{"Soul cleansing complete. Emotional load reduced by 87%. Personality core retained. Trauma index: manageable.
Calibration successful. Welcome, Operator."
She collapsed sideways, curling into herself instinctively. Her body trembled, waiting for pain that no longer came.
"Thank fuck that's over," she whispered, limbs limp, heart pounding with something close to hope. At least she wasn't in a hospital awaiting her doom.
{"My apologies. At most, you should have experienced a minor headache. Your soul seems to contain… a great deal of trauma"}
She laughed—sharp and broken.
"Ya, no shit. Oh, and no offense, but your pain scale's a bit off."
A pause. Then, the voice continued—same tone, but just a hint more human.
{"Noted. Adjusting pain calibration bias by 12%. Thank you for your feedback."}
The faint glow shifted, and she blinked as a floating screen changed in front of her, now showing something resembling… a menu?
{"As Operator, you may choose to customize your S.I.S.T.E.M. assistant's identity, tone, and behavioral layer. Please select your preferences."
She stared at the options:
Name: ________
Gender: ☐ Male ☐ Female ☑ Non-Gendered
Voice: ☐ Preset 1 ☑ Preset 2 ☐ Preset 3 ☐ Custom
Tone: ☐ Casual ☐ Professional ☐ Formal ☑ Semi-Professional
Screen Notification Output:
☐ AI Audio and Notification Text On, Notification Read by AI Audio On
☐ AI Audio Only (With Text Notification Backlog)
☐ Text Only, AI Audio Off
☑ AI Audio On, Notification Text On, Read by AI Audio Off
("If you have a specific voice in mind, choose custom, then focus on the voice you have in mind. I will replicate the memory signature and construct a matching interface."}
She hesitated—but only for a moment.
Jarvis, she thought. From Iron Man. Always liked him. Calm, loyal, smarter than the guy he worked for…
The voice returned.
{"Shall I begin with a British accent, dry wit, and unwavering competence?"}
She smiled, a real one this time.
"Yes. Make me a Jarvis."
{"As you wish, Operator. Voice initialized. You may refer to me as Jarvis if you like—or rename me at any time."}
She set the name.
Name: Jarvis
Gender: Male
{ "Welcome, Operator. Let's not get killed in the first five minutes, shall we?"}
Sam laughed again, but it didn't crack this time.
For the first time since she'd fallen into that dark hole between worlds, she felt like someone—something had her back.
Not a savior. Not a rescuer.
A teammate.
"You can just call me Sam, Jarvis," she said, smiling to herself. The first real smile in a long time.
As the tension faded from her limbs, Sam blinked up at the floating blue screen.
{"Request noted and logged. Greetings Sam. Now initiating baseline orientation."}
Jarvis's voice returned, crisp and polished—like someone reading instructions with just enough sarcasm to keep her grounded.
"Welcome to the S.I.S.T.E.M.—Sentient Interface for Survival, Tactics, Evolution, and Mana. I will be your companion and tactical assistant moving forward. Your S.I.S.T.E.M. contains various modules to assist its operator.
S.I.S.T.E.M. Interface Modules:
Profile – View personal stats, class, skills, and achievements
Inventory – Holds items mana-digitized. Weight: Infinite (weightless, although some large items may take up more than one slot), Capacity: 10 unique items that stack to 100 (upgradable with level)
Quests – Tracks main, daily, active, completed, faction, and special quests
Community – Messages, reputation, party/guild options
Store – Sells or purchases gear, spells, information, or upgrades
Shall we begin with your current profile?"}
"Yeah... why not? I'm already half-broken and lying on a rock. Might as well learn the rules of the afterlife."
{"Technically, this is not the afterlife. But your sarcasm has been noted and logged. Displaying Operator profile."}
{Profile
Operator: Samantha 'Sam' Foreman (F)
Age: 18
Species: Human
Tier: Purple
Level: 1
Experience Points (XP): 0/100
Health (H): 150 / 150
Mana (M): 140 / 140
Mana Control (MC): 14
Mana Regeneration (MR): 14 M/Second
Strength (S): 14 (6 + 8)
Agility (A): 13 (8 + 5)
Perception (P): 11 (7 + 4)
Vitality (V): 15 (6 + 9)
Intelligence (I): 14 (6 + 8)
Wisdom (W): 14 (7 + 7)
Charisma (C): 12 (5 + 7)
Luck (L): 9 (6 + 4)
(Note: Operator cannot assign stat points to luck. Luck points are awarded...by luck)
Available Stat Points: 0
Available Skill Points: 0}
{"Impressive, if I may say so. You're fast, alert, and surprisingly sturdy for someone who recently died. A balanced foundation."}
She winced at the reminder but appreciated the lack of pity in his tone.
"Ok, most of this is pretty self-explanatory. I have a few questions though. What are stat and skill points? What's a tier? And uhh that charisma level is come back to bite me in the ass isn't it?" Sam groaned.
{"First things first, your stat numbers are a combination of yours and the body's original host. Typically a person's stats are between five and eight. Anything below five is considered low and anything above 8 is considered high. Now, for each level gained, Operators are awarded two stat points, which may be allocated as they see fit—excluding, of course, the Luck stat. That particular attribute prefers to handle itself, rather like its namesake, through the unpredictable whims of fate.
Stats may also be improved through rigorous training. However, do be warned: this is neither swift nor simple. Only by consistently surpassing your current limitations—blood, sweat, and the occasional tear—can a single point be earned. It is, in a word, grueling.
Skill points are also awarded every level. Operators receive one skill point every level, this increases every other level. So when you level up from level one to level two, you get one SKP or Skill Point. Then you get another from two to three.
Advancing to level four gets you two SkP, four to five, two Skp and so on. The only change is milestones. Levels five, ten and fifteen you get ten bonus skill points. Then levels twenty, twenty-five and thirty you get twenty skill points. The pattern continues. These points can be used to upgrade skills. The higher the level the more the points are needed to upgrade.
Now, to tiers. These denote both an individual's potential and, unfortunately, their social standing.
The majority of the population falls into Orange or Blue tiers, which represent average capabilities and, accordingly, average lives. Those of lower economic or educational standing—often Green tier—typically perform manual labor or serve in households belonging to higher tiers.
Then we have the Purple tier, colloquially referred to as the 'Noble Tier.' This classification is usually reserved for the wealthy elite—nobles and affluent merchants with the resources to afford superior education, excellent nutrition, and early enhancements to their Integration.
I must advise discretion regarding your tier, Sam. Until you're equipped to defend yourself adequately, revealing it is... unwise. Cases exist—disturbingly frequent ones—where newly Integrated individuals displaying a Purple tier without the proper pedigree have, shall we say... vanished.
Some meet a swift and violent end. Others are—brace yourself—relegated to what can only be described as breeding facilities. You see, tier traits tend to be hereditary. A grim incentive, wouldn't you say? Conversely, those born to noble blood who awaken with a disappointingly low tier are sometimes disowned entirely.
Charming people, really.
Red tier is rare and respected. These are your royal bodyguards, elite commanders, and personal champions—stronger than nobles, but still beneath the king or queen.
White tier is the realm of royalty itself. Kings, queens, and other world-class powerhouses. This tier represents the pinnacle of mortal achievement—if you were lucky enough to be born into it, or daring enough to break through.
Gold tier? That's the stuff of legends. No one alive has confirmed reaching it. If it exists, it's beyond the system's grasp—and possibly watching us both.
So, there it is in a nutshell.
"Red tier protects the throne. Purple supports it. Blue and Orange obeys it. Green doesn't get a choice."
As for Charisma, it generally makes people more inclined to like you. You'll barter more successfully, be perceived as more attractive—there are even minor cosmetic enhancements built into the stat. However, certain classes also depend heavily on Charisma to function. Some even scale damage or influence directly from it. Interestingly, a lower Charisma can be beneficial for classes that specialize in evasion, infiltration, or remaining unseen. Invisibility, after all, begins with irrelevance.
Now then… shall we continue?"}
"Yes Please…wait! Why the Species designation?"
{"Simple, Humans are not the only ones on this planet. Beasts and monsters also have species designations,"} Jarvis explained. {"Some are straightforward—wolves, bears, the usual sharp-teeth, rip-you-apart suspects. Others, once awakened, gain more colorful titles like Hellfire Wolf or Armoured Stone Bear. Very intimidating. Very descriptive. Not at all overcompensating."
A pause. Then a light chime of amusement in his tone.
{"Then there are monsters: Ogres, Goblins, and other delightful walking nightmares. Unlike beasts, these creatures tend to come with poor hygiene, questionable fashion choices, and a deep desire to punch you in the face."}
Sam raised a brow but let him continue.
{"You may also encounter various other humanoid species—Elves, Dwarves, Vampires, Shifters and so on. Well technically that's it. But there are hybrid to each species. Anyway, these are not classified as monsters, mostly due to their intelligence, their social structures, and the minor technicality that they weren't spawned from the deepest pits of a dungeon. Small details."}
"Wait, so monsters come from dungeons—"
{"—Yes,"} Jarvis cut in smoothly, {"and humanoids come from bad decisions and even worse politics."}
He let that hang before adding,
{"Advanced awakened beasts and monsters can gain intelligence over time, but there's still a notable distinction. Think of it as the difference between a clever pet and a neighbor with HOA opinions."}
"Sigh…great now I have to worry about the people eating me too…carry on"
{Profile continued..
Primary Class: None (Activation at LVL 10)
Secondary Class: None (Activation at LVL 15)
Support Class: None (Activation at LVL 5)
General Skills:
Advanced Skills:
All Tongues* (Passive)
Double Double* (Passive)
Movement LVL 1
(Walking, Running, Sprinting, Jumping, Dodging)
Communication LVL 1
(Reading, Writing, Talking)
General Cleaning LVL 1
(Sweeping, Mopping, Tidying, Dusting, Surface cleaning)
Survival LVL 1
(Hunting, Gathering, Skinning, Tracking, Fire starting, Water gathering)
Animal Husbandry LVL 1
(Feeding, Rearing, Harvesting, Butchering)
Knowledge LVL 1
(Math, Physics, History, Geography, Science)
*These skills have no level advancement
Basic Skills:
Cooking LVL 7
Baking LVL 5
Mending LVL 6
Healing LVL 9
Herbology LVL 9
General Crafting LVL 10
Construction LVL 5
General Weaponry
Knife LVL 7 Dagger LVL 7Short Sword LVL 8Short Bow LVL 9 Spear LVL 8Axe LVL 7}
"That is...a lot" she said in awe
{"Well you have to consider these are both your and the original Sam's skills. Some are basic skills everyone receives just purely by being alive, like walking, talking. Some needed to be altered. Your love of arts and crafts in your younger years is why your general crafting skill is so high. Some were just omitted, Video Games are unfortunately not a thing here."}
Sam laughed
"Are you kidding this whole place feels like a video game."
{"Perhaps some aspects, but I must warn you Sam, it is very much real. No respawns. Well actually there is a skill for that but I digress. Think of this as hardcore mode. One life."}
"Faire enough, warning taken. Let's get back to this."
{Achievements:
Realm Traveller: It appears you have a bit of a wandering soul, to aid in your travels, you've gained the "All Tongues Skill ".
Effects: This skill is a passive. When you or others speak, you will hear your native tongue. Others will hear you speaking in their native tongue. In mixed company the Kingdoms Common will be spoken.
Second Life: Congratulations, you Canadian soul. Against the odds, you now live a second life. You've survived death, sort of. On to your second life. Two lives should mean double the rewards right? You've earned the "Double double Skill".
Effects: This skill is passive. You will receive:
Double base stats (Original + Current Soul)Double stat points awarded for leveling (4 instead of 2)Double the amount of Main Classes (1 Primary and now 1 Secondary)Double Skill Capacity (10 active skills 10 Passive instead of 5)Double XP GainsDouble Damage Double Looting - beasts and monsters yields all viable components (meat, hide, claws, etc.)Double coin acquisition from loot drops
Current individual coin balance:
Cooper: 234
Silver: 273
Gold: 16
Platinum: 0
Accumulative coin amount:
34c 275s 16g}
A whistle echoed in the small cave.
Sam blinked.
"Okay... that last one is a bit on the nose."
{ "You may blame your subconscious. The title appears to be culturally influenced. Congratulations on surviving death—and for doing so with regional flavor."}
She let out a soft laugh. The ache in her chest was still there… but it no longer screamed. She didn't feel whole, not yet—but she felt strong.
Stronger than before.
"I was wondering when the elusive"Golden Finger" would appear" Sam laughed to herself
{"Ahh, yes the thing in your worlds stories of transmigration that boosts the protagonist to unthinkable levels."}
"Alright, Jarvis. So how does the money thing work?" She ask
{"100 copper = 1 silver, 500 silver = 1 gold, 1000 gold = 1 platinum}
"Ok… So no class, ten skills, shiny stats, and a system that snarks back. What's next?"
{"Next, we survive long enough to make those stats matter. Also don't mock those general skills. Their the only thing that's going to keep you alive until you get a class. Might I recommend clothing? You are currently equipped with… nothing but trauma and hope."}
Sam looked down at the rags that are what's left of her clothes. She snorted. "Fair point."
{"You're welcome. Your next step should be to check out your quests. They tend to have beneficial rewards and easy early XP gains"}
"Alright, you're the only one who knows what's going on. Onward to the quests" Sam said leaning against the wall.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Shout Out! to my Patreon members!
Aimee!
... and that's it lol But Yay Aimee! Thanks a bunch