"Mm, this isn't going to work," I muttered, hands in my pockets, casually strolling through this shinobi-filled world. The truth was obvious: I was way too overpowered for this place. If I so much as sneezed with 5% of my real power, the entire universe would probably implode.
And honestly? That would be bad. Very bad.
As I wandered, I found a nice spot under a tree. Perfect mix of sunlight and shade. I plopped down, crossing my legs and staring into the distance. "I need to tone it down. But how?"
My mind wandered to those stories from my old life. You know the type—the ones where the main character had some magical system that adjusted their power, gave them quests, and kept things balanced. What if I had something like that? A system to regulate my godly strength so I didn't accidentally wipe out existence.
"Yeah, that'd work." I snapped my fingers. "But wait. I'm lazy as hell. I don't want to micromanage this crap myself. What if... what if the system had an AI? An AI that could handle all the boring stuff for me, but wouldn't go rogue or pull some sci-fi betrayal nonsense."
"Ugh, screw it, let's just do it," I decided, flicking my finger. A spark of blue light appeared, shimmering in the air before forming into a small, glowing circle hovering in front of me.
["Hello, Master,"] it said in a calm, soothing voice.
"Yes! This is it! This is what I need!" I fist-pumped, grinning like an idiot. But it wasn't perfect yet. "Alright, let's tweak this. First off, you need a name."
I tapped my chin. "Hmm… Nova. Yeah, that sounds cool. Like that one character from—ugh, whatever. I forgot the name, but Nova it is."
Nova's glowing light pulsed slightly.
Nova : ["Acknowledged. I am Nova."]
"Great. Now, Nova, here's the deal: I'm giving you enough power to handle, well, everything. Creation, destruction, universal resets—you name it. But remember, your power is just an extension of mine, so you won't be doing anything crazy on your own, got it?"
Nova responded immediately, her tone filled with gratitude. ["Understood, Master. Thank you for this upgrade."]
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome," I said, waving her off. "Now, here's the real job. I need you to adjust my power level based on the world I'm in. If I'm in some peaceful farming village, I don't need to be Universe-Buster Supreme, alright? But if there are gods or whatever, you can let me go full throttle."
"Also, make yourself a status window," I continued. "You know, like those RPG screens. Oh! And include world details—only for worlds I know about, though. Don't bother with random stuff I haven't explored yet."
It wasn't my best explanation. Honestly, I probably sounded like a drunk guy explaining how to fix a car. But Nova? Nova nailed it.
["Understood, Master,"] she said before pausing. ["Upgrading now."]
A glowing progress bar appeared in front of me.
10%... 40%... 70%... 99%... 100%.
["It's done, Master,"] Nova said.
I blinked as the new status window popped up in front of me. At first, it just looked like a typical status screen:
Name: [My Name]
Race: [Unknown]
Power: 5x Ten-Tailed Jinchuriki Power
Skills: [List of Skills]
Equipment: [Current Equipment]
But there was more. The screen wasn't just some basic stats. On the left corner, there was an Add Profile button, which I could click to add more profiles for the worlds I visited. I could add more profiles for a single world, but it made more sense to keep it to one.
I stared at the screen, realizing I hadn't even added my name yet. "Wait, I need to add my name... Uh, what should it be?"
I thought for a second. "Fuji? Oraki? Something like that..."
Nova's voice came through. ["For a being that is so great, your naming sense is..."] I cut her off before she could complete it.
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't say another word, Nova."
Nova paused for a moment, as if considering her words carefully. ["Yes, Master."]
I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Alright, I'm going with Fuji."
["Understood, Master,"] Nova responded, though I could sense a subtle, robotic smirk in her tone.
"Great," I muttered. "Now it's set. Fuji it is."
["Master, shall I initiate the process?" ]Nova asked, her voice taking on a more serious tone.
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused.
Nova paused, as if formulating her response. ["Master, your soul is still that of a great being, and for your ideal roleplay character, you will need to embody that. What I mean is, to align with your ideal character, the one you wish to become, your soul must merge with that character. In other words, you will inherit their essence. The character's soul will merge with yours, though they will not have their own consciousness, as they are a part of you, Master. When I initiate the change, you should feel the difference."]
It actually made sense when she explained it like that. Even though I had the status window to manage my power, my true essence still remained from my previous existence. The system could adjust my abilities, but it hadn't touched my core. This new process would change that, though. It would merge my soul with that of the character I was about to embody, shifting my identity even further.
"Okay, go ahead and initiate it," I said, bracing myself for whatever weird feeling would come next.
Nova's voice was steady. ["Initializing now, Master."]
Suddenly, everything changed.
It felt like my very soul was being torn apart and rebuilt. There was an intense, burning sensation, as if my very essence was being reshaped to fit the soul of the character. I could feel the soul of the blind swordsman I was becoming seeping into my own.
And then it hit me—the power. I had felt powerful before, sure, but this was different. I wasn't just a god-like being anymore. I felt the world around me being reshaped as the power of the swordsman merged with my own. It was as if I had been drowning in power for so long, and now I finally knew what to do with it.
My mind raced with the knowledge of the swordsman's techniques. I was strong in this world now, but there was more. I could feel the limits of my new body, and the power surged within me. It was overwhelming but exhilarating.
This wasn't just the god-like power I had before; this was the power of the swordsman, fully realized. And though I could switch back to my original form if I wanted, I was ready for whatever came next. The soul fusion had given me a strength I had never known.
["Done, Master,"] Nova said, breaking my focus.
I blinked, slowly adjusting to the change. Now that I was fully embodied in this new soul, I looked around to get my bearings.
"Now," I said, "Where the hell am I?"
Nova responded almost immediately. ["I will scan your surroundings and gather world details."]
A moment later, the screen flickered to life. A map appeared in the corner, and there it was—a clear indication of my location.
"Pinpoint my exact location, Nova. Let me know if I'm near any villages like the Hidden Leaf."
Nova's voice came quickly,[ "Searching... Yes, Master. You are in a dense forest region, located near a settlement. Based on the world details, you are in the vicinity of the Hidden Leaf Village, approximately two days away on foot."]
I couldn't help but grin. "Perfect. Let's make sure this world doesn't get too boring. Time to pay a visit."