After moving away from the river, Michael found solace beneath a large tree and decided to acquaint himself with the system.
"Hey, system, come up," he mentally ordered, prompting the interface to appear before him. He noticed tabs labeled host, shop, storage, subordinates, and upgrade.
Michael briefly scanned his surroundings, searching for any signs of movement, yet curiously, everything appeared frozen.
"While you access the system, time will be momentarily slowed down until the host exits the system."
"Cool," he remarked, raising his eyebrows in surprise as he heard the robotic voice.
"Opening host's status," the system announced, and Michael's body, in its current naked state, materialized before him, complete with accompanying statistics, reminiscent of a role-playing game.
Host: Michael.
Cultivation Level: Foundation stage, level 1.
Experience Points: 4000/20000
Badass Points: 0
Current Skills: None.
Occupation: None.
Status: Healthy.
Goals: None.
Notable Skills: Above-average marksmanship, proficiency in close combat.
"Proficient, huh?"
Abras's skills merged with him, instantly granting him all the knowledge and abilities that Abras had acquired in his lifetime.
"Let's see what's in the storage."
Michael opened the storage tab, revealing a few items before him. Upon concentration, details and attributes of these items appeared above them.
The first item in his storage was a black tactical knife. Summoning the knife to his hand, he examined it.
"Hmm, perfect balance and very sharp," he remarked while running his thumb along the blade.
Name: SOG Seal Pup Elite.
Blade Length: 6.75 Inches.
Total Length: 12.00 Inches.
Total Weight: 5.40 Ounces.
Special Trait: Can penetrate the defense of anyone under the Body Strengthening Stage, level 6.
"System, list all these cultivation levels in ascending order."
The interface changed, displaying a list of cultivation levels in ascending order.
Arch Sensing Stage.
Foundation Stage.
Body Refining Stage.
Body Strengthening Stage.
Core Formation Stage.
Core Strengthening Stage.
Soul Refining Stage.
Fusion Stage.
Half Immortal.
Immortal.
[Note: System needs to be upgraded to reveal the next levels.]
At the end of the list, a red warning label appeared.
"Upgrade? What level are you now? How do I upgrade you?"
[The current System version is 1.0. The system requires 10,000 badass points to be upgraded to version 2.0.]
"Let me guess, more functions and additional shop items will be unlocked only if I upgrade you," Michael speculated, drawing from his knowledge of novels featuring similar systems.
[The host is correct.]
"How do I earn these badass points? Is there a guide or a 'how to' list?" Michael inquired further.
[Whenever the host acts badass, the system will reward you with badass points.]
"Not to boast, but I'm a badass, system, so it won't be hard," Michael confidently declared, expecting a response from the system. However, none came.
He had already examined the healing potion, so he turned his attention to the next item, which was a blue gift box.
"Does the host want to open the box?"
"No shit, Sherlock, open it."
The box burst open in a flash of light, revealing a black costume within.
"Wait a minute, is this..."
Michael didn't need any introduction to the outfit; it was one of the most iconic costumes in his world—the black attire of Neo from the Matrix movies.
Item Name: Neo's Costume.
Special trait: None.
Durability: Six months.
"Equip it."
Since he was naked in a new world and the costume looked incredibly cool, Michael commanded the system to clothe him in it.
The costume fit him perfectly, but he noticed that something was missing.
"Hey system, where are the sunglasses that come with this costume?"
"Does the host wish to buy Neo's black sunglasses?"
"Yeah, give me those."
The interface shifted to the shop tab, displaying the black sunglasses floating before him.
"Three hundred badass points? Shit, I don't have that much."
"Then the system recommends the host explore this world to earn more points."
"Let me browse the store some more."
The shop was categorized into weapons, potions, armor, and miscellaneous.
he moment he saw the weapons tab, he opened it with his mind, revealing a wide array of guns, knives, bows, and more.
"A Navy Colt for 10,000 badass points? Hey, system, isn't that too expensive?"
Even though he didn't fully understand the value of badass points, paying ten thousand for an old Colt seemed rather steep.
"A gun is too overpowered for this world, hence the price. The system recommends the host to explore the world and earn badass points."
Given the exorbitant cost of a simple Colt, he didn't bother looking at the other weapons and instead moved to the miscellaneous tab.
There, he found a few cards, and he examined the first one.
Name: Surrounding Scanner.
Function: Scan the host's surroundings for the presence of life.
Area of Effect: Small.
Current Level: Level 1.
Next Level: Scan will identify potential threats, and the area of effect will increase.
Price: 300 badass points.
"Hmm, might come in handy. What's next?"
He scrolled to select the next item.
Name: Teleporter.
Function: Teleport the Host to a different place instantly.
Distance: Small.
Current Level: Level 1.
Next Level: The distance will be increased.
Price: 700 badass points.
"Teleporter, huh? Fancy, next."
Name: X-ray Vision.
Function: Enable the host to activate X-ray vision.
Range: Small.
Current Level: Level 1.
Next Level: The range and the effect will increase.
Price: 1000 badass points.
"Useful, but not that important."
After this card, the system required an upgrade to view more cards. After a few more minutes of exploring the system, Michael closed it and stood up, ready to embark on his adventure in this new world.
"I miss those sunglasses."
Tying his hair into a ponytail, Michael began to follow the river, recalling the survival techniques he had seen on TV shows like Bear Grylls.
"First, I need to find a city or village and gather more intel about this world. Then, I should look for a way to earn some money. Speaking of money, hey system, can I convert badass points into gold coins or purchase coins in a shop?"
"The system needs to be upgraded to level six to unlock that feature," the robotic voice replied.
"It's settled then. I need to find a way to earn money. I hope this world has hit contracts."
After walking for an hour, the clouds darkened, and the wind picked up, threatening to uproot the trees. Purple lightning streaked across the darkening sky.
"A storm, just what I need right now," Michael sighed as he searched for a house or any shelter, but he couldn't spot one.
"It seems I'll have to head into the forest for shelter."
Until now, he had been avoiding the dark forest, sticking to the river's shore. However, he had no choice but to venture into the forest to avoid being struck by lightning.
The forest was devoid of life, its bare branches reaching towards the dark sky, casting an eerie gloom. Michael struggled to see in the darkness, his surroundings shrouded in shadows. Only the faint rustling of bushes and the haunting howl of the wind broke the silence. He had no idea what awaited him in this foreboding forest, but he knew it wouldn't be a peaceful journey.
As the rain began to pour, Michael was fortunate to stumble upon a massive tree with gigantic leaves and towering branches. It loomed over him, making him feel insignificant in its presence.
Abras's expertise in forest life, gained from a lifetime of living there, allowed Michael to climb the tree with ease. He found a comfortable spot under the tree's leaves, feeling like a tiny speck in comparison.
"Let's hope there aren't any snakes in this tree."