Yumiel wanted to hurry and check where the explosion took place, but the light called her to order. Trapped in her room. Turning in circles like a wolf in a cage, an idea ranging from the most original to the most absurd and crazy emerged from her mind.
For that, she took a knife she had in her accessory cabinet. The knife wasn't very sharp, one could say it wasn't made to cut anything at all.
« The idea is falling apart it seems. »
Continuing to walk in circles, she had no other choice but to try again, she told herself. After all, maybe it was a misunderstanding. Approaching the window where the thick curtains prevented the light from passing through.
Yumiel had asked for thick curtains to sleep better on days she slept in. Why thick? Her room was located in the basement and had only one source of light (a light well) enough to illuminate the whole room easily, but requiring thicker curtains to block it.
Approaching her bed, she passed her hand through the curtain before the pain overwhelmed her. Bravely, she endured as many seconds as possible before pulling it away. Her hand was burned to such a degree that the skin of the muscles had melted.
The pain was atrocious. Imagine thousands of needles piercing your skin. Everywhere, the most worrying part wasn't those millions of needles, but the pain of feeling those muscles reform.
« Yeah I think I'm definitely some kind of creature of the night. System, what do you think? »
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I think you have become your deepest nature.
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« Oh you want to play it like that, you floating tin can. »
Walking around the room, looking for which question to ask, after all she was stuck in her bedroom. If she went up to the living room, the light would burn her.
The floor where the living room was located was filled with daylight, absolutely all the windows were open. Going up could be considered an act of suicide in her current situation. Close the windows? She would never have the time.
By going around and around her room over and over. An idea came to her: measure her strength. Very simple for that. Grabbing the bathroom door and pulling as hard as possible. In reality, she didn't even have time to pull with all her strength before the door ripped off. Holding it with one hand in the air without any problem.
« Alright, so superhuman strength, check. »
Leaving the door aside by placing it gently in a corner of the room. Testing all these new abilities, after spending a good hour, she summed up the list.
« Visual acuity plus night vision, check. »
« Super speed, check. »
« Rapid regeneration, check. »
With each check, you could feel her voice fading. Realizing for good what she had become. Exhaling, she grabbed a ball and lay down on her bed. Then threw the ball in the air before catching it and repeating the action.
« How long time can be. I hope everyone is okay. »
Since all that time had passed, not a single answer was heard. Her phone was near her but no one was responding. Bored, she talked to the system.
« System, why change 50% of the population? »
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50% of the Earth's population have been changed to bring change.
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Useless answer, but it would take more to discourage her.
« System, explain to me what you call "change." »
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Change is the force of every living or dead being to engage in a process of evolution within themselves.
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Yumiel froze for a moment, hitting herself in the face with the ball she had been throwing for several minutes.
« Ouch. I can't believe it, that tin can just said something intelligent. »
Catching her ball and throwing it again. She continued her interrogation.
« System, can you give me the location of every person who has been changed? »
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Reminder, I provide no advantage to anyone, I cannot comply with your request.
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« Well, that seems fair. I guess if I ask you whether my loved ones have been changed, you will send me one of your useless answers? Haha. »
« System, where do you come from? And what is your purpose? »
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required superior rank claw 7
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« WAIT WHAT!! You didn't tell me there were ranks? System. You told me you couldn't display any statistics.
You misunderstand, I said that I cannot display any statistics specific to you or any ability window that belongs to you.
« System, display the ranks. »
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rank 0 fragile claw
rank 1 worn claw
rank 2 sharpened claw
rank 3 steel claw
rank 4 demonic claw
rank 5 transcendent claw
rank 6 void claw
rank 7 royal claw
rank 8 cataclysmic claw
rank 9 primordial claw
rank 10 changing claw
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« All… all that? »
Yumiel stared long at the ranks to imprint them in her memory.
« System. What rank am I? How do I increase it? »
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You are rank 0. To increase your rank, you must become stronger.
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« Stronger…? »
A word easy to pronounce but harder to apply, especially since it was very vague. So she continued questioning the system.
« System. How do I become stronger? And how do I know if my rank increases? »
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Becoming stronger belongs only to you and your choices. I will inform you when a rank increases.
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« Very vague, that doesn't really help me. »
Lying on the bed, continuing to throw her ball while thinking about the discussion with the system.
Ranks? A system? Yumiel displayed a huge smile. For her, the truth she wanted was behind nothing more than a fragile ranking system.
« Ahahahahahahahahaha… »
A madness took hold of her. Laughing without even catching her breath.
« Yes, that's it, that's what I want! If everything was so simple and explicit. Then I would be ready to dedicate my life to it! »
Getting up abruptly, before turning in circles in her room, excited by the news the system had brought her. Muttering to herself.
« Become stronger? So let's see, I am a vampire, I am almost sure. So I must drink blood? But do I have to drain them or just drink a little? »
Questions kept rushing through her head. Turning and turning in circles, then the idea of searching for answers on the internet. After all, she was still trapped in her room.
In front of her computer, blinking search bar,
« hum okay let's see. "Video, superpower, and become stronger." »
A row of videos scrolled. Some videos just to show their ability, like throwing a fireball or super strength. Nothing seemed interesting. Browsing for long hours on social media searching for information. A video appeared. Posted one minute ago.
The video showed a young man walking toward another young man. In an empty street, the two men seemed to be speaking in a language incomprehensible to Yumiel. Once their exchange was over, the first ran toward the other, transforming his hand into a huge bear paw. Then tore his head off.
It was horrible to watch, but the worst came: he knelt down. And began devouring the entrails of the man he had just killed. Luckily, the scene was filmed from behind. The video ended there and was deleted in the following minutes.
« Eat the weaker to become stronger. »
A horrible process, but if the system once again was telling the truth and 50% of the population had been transformed, this was no coincidence.
« System. Can you confirm that absolutely everyone who has been transformed has a floating window with ranks to answer their questions? »
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Certainly, we favor no one. We are here to answer your questions.
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With the confirmation from the system, it could only mean one thing. It was the beginning of a war to rise in power. And Yumiel would not accept being the last.
For her it was a race for answers. And, it was out of the question that she would stay out of it.