Unlike my entire generation, who grew up with RPG video games and pop culture, my father was born in the late 1940s, before TV, before modern technology.
Still, more importantly, he was already well into his 40s before he had my brother and me, so of course, he had no interest in video games.
I don't know why I expected him to consider what he was seeing as anything other than a hallucination or him going senile, but I took it in stride.
Bearing in mind his mental state, I began slowly explaining things as I figured them out on the fly. Behind me, the news program wasn't far behind because as the initial panic fell away and attention shifted from the natural disasters to the mysterious floating text box, someone in the newsroom, no doubt from my generation, took advantage of the confusion and began voicing his opinions.
Within 10 minutes, my explanation to my father was being collaborated by the news, calming him down to an extent and giving me enough time to explore what could only be the fateful SYSTEM, a trope I had grown to adore.
However, instead of what I was used to, Arkadia, while similar in some respects, was different in many others. With some trial and error, I went through every possibility I could think of, verbally speaking to the panel, tapping on it like a touch screen, and using mental commands; when I say everything, I mean it.
I had spent years reading hundreds of Isekai and System novels and watching just as many anime, so to say I had a basic knowledge of how these things should work would be an understatement.
"System, show me my stats…" I waited for a solid 60 seconds as a frown crept onto my lips due to a lack of response.
"System, show me my inventory…" Still nothing.
"System, show me active quests, show me shop, show me anything, damn it!" I shouted, getting more frustrated with each failed attempt.
"What the fuck kind of lackluster bullshit is this," unable to contain my thoughts, I blurted out, earning me a glare from my father.
"What have I said about swearing in front of me? Do you think because I'm old, I can't kick your ass?" He stated while sitting up and aggressively shaking his quivering fist at me.
Unfortunately, unlike when I was a kid, and he was a much younger man, instead of coming off as intimidating, all I could see was a comedy act.
Sure, I'm not in the best shape, slightly overweight, riddled with numerous physical ailments due to being a moron and constantly getting injured in my younger years, plus the almost two-decade-long cigarette addiction, but that aside I doubt he could even through a proper punch anymore without throwing out his hip or back.
"Yes, yes, you can still kick my ass Dad; you got it," I stated in a dismissive tone before refocusing on the task at hand.
For the better part of 30 minutes, I tried everything I could think of, but no matter what came out of my mouth nor the physical gestures I enacted, the floating display refused to change from its initial statement.
Meanwhile, during that time, I couldn't help but notice the warm sensation stirring within my chest. Akin to the onset of heartburn, I tried to ignore it, but as the seconds ticked by, the irritating and warm feeling began spreading throughout my body.
It wasn't just me either; my father mentioned feeling a similar sensation and even went as far as to get up, go to the kitchen, and retrieve some of his medications before offering me some as well.
Just as I was about to swallow the heartburn meds, a change finally occurred on my floating panel, causing my eyes to widen, and the sound of flesh smacking flesh echoed throughout the living room.
[It has been noticed that the User is having trouble accessing the command prompts. Don't forget to state the name "Arkadia" followed by the prompt you wish to execute.]
[There is no need to use verbal commands, as Arkadia has already merged fully with the User, and Mental commands will work.]
SMACK!
Feeling beyond stupid, I smacked my forehead hard enough to rattle my brain slightly and leave a red palm print smack dab in the middle of my face.
"God, sometimes I can be so freaking oblivious; of course, that was the answer," I grumbled while rubbing my now sore forehead.
As if to add insult to injury, there was a loud cough from my father as he sat down and pointed at the TV, drawing my attention away from my floating panel.
"Although we are in the process of gathering as much information as possible about this momentous occasion, we here at Hound News bring you critical data about what is named the Arkadia System."
The news announcer stated while a graphic detailing Arkadia's currently known command prompts were shown on screen.
"That's….god damn it," I muttered under my breath before kicking the carpet with the toes of my left foot.
'The damn adhd had me hyperfocused, causing me to completely ignore the fucking tv,' I grumbled internally before changing my thought direction.
'Arkadia, show me my status.' Smacking my lips and wearing an unsightly expression, I used the first command atop the list from Hound News, triggering the first change in my panel to date.
Shifting around and moving like liquid fireflies, the golden text shimmered and morphed before changing drastically and giving me a list of all my data.
[Status]
{Taylor Lawrence Jörgensen}
{Particle Grade: None} "Currently Assimilating Alpha Particles"
{Race: Basic Human}
{Race Rank: First Classification}
{Talent: Psy-Kinesis}
{Talent Rank: None}
{Talent Potential Grade: Beta}
[Statistics]
{Level:0}
{Level Progress: 0%}
{Talent Growth Rate: 0%)
{*** Particle Count: 0}
{Physical Offense: 0.7}
{Physical Defense: 0.1}
{Intellect: 3}
{Meta Physical Offense: 0}
{Meta Physical Defense: 0}
{Stat Points: 0}
Reading through my newly acquired Status, I couldn't help but blink repeatedly with a blank expression.