After finishing his review of the system panel, Sam flopped back onto the bed, deep in thought. The system's existing functions were actually quite comprehensive, but he faced one major problem: compared to the natives of this world, he was *far* too weak.
If he was confined to the tribe's territory, the utility of the system's functions would be severely limited. So his only options were to find a way to boost his own strength, or to team up with a reliable, trustworthy ally to work with.
But none of the system's current functions offered a way to enhance his physical capabilities. The Mall did have some strength-enhancing weapons available, but he couldn't afford any of them right now.
Did that mean he had to settle for the second option? But that was far too risky.
Lost in this train of thought, he couldn't help but ask the system, "Is there really no way for me to get stronger, so I can go out into the wilderness on my own?"
"Not at the moment," the system replied flatly.
"'At the moment'—so that means there *will* be a way later, right? I just need to level up the system?" Sam pressed.
"Yes. New functions will be unlocked when the system's level increases."
"But my current weakness is already holding back the system's functions. That's going to slow down the leveling process a lot," Sam argued, frustration creeping into his voice.
The system fell silent for a moment. Just as Sam was about to press further, it spoke up again.
"The host can disguise the system's functions as an innate talent. If used properly, this can help you find a trustworthy beastman to ally with."
"Disguise them as a talent? What does that mean?" Sam shot up from the bed, his eyes widening with interest.
"A tiny minority of sub-beastmen are born with unusual innate talents. Most of these talents are either useless or too subtle to be noticed—even the sub-beastmen themselves never realize they have them. But there *are* cases where sub-beastmen become aware of their unique abilities. The host can pose as one of these rare sub-beastmen."
"…You said it yourself—it's a *tiny minority*. Most people don't even know sub-beastmen can have such talents, right? If others don't know about this possibility, I'll be labeled a freak. I might even end up dead," Sam countered sharply, not swayed by the system's suggestion. He was fully aware of the risks involved.
"That is why you need to find someone you can trust completely—someone who won't see you as an anomaly," the system explained.
The room fell into a heavy, tense silence after the system finished speaking.
Sam's expression darkened, his gaze fixed on the wall ahead, his face unreadable. The air felt thick with unspoken tension. After a long, drawn-out moment, he finally spoke, his voice low and steady.
"The person you're talking about… it's Xuan, isn't it? You've been guiding me toward him all along."
The system remained silent, offering no confirmation or denial. Sam didn't expect an answer anyway, and continued, his tone calm but sharp, as if he was piecing together a puzzle he'd been staring at for a long time.
"You said he was 'different' before."
"When I first arrived in this world, you didn't appear and bind me right away. You waited until Xuan had brought me to a safe place before showing up. That's why I subconsciously trusted him more, felt closer to him from the start."
"When you *did* appear, my first reaction wasn't to jump for joy and agree to the binding right away. I questioned you, challenged you—but you knew I'd never turn down a 'cheat' like you, no matter what."
"Then, on the night Xuan returned from hunting the shadow beast, you let slip that you had the ability to protect me—by shielding my presence so that wild beasts couldn't detect me."
"Which makes me wonder… when I was unconscious in that tree, and even after I woke up and called for help, why didn't any nearby beasts come to attack me? Instead, I waited until Xuan found me. You used that shielding ability back then, didn't you? All to make sure that Xuan, who was nearby, would be the one to find and take me in."
"As for why you didn't just drop me right in front of him… you were afraid it would arouse my suspicions too quickly."
"You have an agenda where Xuan is concerned. You need me to use you to help him, don't you? Though I'm curious—why didn't you just bind him directly in the first place?"
"Tch. I guess the answer to that is just 'insufficient permissions.' I don't care enough to press the issue. I just want to ask you one thing—when you said I died in my original world… was that true?"
At this moment, for the first time since arriving in this world, Sam let the sharp, unyielding edge of his true self show through. No longer was he just a lost, grateful man clinging to survival—he was a person with his own will, demanding answers.
"It was true," the system replied immediately, this time without hesitation. It didn't attempt to deny any of the points Sam had just made.
Sam watched the system's reaction, then nodded slowly, as if confirming something he'd already suspected.
"In that case, I suppose you did save my life. So helping you level up the system… it's my way of repaying that debt, and paying the price to get back home."
After saying this, Sam paused for a moment, then asked in a quiet, steady voice,
"System… do you mean well by this world, and the creatures who live in it? Or are you harboring ill intentions?"
He didn't mind helping the system level up, but he refused to become a pawn in a scheme that would harm innocent people.
"I, the system, hereby guarantee that I will never do anything that harms this world, or this tribe," the system stated.
This time, Sam could swear he heard a note of solemnity and sincerity in the system's cold, mechanical voice.
With the system's guarantee in mind, Sam nodded, then fell silent, lying back down on the bed.
He was exhausted. Confronting the system had kept him in a state of high tension, and now that it was all over, the fatigue hit him hard. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and the drowsiness debuff weighed heavily on him. As soon as he let his guard down, his consciousness began to blur, drifting quickly toward sleep.