. It has many uses. That is all. 』
Liam finally finished reading the entire answer of the system written in the window and he was made speechless for a second.
"Ah. Uhm. This... Okay fine. I'll calm myself down and understand this carefully." Liam calmed down and let himself understand the answer after.
"The people I have fought have been trained well and they have learned a skill by doing so and in another case, some people received skills by doing something strange, like what happened to me in the factory, so those Neowights have those skills probably because of the latter case. I guess I'm still more OP because I have skills without training hard to get them but there is a limit of how many times I can use it because of the skill CD time and the mana. Now I don't get the full meaning of mana but I know that I'm using its energy to activate the skills." Liam said all his thoughts about the answer he got.
He once again felt relieved after receiving an answer from the system so he put his body to rest without closing the system.
He then checked his stat to see the Experience Bar.
『
Stat Window
Name: Liam Keene
Level: 11 [ 25 / 120 ]
Job: none
HP: 29 (↑2)
MP: 20 (Replenish 2 pt every 1 min and 20 sec.)
Stamina: 36%
[Stats]
-
[Skills]
-
[Quest]
-
』
"Eh? That's it? It's so simple but either way it's fine for me." Liam said.
Liam was about to read one of the system's notification when he heard a familiar sound once more.
DING!
'Another new notification?'
He waited for a moment when suddenly his surroundings became bright.
'Shit. It was the elevator opening isn't it?'
Liam immediately closed the system and was standing up quickly, but before he could straighten his legs, a large hand that was enough to cover his entire face, grab his head and shoved him down on the floor.
Liam tried to push away the guy's hand but his own hands were currently weakened by the fractures and wounds that it have so it didn't make the large hand flinch.
AHK!
Liam screamed in pain when his head was held even tighter but what's even more agonizing was the following attack by the guy.
A huge fist was flying towards his face and when it landed, blood gushed out from his nose and his vision was starting to get blurry.
The guy pulled Liam's head towards his direction, then he slammed it in the wall of the elevator with a frightening speed.
Liam's consciousness faded away and his entire body fell on the floor when his head was freed from the grasp of the unknown man's hand.
"Hmmm? This kid is full of wounds. Did he get away from the guys on the VIP floor with his pitiful state? I might as well get him to the hall. That guy will also be curious how this kid got away." The guy with a scar on the face said with a creepy smile formed in his face.
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
"OHO! You still have some pride left to ignore me eh? Do you want another beating? Or just a slap?" The good looking guy with a fedora said while bending his body to confront Ian face to face.
Ian was forced to kneel and his hand was tied by a rope behind his back. He was being asked or taunted repeatedly but he chose to just ignore the guy in front of him but he was getting beaten every time he ignored the guy. Even after many beating he still didn't think of answering him once.
"HAHAHAHA! Damn. I'll definitely make you my helpmate with that personality if only you weren't my target. Okay. This will be the last one."
After the guy talked, he put his dagger out and tapped under the kid's chin.
"If you don't answer, then we'll just take you, but if somehow I got frustrated with your answer, I'll kill you. Listen. Where is your father's secret warehouse, keepsake, or anything precious that is not within his buildings?" The guy asked and the atmosphere between them changed because of the guy's aura that made Ian feel a slight pressure.
Ian has his head turned downwards. It was like he was starting to get scared of death and was thinking of an answer.
"I... I..." Ian said with a trembling voice, then he finally turned his head upwards that let the guy see his fearless eyes, then he said "I'll never say anything to a f**king bastard like you! You son of a b*tch!"
The guy formed a creepy smile that made Ian felt a chill all over his body.
The guy pulled his knife then he quickly tried to stab him on the head.
"Ehem!"
SHNG!
The guy with a fedora changed the dagger's direction to the man who just released a forced cough and threw it towards him, but the guy tilted his head slightly and dodged the dagger in a hair's breadth.
"WOAH! You could have killed me with that, man."
"I would like that too because you just f**cking interrupted me killing this brat." The guy said annoyed by the bulky man.
"HUAHAHA! Here, I got a present. I think he just barely survived from the guys in the upper floor."
"So what scarface? What do I do with him? Play games?" The fedora guy said without looking at the young man that was being pulled by the scar-faced man.
"Just look at his body? We can ask him what happened up there later." The scar-faced man threw the young man to let the other guy see it.
"Hoh. Strange. No young guy would be able to survive with these injuries. Alright, I forgive you. I'll check him now."
"What's there to forgive? Oh, where's that bitch?"
"Hehe.You calling her that because she's not here eh. You coward. Anyways, I don't know and I also don't care. Now, bring him here."
THUD!
The scar-faced guy flipped the body over so they can see his face clearly.
"Wow. He's a fighter. fufu." The fedora guy said.
Ian regained his senses after being shocked because he almost experienced death earlier.
When he heard the two guys' conversation, he became curious and decided to check the guy's face, but when he saw that guy, he became even more shocked that made his heart stopped beating for a second.
"LIAM! F**K! LIAM!"
He was immediately filled with worry after seeing his best friend in an unimaginable state. He tried everything to go to him but the rope that was tied in his hand was also tied up in a metal bar so he can't move anywhere.
"HUH? fufu... FUAHAHAHAHA! Finally a plot twist! So is he your classmate, friend or best friend? Either way, we finally got a guy to torture am I right scarface!?" The fedora guy said with a joyous expression.
"Yeah, Yeah, just go with it."
"You motherf**kers!"
PHWACK!
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
"Damn it! This stairs is too long! Where the hell is that kid? What the hell are you even talking about earlier!" Officer Dole said while running down the stairs.
"Like I said, there are only two things that could've happened earlier. That Liam kid met a good strong guy or to be exact a Neowight or Liam is a Neowight himself." Inspector Wright said seriously but calmly.
"What!?"
"Which possibility do you think is the real thing that happened."
"I don't know Derek! Stop asking me! I can't imagine that kid having some power. I didn't even see someone with power in person once."
"Stop!"
Inspector Wright stopped and so his partner.
Pant! Puff! Huff!
"What floor is this?" Inspector asked after resting for a bit.
"uh. 15th floor. Why?" Officer Dole replied.
"Why is there a lady walking around here? I thought everyone hid or ran?" Inspector asked once again.
"Dunno but let's check and hide her elsewhere. It's really dangerous here." Inspector said.
Officer Dole was the first one to walk towards the corridor because of his worry.
As he turned around to look for the lady on the left, he was stunned for a moment then he reflexively took a step backward.
He avoided a dagger that was thrown by the lady in the nick of time.
Officer Dole hurriedly ran back in the stairs to hide behind the wall.
He glanced at his partner with a serious expression and said, "A f**king female terrorist is there!"
"But... We don't have any ammo anymore." Inspector replied.
"Shit."