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Later in Reader's Room
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Reader collapsed onto his bed with a groan, burying his face into his pillow. "That… was exhausting," he muttered, his voice muffled.
Pell floated into view, its glow dimmed slightly as it approached him hesitantly. "Yi…pee," it murmured faintly, the usual cheer in its tone replaced with something almost apologetic.
Reader peeked out from his pillow, his annoyance melting at the sight of the little spirit's subdued demeanor. With a sigh, he sat up. "Alright, alright. Now that you've said sorry, how can I stay mad at you?" he said, his voice softening.
Pell wiggled in delight, its glow brightening instantly.
"But seriously," Reader continued, crossing his arms, "you've got to be more careful. What if there was another spirit nearby?
He flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. How would I even explain running out of dinner in the middle of a conversation? The thought alone made him cringe.
"Yippee!" Pell chirped, springing back to life with renewed energy. It darted around the room like a hyperactive firefly.
Reader let out a half-laugh, half-groan. "Of course, you'd bounce back this fast. Just… don't cause any more trouble, alright?"
Pell twirled happily in the air, glowing brighter than ever, as if promising nothing of the sort.
Reader leaned back in his chair, staring at Pell as the little spirit zipped around the room in errotic loops.
"Anyhow... what a day it's been," he muttered, rubbing his temples. Pell chirped in agreement, though it seemed more focused on chasing an imaginary target in mid-air.
"Oh, right!" Reader exclaimed, sitting upright as a thought struck him. He snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot about those other notifications I got earlier."
He frowned, trying to recall the specifics. "What did it say again? Oh yeah, something about generating tokens..." His voice trailed off as he waved his hand.
"Status," he commanded.
A familiar translucent screen materialized in front of him, displaying his current stats.
[ Name : Reader Elison ]
[ Abilities Activated: None ]
[ Lives Remaining: 144 ]
[ Life Reset Interval: 7 Days ]
[ Death Tokens: 1 ]
[ Token Generation : 1/7 Days ]
Reader's eyes scanned the screen, his brow furrowed. "Huh. I was about to say nothing changed," he muttered. His gaze lingered on the last line. "But it looks like the number of tokens I have increased."
His fingers tapped idly against his knee. "Still… how do these token things work, anyway?"
As if in response, a new prompt appeared before him.
[ Death Tokens can be used to Create, Capture, Edit, etc to all Spiritual Forces or Wills ]
Reader tilted his head. "Okay, so I can use them, but only on spiritual stuff? Does that mean I can't use tokens to affect physical beings?" he asked aloud.
Another notification flashed.
[ Host is fully able to harm Physical Beings ]
Reader raised an eyebrow."Oh well, Guess I'll figure it out eventually" Reader said
Reader leaned forward, tapping his chin. "But why do I only generate one token every seven days? That seems... slow."
The system answered promptly.
[ Host can increase Generated Tokens with more Spirits that are commanded by the host ]
Reader smirked, glancing at Pell, who was still doing little spirals in the air. "Interesting. So, the more spirits I have under my command, the faster I generate tokens? That's... good to know."
His mind spun with possibilities. Could he grow a network of spirits? What would commanding them entail? The questions were endless, but one particular idea took hold.
"Alright, let's try something," Reader said with growing excitement. "System, can I give one of my tokens to Pell?"
[ Do You Wish to Grant [1] Death Token to Innate Spirit 'Pell' ]
[ Confirm / Decline ]
Reader hesitated for a moment. "Wait... what's the difference between an Innate Spirit and a normal spirit?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the wording.
The system answered with its usual precision.
[ Innate Spirits are spirits with a deep connection to the host, always maintaining a positive alignment with the host's soul. These spirits act as companions, guardians, or extensions of the host's will. ]
"So, kind of like a guardian spirit," Reader murmured. He glanced at Pell, who had begun spinning in dizzy little circles again. "That checks out."
However, the system gave no confirmation this time, remaining silent.
Reader shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Well, you've certainly got a lot of energy for a guardian."
He turned his attention back to the screen. "Alright, System. Let's see what happens. I'll give Pell the token."
His voice carried a note of curiosity, mixed with a growing sense of anticipation. "Confirm"