"What a strange dream," Kaguya muttered as she slowly got up from the ground. Her head still felt a bit hazy, so she rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the lingering drowsiness.
She had just dreamt of returning home, where she encountered two mischievous children—an odd dream that left her feeling puzzled. It had been a while since she last had any dreams, and to have one so bizarre now made her wonder if she had been too relaxed recently.
But, strangely enough, the dream had felt incredibly real, almost like she had truly experienced it.
Kaguya stood up and took in her surroundings, her face stiffening with surprise. She quickly realized she was no longer in the real world. The space around her was vast and empty, devoid of anything except a glowing orb floating in the center. She was back in the Main God Space.
Approaching the glowing orb, Kaguya frowned and asked, "What's going on? The time in the real world shouldn't be up yet. Why am I back already?"
"Due to the sudden surge in your power, it exceeded the limits of the real world. To prevent the real world from being affected, you were transported back early," the system's cold, mechanical voice responded.
"Power surge?" Kaguya was puzzled. "What power surge? I don't remember anything like that."
"Have you already forgotten what happened before?" the system replied. "If that's the case, I recommend taking some Brain Blue Gold to restore and enhance your memory."
"I don't have memory loss, so why would I need something like that?" Kaguya scoffed, rolling her eyes. "And what in the world is Brain Blue Gold?"
"Brain Blue Gold is a cutting-edge product of future technology, meticulously processed and refined to perfection. It boosts the immune system and—"
"Stop, stop!" Kaguya waved her hand quickly. "I'm not here for some product pitch."
"Is there anything else you need, then?" the system's robotic voice asked. "If not, I suggest you head forward and take a left to exit."
"Are you trying to kick me out?" Kaguya's eyebrow twitched.
"Yes."
"…"
Kaguya stared at the softly glowing orb before her, feeling utterly speechless. Up until now, she had always thought of the system as a rigid, emotionless program. But now, it was cracking jokes?
Could the system be evolving? she wondered, but quickly dismissed the thought.
Evolution? Impossible.
If the system could evolve, then pigs would be flying by now.
Still, the system's mention of her power surge jogged her memory. She recalled that something had indeed happened in the real world.
The nuclear bomb.
Suddenly, Kaguya remembered how, after successfully transferring the nuclear bomb away, the strange stone she had gotten from that fortune teller had begun to glow. The mysterious light had engulfed her, and then... she had blacked out.
Could something be wrong with that stone?
Frantically, she began searching her pockets but was dumbfounded to find that the stone was nowhere to be found.
"What happened to that stone?" Kaguya frowned deeply as she returned to the glowing orb. "It's gone."
"Appraisal fee: 2,500 points," the system stated plainly.
Kaguya immediately turned away. This was daylight robbery! First, the price was 10,000, then 5,000, and now it had dropped to 2,500? The system's pricing seemed to crash faster than a stock market in a bear run.
Do they think I'm made of money?
"Wait," the system suddenly called out.
"What?" Kaguya's tone was less than friendly. She was beginning to feel that her intelligence was being mocked.
"Due to your exceptional performance in the mission, we've decided to offer you a discount. The appraisal fee is now reduced to 250 points," the system said, still in its monotone robotic voice.
"Are you calling me a fool?" Kaguya asked, her anger barely contained.
"No," the system replied. "If you agree to the terms, I will begin the appraisal."
"But wait, the stone is gone. How are you going to appraise it?" Kaguya asked suspiciously. "You're not trying to pull one over on me, are you?"
"No, the stone has fused with your body. It hasn't disappeared," the system explained.
"What!?" Kaguya's eyes widened.
The stone had fused with her? This was getting ridiculous!
Reluctantly, Kaguya realized she had no choice but to get the stone appraised. She needed to find out what kind of mysterious artifact was now embedded in her body, in case it turned out to be something dangerous—like a ticking time bomb.
"But I don't have enough points," Kaguya frowned as she remembered another problem. "I only have about 150 achievement points left, if that."
"No problem," the system replied, as if it had anticipated her response. "You can make a down payment of 150 points, and the remaining balance can be paid off in the next world, with 30% interest. However, since you're only making a partial payment, the appraisal will also be partial. You'll receive the full details once the balance is paid in full."
Kaguya stood silent for a moment, then muttered under her breath, "You're really wasted as a system. You'd make an excellent loan shark."
"Thank you for the compliment," the system replied flatly.
"That wasn't a compliment."
Finally, the appraisal began.
A beam of light descended from above, enveloping Kaguya. Simultaneously, a stream of information poured into her mind.
Item name: [Unknown Stone].
Rank: SSS.
Offense: ???
Defense: ???
Ability 1: Creation.
The stone grants the ability to manifest any object based on the strength of the host's powers. The more powerful the host, the more realistic and functional the created objects become. If the host's power is insufficient, the created objects will be fragile and weak.
Conceptual Realization? Kaguya thought as she processed the information.
The ability to create something from nothing based on one's imagination reminded her of the concept of Conceptual Realization, a power held by certain supernatural beings. By connecting one's will to the world, they could reshape reality itself.
However, this ability seemed fundamentally different. Instead of altering the world to fit one's will, Creation actually created new things from scratch—things that didn't originally exist in the world. It was a higher-level power than mere Conceptual Realization.
Kaguya continued reading, noting the next ability.
Ability 2: ???
She blinked.
"Seriously?" Kaguya groaned. "Can't I at least know what the second ability is? Don't you know that half-finished explanations are the worst?"