'Is the World of Alam Some Kind of Video Game?'
Messages from the system were flooding in so quickly that they completely obscured his vision. Everything was utterly confusing.
'System, stop everything and give me information one by one.'
The overwhelming flood of messages vanished, replaced by a single window.
[Stats Window]
Name: Vio Kian
Age: 24 years (biological), 2 years (mechanical)
Level: 1 | EXP: [0/100]
Rank: Proto-Cyborg
Titles: None
HP:68/100 (68%)
EP:29/100 (29%)
SP: 0/0 (Locked)
[Stats]
Strength: 10
Stamina: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Perception: 10
Endurance: 6
(Available points to distribute: 0)
Cores: Alpha
External Data: 38/100 MB
'Start with HP, EP, and SP. What exactly do they represent?'
The last time he had played this type of game was when he was sixteen—before his family fell apart, before found himself homeless.
Moreover, his memory worked selectively, driven by what he considered important. If something didn't seem worth remembering, he wouldn't recall it at all. As a result, he didn't even know what HP stood for.
[Difficulty in understanding has been detected. Searching for the simplest explanation...]
'Are you trying to say I'm dumb?'
A cold voice echoed in Vio mind, pulling his focus back to the words forming in front of him.
[HP is a life indicator. If HP reaches zero, the hero's life ends.]
[EP is the energy consumed by mechanical limbs. If EP is depleted, the hero cannot move.]
[SP information is locked. To learn about SP, the hero must unlock it.]
As more explanations unfolded, Vio recalling moments from when he used to play video games.
'Damn it, what is all this?'
It wasn't difficult to understand his current situation now—HP was critical to his survival, but there was something else: EP. With its value now at a mere 29%, it clearly needed attention.
'System, how do I restore the EP?'
[The internal battery must be recharged.]
Instinctively, Vio lowered his gaze to his chest, finding a spherical object glowing faintly near his beating heart.
'Doesn't this mean I have two hearts now?'
While fighting, he had felt exhilarated by having this body. Now, that euphoria was fading as realized the limitations placed.
'How do I recharge? Are there even chargers in this world?'
[Search external data...]
The only image that came to his mind was that of a smartphone.
'Have I become like a phone now? Don't tell me I need to stay plugged into electricity for hours!'
His eyes drifted to the soldiers lying on the ground, particularly their clothes, which suggested a medieval era.
'Wait, they used lightning on their swords. What was that—some sort of superpower? Do humans in this world have superpowers?'
[Answer found.]
[There is a charging device located in the base.]
'And where exactly is that?'
[No precise coordinates are available.]
'Fan-fucking-tastic!'
[However, sequential images from external data lead to the moment the hero entered the tent.]
'Wait a second. You said I upgraded from a robot. Does this external data represent memories from that time?'
[correct.]
'What are you waiting for? Show me everything!'
It has always been true that those who know are not like those who don't.
If it hadn't been for his knowledge of the wealthy class at the time, he wouldn't have been able to carve out a place among them. All of this was thanks to the information he had gathered about them—details he overheard at parties when he was a child.
His current situation only reinforced this belief. He decided not to leave the tent until he fully understood his new body.
[The system is unable to comply.]
Vio frowned. Something suspicious about the system tugged at his mind. Though he hadn't had time to analyze everything yet, there was a familiar feeling of manipulation.
'Unable or unwilling?'
[The system cannot influence the hero's brain due to its human nature.]
'But you intervened when I was having a brain stroke!'
[That was permitted only once.]
Just as he suspected—the system was capable but chose not to act. Whoever was behind it, Vio felt he was being controlled.
In any case, he commanded the system to display his health status due to the increasing pain in his forearms. He had tried to endure it, but it was becoming unbearable.
[Health]
Overall Health: 90%
Malfunctions: Wounds detected on both forearms.
It is recommended to enable 'Micro Repair' or 'Instant Repair.'
Costs for Instant Repair per forearm: 6 Plastic 10 Metal 2 Steel
The window didn't stop there. Beneath the information, a 3D model appeared, representing his new body with some differences.
The entire body was displayed except for the head, leaving out the left eye.
'Why isn't the head showing?'
[The model displays only the mechanical parts.]
He touched his left eye, finding it no different from the right one, which left perplexed.
'Is it really artificial? System, what parts of my body are still organic?'
[Organic parts: Entire head except the left eye, heart, spinal cord, and reproductive organ.]
'Reproductive organ? Where is it?'
Once again, glanced down at his body. He couldn't see it, but he had learned how things worked.
As soon as he thought about it, he heard a sound—something shifting and detaching from him.
At the relevant spot, cracks appeared, followed by smoke as a cover shifted, revealing the organ. Seeing that it was intact and normal, he took a deep breath.
'At least it's still there.'
He patted his chest as the plates slid back into place, only to groan from the pain in his forearms.
Currently, on the 3D model, there was a yellow discoloration on his forearms, while the other parts remained a blue color.
"Activate 'Micro Repair'," Vio muttered.
['Micro Repair' activated.]
The pain quickly began to subside. Looked at his forearm, which had a deep wound so severe he could see copper wires and other internal components. He still couldn't fully believe what he had become.
'What is this?'
Looking more closely, he noticed tiny objects resembling ants gathering around the wound, emitting sparks as if they were workers repairing a factory or constructing a building.
[Repair duration: 2 hours. Repair cost: 2 EP per hour.]
The system gave him two options: either speed up the process at the expense of resources or conserve resources, which might leave him in a precarious position. After all, his only weapons were his fists, and they weren't in great condition.
'System, if I avoid using any power, how long will I last before running out of EP? And what's the purpose of Stamina in this case?'
[EP consumption rate will be approximately 1 EP per day if the hero remains inactive.]
[The higher the Stamina, the lower the EP consumption.]
The thing he had been cursing himself over appeared before him.
[The skill 'Surge Strike' consumed approximately 15% EP.]
Due to his reckless use of the skill while electrocuting the soldier, a significant amount of energy had been drained. The madman would have continued if he hadn't felt his hand go numb.
'Damn it. System, how long have I been using it?'
[3 seconds.]
'Holy hell! Just three seconds and it consumed that much? Are you joking?'
[The system advises the hero to be economical.]
'Are you some kind of financial advisor? Wait, System, why do I feel pain? Aren't these prosthetics anyway?'
[The hero feels pain due to the wiring being connected to the spinal cord.]
'I didn't ask for a technical explanation. Isn't this body supposed to eliminate the weaknesses of a human body?'
[Pain is essential for the hero's well-being. Emotions are critical for the hero to continue his journey.]
He wasn't convinced, nor did want to be one. How could he, when always viewed emotions as something that would lead to his downfall? His conscience wasn't troubled for no reason about getting involved with Sarah.
The words felt familiar, as if he had heard them before, but couldn't recall where. That only indicated how little he had cared back then.
'Show me those missions again.'
[Mission 'Kill or Be Killed']
Type: Urgent
Requirements: None
Restrictions: None
Description:
Creatures have decided to stand in the Hero's path. It is the Hero's duty to eliminate anyone who prevents their progress.
Objective:
The Hero must ensure his safety by killing the enemies and ending their pitiful lives.
Rewards for Mission Completion:
10 EXP
2 Plastic
4 Metal
1 Steel
1 points
Penalty for Failure: Minor Punishment: The Hero's heart will stop.
[Mission 'Kill or Be Killed' completed successfully.]
[Calculating hero's performance evaluation...]
[Calculation successful. Grade: B.]
[All rewards will be multiplied by 5.]
[Rewards obtained: 50 EXP, 10 Plastic, 20 Metal, 5 Steel, 5 points.]
When the mission first appeared, he hadn't paid much attention. Now, as he read it carefully, his expression froze upon reaching the final line. It made him disregard the rewards entirely. After all, it was about his heart stopping.
'What do you mean by the hero's heart will stop? Are you saying that if I didn't kill them, they would've killed me?'
[There are multiple ways for the hero to survive enemy attacks, so the answer is no.]
His expression relaxed slightly.
[However, it would have been impossible for the hero to survive his heart stopping, as the mission required him to kill the enemies.]
"What does that mean?" Vio muttered.
[Confusion detected. Clarification in progress.]
[In simpler terms, the hero's heart would have stopped if he had failed or avoided killing his enemies.]
[Warning: The system advises the hero not to disregard failure penalties, whether for missions or requests.]
…