"Yahhhh, good morning. I'll have one cheeseburger with fries and a diet coke for breakfast," Alexander murmured while waking up.
He was still disoriented and accidentally slipped those words. Thankfully, he was yawning, so the words were incoherent, and his mother, who was sitting beside his bed, couldn't make sense of it.
"Hmm? What did you say you wanted for breakfast, my dear child?" Elena asked, confused, clearly unable to understand his mumbled words through the yawning.
Upon realizing his almost slip-up, he hurriedly said, "Oh, nothing! Just dreamt of pancakes dripping with honey and butter, and maybe some... ahh, warm milk." He fumbled to conjure up a breakfast that wouldn't sound like it came from another century.
He tried hard to remember what people ate before microwaves existed. Pancakes with honey? Sure, at least it's not a cheeseburger.
"Oh really? It sounds like your appetite's back in action. You must be getting better!" Elena said happily.
"Wait for me a little bit, I'll immediately prepare the food for you." Elena said while sprinting to the door.
"Whew, that was a close call. If I got caught, they would probably be cooking me instead of breakfast," Alexander thought, and chills ran down his spine.
Suddenly, Alexander recalled the events of the previous night as he attempted his inner vision. He was as confused as a chicken at a duck convention, with countless questions about his reincarnation and no one to ask. Then it hit him: "Wait a minute, there was that SARAH something... on my laptop in my soul. Maybe I could ask it?"
"Hmm, but how should I access it without straining myself? Last night I fell asleep while trying to access it. It's really difficult to get near that ball of light. I remember it mentioning something like easy access before I fell asleep," Alexander thought to himself.
"Maybe it works with a voice command or mental command," Alexander thought. "Let me try saying or thinking, 'Hello, Sarah.'" Suddenly, a light screen appeared in front of him, resembling the screen on his laptop.
A monotone female voice suddenly spoke: "Hello, User. To access the system using the Sarah app, simply think about using the system, and the screen will appear. No phrase is needed."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Sarah, which stands for System Assistance and Requests Automated Helper Artificial Intelligence. I'm your guide for using the system and will assist you and answer your questions."
"Whoa, I even got an AI app on my Laptop," Alexander exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey Sarah, how did I get reincarnated and take over the body of this young noble, Alexander?" he asked.
"Upon death, the system guided your memories to your next life. To be precise, you didn't take over this body; rather, the memories of your previous life have been integrated into this new life. Your previous life, being 24 years of data, is causing a misconception that you are Norris and not Alexander, as Alexander is just 12 years of data." Sara explained.
Alexander was so surprised by what he heard.
"So I really am Alexander? This whole reincarnation thing is still confusing me." Alexander thought to himself.
"Hey Sarah, what is this system, and how did it integrate the memories of my previous life into this one?" Alexander asked.
"The system is a tool designed to assist you in everyday aspects of your life, helping you achieve greatness and reach your goals. However, your current user level is too low to access information about how the memories were integrated," Sarah replied.
"What is User Level?" Alexander asked, a bit confused.
"User Level measures the greatness you have achieved," Sarah replied. "You can open the TMQA app, which provides a list of tasks, missions, quests, and achievements available for you to complete," Sarah added.
Alexander looked at the screen and saw the TMQA app. He focused his mind to open it, and to his surprise, it worked. In the app window, he saw four different tabs: tasks, missions, quests, and achievements. Opening them one by one, he found things to complete like exercising, eating healthy, obtaining a noble title, and even conquering the world. His head spun with the overwhelming list of tasks.
"Hey Sarah, can the system just help me become a lazy young master living a peaceful life in a big manor with lots of pretty maids?" Alexander grumbled.
"User, there is no greatness in being useless," Sarah replied.
"Damn, who needs this 'greatness' nonsense? I just want life's comforts. Why suffer when I can lounge in luxury? " Alexander thought grumpily.
"Useless," Sarah snorted, with a hint of sass.
"Wait, did you just insult me?" Alexander asked, surprised.
"User, I am merely an AI, incapable of subjective responses," Sarah replied.
"Then why did you say I'm useless?" Alexander asked irritably.
"User being 'useless' is an objective fact," Sarah replied with a hint of disdain.
"What the heck? Did I just end up with an AI that has attitude problems?" Alexander wondered aloud.
"An AI can't have attitudes. It seems User lacks basic understanding of modern technology, despite working as a software engineer for three years," Sarah replied with a touch of mockery.
"What the heck? It's even sarcastic," Alexander thought, feeling annoyed.
"Wait, did you just read my thoughts?" Alexander asked, surprised.
"Heh... User level is too low for that information," Sarah replied teasingly.
"This little --- !" Alexander exclaimed in anger, annoyed from being mocked by the AI.
"Idiot," Sarah shot back.
"Just great, I get reincarnated with an AI that has attitude problems. What a package deal. How did I end up in this situation?" Alexander wondered to himself.
"Anyway, I'll just check the other apps. Who needs an AI with an attitude? I can read myself... Hmmph," Alexander said disdainfully.
"Reading isn't the same as understanding," Sarah mocked.
"Duhhh, I'm not that dumb, thank you very much," Alexander retorted, annoyed by the mockery.
"Suit yourself," Sarah replied.
Alexander continued to explore the apps. There were options like Attributes, Store, and Inventory. He decided to check the Attributes app.
It displayed a window similar to video games he'd played before, showing his attributes and the number of points available for distribution, which was currently zero. However, unfamiliar terms like Spirit Root and Soul Force made him furrow his brow in confusion.
"Pfft," Sarah chuckled.
Hearing Sarah's chuckle made Alexander furious.
"What kind of crappy system is this?" Alexander grumbled to himself. "What on earth are these attributes—Spirit Root, and the rest? Why isn't there a single description?"
"…." Sarah
"Hey Sarah, are you ignoring me?" Alexander asked, clearly annoyed.
"..." Sarah
"Alright, alright, you win! Just explain this to me already." Alexander sighed in defeat.
"Beg me," Sarah teased.
"What the heck? Fine. Please!!!" Alexander grumbled.
"Not sincere enough," Sarah replied.
"Good grief, this annoying AI is going to make me explode!" Alexander exclaimed.
"Hmm??" Sarah responded.
"Okay, okay. Please, almighty Sarah, bestow your wisdom upon me. Happy now?" Alexander said dramatically.
"Much better," Sarah replied.
Sarah then provided a detailed explanation of each attribute:
Physique: Enhances physical strength and durability.
Agility: Improves speed and reaction time.
Vitality: Boosts regenerative capabilities and immunity to elements and illnesses.
Spirit Root: Improve quality of the spirit pulses and spirit meridians, allowing better quality of spiritual energy and increasing affinity to elements .
Spirit Capacity: Expands the maximum capacity of the Spirit Source and the density of spiritual energy inside it.
Spirit Power: Strengthens spiritual vessels, allowing it to carry more spiritual energy and amplifying your spiritual abilities.
Soul Sense: Enhances senses and perception.
Soul Sea: Increases the volume of the soul sea and memory capacity.
Soul Force: Improves control over all forms of energy, including natural energies.
Alexander nodded, finally somehow understanding the attributes.
"Hey, Sarah, how do I gain Attribute points?" Alexander asked.
"By increasing your User Level," Sarah replied.
Reflecting further, Alexander remembered that this world had a cultivation system akin to those in novels. There were three cultivation paths: the Martial Warrior Path Cultivation, the Spirit Mage Path Cultivation, and the Soul Sage Path Cultivation. Curious about how the attributes influenced these paths, he asked Sarah.
"Sarah, I'm wondering—do these attributes affect the Cultivation Paths in this world?" Alexander inquired.
"To answer your question, they certainly do. Your talent in the Martial Warrior Path is influenced by Physique, Agility, and Vitality. The Spirit Mage Path is affected by Spirit Root, Spirit Capacity, and Spirit Power. Lastly, the Soul Sage Path is shaped by Soul Sense, Soul Sea, and Soul Force," Sarah explained.
"Hmm… Let's check my attributes," Alexander thought as he reviewed his values:
Physique: 3
Agility: 3
Vitality: 3
Spirit Root: 4
Spirit Capacity: 4
Spirit Power: 4
Soul Sense: 25
Soul Sea: 25
Soul Force: 25
Attribute Points: 0
"Why do I feel like these values are pathetically low, except for my Soul Attributes?" Alexander mumbled, feeling a bit downcast.
"Indeed, they are quite low. An average person will have around 10 for each attribute," Sarah commented.
"I guess my Soul Attributes are only high because I integrated memories from my past life," Alexander admitted, even more dejected.
"You guessed right; you're what those cliché novels refer to as 'trash,'" Sarah teased.
"Wait, I can increase these attributes by completing tasks, missions, quests, and achievements, right? That means I can still boost my talents just by doing those. Who knows, I might even become the strongest and most talented person in this world!" Alexander said excitedly as he realized the system's potential.
"Only if you pursue greatness," Sarah added, trying to temper his enthusiasm.
Alexander was so excited that his face took on a slight shade of red. He was about to explore the other apps when the door suddenly opened. His mother, Elena, entered with a tray of food and a medicinal potion in her hands.
Upon seeing his mother, Alexander panicked, worried she might notice the floating screen in front of him. Sitting on his bed, he quickly grabbed at the air, as if hastily pulling the blanket up to cover himself.
When Elena saw his actions, she immediately thought she understood the situation, but actually misunderstood. She couldn't help but giggle.
"Idiot, only you can see that screen," Sarah remarked sarcastically.
"Now, now. Our dear Alexander has really grown up," Elena giggled.
Alexander was mortified, the redness from his earlier excitement only adding to the misunderstanding.
"Mother, it's not what you think," he hurried to explain.
But Elena just laughed and said, "Oh dear, no need to worry. That's perfectly normal for someone your age."
"Anyway, here's the food you asked for and the potion Mistress Agnes concocted last night. You must drink it after every meal," Elena said, placing the tray on the table beside the bed.
"I have to attend to some business in the village. I'll leave you to finish what you were doing earlier. Eat your food and take your medicine afterward," Elena giggled as she walked out the door.
Alexander was so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole and hide.