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I remember working on my blue prints and then...nothing. All I was seeing around me was a disturbing kaleidoscope of colors that seemed to gray out whenever they came close to me. I tried moving but it felt like I was stuck in molasses and it was a struggle to even blink; but through all this, I was strangely calm. It was then that I heard a voice that would be with me longer than I would ever imagine.

" I am The Rex System. Host Cheng Yan is required to fulfill the required tasks in order to clear all assigned missions. Origin points will be assigned for all tasks and subtasks leading to completion of mission. Should host succeed, a realm point will be assigned. Failure will lead to difficulty level of following world increasing. The core mission is as stated in my name, Rex! Does the host understand?"

I was thankful for the unnatural calmness that had pervaded my being as this was a very unseen occurrence.There was a wealth of information that I had just been given and reading between the lines, this Rex system was not a benevolent being. That was fine. I could work better with a being that seemed to be logical. Asking about origin or realm points would be useless for me at this point. What I needed was as many tools as possible for the missions to come. If the core mission was rex, it meant I would have to reign and I don't think he meant small time.And worlds meant I would be in multiple different scenarios so i would need to get as much assistance and backup as possible; needing a host meant the system required a facilitator so I was not entirely helpless and I had negotiating room.

"It seems that a wide skill set would be required for this. I am not well equipped for them so it would seem that my success rate will not be very high.What assistance will be provided in these missions?"

With barely any intonation, the system replied, "Any skills learnt by the host will permanently become available to the host. I will assign the host the ability to predate a skill from each world as long as it is a successful mission world. Failure would lead to host losing any ability to attain that skill."

"What happens If I die in any of the worlds?" I asked in some form of dark curiosity.

"The mission would be a failure and the following world will be of increased difficulty."

"Cumulative difficulty?"

"No. Do you fully understand what is required of you?"

It seems I was out of time.

"Yes."

The molasses feeling began to increase and i felt a shredding pain begin in my gut.

"What is happening?" I yelled as I tried to curl into myself to gain some form of respite from this wrenching pain.

"We shall begin our missions and in order to do so, you must shed your origin link. This origin link is now unavailable to you."

It figures there was something he never told me. I was quite unsurprised about all that and what was an origin link anyway? The pain had somehow increased but my ability to sense it had decreased. It felt like a gaping wound that was scarring over and all i was feeling were phantom pains. I began to fade away again and all thought ceased.

Cheng Yan felt as if someone was calling him.

"Your highness, wake up…."