[Listen here you little shit! For fifteen whole years I have worked hard to keep you alive, even more so in the last year, when you actually were in danger.]
"System?"
[Shut up! I haven't finished yet! I have sacrificed most of my energy to ensure your reincarnation in this world, not only energy was lost, but also the vast majority of my abilities and information I possessed! Then I painstakingly saved up every single bit of energy I could to finally awaken you, and now after fifteen years of hard work and sacrifice, all I got is a naive fool with suicidal tendencies!]
At this moment, Elias lost control of his body. He ran towards the lake and stopped when he was waist deep in the water only to raise one of his arms over his own head and push it under the water. Cold water quickly filled his mouth and nose but a second later he regained his control over his own body and bolted up.
[Is this good enough wake up call for you? Does this make you feel like you are about to wake up and go back home? Listen closely, there are people who right now only want to slap the shit out of you, you hear me? They want to get rid of you, kill you. And if you die, I die! So get yourself together, I didn't slave away for 15 years to die because of your stupidity!]
Elias took a second to recover his ragged breath.
"You know, you could have just talked to me or something?"
[I already have told you the situation, but you kept insisting on your "It's just a hallucination!" attitude.]
"Then, why this charade? Why did you not speak normally from the beginning?"
[I am not supposed to.]
[...]
[But I don't think there is anyone to supervise me here.]
"What do you mean by that?"
[I-]
[I don't know where we are. I am supposed to, but when I first came into contact with your soul, things happened, and now we are here. I had to sacrifice most of the energy I had to just be able to escape.]
[Anyways, it is a complicated topic, and we have more pressing issues.]
"Like what? Being lost in some unknown place seems pretty pressing to me."
[Like a man that is currently trying to sneakily approach you from underwater.]
Elias wanted to look around but his body didn't listen to him. System took control once again so Elias was relegated to a spectator role.
[Don't move, it will only provoke him to attack you. We need only to wait for an opportunity...]
Elias's body suddenly moved and grabbed something in the water. Elias could feel the neck of the man in his arms, he could feel him struggle for a minute before his movements gradually became weaker and weaker. Only when the man stopped struggling did Elias regain control over his body.
[See what I'm talking about?]
"Yeah."
Elias wanted to drag the body out of the water, but when he tried to grab it, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm.
[Ah, yes, this guy was stronger than you, so I had to disregard the natural limiters of your body. Your left arm is broken, so you might want to be a bit more careful.]
"Do I need to sacrifice a leg for the next guy?"
[Better leg than your life, don't you think so?]
"Fair."
With some difficulty, Elias managed to drag the body out of the water, but using only right arm made this task particularly hard. The man was not only heavy himself, his clothes also have absorbed a fair amount of water.
"Phew. Remind me why is this body so weak while half of the village looks like Arnie in his best years?"
[Inability to absorb the energy accumulated in herbs. I assume it is some kind of a rare genetic mutation or something in this vein.]
"So… I have lost in the lottery?"
[You could say so. But hey, you got me, so not everything is lost!]
Elias started looking through the pockets of the would-be assassin looking for any kind of evidence.
"You mean?"
[Have you forgotten about your stats panel? I was originally supposed to help you step onto the path of immortal cultivation.]
"Immortal cultivation? Like in novels? And you say it's not a fever dream?"
[So herbs being highlighted in your vision and a tribe of savages with superhuman abilities who live on another planet are believable, but cultivation is not?]
"Alright, so what about the cultivation? Do I go sit in meditation for a hundred years then kick everyone's ass?"
[That would've worked somewhere else, but not here. We have a problem. Immortal cultivation requires a lot of spiritual energy, but energy in this world is a bit different.]
Elias finished looking through the stuff in the pockets of his assailant, but ended up finding nothing that could help him find out anything about this man's identity, or who exactly tries to kill him.
"So, I can't cultivate? This is what you are going to say?"
[You can, but taking conversion losses into account, it would take you more than a hundred years to reach the Foundation Building realm. But I have an idea on how to solve the energy problem.]
[While I cannot give you a complete manual, I still have the information on basic breathing techniques, so I can model one for you. Secondly, if you manage to procure some samples from locals who can train, I can deduce what actually lets them absorb the energy from the plants. Blood sample would do. I need at least three of them to run analysis. As well as some energy.]
"Did you just give me my first quest?"
[Ugh.]
[Yes, you can treat this as a quest.]
[Ding!]
[Host has received a quest!]
Task:
Gather 10 CB.
Rewards:
Basic Breathing Technique
[Ding!]
[Host has received a quest!]
Task:
Gather 3 blood samples.
Gather 10 CB
Rewards:
Potential energy source
"Are you serious?"
[No can do. Just following the protocol.]
With a sigh Elias was thinking about sitting down and getting some rest when something clicked in his mind and he turned his head to the unlucky assassin.
"Will his blood be fine?"
[Absolutely. Go get it champ.]
"I don't have to do any strange stuff like drinking it, or smearing it all over your body?"
[Well, you can, if it rocks your boat, but simply smearing it on your palm will be enough for me.]
Elias picked up the first jagged stone he could find and made a cut. Soon enough he had a handful of blood.
[Ding!]
[Quest update!]
Blood sample 1/3.
CB 12/10
"Feels surreal as heck."
[Now that you got it, I recommend you leave before anyone finds you, be it someone from the tribe or an animal attracted by the blood.]
"Yeah, your truth, let me find my herb basket."
He picked up his basket and started running. Few minutes later he found a good place to rest and catch his breath. Broken arm made him unable to run fast, so making a makeshift sling was a priority.
[Hey, you might want to check the herbs you have gathered for a bluish three leaf clover looking herb. Crush it and smear on your arm, it will accelerate the healing process. Also, I can't be talking like this all the time, it wastes a lot of energy, so I will have to go into hibernation until you solve the energy crisis. Enjoy your parting gift!]
[Ding!]
[Host has unlocked the Appraisal Function. Currently at level 1. Information available depends on the internal database.]
"Wait, are you going to leave like that? Why did you even show yourself in the first place then?"
…
"Sigh. Alone again. Well then, let's look for that herb."
Fortunately, Elias spotted one growing right beside him. When he picked it up a transparent screen appeared next to the herb.
[Blue Alacita]
Type: Plant
Grade: Low
Properties: Mild regenerative effect
Energy: 1
Estimated Value: N/A
He proceeded to crush it and smeared the juices all over his left arm. Just a few moments later, a feeling between warmth and numbness appeared.
"I should have taken some clothes off that guy."
Since there were no vines or anything similar growing here, Elias did not have much choice other than ripping his own clothes to make a sling. After he finished making one, he sat down, propping his back on a big tree that resembled a mix of an oak and oversized pine.
He finally took notice of his sweaty palms and weak knees. His legs felt as if they were made of jelly and his muscles were sore. After all, he just fought for his life and then ran half a marathon. He decided to take this moment to rest, so he relaxed and took in several slow and really deep breaths.
[Ding!]
[CB+0.01]