"I see."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Your judgment has always been wise… But one of them has already slaughtered one of us."
"Hua Ling will be reborn."
"That… It's unknown when."
"But. It is necessary."
". . . "
"Disciplinary and martial arts can be taught to them. We can't afford to make any mistakes with the fifth level being so close."
—
'Why were they regarding Rhian in that way? Wasn't he originally born and raised here?' Zane's neck ached from having to bend it over the roof, just to listen.
Rhian sat comfortably back on the bungalow's roof, crossing his legs and twirling a broken bell. His wounds had been healed and they'd taken him to a 'testimony' room where his words were judged as a lie or truth. "Disciplinary classes." Zane pushed his head back, holding tightly onto the roofing as he carefully moved back so he could sit beside the other man.
"They want me to take disciplinary classes?" Rhian asked rhetorically. "I've already done them for a painstaking while."
"Shut up. I'm stuck with it too."
Rhian grasped the bell. "Do you think eavesdropping is a show of discipline?"
Zane grumbled at Rhian's question.
"But… I do have a question," Rhian began twirling the broken bell again. "What are the 'Watchers'?"
[
[
[
[
'Huh? Vital?'
"Watchers are watchers." Zane said, talking half-heartedly. 'The Contract Administrator wanted to sign a contract with Rhian?'
Zane's eyes widened. 'Was it because of 'that' watcher?'
Sometimes it happened that some 'Watchers' contacted the bureau and suggested they give some non-participants contracts since they thought that they could sponsor these players.
Rhian looked at Zane. "They… watch?"
Zane paused before he nodded. "Do you see any holograph that's hovering in front of you?"
"You see it too? I thought I had a concussion…"
'If you had a concussion you'd be passing out the moment you see that we're on the roof,' Zane thought. "Click on it."
"Hah?!"
Maybe it was hard to hear it the first time. "I'll explain later, just try clicking on it and tell me what you see. If you feel comfortable, you could simply say the word, 'reveal' and what you're viewing will be revealed to me as well."
[
"Reveal." Rhian seemed more serious.
[
Zane saw the same contract he'd been given appear in front of Rhian.
[Player Recognition: signing this contract will have you be recognized as a 'player' of the System. You will be asked to participate in certain levels, face considerable dangers, and possible deaths. Your information will be available to everyone in the bureau that is approving your contract.
Warning: external beings will be able to 'watch' you upon the signing of this contract.
You'll be asked to commit crimes
Money will be earning in the mode of 'species'
[Clandestine Chest] will be available after completion of four levels
Beware of 'repercussions'!
To note: you will be….
.
.
.
.
Do you consent:
Y/N]
"Player… recognition?" Rhian asked, reading the hologram. "Was that the thing that Xia Tai was going about?"
[The Contract Administrator is presenting the terms]
Rhian jolted. "There's a voice—I—"
"Yeah," Zane pursed his lips. The shock would exist, hearing the electronic voice of something that's not supposed to be heard. He knew that feeling when he first felt it. More words began to appear on the hologram, and Rhian inched closer to read it.
"They are watchers... " Zane pursed his lips. "Beings that watch over us."
"Like Gods?"
Zane scoffed at Rhian's question as he continued staring at the words that were still scattered. "Maybe if we prayed to them instead of statues, disasters would stop."
Zane thought back to Silver Moon. Scattered with extravagant temples that people regularly visited… donated money to, instead of helping poverty.
Rhian took a deep breath. "It's... done."
[Terms and Conditions:]
Zane hadn't had the time to read them, and he hoped he hadn't made any regrettable choices. Even if he had spent time knitpicking and staring at the choices, things would have ended in Xia Tai chopping his head off.
Zane watched as Rhian slowly scrolled through the holograph and paused at the 23rd one.
'Interesting.'
[Term #23: Picking a Watcher as your personal guide or overlooked is optional as long as your repercussions don't throw you into debt and require you to be 'bought' by a
'I expected her to somehow bribe us into making us join her.' He clicked his tongue. This was the only thing he was uncertain about.
[
[
"I accept," Rhian said.
[
Zane glanced at the sky. "Alright."
White light shone around Zane, before it seeped into his chest. Zane gasped unwillingly. Multiple screens appeared around him, many of which disappeared on their own. A transparent screen flashed in front of Zane's face and began pouring words. Rhian seemed in a similar situation.
[Level 5: Battle the corrupted
Grade: B
Conditions: the age of royals has always provided corruption, help by participating in defeating the corrupted.
- have to make a contribution
Time limit: 11 days; 21 days
Failure: ??
Reward: ?? * Reward depends on contribution]
Zane felt a smile crawl to his lips. 'I was right.'
He touched the other screen.
[Giving out species earned from past Armageddons and levels]
[You've gained 1000 species for the death of Yuis!]
[You've gained 1000 species for the death of Yuis!]
[You've gained 1000 species for the death of Yuis!]
.
.
.
[You've gained 3000 species for the death of
[You've gained 3000 species for the death of
[You've earned some achievements! Grade: D]
[Current species: 18,000]
'Pretty good.'
Another screen appeared over the screen that showed his coins.
[Taking 5% of current species as base payment]
'Hah?' Zane blinked.
"Is it necessary to give up five percent of our species?" Rhian asked from beside him.
Zane turned to face Rhian with a surprised expression. "W-wait! What?"
[
[
"A fourth? And third?"
[
[
A screen appeared in front of Rhian.
[Rhian Amren's species: 6,000]
[Taking 3% of Current species]
[Rhian Amren's species: 5,820]
Zane looked at his own species.
[Current species: 17,100]
Zane looked at the sky, glaring at the stars as if they were responsible.
"Haha, you should've read all the terms," Rhian swatted the screen, and it showed up in front of Zane.
[Term #37: coins will be taken. 1/5 by default, negotiations can be made with contractors. Reason: forcing oneself into a System needs many repercussions]
Zane dropped his head in between his knees, and curled his body into a ball. Sure, five percent wasn't all that bad… but still.
[
[
'Dammit… ' Zane's eyes narrowed as he buried his head into the robes, feeling the soft material on his face. 'Too bad I didn't have a chance back then... I couldn't have gotten a chance even if I tried.. I was born into the System, after all. Maybe I somehow lost contact with it.'
'Plus, if I had negotiated, both of us would've been dead by now.'
"Now, could you please explain whatever this is?" Rhian asked, and Zane feigned being stabbed.
"Your ass did not just say the word please. Never do it, it's as good as cursing me for infidelity," Zane murmured. "As for the System…"
Zane began explaining as much as he could.
The System, as Hua Huiliang had said, was something that was seemingly embedded into the world, and would be renewed every millennium. It was something that resided outside the belief and capabilities of the regular person.
To gain access to the System, either one would have to be born into it, sign a contract, or commit something that was marked highly unlikely without the use of the System. Thus, the entire fundamental reason for the existence of the System was fairly unknown, even till the end of many people's lives, they died without knowledge.
The
An
Lastly, the levels continued regardless. There were levels that were hidden and in need to be discovered. Some levels worked at par with other 'main' levels. It didn't matter what the person did, the more levels they did, the more chance of success and the wide range of skills they obtained. Hence, it could happen that one person could advance to level '100' with completed many hidden levels while simultaneously participating in the 'main' levels
[Main Levels] were those that were wide ranged, they could involve multiple nation players joining. Often, they were long and lasted for many days.
[Auxiliary Levels] were the levels that were the 'sub' of the main level. These levels were referential to the Main Levels.
[Veiled Levels] were the levels that were 'hidden', they weren't accessible unless certain conditions were met. For example, the escape at the Celestium or the Massacre of the Yuis.」
Rhian blinked at Zane. "I would've never imagined… "
"It's not necessarily tight kept, but it's not a convenient lifestyle if you consider the number of armageddon's that are rising, you can see how easily life could be thrown away," Zane murmured, picking up an orchid leaf and tossing it off the roof. "People may refer to you as a mage, a witch or wizard, and a lot of other bullshit. But yes, at the end of the day, if the System decided to get more violent, lives of not only yourselves but your family and those around you would be impacted.
Rhian nodded.
"Even at the moment…" Zane thought of the panel and it opened in front of him. He pushed it to be in front of Rhian. "In eleven days."
Rhian swallowed. "You mean that…"
"The System has designated this area as the area of a 'main' level. Meaning it is a mass player level and the chances of most people who aren't even in the System being affected is high."
The two of them stared at each other before Zane sighed and looked at the stars.
[
[
[Your actions are being channeled to the
[
'That was disturbing,' Zane thought. He didn't want anything to do with that
"You can filter the messages to be in the form of 'messages' on the screen, and not have their stupid sound keep ringing in your ears," Zane suggested, managing to cut off a horde of offended message readings.
[Many
[
"Now what?" Rhian asked.
Zane wished he could say. But he couldn't. He knew about the happenings in Silver Moon. He knew that at the moment, the Republic of Draven would launch its first seize on the weaker section of the Nation—in the Northwest, on the small kingdom of Ophelius. However, as much as it had been tempting to go there again and reconcile and make changes, in order for him to become stronger, he would have to partake here.
The first step in that was to get his mana core to open, so he could fluidly use more mana without constantly paying repercussions.
"Go through with this," he said, and glanced at Rhian before staring at the sky.