[Suitable Host found.]
[Scanning Host's talent]
[Unparalleled Sword Talent Found]
[Merging with the Host 1%]
[5%]
[12%]
[25%]
[42%]
[55%]
[73%]
[98%]
[100%]
[Merging Complete]
[Congratulations, Host, for merging with the Absolute Ascendence System.]
"What… the fuck…." Mika muttered before she officially died.
Not!
Her consciousness was dragged into a separate space right before her body died. Instead, Mika found herself in a dark space with nothing in it. She wanted to look around but found herself incapable of even looking.
She tried opening her eyes, moving her limbs, and even screaming, but nothing happened.
'What the hell is going on?! Where am I?! Is this the afterlife? Did I die? What was that voice in my head? Why am I here?' Mika had many questions, and surprisingly, she actually got a response!
[This is not the afterlife, Host. The System has chosen you due to your achievements and talent in the way of the sword.]
[You do not need to worry, for I have separated your consciousness from your body and placed it into an alternate dimension to prevent it from dissipating and subsequently losing your memories.]
[Right now, you are within a space reserved only for those who have successfully merged with the System.]
'What the fuck?! Who are you?! Are you a god?! What did you do to me?!' Mika's consciousness screamed, but nobody could hear her; the only thing around her was the void.
[I am a System Host. I am not what you'd traditionally think of as a God, but for convenience's sake, you can consider me as such.]
'...Eh? So you really are a God? Then what did you do to me? Why am I here?'
[As I said previously, I isolated your consciousness before you died and brought it to another dimension only accessible to you.]
'Dimensions? Consciousness? What do you want from me?' Mika wondered.
[A dimension is a plane of existence or reality. I have isolated your consciousness, which existed in the third dimension, to a dimension that I control and can ensure you do not dissipate and lose your memories.]
'...What?'
[Forget about that for now, Host. You will learn what dimensions and realities are in the future.]
[I will now explain to you the System's primary purpose.]
[The System's purpose is to cultivate geniuses who have the potential to become a god. Due to your accomplishments and talent with the sword, the System has deemed you worthy of reaching godhood and will do so by helping you reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship.]
'What accomplishments? I don't remember doing anything special. In fact, there were plenty of people stronger than me. I was merely a woman, after all. In terms of raw power, most of the men outclassed me.'
'And what do you mean by godhood? How is my practicing with the sword make me a goddess?'
[It is your willingness to forge your own path. You may have observed others, their techniques, how they fought, and how they trained, but you always sought better. You never asked anyone to teach you as you wanted to make your own conclusions. You never took their actions as fact and turned them into something of your own. Lastly, after you surpassed your world's current swordsmanship, you didn't stop moving forward and began finding ways to improve yourself.]
[Practicing a sword doesn't make you a god, but your drive to seek the peak of swordsmanship without assistance or discipleship and the talent to pull it off at least puts you at the starting line.]
'Okay? But as you said, I don't need or want your help to reach the pinnacle. I know it sounds arrogant, but I was able to reach where I was due to my will and tenacity alone, and I don't think some 'System' can assist me with that.' If Mika had eyes right now, she'd be squinting them dangerously.
[You are correct, Host. Without me, if given an infinite amount of time, you might have a shot at becoming a god by yourself, but that's the problem, right? What you lacked was time and strength, right?]
'...'
[I can offer you that. With enough hard work, the System will be the tool necessary for you to transcend your mortal shackles and ascend to godhood.]
Mika was shocked by this answer and was a bit suspicious that it claimed it would help her ascend into godhood. Hell, she's never even seen a god before, nor did she believe in gods.
But she couldn't find a way to refute the System. For example, isn't her still being alive an act only possible by a God? At least, that's what she thought.
The truth is that strength is necessary for basic swordsmanship, much less for reaching the peak. Even if one's skills had reached absolute perfection with zero flaws and no openings, that's only the case at their level of strength. If one came across someone stronger, their swordsmanship would be useless due to their weak body.
There were also plenty of things she saw men do because they were strong enough that she could not pull off because of her 'weak' female body. The biggest problem was that the growth of her muscles and bones was not nearly enough for her to compete against the strongest men.
Even if she had another 100 years to live, her skills and strength would reach a bottleneck that she couldn't overcome with sheer willpower alone. The potential of her body was just too poor.
'So then… Uhm… System, how do I know you aren't lying to me? What do you get out of this? Can I get rid of you if I find you're trying to scam me? Where'd you even come from? What's the plan now that you have me trapped here?' Mika rapidly fired a bunch of questions since she had no idea what a System even was.
All she knows how to do is slice things up with her katana…
'Wait, my katana! What happened to my katana?'
[The System assures you that it is not lying. Our fates were tied the moment I finished merging with you. If you die, I will also cease to exist, so do your best to ensure that doesn't happen.]
[Regarding your Katana, you seemed to have had a faint connection to it, so the System has linked it to your existence and stored it in the System Space.]
[As for where the System came from… the System is essentially something the multiverse created to offer specific individuals the chance to break free from their shackles and ascend to godhood. There have been others before you, but they have all failed to ascend.]
'There've been others before me? Did you rate them as highly as me?'
[Yes, there have been others before you, but it's impossible to rate them all equally. In the beginning, they were all as talented as you in their respective fields. But people change over time, and that talent and drive can get corrupted by the process known as life.]
'So they weren't all fighters?'
[That's correct. One doesn't need to be a talented fighter to become a god. That will come as you progress further down the path of strength.]
'What happened to them? How did they die?'
[Some died of natural causes, some killed themselves, and others were murdered.]
'It sounds like they were normal people, just like me.'
[You aren't wrong, Host. Talent does not directly equate to experience and strength.]
'...Alright. Although I don't understand all this talk about multiverses, godhood, or dimensions, I am interested in getting stronger. So, what happens next?'
[What will happen next is the System will reincarnate you into a new Universe and body that will allow you to break past the shackles that held you down in your past life.]
'Will I keep my memories?'
[Of course, Host. If you didn't keep your memories, there'd be no point in doing this.]
Mika was a bit concerned about that last response, but she didn't dwell on it as everything about the System was concerning.
From her conversation with the System, she's come to learn multiple things. For one, there's definitely more to the System than meets the eye. Two, whether she liked it or not, she was stuck with this thing. And three, whatever path lies ahead of her is fraught with danger the likes of which she'd never seen.
Throughout all this, her only source of comfort was the knowledge that her katana had stuck with her.
'I can't wait to hold Chigatana again.'
Taking in a deep, mental breath, Mika made a decision that would change her life forever!
'Alright, System, do whatever you need to do.'
[Confirmed!]
[Searching for the optimal universe for the Host to grow in.]
[Universe Found]
[Searching for planets with signs of intelligent life]
[36,311 Worlds Found]
[Searching for worlds that are part of an intergalactic society.]
[5,464 Worlds Found]
[Searching for worlds suitable for the host's full potential to bloom.]
[WARNING! WARNING! HOST WILL BE AT A HIGHER RISK OF DYING IN SUCH WORLDS!]
[10 Suitable Worlds Found.]
[Searching for worlds where humans are one of the most dominant species.]
[3 Worlds Found]
[Choosing the largest world]
[Eoburos World chosen.]
[Searching for pregnant women.]
[Searching for a household to boost the Host's growth.]
[Zoller Family chosen.]
[Merging Consciousness]
[1%]
[11%]
…
[100%]
[The Host has successfully merged with the fetus.]
[Status Panel Unlocked]
[Quests Unlocked]
[Skill Unlocked: Mind Space]
Mika felt something tug at her consciousness and drag her into a container, or from what she understood, her new body. Though, she didn't feel much different than before, except for the fact that she now felt full.
'Status panel? Skills? Mind Space? What is all of this? Hey System! What the heck does all this mean?!' Mika shouted in her mind.
[Say 'status' to find out the current condition of your body in numerical form.]
Mika didn't understand, but she muttered 'Status' in her mind, and something weird popped up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Status Window]
[Name: Mika Zoller]
[Titles: ]
[Species: Human]
[Class: Null(Swordsman)]
{Cultivation Techniques}
[Mana Gathering: ]
[Body: ]
{Attributes}
[Body Cultivation: ]
[Mana Cultivation: ]
[Affinities: ]
{Skills}
[Mind Space Lv. 1]
{Spells}
{Techniques}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'What the hell is all this?' Mika was gobsmacked at what appeared before her, and she didn't know what half the things were! She understood her name and species, but that was about it. She didn't know what a class was, nor did she know what cultivation was.
'Now what, System? What does all this mean?' Mika asked.
[Focus your mind on what you want to know, and a description of what everything means will pop up.]
Mika didn't have a better idea, so she tried out the System's suggestion and went with Titles first.
[Titles: Major accomplishments or milestones that the Host has achieved. Sometimes paired with extra benefits.]
Mika knew what the words meant but didn't understand how relevant this was.
[Class: The path the Host has chosen to reach the pinnacle in. Your Class will boost your comprehension of anything regarding the Host's class.]
Mika was skeptical of this description because if it were true, that would be amazing!
[Body Cultivation: Increases the Life Essence in the body, increasing the body's overall strength and durability. The further you strengthen your body, the longer your lifespan.]
[Mana Cultivation: The process of gathering, refining, and absorbing mana into one's body. The more you cultivate, the longer your lifespan will be and the more power you can unleash.]
The more Mika read, the more she understood how amazing the System was if everything she read was true. If the System is able to help increase her 'cultivation', then she may very well become an unbeatable existence!
Now she only has two more things to check.
[Skills: A manifestation of your experience that has been etched into your mind and/or body and created in the form of a skill.]
[Mind Space Lv. 1: Submerge your consciousness into a space in your mind that is under your full control. The higher the level, the more control you have over the space.]
[Spells: A manifestation of an image using mana.]
[Techniques: A set of movements (and/or mana circulation path) used to augment and empower one's body and/or mana.]
Although Mika didn't quite understand the specifics of a Skill or Spell, she understood the basics. They are essentially just ways to exert her power, influence, or intentions on either herself or the outside world.
'I can't wait to try all this out in the new world!' If Mika had eyes right now, they would be shining with anticipation.