THE SYSTEM I MADE
Chapter 4
"My Creation"
In the dimly lit opulence of a room that seemed more a relic of another era than a place for cutting-edge technology, Alex stared at the interface hovering before him. Its sleek surface flickered with a neon blue hue, the words
'Neural Pathways in Progress...'
glowing ominously alongside a hypnotic spinning icon. As he watched, the text morphed seamlessly into
'Neural Pathway Successful.'
His heart skipped a beat. "N-Neural pathways? Don't tell me that's..." he stuttered, disbelief widening his eyes as realization dawned. With hesitant hands, he reached out towards the display, his fingers brushing against the cool light.
"This is the system I made with Kev... It looks so real," Alex muttered, his voice a mix of wonder and amusement. The familiarity of his own creation in this alien environment both comforted and unnerved him, a surreal bridge between the world he knew and the one he was yet to discover.
Alex ran his fingers through his hair, his mind a whirlwind of fragmented memories and disjointed thoughts.
"Oh right, I remember now," he murmured, recalling the critical moment just before everything went dark. "I had just initiated the neural pathway process to test out the system, and then...I died while it was still synchronizing."
He glanced down at himself, noting the absence of injuries, the smooth unblemished skin where there should have been wounds. "And it looks like all my injuries have vanished," he continued, his voice rising slightly with each revelation. "This place, with its old-world charm—the candlelit room, this ancient-looking bed—it's all so different from what I saw and experience back in my time. Could it be that I've been reincarnated after my death?"
His gaze drifted around the room, taking in each archaic detail, the soft flicker of the candlelight casting shadows that danced across the walls. "Right now, my head is a bit fuzzy from all the confusion. I didn't see the assassins who killed me; they hid their identities. That means they were professionals, careful enough not to show their faces even though they knew their victim would die."
Alex exhaled a weary sigh, the weight of his thoughts palpable in the heavy air. "There are three things that are fishy: the professional assassins, the person behind this, and a voice I heard as they were escaping—a voice that wasn't Kev's." He shook his head, the complexity of his situation threatening to overwhelm him.
"Forget it, thinking about this only makes my head hurt more," he decided, his attention returning to the glowing interface in front of him. "Right now, I'm more interested in this system." His eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and a determined resolve to uncover the secrets of his strange new existence and the intricate device that seemed inextricably linked to it.
"As expected, the system looks mesmerizing in person," he marveled, a tone of pride threading through his voice. "I still can't believe I actually made this."
His excitement mounted as he approached what he considered the system's crown jewel. "Oh, right, this is the best part of this system," he announced, his anticipation palpable. He tapped and swiped with expert precision, searching for a specific feature he had fondly coded himself.
Finding what he was looking for, his face lit up with a triumphant smile. "Here it is!" Alex said, ready to explore and demonstrate the unique capabilities that made his creation so revolutionary in his former life, now poised to redefine his existence in this new, mysterious world.
"Welcome, Alexander Eldraine. How may I assist you today?" the AI inquired, its tone neutral yet oddly comforting.
A broad smile spread across Alex's face as he absorbed the sound of the AI's voice, finding it perfectly executed to his specifications.
"Yes! The functions of the AI work perfectly!" He exclaimed with palpable enjoyment, thrilled by the flawless operation of his creation in this new and unfamiliar world. His excitement echoed in the quiet room, a stark contrast to the AI's calm demeanor.
Amazed, William paused to gather his thoughts. "Tell me... where am I? What is this place?"
"You are currently logged into the Starforge Legacy game system," the AI responded smoothly. "This environment is a construct of the game you helped develop. Your current avatar and all associated statistics are designed according to the game's mechanics."
"No wonder everything looks familiar," Alex murmured, his gaze sweeping across the virtual landscape that mirrored the one he had crafted alongside the employees of Blue horizon studios years ago. His suspicion was confirmed when the AI assistant, AIDA, chimed in, "You are currently logged into Starforge Legacy, the game."
"AIDA, show current stats," he commanded, driven by a mix of curiosity and a growing unease.
"Affirmative," the AI responded in its crisp, emotionless voice. "The following are your player's current stats:"
- Strength: 4/100
- Dexterity: 5/100
- Constitution: 3/100
- Intelligence:6/100
- Wisdom: 4/100
- Charisma: 5/100
- Stamina: 8/100
- Fatigue: High
- Magical Abilities: 0/100
- Luck: 2/100
"These are awful stats to start with, honestly," Alex grumbled, scanning the dismal numbers. His eyes paused on one particular entry. "Magical abilities: 0. I guess that means I don't have any magical abilities... yet."
He couldn't help but feel cheated. "This has got to be a scam. Am I really playing as the MC, Alexander Eldraine, or am I just a side character?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't remember Alexander Eldraine having such low stats."
"Store," he commanded, triggering a system function.
"Checking system store," AIDA responded. "This is where the user can purchase items using points. Points can be earned by completing quests, including emergency quests and fighting monsters." The virtual store materialized before him, displaying an array of weapons, clothing, and other essential items available for purchase.
"In order to obtain a weapon from the system's store, there are two requirements: first, find ingredients for the weapon, and then have enough points for purchase," AIDA continued. Alex's gaze landed on a black blade forged from dragon scales priced at 125,000 points. With only 50 points from his startup pack, he realized, "This is going to be a long journey."
"Then there's the inventory—a place where I can store my rewards, weapons, clothes, and much more. The system has a gateway portal-like ability for storing items," he murmured, absorbing the features.
Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Young master, may I please enter?" a voice called from the other side.
"You may enter," Alex replied, adjusting his tone to match that of Alexander Eldraine, the noble young master.
"Greetings, young master," the woman said as she bowed her head. Alex murmured under his breath, "AIDA, activate identity appraisal."
"Scanning... scanning complete," AIDA replied through neural communication. "Her name is Mirelle de Fontenay. She is Young Master Alexander Eldraine's assigned maiden, working in the Eldraine Estate."
"Greetings to you too, Mirelle. If I may ask, what brings you here?" Alex inquired politely.
"My apologies for interrupting, young master, but it seems that you have already forgotten about today's battle competition?" Mirelle said with a hint of worry.
"Battle competition?" he echoed, his interest piqued.
"Yes, young master, you quickly forget. It's the battle competition among all the young masters of Eldraine. The patriarch himself is here to witness the strength of his children. The winners are sent to the most prestigious academy in the Kingdom of Valor to learn powerful magic," she explained, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "And I have confidence this time you'll win, young master."
Her words made Alex pause, reflecting on his predicament. "She makes me feel like I've lost so many times before. Wait, that might be true, I guess," he thought. The mention of an academy brought a slight frown to his face. "And the concept of an academy or school gives me a headache. I've been doing school for years; going back again would mean another years of studying and trauma."