Amnesia hopped off her stool, her movements weren't fluid or gracefully coordinated.
Instead, she navigated the space with a sort of adorable awkwardness, a child learning the rhythms of her own body.
Every step she took was a hurried, almost frantic dash, her small feet moving quickly as if the ground was hot to the touch.
But this didn't make her movements any less captivating.
In fact, it granted her a peculiar kind of charm, a sense of unrefined innocence that transformed her haste into a playful scurry.
It was as if she was a spirited squirrel, darting quickly with a blend of curiosity and caution.
Daseos watched, a warm smile naturally forming on his face as he traced her path; a quirky parade that carried a rhythm of its own, a melody of quick, choppy beats that echoed softly against the floor with every rapid step she took.
It was almost endearing, the way her small frame maneuvered with such hurried earnestness, her arms slightly flailing in a cute attempt to maintain balance.
In the blink of an eye, she was in front of him.
Her head tilted to one side, a gesture so innately childlike, radiating a kind of naive wonder.
She lifted her hand with an adorably awkward hesitation, as if momentarily unsure what to do with it before finally letting it rest gently on Daseos's forehead.
"Sick…?"
Daseos reached out, patting Amnesia affectionately on her head. The warmth of his hand contrasted against her cool skin. He then opened the freezer, producing an ice-lolli which he extended to her with a gentle smile.
"I'm fine, Am. Don't worry about me," he reassured. "I'm going to be a little busy this afternoon, but we'll play tonight, okay?"
Amnesia's small hand gripped the treat, and she popped it into her mouth. Her face remained as expressionless as ever, but her eyes – those sparkled with a silent joy.
Without another word, she awkwardly, yet happily, skipped out of the kitchen
With Amnesia gone, Daseos's mood shifted. He made his way back to his room, where he was greeted by the floating interface that had appeared earlier.
==========
[ Daseos Demon — T0 ]
Wealth: 100,637
P: 178
M: 162
==========
Sinking onto his bed, Daseos stared intently at the interface. His fingers itched to interact with it.
'Is this some sort of System?'
He moved his hand, waving it in front of his face, attempting to touch or manipulate the virtual display. But all he felt was the weightless air, his fingers grasping at nothing.
A momentary ripple of surprise passed over him, but he wasn't rooted to the spot in shock.
Did you expect him to be paralyzed with shock?
Afterall, as a teenager in this day and age, who hadn't heard of a system before?
Though such real-world examples were unheard of in Antagonia, the internet was filled with, almost bursting with novels with systems within them.
It was after all the greatest cheat code and plot armor of damn near every protagonist.
So… a system wasn't exactly an alien concept to Daseos.
Yet as he inspected the interface before him, a wrinkle of confusion formed on his forehead.
Why does his system seem so… basic?
A mere four lines of information with no hint of an A.I. assistant or a guiding spirit to instruct him—no introduction or explanation at all.
'Do systems in this day and age not come with a user manual???'
He could almost feel a surge of indignation rising in him,
'Did I somehow get a bootleg version?'
Also, if it had appeared on the second the clock struck midnight on his birthday, perhaps he could attribute it to some innate mystical talent that awoke the day he turned into an adult.
But this bootleg system of his seemed to come out of nowhere.
Wait a second!
The moment of realization came crashing like a wave.
It had appeared right after he came into contact with the large sum of money — the hefty envelope containing fifty thousand dollars in cash.
He eyed at the thick wad of $50,000 cash in his hands, then refocused on the ethereal interface, zeroing in on the [ Wealth: 100,637 ]
'That must be it'
Daseos deduced.
'Somehow it got activated when my net worth passed $100,000'
Daseos couldn't help but let out a derisive chuckle, the irony of the situation wasn't lost on him.
'Even systems discriminate between the poor and rich huh! If not for rex and the upcoming Ascendency Trials would it have never awakened?'
He mused aloud, shaking his head in mock disappointment.
The idea was absurd yet oddly fitting in a world like Antagonia.
His mind raced ahead, connecting the dots to Rex and the upcoming Ascendency Trials.
"Would this system have stayed dormant if not for that twist of fate?"
He wondered, a new wave of possibilities and what-ifs flooding his mind.
A sudden realization struck him, widening his eyes,
'Could it have activated much earlier if I hadn't been so... poor?'
He sighed heavily, falling back onto his bed, a wry smile playing on his lips as he spoke to himself, half jestingly and half seriously,
"Ah, poverty truly is the greatest sin after all, isn't it?"
As if wanting to reconfirm his deduction, Daseos pulled out his phone and logged onto his banking app.
Sure enough, there it was displayed clearly on the screen was the figure:
[ Bank Balance: $50,587 ]
Hang on! The numbers didn't quite add up.
Rapidly, Daseos rifled through his pockets, and true to his suspicions, he found a $50 bill tucked away.
'It seems the system considers my entire net worth,'
He thought, the revelation drawing a low whistle from him.
He muttered to himself, half in wonder and half in skepticism,
"Does it only account for cash, or does it incorporate other assets too?"
Almost instinctively, his hand gravitated towards the pendant that always hung around his neck, a token imbued with more sentimental value than monetary worth.
His heart skipped a beat as his fingers found...
Nothing.