As Syril shut the door, he immediately fell to the ground. A brief yell and sob escaped him as the bruises panged.
He managed to drag himself to the old first-aid kit in his room.
"Ah, great! No cotton wool? I'm a lucky man!" Syril complained to himself sarcastically, still crawling pathetically.
He picked a cloth from his closet and wetted it with drops of methylated alcohol. He then gently applied on the bruises. Well, not without screams from the alcohol burn.
"Curses on Ashley!" Syril screamed as he treated himself. All thanks to the attention he payed in Physical Health Education (PHE) classes, gaining knowledge on how to treat cuts and bruises.
As he nursed himself, he found his gaze resting heavily on the book again. It felt like the book called his attention.
"What's so special about this thing, and what kind of book is it?" He found himself muttering.
He instinctively moved closer to the book, curiosity overcame caution.
"The design seems... intricate. Quite appealing..."
"There I was, thinking of a power book. Classic me," he chuckled to himself, his hands tracing the patterns on the black book.
He tried opening it, his hands gently resting on the book lock.
The book was supposed to open as his finger held the lock, instead, a pin emerged from the lock and pricked his finger.
"Ouch! The fuck?!" He exclaimed as he raised his finger to sight.
A droplet of his blood fell on the book, and to his surprise, the book unlocked.
He tried reaching for the book when it suddenly started floating. The book shimmered as it rose to the air and pages flapped on its own.
"Huh, what is going on?! Is someone trying to mess with my head now? Someone with some kind of illusion ability is..."
His ranting was cut short when the book's light became blinding and gravitated towards him.
In a flash, the book entered him with an immense light. In succession, a loud thud echoed in the room as Syril fell, totally losing consciousness.
He lay on the room's rug, completely blacked out.
Fifty minutes, Syril was still knocked out cold.
Two hours, still down.
Five hours... looks like he might wake anytime soon.
*Diing* *Diing *Diing*
The large pendulum clock by the sitting room's wall chimed, swaying to and fro. It kept chiming till it jolted Syril awake.
A total of eight hours, that was how long he had remained unconscious.
His eyelids were heavy, his eyes blinking furiously as he struggled to open them.
His body felt surprisingly light as he pushed himself to stand, his eyes finally opening clearly after a stretched minute.
He soon noticed the time and was about to deliver a theatrical expression when he noticed a crucial detail.
He scanned himself frantically, his eyes noting every detail, his hands touching and referencing the changed parts of his body and the surprisingly healed wounds.
"What the... how... what happened?" He stuttered, his jaw dropping slightly.
As if on cue, a blue holo screen popped out of nowhere before him. It was sleek, gleaming blue, and had words displayed on it. It was the kind of technology only the wealthy ones in Almandale could afford.
"What is this? Another joke?" Syril tried to wave the screen off, thinking it was some kind of trickery.
He was surprised to see his hand phasing through the screen.
He now had a strong belief it was a joke, perhaps a trick by his school nemeses.
His ideas soon fell out of place when he read the words displayed on the screen, his face losing color.
[Candidate successfully identified.]
[Blood analysis completed.]
[Neural connections successfully established.]
[Synchronization completed.]
[Welcome, Syril.]
[Congratulations! You've successfully fused with the Sexy Mech System.]
[Fuck your way up!]
[Stats now available.]
[Click here to check Stats.]
"What? Sexy Mech... fuck your way up?!" Syril questioned himself, unbelief settling on him like a wet blanket.
"Whoever is playing this prank, it's not funny!" Syril dared to challenge, his shaky voice betraying the inner turmoil.
"Will you calm your balls and pay attention, Kyran?" A deep voice spoke in his head, teasing and undeniably a male adult's.
"Who spoke now?" Asked Syril, his eyes darting everywhere to find the source of the sound.
"Oh, boy... don't tell me I chose a fool." The voice replied jokingly, his tone more amused than annoyed.
'Is this another trick from Ashley? Why am I hearing voices? Did he hire someone with illusion ability?' Syril asked himself silently, his face scrunched from the exasperating thought.
"You're really damaged... what a shame. I guess we'll have to start with explanations."
"Remember the book?" The voice questioned.
That was when it dawned on Syril. His eyes darted everywhere, looking for the book, but it was nowhere to be found.
He even went further by lifting the rug on the floor he slept on, eyes crazily searching.
"Search from now till eternity, you won't find shit!" The voice boomed in his head again, enjoying the drama Syril was performing.
The last night event flashed in his head, and he surprisingly connected the pieces.
"The book... you're saying it's in me?" He asked, his voice trailing off at the end as the question seemed foolish to him. However, he couldn't deny seeing the book turning a sharp light and entering him.
But then, the system's voice gave a surprising answer. "Correctamundo, boy."
"How? What kind of book is it? Is it a power book?" Syril hastily added, his pulse quickening from the thought of getting an ability.
The voice chuckled in his head before replying; "easy now, boy. Let's say it's an ability book, just with... a unique touch. Essentially, it's not your regular kind of ability book. This one is way more better, way more special. Before you ask more questions, check your Stats."
Syril calmly processed the response, repeating the words in his head. The holo screen still hovered before him with the previous display, his heart frantically echoing against his ribs as he reached to tap the 'Stats'.
*Click*
[Stats.]
[Name: Syril Sylvester.]
[Age: 18.]
[Sexual Status: Virgin.]
[Race: Human.]
[Ability: Locked.]
[HP: 50 (low).]
[Strength: 40.]
[Agility: 20.]
[Stamina: 50.]
[Charm: 10.]
[Ability Skills: Locked.]
[Special Skills: Locked.]
[Fighting Skills: Locked.]
Syril's eyes instantly scanned the list of information provided, but his eyes lingered on one intensely.
Of course, he still had doubts about what he saw, thinking he was brutally beaten and was now hallucinating.
"But... power books don't fuse with people or give them some kind of interface that displays info and a voice that speaks to them (talk more of an annoying one)." Syril eventually voiced his concern after long minutes of scrutinizing the details appearing.
"Like I said, it's not your regular power book. It's not even from this world. You should consider yourself lucky. Also, ya think my voice is annoying? Have you listened to yourself?" The system cockily replied.
"Not from this world? Wait, you can hear my thoughts?" Syril's eyes widened from the shocking revelation.
"Tch!" The system's voice gave a simple irritated reaction in his head.
Finally, the info that troubled him right from the beginning resurfaced, his voice shaky from thoughts of unlucky results.
"Why... why are some infos locked? Like... ability?"
The system gave a long chuckle before changing to a serious tone.
"Because you gotta be put to test."
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Like it? Give it a Power Stone and add to library.
Phew! Another one done, guys. Our MC finally got the system, but he's about to find out the true purpose of the system.
What do you think the test is about?
Let me read your wildest imaginations.