System | Book of Records

Ken lay peacefully in bed as the morning sun began to filter through the balcony glass door, its rays slowly inching up his body. but before the sun ray could reach his face—

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Ken's phone rang out, the alarm going off making Ken slightly furrow his brows. 

"That's enough... I'm awake," he murmured, his voice groggy. 

the alarm immediately stopped and he relaxed his brows, eyes still closed. Unfortunately for him, the sun's rays were still creeping up on him, slowly but surely reaching his face and his eyes. 

Ken furrowed his brows again, and his eyes fluttered open, revealing his brilliant golden eyes that shimmered in the sunlight. 

"Why ar-" 

Ken paused, his words caught in his throat as he registered his unfamiliar ceiling. He instantly sat up and scanned the room which was very unfamiliar yet also familiar. 

The room was spacious, with a large bed that he occupied, a sturdy wooden table accompanied by a chair, and a wardrobe seamlessly integrated into the right wall. Two doors stood on opposite sides, one likely leading outside, the other to a washroom. On the left, glass doors led to a small balcony.

He scanned the room again, trying to remember where he was and what was going on. 

"Why do I feel like I should know this place?" Ken muttered to himself. The sensation was unsettling, like a half-remembered dream.

[I'd be amazed and horrified if you knew this place without the memories~]

A voice, both melodic and enchanting, echoed in his mind. It was as if a true goddess had spoken but with a playful twist. Ken's muscles tensed instinctively, his heightened senses scanning every corner of the room for any sign of intrusion. The clarity and melodicness of the voice made it seem like it was spoken right into his ear, ruling out any external source like a micro-speaker or anything electronic. 

[Hey there! I'm the system! Ready to stir up some trouble? Let's see how you handle things around here~!]

The voice was now cheerfully mischievous, yet that made her voice more pleasing to hear. But her words weren't so much. 

'In my mind? Possibly some kind of chip?' Ken's thoughts raced. But externally he was composed and unperturbed, he got out of bed and stretched, a habit that he could never get rid of, his demeanor was nonchalant but the tension in his muscles showed he was alert. 

"So, who are you, and where are you?" Ken asked, his voice steady but edged with curiosity.

[Teehee~ I was expecting you to ask that, so let me just info-dump you!]

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Info-dump? W—" A sudden, jarring headache struck him, making him stumble slightly, but he didn't fall and stood upright. 

After a moment, the headache subsided, leaving Ken breathing deeply to steady himself. His mind reeled from the flood of information.

"Ugh... that was horrible... I felt like I was hit by a hammer over and over again..." Ken groaned, he approached the balcony doors and slid them open. A refreshing morning breeze greeted him making him feel better. 

He stepped out and surveyed his surroundings. Leaning against the balcony railing, he gazed out at the expansive forest that surrounded his house. 

"So, I'm in a forest, and the nearest city—or any sign of humans—is about 70 kilometers away..." He shook his head, noticing the clear sky above, where stars were still visible despite the early hour. "Wasn't I supposed to take the place of the MC? Why am I a Valxin instead? Not that I'm complaining," Ken added with a hint of amusement.

[Hmm, it would be a bit dull if the MC wasn't in his own story, right? So I decided to mix things up! Damian, the MC, will also be summoned, but I'm the one handling it, not Neo. That's all there is to it.]

The system's voice remained light-hearted and whimsical, though its casual tone did little to quell Ken's confusion.

"I see. That doesn't exactly clarify my second question, but thanks for the update," Ken replied with a shrug. He didn't mind not replacing the MC; being a Valxin had perks, too many to even count.

"Book of Records," he called out, raising his hand. Instantly, a book appeared in his grasp.

The Book of Records was a tome of unparalleled significance, containing a comprehensive record of the world's history. Its dark blue leather cover was adorned with a golden circle inscribed with 'BOOK OF RECORDS.'

[It looks pretty ordinary, doesn't it? But it holds all the records from the beginning of time. It's quite the cheat. You could have chosen to be a god-like entity. It would be boring if you did but you didn't, so I can't complain.]

The system's comment, though lazy, held a hint of amusement. Ken rolled his eyes.

"If I knew what you looked like, I'd probably imagine you lounging on a bed or sofa, watching TV. As for the Book of Records, it can be customized if I want it to look old or modern," he revealed nonchalantly.

[Oh my~ Should I manifest then~?] The system teased, a bit of laziness still mixed in her words. [I am pretty troublesome as Thraxis said but I don't really feel like making a mess. I'll stir things up just enough to entertain myself, though.] 

"I'd rather not have you around, you already sound like trouble, and your taking form will be even worse." Ken didn't need to consider it, it's a direct rejection. "Plus, I doubt Thraxis wouldn't just watch from the sidelines." 

Ken added making the system giggle. 

[True, Thraxis would put tonnes of restrictions on me but he's not one to micromanage. He is beyond my league but I don't care, I can hold my ground~! It's just a pity I'm 'trapped'—not really, but you get the idea.] 

The system sounded nonchalant and almost as if she was superior to Thraxis which Ken found amusing. 

"Yeah, I don't get the idea." Ken mused and tilted the Book of Records, checking it out. "So? Are you going to info dump me about my background? You only gave me my Earth memories and the info of me being part of the Valxin family or should I just find out from the Book of Records?" 

[Heheh~ I'll be happy to dump that info in for you!]

Another headache struck Ken, but this time he was prepared. He gripped the balcony railing tightly and held the Book of Records with his other hand. The intensity of the memory flood nearly brought him to his knees, it was far far worse than last time. But he managed to remain upright, his face contorted in pain yet he remained silent.

When the headache finally subsided, Ken stood, drenched in sweat. "You could've given me my memories in parts..." he grumbled, feeling overwhelmed.

[Come on, it's more fun this way! You wouldn't want to miss out on this opportunity~!]

"What a pain..." Ken muttered as he focused on the Book of Records. "Show me a summary of my background," he commanded.

[I just gave you your memories... Why the hell are you wasting your time...?

"Just checking a few things. I know being a Valxin can lead you into strange and dark situations, but... I came across some truly absurd ones. Plus, I need to determine if the memories you have of me are actually mine or not, they feel too unreal"

Ken distrustingly replied, and the system remained silent, after all, it was reasonable for Ken to think like that. 

The pages of the Book flipped rapidly and landed on 372 making Ken's face darkened. He flipped back some pages, confirming they were full, and returned to page 372. 

[That's a lot of pages. Most people get only 1 to 3 pages for their entire life, but you've got 372. Your life has been unusually eventful. Only a normal or OK day once a week, sometimes even a month.]

The system's justified, after all, Ken really had a rough life, something he as a Valxin shouldn't have. 

Each page has an event of his life, each event was something extraordinary and meticulously written. 

Kenn shook his head, not planning to read it, each page could hold up to 10,000 to 20,000 words... the letters were small and compact but readable. 

"Give me a simple summary of my background." The pages flipped on command and turned, words rapidly wrote themselves down. 

But Ken's attention was elsewhere, "Why are you silent?" He questioned feeling the silence of the system was odd. 

[Nothing.. it didn't make sense for you to have this 'number' of pages. 372 pages for 16 years and 1 month's worth, it is understandable that you have that many but why 372...]

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