Silently he perused through the screen, certain details quickly dragging his attention as he did and raising questions which he knew could be only answered by one source.
'System, judging from my Designation, I assume that there are at least twelve other individuals who are also like me?'
> [A logical assumption]
The System agreed.
[However during the escape from the facility, there had been far more than a dozen experimentation tanks present. It could be possible that there might be others whose numbers succeed that of the Host]
"I suppose I can agree with that," he thought with a small frown that creased his white eyebrows.
'Although that only serves to make the process of getting my revenge more difficult.'
"Ok then. About my stats, they reflect the current state of my body right?"
> [Correct. The capabilities of the Host have surpassed that of regular humans, and the System has been designed to represent them using appropriate ranks]
"And my current overall rank is D. In any other situation I suppose that would be terrible... However, since I just awakened a few days ago, these stats suddenly seem somewhat disproportionate. Care to explain why?"
> [The Host has proven quite astute in his observation skills. A newly awakened User would possess physical and mental capabilities that would be beyond an average human, but their stats would not be as high as that of the Host]
"So why then? What's the reason why I'm different?"
> [Back at The White Circle facility, the Host had granted the System partial autonomy in order to help facilitate the escape. But even then, it would have been quite impossible to successfully make such an attempt with the low level stats the Host had upon awakening. Therefore, the System had to compensate]
For some reason, he did not like the sound of that as his frown smoothed out into a pensive expression.
"Compensate how?"
> [All System Users have abilities that draw upon the true inner power of their minds, the power of the soul, in order to perform unbelievable feats. But that is not all that they are capable of. In a worst case scenario, a System User can delve deeper into their souls and push out more power than they would normally be able to call upon. That is what is called Overdrive Mode. By activating it, the User would undergo an overall exponential increase in physical and skill attributes]
A twinge of realization flitted through his mind as he remembered just why the System's explanation sounded vaguely familiar.
"In my memory, when I came face to face with those guards in the hallway... That's what happened... You activated my Overdrive Mode in order to defeat them."
> [Indeed. Without it, the chances of the Host surviving that encounter would have been far closer to zero than the System assumes the Host would be comfortable with]
"Somehow I don't think that's all there is to that story. If that ability is as powerful as you make it sound, then there has to be some corresponding drawbacks to balance it out."
Nothing comes without a cost in this world. He might not be more than a few days old in the world, but the sharp pain in his chest was more than a reminder to him.
> [Utilizing the Overdrive Mode requires a high level of mental and physical conditioning on the part of the User. Since the activation would forcefully draw out more power than the User would normally be able to control, the body of the User would have to be durable enough to contain the increase without being torn apart—]
"System," he cut off the voice in his head sharply. "What is the minimum rank required for the Overdrive Mode to be safely activated?"
The System was strangely silent for a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to him, before it finally answered.
> [A System User would have to have a minimum overall rank of 'B' in order to safely utilize Overdrive Mode]
He ran his palm down his face with an exasperated sigh.
If the worldly knowledge implanted directly into his mind was accurate by any means, a new character in any game would most likely begin from the lowest possible tier or rank — typically F — before embarking on a rigorous ascension all the way to highest which in turn would normally be Rank-S.
That meant that the System had basically forced a Rank-F character to utilize a Rank-B skill. Something like that would likely involve breaking a lot of nature's rules — and nature has been particularly known to be a vindictive b*tch when it wished to.
"System, what did you... no, what did I have to sacrifice in order to have brute forced the Overdrive Mode back there?" he asked, despite already suspecting what the answer would be.
> [The System had illegally bypassed numerous mental and physiological restrictions within the body of the Host in order to utilize the Overdrive Mode. Such power did not come without a cost—]
"That's exactly what I'm asking you about. Tell me, what is the price I paid for that?"
His voice had not risen once throughout the whole conversation, reason being that he felt the actions of the System were actually completely understandable.
'This thing acts like an AI existing within my head, only far more sentient than any modern computer code. I would assume that self-preservation would be one of its major priorities and since I'm its host, it would probably do everything within its capacity to ensure my relative safety and survival.'
That did not mean he was completely okay with it though. It simply meant he understood the reasoning behind it.
Even if he were to be mad about it, the past was already gone. There was no reason nor use in worrying over such matters.
Rather, he would need to start thinking of how to do as much damage control as he could. But he would not know how to do that if he did not know exactly what the damage was.
Fortunately, the System decided to provide him with what he wanted. An answer.
> [The damage caused by extreme over-exertion of the nerves and muscles of the Host's body had resulted in a crippling state of destruction of these facilities. Had a normal human incurred such wounds, they would be dead within seconds, and should the human, by some luck, manage to survive instant death, they would be reduced to a vegetative state immediately]
"That's not foreboding at all," he muttered darkly, his tone heavily tinged with sarcasm before mentally requesting for the System to continue.
> [Fortunately for the Host, due to the genetic alteration, conditioning, and modification processes the Host has undergone for years, his constitution is far superior to that of an average human. The Host's injuries will eventually heal over time but the Host is advised to increase his Constitution Rank as soon as possible to hasten his recovery]
"Ok, so I have minor nerve and tissue damage. A pain it will be, but at least it's not permanent so I do suppose that's a good thing. Any other drawback I should know about?"
When the System did not answer immediately, that was when he knew something was definitely not right.
"System?"
> [Due to the forceful breaching of the Host's mental barriers to access the power of the Overdrive Mode, the Host's mind has been left slightly fractured. As a result, the Host shall retain the augmented stats obtained during the procedure, but the ability to utilize the Overdrive Mode has been damaged, possibly irreparably]