[Intuitive Aptitude: You can learn and understand the complexity and exactness of any organism or object with no need for long-term or special education.]
'Jackpot,' I did the mental equivalent of a fist pump in my mind as soon as I read the description of my new perk to celebrate getting what was doubtlessly a cheat skill or perk in this case.
'I'm going to regret asking this, but what are the limitations of this perk?' I asked the system, feeling a mixture of prehension and optimism.
[Intuitive Aptitude is more of a power than a perk. It follows the theme of other superpowers in this world, meaning that it has several drawbacks.]
I can't say that I didn't expect that much, but I guess having absolute power from the beginning would be boring, so this shouldn't be too bad unless the drawbacks are downright debilitating.
[First Drawback: you Can still forget known information.]
[Second drawback: While you can understand most logical things, some things may be innately illogical or have no rational method of understanding]
[Third drawback: Although you can dissect and discover the inner workings of most things, some things are naturally too complicated for a mortal mind to understand]
[Fourth drawback: possible overthinking]
I can definitely work with this. I can work around the first drawback by increasing my intelligence, which I think would make me smarter and give me a better memory, or even possibly a perfect one.
[Anything and everything is possible in this world] The system's robotic voice commented, without elaborating, and I didn't ask it to do so as I had a feeling that I wouldn't be getting any answers even if I did.
Still, the second and the third drawbacks honestly freaked the shit out of me. The second drawback is most definitely hinting at the existence of powers or individuals that even logic can't explain.
If you ask me to define what logic is to me, then it's rationalizing everything that makes sense in my mind through my very own common sense.
As human beings, we rely on rationality and common sense to do everything in our life. You rub soap on your hands, and it becomes clean. You eat, and you are o longer hungry anymore; Such are the small logical things that we humans rely on to get by from one day to another.
Logic, in other words, can be described as the very fabric of our reality, and it should be clear why the idea of being in the same world as someone who can defy or manipulate logic or reality sends shivers down my spine.
For all I know, this could be the fourth drawback of my new power already at work, but the idea is already inside my head, and it's not going away any time soon.
The third drawback is just as terrible as the second, not because it means that I won't understand some things in the future, but because of the word mortal, which confirms the existence of Immortal beings in this world.
The fourth drawback is Honestly not that bad and might be helpful instead of harmful in the future. I would say that all the shortcomings of my new powers have ways to work around them, and I'm not terribly upset about them.
The conclusions I reached from analyzing the second and third drawbacks are an entirely different story, but it's time to move on.
'Open the next orb, system.' I shook my head to clear my mind of negative thoughts, focusing back on the topic at hand.
[That was the shortest existential crisis I've seen in my life, host.] The system's robotic voice remarked with no hint of emotion in its voice, leaving me speechless.
'I suppose I should have seen this coming since that smug bastard was the one who built this system.' I sighed as the second and last transparent orb shined in blue light, splitting into two metallic balls with inscriptions all over them.
The first shined in a holy white color.
[You have received the item: Harmony]
[Harmony: An essence of divine energy given form.]
The second shined in a sinister black light.
[You have received the item: Discord]
[Discord: An essence of demonic energy given from.]
Ok...? I have no idea what those things are or how I'm going to use them, and I don't want to take them out of my inventory to try analyzing them with Intuitive Aptitude because I don't know if someone is monitoring me in this small room I found myself in when I woke up.
'System, what are Harmony and Discord, and how can I use them?' I asked, hoping the system would my new items' functions things to me.
[Harmony and Discord are the essences of two opposite types of energy given form] The system's robotic voice replied to my question, telling me what I already knew. Still, it seemed to have more to say, so I waited patiently.
[On their own, they are useless unless you have a specified set of skills.] The system added, and I sighed in disappointment.
[Not to worry. Harmony and Discord can still be of use. They only require suitable items for them to inhabit to display their full power.] It concluded.
'What are those items? And what sort of powers do Harmony and Discord have?' I asked after several seconds of thought.
[That is for you to discover.]
Fair enough. Now it's time for me to do something that I've been avoiding since I woke up. I stood up for the bed I was lying on and took a second look at my surroundings.
I was inside a small room with white walls that had nothing but a bed, a sink, and a toilet, and there was no door anywhere in sight. I quickly made my way towards the sink, and after several seconds of hesitation, I finally looked up, staring into the mirror.
I saw an unfamiliar reflection staring right back at me in the mirror, causing me to sigh as I began running my hand through my face.
I already knew what Kaden, or me in this case, looked like, but seeing it in a film-like memory differed notably from staring into the mirror and seeing an unfamiliar face staring back.
Kaden, no, I, had long black hair cascading down the sides of my head and reaching my shoulders. I had light green eyes that seemed to glow even in this small room that was honestly too bright.
I had a chiseled jawline and a face with both Caucasian and Asian features with a complexion that was pale white, which was strange considering that Kaden grew up in a desert.
All in all, I'd say that I was pretty good-looking.
My body seemed to be in good shape, and I estimated my height at roughly 183cm. Looking down, I noticed that I was wearing a comfortable white T-shirt with black pants and white running shoes that felt equally comfortable.
'This isn't what I was wearing when I lost consciousness.' I frown as I finally begin thinking about the situation I'm in right now.
'There are no doors and no window.' I scanned the surroundings with my eyes, putting my index finger in my mouth and wetting it as I raised it high in the air, looking for subtle air currents.
'This way.' I turned towards one of the room's walls, walking towards it after figuring the direction from which the air was coming. 'Strange.' The wall had no holes in it, and it felt solid to the touch, meaning that it shouldn't allow for air to pass.
'Whatever this technology is, it means that whoever or whatever imprisoned me here has some tricks up their sleeves.'
"Attention to all players." A loud voice that seemed similar to what you would hear in an airport announced. "The Greed games will soon begin, but first a word from the game master himself."
"Well shit," I murmured with an exasperated sigh as the holographic image of a man in a colorful suit wearing a half-clown mask that covered only his nose, eyes, and forehead appeared in the middle of the room.
I had no idea who this man was or what the so-called Greed games were, but even an idiot can figure it out if they take a moment to think about it.
"Greetings to you, oh scum of the society," the man in a colorful suit said with a shit-eating grin. "I have gathered you all here with only one thing in common between you," he added while spreading his hands to his sides dramatically.
"You are all people that no one will miss, losers with no prospects for the future," the game master stated in an earnest tone, playfully spinning where he stood.
"But why oh why have I brought you here, you might ask?" The game master asked rhetorically, tilting his head to the side with a smile. "The answer is oh so simple, my dears," he answered, his palms wide open as he moved them in front of his face.
"To struggle and die for the entertainment of your betters, of course!"