Chapter 2 Star Forger
[Welcome to the War Machine System. Build the strongest machine of war and bring an end to the endless conflict across the universe]
What was that?
He groaned as pain struck his head. Everything was dark until he opened his eyes with much difficulty. His vision blurred. The sun greeted him as he lay bare on the grass. The wind fluttered his hair with fresh morning air entering his nose.
Where am I?
He pushed the ground and sat up. Despite the refreshing morning air, he felt conflicted and incomplete. Something was missing, but he didn't know what or why.
He looked down towards his body. Bare-chested with defined muscle and covered by nothing but a trouser. He caressed his cheek, nose, and lips only to get stung by the callouses of his hand.
Who am I?
He remembered nothing about his life. Whether it was about his identity or his circumstances, he knew nothing of them.
Suddenly a blue transparent hologram popped out of thin air.
[Status]
Name: Hax
Race: Human
Access Point: 0
Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Endurance 5, Intelligence 12, Concentration: 10
Skills:
He raised an eyebrow as he read the hologram. Hax? was that supposed to be his name? And what were the rest of the numbers mean? Did it quantify his qualities in numbers?
[Scanning please stand by]
[Scan complete]
[Level 1 access has been unlocked. Please create more machines of war to unlock more knowledge]
[Knowledge injection commencing]
"What injection?"
A sharp pain stabbed his mind. He gritted his teeth as he held on to his sanity. It felt like a needle bored through his skull and pierced his brain. He grabbed his head as the pain intensified.
Time passed like an eternity before the pain finally subsided. Saliva drooled out of his mouth as his face turned red. Hax drew his breath with much difficulty. The pain tortured his body and mind, making his head hurt and his throat sore.
During the process, all kinds of knowledge poured into his mind without stopping.
[Injection Successful]
[Please check your status]
"How do I check my status?"
The status panel had disappeared when the system started scanning so he did not know what to do.
[Please use your brain]
"Is that supposed to be an insult? How do I check my status with my brain?"
[Status]
Name: Hax
Race: Human
Access Point: 0
Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Endurance 5, Intelligence 12, Concentration: 1
Skills:
[Mathematics]: Lv 1
[Mechanics]: Lv 1
[Physics]: Lv 1
"That's all?"
Hax was fairly disappointed. The myriads of knowledge that he received were so interesting and profound but hard to apply into reality. He wanted more, he wanted to know more.
[Due to the cognitive and storage limitation of the brain, the system will limit how much knowledge the user can receive]
"Cognitive and storage limitation of the brain? Is that how you scientifically tell me that I'm stupid?"
[Like every sentient organism, the user can advance the evolution of the brain by conditioning it with various techniques]
"Condition the brain? That sounds interesting. If my brain is strong enough, I can receive more knowledge."
[Please craft your weapon of war to access more knowledge]
"How do I craft a weapon with my current knowledge? That's just impossible."
[Searching for blueprint]
[Compatible blueprint founded]
[Congratulation you have received a low caliber pistol blueprint]
[Mission]
Mission: A tiny step
Requirement: Humanity depends on their machine to protect their life and dignity. Without them, a human couldn't surpass its biological limitation. The first mission is a tiny step towards greater advancement. Please create a low-caliber pistol.
Reward: 1 Random blueprint.
A panel appeared that depicted an image of a pistol with its schematic under it. It showed various parts that linked to its name such as the recoil spring, barrel, firing pin, trigger, hammer, etc. But there was a little problem before he start making this pistol.
"I don't have the material! I cannot make this pistol if the only thing I have is grass and dirt."
[User please rely on yourself to form a solution. The war machine system will only provide you with knowledge. No more. No less.]
Hax sighed. He looked around and saw nothing but grass across the horizon. The landscape was flat, and there was a lane that might lead to somewhere.
"I should follow the lane. Maybe I will find something other than grass."
[User please check the system menu]
"Alright."
[War Machine System Menu]
Status
Simulation
Missions
Skill shop
Blueprints
Very interesting. Although the content within the menu was much less than he expected, he believed that each of them contained endless possibilities. He could guess what they do, but it was better to ask.
"What is simulation?"
[The simulation option is intended to simulate reality to test theories and the application of knowledge."
"So I can try to make the pistol in this simulation?"
[Correct. But the simulation option is but an imitation of reality. To produce a sound quality product, please experiment in the real world.]
"That's fantastic."
With this simulation option, he could experiment and apply his knowledge to create anything without thinking about materials and whatnot. Even if the simulation was not completely accurate, the result of the test would save countless materials.
"Let's see. I know the status and the mission so I should check the skill shop."
[Access denied. Please finish your first mission to unlock this option.]
Hax shrugged. If the system told him to finish the mission first, then he might as well do so.
After he willed for the hologram to disappear, he set off. As he walked beside the lane, he kept thinking about what was the hologram all about. It didn't make any sense for it to just appeared in front of him.
Who was he anyway? The system identified him as Hax, but he had never heard of it before. He decided to use that name anyway despite how ugly it sounded.
Hax. More like hack.
Should he ask the system about his identity?
"System, who am I?"
[Request unknown]
Even with all the knowledge contained within the system, it did not know who he was.
"Maybe my memory will return someday."
A clacking noise pulled him out of his thought. Behind him, a wagon pulled by a pair of giant bulls trod across the lane. Nothing was interesting about the wagon except that it looked a little familiar. The eye-catching one was the bulls.
He might have forgotten about his identity, but he knew a bull should not be that big. Bigger than the wagon itself, the two bulls snorted steam out of their nose as they stared at him.
He wanted to run, afraid of being trampled, but a man leaned out of the wagon, waved at him with a smile on his face.
Hax took a few steps to the side anyway. Who knew what would happen if the man could not control his bull.
As the carriage stopped in front of him, the man exited the wagon and approached him.
"Uvue uvue vue vue osas?"
Hax furrowed his brows. "What?"
"Ossas ossas gibrish gibrish krap vue vue."
"I'm sorry I think our language is worlds apart. I don't understand a single word you are saying."
"Vue vue vlala osas."
[Language analysis complete]
[Began two-directional translation]
"Can I buy your pants?"
"What!?"
"You finally answered properly," the man said. "I want to buy your pants, they seemed high quality. I'm sure you know that since you are willing to wear nothing else."
Hax didn't know if he should be proud or mad. He wanted to lecture the man that no one would go out with only their underwear unless some circumstances forced them to do so. But he decided not to since the man was correct that his pants was high quality.
"How much are you willing to give to buy this?" Hax asked.
The man leaned closer to inspect his item. It felt weird to him for a man with a mustache to stare at his underwear. If he didn't know that the man was inspecting the product, he would kick the man and pluck his eyes.
"I was about to offer 1 silver, but since the quality has deteriorated and you have used them, I can only offer you 75 bronze coins for the pants."
"What can I do with 75 bronze coins?"
"Buy things of course. Food, clothes, jewelry, anything you like."
"What if you just let me join in your wagon and I'll give you this pants for 55 bronze coins. But you must give me a full set of clothes."
The man shook his head. "I will give you a ride, regardless of the discount, my friend."
"That's nice of you. May I know your name?"
"People call me Bodin the Great Merchant. I am known for my credibility and high-quality product, so if you want to buy something just look for me or head to one of my stores that is available in almost every city."
"Nice to meet you, Bodin. I'm Hax. Sorry to disappoint you but I have no coins at all."
Bodin laughed. "If you can't trade coins, then you can trade services or craftmanship, my friend. Everything is negotiable before the ink settled on the paper."
Hax lit up. If what this man said was true, then he could trade the pistol for something else.
"Would you accept a pistol?"
"A pistol? Something you use to ground spices?"
"No, no. It's a weapon."
"Weapons? I'm not so sure. The norm doesn't really need weapons unless you are a soldier."
"What do you mean by the norm?"
"The nonmagic people. Some called us mortal, inferior men, lesser beings, and too many more down the list."
"Magic? What are you talking about? Where am I?"
"Magic, cultivation, whatever you want to call it. This is the world we live in, and currently, you are in a third-rate kingdom. Specifically, you are in the Avatar Kingdom."
Magic and Avatar Kingdom. Even though he had forgotten much about his life, he was sure these two things did not exist in his life.
Another sharp pain struck his mind, sending a wave of blurry information into his mind. Human Empire, technology, battleship, and mech.
A vague picture flashed one after another inside his brain. Mechs crashing into the atmosphere, battleships raining shells upon the planet.
"This is not my world. I don't belong here. I need to get back."
Bodin held his shoulder. "Calm down, my friend. Tell me where you need to go, maybe I can help you."
Hax looked the man in the eye. "No, never mind. I cannot return. Not with the current me."
He needed to finish the mission so he could get more information. All these vague pictures and memory disturbed him too much, he must find the truth of who he was and why he was here.