"Mh..."
[Ugh... Did I oversleep?]
[Damn it... My head feels like a ton of bricks.]
He tried getting up, but it was almost as if his head was glued to his pillow, or rather, it felt like the pillow was a strong magnet and his head was a nugget of steel.
[Ah... I have to get up and take a shower, I don't want them to find me like this.]
[It would set a bad example...]
He opened his eyes, but his vision was terribly blurry, and the crust caking his eyelids worsened this, the only thing visible in his immediate peripheral was a source of light on the ceiling.
[Ugh I guess they're already here?]
[Why didn't they wake me up?]
He slowly raised his aching body that honestly felt like it was repeatedly put in-between a hydraulic press.
"Yawn ~! It's time to get to work, I need to hurry up and perfect this code —"
[!!]
"Ah!!"
As his vision cleared up, his eyes met with those of a pale-skinned girl, with a thin chain around her neck and the sickle tied to it cascading down to her ankles.
Her lifeless expression was enhanced by her bright crimson eyes that were brighter than even burning coal.
"..."
She stole one glanced at him, made a crude attempt at a smile and walked away, leaving him with a dazed expression.
"... Ah, I forgot."
Only a corporate slave to their own company would forget that they had reincarnated into their own game.
The term "reincarnated," is not used loosely here either, this being, formerly known as Liam Saito, actually died on his desk from extreme fatigue.
"Chiek! "
[!!]
"Ah!"
Specimen 2946 was startled yet again, this time by a strange sound that resounded from behind him.
Rapidly turning his frightened frame, he saw that it was the bipedal cockroach, who produced that sound by snapping his mandibles.
[Ugh... It's this guy...]
[I made him due to my fear of cockroaches, thinking it would add a gloomy, creepy feel.]
[Talk about a nightmare becoming reality.]
A shiver crawled down Specimen 2946's spine, but what truly made his skin crawl was the bipedal cockroach's writhing antennae and the grotesque, twitching contraption it had for a mouth.
"That child stayed with you this whole time, even refusing to eat or drink unless you awoke."
He said, nudging at the door with which the girl Homunculus left the room.
The room in question seemed to be an infirmary, given the multiple medical utensils, white sheets, the garments he wore and the strong stench of medicinal herbs.
[She did what?!]
[And you all let her stay?! What if she killed me?!]
He recalled his battle with her, and how she was unnaturally powerful, the image of her clutching onto three decapitated heads was particularly etched deeply in his mind.
A third shiver ran down his spine, and his skin had honestly ran out of space for goosebumps at that point.
"O-oh is that so?"
He feigned a warm smile and made an attempt to get out of bed.
Grumble~
"Ugh..."
That action alone drained whatever energy his tiny frame had left, and as his stomach grumbled, he could feel his gastric juiced gnaw at his insides, demanding that he eat, lest all his nutrients be used as a substitute.
"No need to rush now."
[!!]
The bipedal cockroach gently balanced him with its long insectoid arm, inducing an intense feeling of nausea within Specimen 2946, but thankfully, his stomach was empty.
[Please let go of me!!]
He continued to cringe violently, but the bipedal cockroach only took his reaction as convulsions of hunger or something of the sort.
"You have been out of commission for two days, please rest."
Snap!
He gently placed Specimen 2946 on the bed and snapped his finger, and a large cockroach appeared, carrying what seemed to be a golden cloche.
"Please, help yourself to a meal."
The cockroach opened the cloche, revealing a tantalizing plate of a well-seared steak with steamed potatoes and salted peas.
His bright pink eyes couldn't help but widen, and his mouth salivated so much that he nearly drooled on his lap.
"This is a luxury portion cut from the meat of a Drake found on the Eighth Floor. Do enjoy it."
"I will return to visit you after your meal, ensure that you chew everything properly."
Said the cockroach, if it weren't for his intense hunger, Specimen 2946 would have probably lost his appetite hearing those words.
Munch! Munch!
He wasted little time and began stuffing his face, an explosion of juices and flavor occurring in his mouth with every chew.
It didn't take long for the meal to disappear from his eyes and he shamelessly lifted up the plate to lick it clean after first confirming that no one was watching him.
[That was so delicious!]
[The meat of a Drake he said? Who knew those bootleg Dragons would taste so good?]
He mused, gazing into his own reflection on the plate and he slowly, saddened by its weightlessness, sat it down.
[...]
[... I'm getting special treatment huh.]
[The alignment of every creature in this Tower is at minimum, Evil, so there's no way I got all that food for nothing.]
[... It's probably because I awakened and manifested Mana at the same time.]
[... Shit.]
[The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, I know that more than anyone. I should be careful.]
He gently wiped his lips, a stern expression dawning on his visage.
[By the way... Wasn't my Mana pink? I know damn well I set it as azure blue since it looks so pure and symbolizes vitality.]
[So why the heck was it pink?! Another bug?!]
He chewed his thumbnail, having a variable, or rather, a "bug" honestly made him feel quite uneasy.
[All those sleepless nights trying to get rid of them and there's still so many?!]
[...]
[Speaking of which...]
[Open Status Window!]
A blue interface that only he could see, spawned before his very eyes.
________________________________________
Status Window.
> You have leveled up!
> You have leveled up!
> You have leveled up!
- You are now level 4!
- All core stats increased by + 40!
- You now have access to inventory!
> Congratulations on your monumental achievement, you have manifested Mana!
- Mana Sensitivity (A+) has increased rank to Mana Sensitivity (S-) !
- Low-level Regeneration (E+) has evolved to Low-level Regeneration (C-)!
> You have awakened class: Magic Spearman Lv.1
- Your Agi increases by 0.1 when wielding a spear!
- Your Str increases by 1 when wielding a spear imbued with Mana!
- Your Crit increases by 0.01 when wielding a spear imbued with Mana!
__________________
[Woah! I leveled up three times?!]
Specimen 2946 leaned forward and rubbed his eyes as though doubting what his eyes beheld.
As the creator of the game and the system, he naturally understood the mechanics of leveling up more than anyone.
[I mean, I guess I could excuse the leveling up three times part because in order to learn Mana, I set it so that new players would have to spend coins at the beginner's villages or do quests for NPC'S to get scrolls that allowed them to unlock the Mana function.]
[But since I already had the skill, Mana Sensitivity, I didn't need any of that.]
[So I guess the system recognizes it as a monumental achievement because I learnt Mana on my own...]
[But still... Leveling up three times is insane considering the amount of Exp that's required...]
[For level 1 to level 2, 100 Exp is required.]
[Level two to 3 is 400 Exp...]
[... 3 to 4 is 900 Exp.]
[So in other words I gained that insane amount of Exp without even hunting monsters and farming?]
He paused briefly and narrowed his eyes at the interface.
[So I gained about 1500 Exp!]
He couldn't help but gawk at the status window.
[I purposefully made the Exp requirement for each level to be high so that players can actually grind...]
[Leveling up shouldn't be so easy!]
"Sigh..."
He sighed heavily and slumped his shoulders.
[Not only that... Why did my skills rank-up so much?]
[Unlike with Stats, skills only improve depending on how much, and how you use them. Practice makes perfect afterall...]
[But considering the circumstances, I guess it makes sense?]
[I pushed beyond my limits and drained my Mana Pool to awaken Mana Enhancement.]
[And I almost died, so my Regeneration skill must've been working overtime...]
[...]
[Why does it sound like I'm trying to rationalize bullshit?]
"Haa..."
"Well, I'm not complaining..."
He smirked, but he still couldn't help feeling uneasy as this was not the system mechanics that he created.
[This was probably a one time thing, I'll have to see what happens as time goes.]
[Close Status Window!]
Tsip~
Specimen 2946 raised his bright pink eyes to the ceiling and stared directly at the source of light, a tiny hexagonal crystal.
[One thing is for sure...]
The intensity of the light stung his eyes a tad bit, prompting to shut them and avert his gaze.
"I need to get stronger."
He muttered to himself, and —
"Chiek! Indeed you do, Lord Charymos will be pleased with your resolve."
Said the cockroach, but Specimen 2946 was not startled as he'd not been expecting him.
"I see the food was to your liking."
"Now then, if you are satisfied, please follow me. Lord Charymos desires to give you and the others a reward."
The gentlemanly bipedal cockroach turned its back and led the way.
[... A reward huh...]
Knowing very well the personality of the NPC named Charymos, that he himself created, Specimen 2946's stomach became tied in knots.
________________________________________
Status Window.
Name: Specimen 2946.
Race: Homunculus.
Level: 4 (Exp: 121/1600)*
Class: Magic Spearman- Lv1.
_________________
Core Stats.
STR: 44*. INT: 49* LCK: 0*
AGI: 46* MP: 46* VIT: 45*
%##%: ???
_________________
Derived Stats.
HP [VIT + Gear Value+⁰]: 45*
STA [VIT + AGI(30%)]: 58.8*
ATK [STR + Weapon Value+⁰]: 44*
EVA [AGI + LCK(50%)]: 46*
CRIT [(LCK(20%) + ATK)/100]: 0.44*
_________________
Skills.
Mana Sensitivity: S- Rank*
Low-level Regeneration: C- Rank*
Creator's Eye: S- Rank.
#>@$: SS+ Rank (Sealed)*
____________________
Attribute Points: 14*
Alignment:Chaotic Neutral.
_______________________________________