System's Appearance
It was already day by the time Randolph woke up.
"Ugh…" Pinching his forehead, he groaned in pain.
Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Randolph looked around blearily.
His surroundings were still the exact same as they were yesterday, without a single thing changing aside from the red soil on the ground that had already dried. It was difficult to tell the time due to the clouds in the sky – covering the sun and shading the earth in a deep grey – but judging by the amount of sunlight, it was likely already midday.
As he fully woke up, his body shuddered as if on instinct after he recalled the memories of the night before. That pain had been only momentarily, but it was so intense that it had seared a place into Randolph's very brain.
But the memory wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It told him that what he had experienced last night wasn't a dream.
Turning his head, he found that assumption to be correct.
Floating beside him was the orange window from yesterday. Only this time, it was much larger and brighter than before. The dim orange glow that would have been nearly invisible under the sunlight appeared vivid, the words on it bold and bright.
"Hello?"
The young man wasn't hasty though, holding back on exploring the screen. He had originally signed the agreement in despair, thinking that it was a hallucination born from his mentally unstable mind. Now that he had calmed down, he realized that the entire thing was as real as can be.
He wasn't averse to it by any means, as he still had nothing left to lose but his life, but he sure as hell didn't want to get taken advantage of once again. Never again.
"Gift? Bune's Gift? Screen? My servant? Are you there?"
Randolph called out every name he could think of, but after five minutes of waiting, the only thing that changed was another cold wind that blew in his direction.
The window remained floating upright in the air. The words on it remained unmoving, not budging or blurring in the slightest.
If it merged with my soul, does that mean it's now… me? Or is it just inside of me? It's reasonable to assume that I'll stay in control, as the contract stated that I was the host. It also wished me good luck, and nobody would do that if they'd just see me again the day after.
Thoughts raced through Randolph's mind as he waited. His brain worked overtime, pulling all of the limited reserves of energy he had left and converting it to brainpower. This wasn't just a matter of life and death, but what came after, so he had to treat it with as much seriousness as he possibly could.
It was only after another two minutes did Randolph shake off the excessive thoughts. After confirming that Bune's Gift really did disappear did he continue with checking the contents of the screen.
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-Randolph Ivy's Trading System- {1}
Ø [Randolph Ivy]
- [Capital]
- [Contracts]
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On the screen were three large buttons. They were enclosed in small boxes to make clear their importance. Of clear note to the young man was his name at the topmost of the screen in text larger than the rest.
Seeing as to how Bune's Gift had merged with his soul, it was a reasonable assumption to the young man that this was the screen's new name or title.
It's a bit… tame?
Of the three buttons, only the first one had a special indicator at the front. It stood out more than the other two, likely signifying its importance. As such, it was the first option that he chose to explore.
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{Randolph Ivy}
Strength (STR) – 17
Dexterity (DEX) – 12
Constitution (CON) – 13
Intelligence (INT) – 18
Wisdom (WIS) – 20
Charisma (CHA) – 18
[Abilities]
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A thin wall of text unfurled itself before Randolph's eyes. It was immediately obvious to him as to the purpose of this screen.
Judging my stats?
Each listed stat had a corresponding number, the number of his current stat. But the moment he found an answer, several new questions popped up in turn.
My strength, dexterity, constitution and to a certain extent even intelligence can be graded and listen out. They are all dependant on the body's functions and are a core part of it, but how are the other two graded?
Placing a hand on his chin, the young man frowned in thought.
Wisdom… maybe foresight? Or general knowledge? As for charisma, maybe looks? But for all of the stats, am I low, or high?
By nature Randolph didn't like leaving such questions for later because they were bound to come back up. But right now he had no choice as he lacked too much information.
I should've asked the gift before it merged with me.
Alas, it was too late for regrets, so Randolph merely continued exploring. At the bottom of his stat page was another bold button. He immediately clicked on it.
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{Ability Page}
Skill Set
(Uninitiated and amateur level skills will not appear)
[Beginner]
{1-3}
(Craftsmanship) Cooking – beginner level (1)
(Miscellaneous) Cleaning – beginner level (2)
{3-6}
{6-9}
[Intermediate]
{1-3}
{3-6}
{6-9}
[Advanced]
{1-3}
{3-6}
{6-9}
Full Mastery:
Grand Mastery:
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Yet another long list appeared before his eyes upon pressing the button.
The list was segregated into three clear sections, being beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Looking at them, Randolph was slightly shocked.
He had been cooking and cleaning for himself for most of his life, and while he wasn't ashamed to admit that his skills were terrible, he didn't think that he still be considered just barely above amateur.
Is there a leadership skill? Are these really all the skills I have?
The screen brought up the same question as before. How were these skills judged? On what basis?
But just like before, he still had no answers.
Swiping the screen, he fiddled with it a bit before figuring out how to go back. Shifting the screen to its original state, he then clicked on the second bold button.
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{Capital & Current Assets}
- {Lifespan}
44(years), 24(days), 35(seconds)
- {CAD (Canadian Dollars)}
Liquidated 1Assets: 4128(dollars), 40(cents)
Illiquid2 Assets: 24(dollars), 35(cents)
- {???}
- {???}
- {???}
- {???}
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The young man's eyes narrowed upon seeing the content on the screen.
What startled him wasn't the completely amount, down to the penny, of what was in his briefcase, nor was it the long list of locked categories that followed it. It was the ticking number directly underneath the section noted as lifespan.
Seeing it tick down, he felt a queasy sensation in his stomach. If the counter was true, in which it probably was, he was watching his very life slip away before his eyes.
The years on it were a pathetic number as well compared to the average life expectancy in a developed country like his. It showed him that the stress he had been through over the years had indeed taken its unseen toll on his body.
But what surprised him most of all was the title at the topmost of the screen, dictating the usage of the current window. As the previous screen noted his stats, this one clearly noted his current capital.
But… why would lifespan be noted under capital?