[Host Found]
[System Activating]
[Welcome to the Rune Master System]
Just as the voice finished speaking it felt as if he had been empowered and swam his way outside of the slime. He felt no pain from the slime acid and felt as if a weight had been lifted of him.
[The system found a curse imposed on the host and destroyed the curse.]
As if to answer his thoughts the system explained why he felt the way he did.
"There was a curse? On me?"
[Correct, I do not know how you got it, but it was a very detrimental curse that limited your awakening.]
"Well, if the thing that both invaded my body and saved me doesn't know than I suppose it's better to focus on matters of current."
[Yes Host, I have equipped both your weapon rune and the body strengthening rune that you had.]
"How is that possible? I didn't have any rune slots."
[As I said before the curse restricted your full awakening. Now that it is broken all of rightful powers have been returned to you.]
Jack didn't have any more time for conversation and focused on the Blue Slime. While it was still preparing to attack he thought about his weapon rune and summoned the spear that was within.
With a weapon in hand he planted his feet into a thrusting stance and waited for the Blue Slime, that had a increased confidence, to attack him. It didn't take long as the Blue Slime hurtled through the air at the speed of a cannon ball.
Now that Jack had his body enhancement rune such speed was trivial and he swiftly thrust into the slime, skewering it. For good measure he threw another fireball, except this time the fireball wiggle its way inside and Jack got to smell the sweet stench of burning slime once more.
Once he was sure that the slime had died he collapsed onto the ground and passed out.
*** Some hours later
Jack threw his torso upward and scanned the cave around him, he let out a sigh we he saw that he was in no danger.
[Good Morning Host, Did you have a nice nap.]
"Haha, real funny. How long was I out for?"
[A few hours, but rest assured there were not monsters that approached you.]
His tense muscles relaxed for a moment and he decided to ask a question.
"So what are you?"
[I am the Rune Master System, I do not where I came from or how I ended up in your body, but I am now contracted to you therefore I am required to help you to the best of my abilities. Please think the word 'Status' to use the system interface.]
'Status'
[Name: Jack Smith]
[Soul Level 1 - 100/10000]
[Soul Essence - 300/500]
[Innate Rune: [Bronze] Lesser Fireball (+) ]
[Runes: 5 Slots - [Bronze] Weapon (Spear), [Silver] Body Strengthening, N/A, N/A, N/A]
[Reverberations - NONE]
[Auto-Farm: Locked]
'Wow, all of my information is quantified.'
[The System scanned through you memories to determine the form that is best fit to help you grow. It found that a game system is the easiest for the host to digest and use.]
"What is the plus sign by my innate rune?"
[That symbol means that it can be upgraded using soul points, just as your soul can upgrade so can your innate rune.]
An innate ability is usually the biggest limiting factor in the growth of a Diver, if it is not of a high rank it makes it hard for a Diver to clear Windows and obtain powerful runes to compensate for weak innate rune. The only exception is if the person is rich or comes from a Diver family.
If your innate ability can grow by killing monsters and clearing Windows than it makes it possible to have no restriction on growth.
"So my growth is infinite?"
[You could say something like that, but it is not as if you can continuously upgrade it. Every upgrade requires a exorbitant increase in soul points.]
The words infinite growth were all he needed to hear, the challenge of obtaining the soul points is nothing if he can continue to get stronger runes and with the fact that innate runes do not require soul essence it is an attack that can be used as infinitely as it can grow.
"What is the Auto-Farm feature?"
[You will learn when it unlocks.]
Jack got up and continued down the cave and calculated how much soul essence it takes to use the spear and body strengthening. The spear costs 50 to summon and has no cost after that, on the other hand the body strengthening rune uses 10 per second that it is activated leaving him with only 45 seconds of body strengthening after summon his spear.
When he ran into another group of two slimes he was relived and slightly sad to not see a Blue Slime. He decided against just running in and killing the slimes. Jack opened up his status once again and clicked the plus sign on his innate rune. Instantly his soul points drained and his innate rune changed.
[Innate Rune: [Silver] Fireball]
'So it is truly possible to upgrade.' His remaining hesitation from the system, that had randomly appeared to save him, completely dissipated after he looked into his soul and saw the upgraded innate rune.
Overwhelmed with a childish glee he summoned a fireball only this is time it was not connected to his hand motions, but rather his mind. Everywhere he thought of the fireball going it went. He flung it at the two helpless slimes and incinerated them.
The fireball tore through the slimes with no effort and created a small crater in the spot that it landed.
His jog continued once more down the corridor where he encountered a few more groups of slimes and a group of Blue Slimes. The Blue Slimes were the only ones to pose any real threat and required him to use his spear to kill them.
Eventually he reached the door to the boss.