Zhang Lian stared at the faint blue screen in front of her, a countdown kept going : 25:22. She tried to touch the screen, but her hand passed through it every time.
To pass the time, she began twisting strands of her white hair around her fingers, lost in thoughts.
Twenty-five minutes later,
A cute voice came out out:
Ding ding! System is activating!*
Suddenly, from the blue screen, a small, adorable black cat appeared. Its big orange eyes sparkled with mischief, and its pointed ears twitched as it looked around.
Tiny red wings on its back, and a tail with a little flame at the end moving around. Around its neck there's a gold necklace with a red heart pendant. This all makes the cat look very cute.
The cat moved its head and, in the sweetest voice,, "Host, the baby-making system is activated! Now, give birth to kids and become stronger, nya~" It playfully flicked its tail and its eyes flickering waiting for reply.
But when Zhang Lian saw the cat, her eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she attacked forward and grabbed the cat by its neck.
The cat's eyes widened in surprise as Zhang Lian tightened her grip, trying to suffocate the creature that dared to absorb her spiritual roots and speaking such nonsense.
The cat wiggled, its tiny wings fluttering trying to break free, but it couldn't break free from Zhnag Lian hand's.
The cat tried to speak , but Zhang Lian cut him off, tightening her grip. "So, you're the one who absorbed my level 5 ice spiritual root?"
She hissed, her eyes filled with anger. "I'll kill you!" Her face twisted into anger and she squeezed it harder and harder.
Suddenly, the cat's head popped off, and Zhang Lian tossed the body away. But before she could react further, the head reattached itself to the body with a soft click.
The cat, now visibly irritated, pouted and placed its tiny paws on its neck, rubbing it gently.
"Host, what are you doing? I'm your system assistant!" the cat protested, its big orange eyes tears coming out.
"I didn't absorb your spiritual roots for without any reason!" It tried to sound calm, though its voice had a slight fear from the shock.
Zhang Lian saw the cat slip into the system screen, leaving only a bit of its face visible. She tried to catch it again, but the cat hid his whole body inside it and Her hand went right through it.
The cat's voice came from inside the screen. "There's no point in trying to catch me now. Let's talk first, let 's explain it."
Zhang Lian sat down and asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"
The cat poked its head out from the screen and said, "Host, I'm your system assistant. I can help you with a lot of things, including cultivation."
It paused for a moment, almost as if it was choosing its words carefully, then continued, "The system absorbed your talent because the restrictions of heaven and earth stop it from appearing."
The cat's voice took on a slightly hesitant tone, like it was trying to be extra convincing. "If you had your talent along with the system, you would become incredibly powerful right away and would not be accepted by heaven and earth.
We both are like aliens in this world and it can't allow aliens to become powerful easily right?
That's why the system had to absorb your talent, but it gave you system points in return."
The cat's words came out in a rush, as if it was trying to explain everything before Zhang Lian's anger boiled over.
Zhang Lian's frustration was clear. She crossed her arms and asked, "What is this heaven and earth? Why have I never heard of it? And what is this system?" Her voice, showing she was both confused and irritated and waited for an answer.
The cat, with its big eyes wide open, perked its ears and replied, "Nya, the system is a tool that helps the host become stronger, and it grows stronger with you, !"
It tilted its head slightly, its tone sounding almost playful as it continued, "Almost every lucky individual like you, who gets sucked into lower dimensions, will receive some kind of cheat to become the strongest, ."
The cat's tail flicked as it explained, "The system exists in the boundary between your dimension and different dimensions, nya, and it randomly sticks with any passerby, like you!"
It was trying to tell everything it knows, while its tiny paws made small gestures, while talking.
"So what took you so long to activate?" she snapped, her tone sharp. She shook her head, her confusion.
"And I don't understand this 'dimensions' shit. Explain it in more detail," she demanded, with a voice that clearly was not in the mood for any vague answers. Her eyes narrowed, showing she expected a clear answer.
The cat, trying to simplify things, said, "Nya, Host, different dimensions are places where different laws or things exist, nya. There can be dimensions, where there's no magic—no cultivators, no spiritual roots, none of that stuff exists, nya, and some can have.
Some might even only have zombies or souls." The cat's tone was calm, as it tried to make the explanation easy for Zhang Lian to understand.
The cat hesitated for a moment, its ears flattening slightly as it answered, "Nya, the system took so long to activate because it was sleeping, nya.
When it sensed the presence of a magic crystal, it woke up and sent you a message.
But, seeing you were in a big crowd, it gave you an hour to respond, nya. After all, no one else can see the system or me, nya expect yourself, so it didn't want you to look foolish talking to yourself!" The cat's tone was a mix of apology and explanation, its eyes wide as it tried to make its reasoning clear.
Zhang Lian nodded in understanding as slowly, the information starting to make sense to her. She was still curious, though, so she continued to ask the questions.