Allison

Chapter 5

So that's what she meant by a long night ahead. She could have at least warned me. But then again timelines and everything so I can't really blame her. The problem right now is figuring out where I am right now. 

I turned to look at the girl called Rose cleaning the table in the room, her back turned to me. She really shouldn't clean like that because that's how most of the scenes go. There are all sorts of creeps out there who would creep on her in such a suggestive position. 

I should be a gentleman and keep a close eye on her just in case someone geeks at her. She sure is blessed though but that was a perfectly scientific observation. I am definitely not staring at her big butt.

Ahem.

[Ahem indeed]

'So you speak as well huh? And you can read my mind at that.' The voice in my head was feminine so whoever this was, was a woman. I wonder if she is like Andersen.

[Not your mind]

[Just your surfaced thoughts]

'That's not good at all. Haven't you heard of something called privacy? It's a basic concept of ethics.'

[A guy staring at a defenseless woman's behind shouldn't be teaching me ethical concepts]

'Yeah well, that's a man's instinct. And moreover, I'm a butt guy. I can't help it if they excite me.'

[You are very shameless]

'Who are you?' I asked instead of keeping that conversation going. Right now, the problem was that I didn't know where I was. 'Where' as in which world. Whoever she was, she must know where this is. But that question could be researched on my own. The question that really mattered was the kind of support or in other words the companion I had.

[What difference would it make?]

'It does. I need to know your nature.' I replied while asserting my position with my tone. I wanted to establish the fact that I wasn't going to blindly follow her orders.

[My nature depends on you. If you are evil, then I am evil. If you are just, then I am just]

'And what if I am both?' I asked.

[Again, what difference would it make?]

'Because then you would have to choose, wouldn't you? Choose whether to be with me or be against me.' I responded while lying back down.

There was no reply for a few seconds as if she was trying to test my patience but she had no idea who she was dealing with.

[You are calling me a 'she']

[Why?]

Huh! What an obvious way to divert my attention. But I will answer either way since there is also a purpose in it. 'Because I would be foolish to think that you are just a machine. I should know better than anyone. You are alive.'

[And?]

I scoffed slightly. She is smart. 'And that is what makes you dangerous.' Again, there was no reply for a few seconds.

[Then shouldn't that be your answer?]

'Do you really want to play games with me?' I asked. If she was against me, then she was an enemy.

[I am not your enemy]

She finally answered something that mattered. I knew that that was all I was getting for now, so I seized my attempts at questions for now. Besides, it's not like she will answer any, and it's not like I will be able to do anything right now.

'Where am I?' I asked next.

[Figure it out yourself]

Of course, she was going to be annoying. It wasn't just that either. She was also a little angry because of my attitude earlier. But what else would she expect from me? Keel and bend over.

Since I wasn't getting that answer, I stopped asking all over. I already knew where I was. What I wanted to know was which fragment I was in.

For now, though, I will have to leave it for later. For now, I need to know what happened to me.

Adrian Von Deus Lux. Although totally that name was mentioned four times covering only two pages, I knew who he was and 'in' where he was.

The Second Life of the Regressed Messiah. A long title for a novel. I don't really get it. Dad's never been good with names. I mean he could have easily named it the Regressed Messiah or the Regressed Hero's Tale.

Anyway, a novel about a hero who regressed because he lost to the demon king the first time around. A very classic story if you ask me but there were many weird points in the entire novel which is causing me to have this funky feeling that there is something else going on.

[Like what?]

'Now you are talking huh?' I replied but chose not to answer the question. Besides, I had other things to do and many more to be worried about.

'Show me my status.' I said and two different screens appeared before me. One of them was a plain simple transparent screen with my name written on it, well, Adrian's name, along with my statistics.

[Name: Adrian Von Deus Lux

Rank: F

Condition: Injured

Strength: F-

Agility: F-

Stamina: F-

Mana: Null

Charm: A+

Skills: None]

A really simple and detailed statistics of my physical condition which was quite frankly very disappointing. Do keep in mind that to be admitted to Bellator Academy, the minimum requirement was E- and right now, the main characters of the novel were at least D-.

Yet here I am, two whole ranks below them. But I am not one to care.

The other screen was very stylish with special embroidery on its corner and its color was white. It had many more sections compared to the other screen which was most commonly known as a blessing.

[Status]

[Inventory]

[Shop]

[Quest]

A game-like interface if I have to say, which was partially run by this lady who wasn't cooperating with me.

[You aren't either]

'Stop reading my mind and open status.' I replied and the interface changed to my information related to stats.

[Name: Adrian Von Deus Lux

LV: 1

EXP: 0\10

Age: 16

Race: Human

HP: 20\50

MP: 20\20

STR: 10

AGI: 10

END: 10

PER: 10

INT: 10

CHR: 50

SP: 0

SKILLS: (Divine Shield LV: 1), (Magic bullet: LV: 1), (Bless LV: 1), (Heal: LV: 1)

TITLES: None]

So the blessing and the system are not in tandem. Of course, I don't think that the stat increase would be the same for both of them but for the skills, I doubt it to be so.

Anyway, checking the skills, the heal skill heals 20 percent of my HP at the cost of 10 MP, bless skill increases my and my companions' stats by 10 percent at level 1 at the cost of 10 MP for each use.

Divine Shield is a simple defensive skill so there is not much to explain there and I doubt at its current level, it's of much use. Its defense is affected by INT stat so it's sturdier the higher my stat is.

Skill magic bullet is also the same. It shoots a simple light ball which is very low in attack. At level one, only one bullet is my limit for one point of MP. Its attack power also depends upon the INT stat.

By that account, the INT stat is most important for now as there is no doubt that right now, I need skills to survive more than my stats.

'Will my stats increase naturally?' I asked. It was important as I already knew how to raise my physical stats. If I could increase them naturally, then it would be amazing.

But of course, things wouldn't be so easy if I could. And I was declared correct by the answer given by Miss Allison.

[No]

[And why Allison?]

'Trying to appease you.' I replied. It was a pity that I couldn't increase my stats naturally, but it wasn't so much of a bummer. There were many things that I could do to increase my stats without leveling up.

[You could?]

'Penta enhancement array. A very common but painful array in existence to increase your everything. As the name suggests, the process is done five times in five steps.

With each increase in step, the stat increase would double. The pain increase is also great with each step hence why those who no of it, don't attempt it. Everyone except for me of course as I found a way to make it work a hundred percent risk free.

Anyway, my focus for now is on the first step. The first step is entirely physical increase which I need most right now.

'Show me quests.' I said after a complete analysis of my stats.

[Quest]

[Gain yourself a loyal follower]

[Description: You are a scumbag. An absolute worst scumbag. You are an insult to scumbags.

Yet still, Rose is completely loyal to you which is the last thing a worm like you deserve.

What a pity. She must be a really nice girl right now and must have been a blind girl in her past life to consider you a kind person.

However, there is a problem she is currently plagued with. Her father is afflicted with a strange disease that is incurable by heal or any other divine blessing.

Help her so you can really be what you are in her eyes.

Task: Cure Rose's father, Ballard

Reward: Rose's loyalty changes from very loyal to blindly loyal

Punishment: Rose very sad. Rose might kill someone]

'Oi. You wrote this description, didn't you?' I asked as an imaginary line formed on my forehead after reading that description. It was too much.

[I am just an A.I]

'Yeah, right!' I would be damned to think that she isn't alive. If she had been a program, I would have nothing to worry about, but she isn't. And that is precisely the reason why I'm worried because I don't know whose side she is on. Me or my father's.

[Do the quest or not is entirely up to you]

'Again. Yeah, right!' There is no choice at all. I have to do this otherwise I don't know what the progress rate would be. Although this isn't a game, curing Rose's father to gain her loyalty must be a fixed point that must happen for the storyline to progress.

'Heal.' I used the skill and healed ten points of my HP and the pain in my body disappeared slowly. It was completely gone after a few seconds with a few mild aches in some places but I didn't have to at least lie in the bed like a mummy.

"You shouldn't get up, your highness." Rose panicked and came near me and tried to get me back on the bed. I held my hand up to stop her and like a button toy, she stopped.

"Take me to your father," I said while removing the bandages from my body.

Rose was confused at my request so I repeated myself, "Take me to your father. I want to see him."

"Ye-Yes, Your Highness." She nervously replied, I had a hunch that she was afraid that I would burst if I repeated myself again.

The collar around Rose's neck indicated that she was a slave. The fact that she still had her family meant that she voluntarily took the status of a slave to help her family somehow.

As we were walking down the hallways of the castle, many servants and people stared at me in confusion, wondering how I was able to move. I wonder why that was since injuries could be healed with a simple heal.

I didn't have much time to ponder on it as their expressions turned to disgust soon afterward. At least they were careful and waited until my back was to them to turn their expressions.

Makes sense though. I am a pathetic existence in a world of literal strength. Anything weak is treated with disdain.

[You have no idea]

'What?' I asked as for some reason; I had a bad feeling at the words of this system.

[Nothing]