Chapter 2: And this is why people don’t like systems

{System download has been initiated…0% complete….5% complete….95% Complete}

{System download has been completed}

{Scanning the current world…}

{Scanning complete}

{Greetings host and welcome to the world of Avalon}

The monotone robotic sound of the system's voice resounded inside Arthurs's head while the boy simply stared at the panels that had flashed by his eyes lingering on the system's most recent greeting that had once again flipped his view of the world. Avalon, that name held true meaning to Arthur as it belonged to the very game that he had sunk his life into prior to his awakening in this foreign world, though he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind for a moment instead opting to ask the previous question that had plagued his mind.

'Hey system, where am I, and why am I here?'

{The host is currently in the world of Avalon from the game "The gate to Avalon}

The system revealed, making Arthur's body tremble. "Wait, so are you saying that I'm in the game "The gate to Avalon"? How is that possible?" Arthur shakily questioned.

{Yes though this world is not a game,}

The system answered in its mechanical voice while the memories of the game in question began to file their way into Arthur's mind repressing any other thoughts and questions he may have wished to ask.

The gate to Avalon was a unique open-world eroge that was released when Arthur was just 13 years old. Boasting about its impressive assortment of capture targets, stunning action and combat, along with the freedom to explore the game's vast open world, it was an instant hit and quickly became the most played game of all time with people of all ages playing the game regardless of age restrictions.

And it just so happened that Arthur was pretty much a god at this game. Having played it since its day one launch when he was merely a teenager, Arthur soon rose through the harem leaderboards and claimed the number one spot with his impressive harem of 119 girls. However, this did have the adverse effect of giving him no social life whatsoever, though Arthur at the time couldn't have cared less. After all, who needs real girls when you can be an eroge god.

But instead of being thrilled by this sudden revelation, Arthur's already pale face went a shade lighter while the trembling of his knees resumed their previous clattering. 'System, why am I here!' Arthur hurriedly questioned his mind growing weaker by the minute as memories of some of the more…. Bat shit insane girls started to make their way to the front of his mind. 'Calm down, Arthur, calm down. They can't hurt you if you just stay away from them. Besides, you're not even the protagonist; why should you have to be scared of something that'll never happen to you,' Arthur grumbled, his mind in disarray.

{The host has been chosen to participate in a game for the entertainment of the gods,}

'Eh, a game? What type of game would need me to be brought to Avalon….ALSO, THERE ARE GODS!' Arthur dryly questioned his mind struggling to digest the sudden bombshell that the system had dropped on him. 'Though if transmigrations a thing, of course, there'd be gods that control this type of shit,'

{The host has been chosen to compete against the other members of the top 5 leaderboard to see who can seduce the most girls and build the strongest harem,}

The system continued while a look of apparent shock followed immediately by disgust appeared on Arthurs's face. 'So those cheating fucks have been transmigrated as well,' Arthur sighed, recounting the leaderboards that he ruled over in his previous life and how he had been usurped from his seat on his golden throne in one special night.

Top 5 Leaderboard (Harem members)

1: Arthur (119)

2: Onejise_ (6)

3: Xx_Harem_God_420_xX (6)

4: Lolicon_lover27 (6)

5: Creeperslime08 (5)

This is what the leaderboard usually looked like with Arthur perched atop the rankings like a sovereign looking over peasants, and in all honesty, this is how it should have remained for all time. Arthur's lead was just too great over the rest of the competition, having managed to capture the hearts of some girls that many thought should have been impossible. At least that was until a small group of hackers managed to infiltrate the game and completely break the rankings.

TOP 5 Leaderboard post hacks. (Harem members)

1: Azrael (1,000,000)

2: Lolicon_lover27 (1,000,000)

3: Eden (1,000,000)

4: Xx_Harem_God_420_xX (1,000,000)

5: Arthur (120)

Now Arthur sat at the bottom of the top five leaderboards, his mind forced to question how such a feat was even possible, Afterall many hackers had set out to accomplish what this group had done before, yet they accomplished nothing instead getting permanently banned from Avalon on whatever account they attempted to access the game through. And now Arthur was forced to compete with these cheating scumbags in an event that he didn't even want to partake in. 'Can I say no and reject this request?' Arthur sternly questioned the system, who pondered over his question for a mere second before giving out its retort in its monotone mechanical voice.

{No}

'Well, it was worth a try,' Arthur commented. 'So how am I meant to compete with them? Are you going to give me some items and abilities? You know the usual transmigrator stuff? Also, can't I just leave them be and enjoy my time here in solitude?' Arthur questioned, only to have the next words that came out of the system shake him to his very core.

{Of course, the host can choose to not participate in the games}

The system announced though its robotic voice contained a hint of malice this time.

'Really, that's great then!' Arthur jovially thought his mind ignoring the nagging feeling that there was a catch to the system's words that would be promptly brought to light by its following statement.

{That is if the host wishes to have his soul tortured for eternity,}

*Crack* The world around Arthur began to splinter like glass. Of course, there would be a catch like this, and Arthur knew that but isn't this just too ridiculous, 'System, why would I be tortured for eternity?' Arthur retorted with his most sickly sweet voice that barely managed to hide the suppressed rage that roared behind it.

{Ding}

{Main Quest initiated: I will be the Harem god!}

{Info: Take all the girls away from the protagonists and the transmigrators while keeping them all for yourself. The host will fail the mission if so much as a single girl falls into the grasp of his competition}

{Reward: Getting to live freely in this world}

{Failure: The host's soul will be tortured for eternity}

Arthur Pov

Upon reading through the message, my system displayed, I had one singular thought, 'What the fuck! Isn't this too unfair? How am I meant to compete with four or five other guys that have all been transmigrated? I'll end up being killed almost instantly,' I stressed, resisting the urge to pluck out every strand of my shit smeared hair. 'You know this is why people hate systems. You always give out such unjust bullshit punishments' I hissed at the transparent blue screen that plagued my vision.

Taking a few minutes to calm my rapidly beating heart and tend to my sore wounds, I attempted to rationally think my way through my predicament only to realise that there was nothing I could rationally deduce from anything that was happening to me. 'System, am I the only one with this mission or do the other transmigrators have this as well,' I calmly commented, asking this question more out of hatred than genuine interest.

{Correct the host is the only one with this mission. All the other participants will be able to live a peaceful life if they so choose without participating in the gods game,}

'What the fuck isn't this too unfair? Why am I the only one forced with this bullshit mission!' I complained, 'Then is there any advantages I get with this or am I just fucked?' I continued my mournful string of complaints, my mind a whirl of dark thoughts. 'I really don't want to have to speak to some of those girls though,' A shiver ran down my spine while I awaited the system's response.

{Worry not host as the other transmigrators will only be brought to this world after the host's 16th birthday}

A wave of calm soon rushed through my body as the unwanted stress that I had brought upon myself from my needless worries was washed away. 'So I have at least nine years to prepare for them, that's good,' I sighed, venting out my pent up stress, yet it seems like the system's announcement wasn't over yet as another piece of good news was soon forced upon my deft ears.

{As recompense for the unjust mission thrust upon the host, the gods have decided to allow the host to pick one title that he bore in the game and transfer it to his present self,}

Upon hearing the words of the system, I felt my already calm body fill up with a sense of euphoria. 'Really, that's great!' I excitedly exclaimed, barely holding back the sudden childish urge to hop around the alleyway as a transparent blue screen appeared in the middle of my retina containing a list of all the titles I had accumulated over my five years of playtime.

Reading through the list, I was genuinely astounded by just how many titles I had unknowingly gained on my journey to be a harem god, though I didn't spend even a second reading their contents as I had already decided on which one I would choose instantaneously upon the system's announcement.

'Found it,'

{Title: Husband to the goddesses}

{Grade: Unique}

{Effect: The bearer of this title can hold an infinite amount of blessing while also gaining the right to undergo the true trails of any inheritance/ tribulation}

Yep, this was the title that only I had ever gained. Even after the game was hacked to kingdom come, the goddesses remained steadfast in their elusiveness and their oddly suspicious loyalty to me. They were the primordial beings numbering 25 in total that both created Avalon's world and reality as a whole. They were rumoured to be unattainable in the game though I quickly put that rumour to rest when I had found them and made them fall in love with me. Though at that time, I was shocked with just how easy it was to actually add them to my unstable Harem.

'Afterall, I only had to show up to their shrines, and then *Bam* I'd meet them and had to barely try to seduce them as their love would already be maxed out,' I smugly joked, recounting my encounters with the primordial beings known as the goddesses. At the same time, my fingers quickly clicked the confirm title button. 'Though does that mean that they now exist?' I thought, a shiver running down my spine.

{The host has gained the Title: Husband to the goddesses}

Name: Arthur

Age: 7

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Rank: None

Titles: Husband of the goddesses,

Bloodline: ?????? (Unawakened)

Physique: ?????? (Unawakened)

Stats:

Strength/Agility: 1 = Unawakened (2= Average seven year old)(10= Average adult human)

Mana: 0 = Unawakened

Defence: 1 = Unawakened

Charm: 6 / 10 = Average human

Harem: -

Abilities: -

Shop

Inventory

Immediately my vision was filled by my status that the system decided to pull up as if to show me that it hadn't scammed me with the promise of my title. 'Hmm, so the name of this body was also Arthur?' I rhetorically asked, not expecting an answer to my little prod, yet I was proven wrong as the system seemingly misinterpreted my words into its own mystical question.

{The body's name is Arthur as it was moulded after your figure by the gods to be an avatar for your soul}

The system methodically answered, raising more questions than answers in my mind. 'Does that mean that this body didn't have a soul?'

{Correct the body that the host is inhabiting did not possess a soul prior to the host's transmigration and was instead acting on autopilot, that is also why the host has not received the memories of the body}

The system continued though I had already tuned out of the drawn-out mechanical speech after hearing confirmation that the body was soulless. 'It sucks to suck, I guess,' I commented, my eyes returning back to the screen before me to analyse my stats. A few moments passed with my eyes locked on the system before I took a brief breath of respite to get my brain churning. 'My stats are trash, but I suppose that's to be expected with a body as feeble as this,' I groaned, looking at my arms that consisted of nothing but skin and bones. 'I'm not even upset that I wasn't given the body of some super hot stud or something like that as the charm feature never really had much use in the game besides from the initial interactions with the girls. And as for my mana… well, that's to be expected. I still haven't formed my core yet, so it's a no brainer that I wouldn't have mana, and thanks to my knowledge of the game, I know it won't form at least until my tenth birthday, when everyone's mana core is formed, the only thing that really does intrigue me about my status though, is that this body actually had both a bloodline and a physique,' I commented my eyes lighting up near the end of my monologue, it should be known that bloodlines were a rare thing in the world of Avalon with only about one in a thousand people having one if they were not born to an esteemed household. 'I suppose that's just my transmigrators luck or something, though,'

After making all these comments, I soon found my eyes glued onto another section of my status, the shop. 'System open the shop,' I ordered as the blue screen in front of me faded into oblivion and was soon replaced by another screen that contained information relating to my request.

{Shop}

{Item Shop}

{Ability Shop}

{Affection point balance: 0}

Curious, I hurriedly clicked on the item shop, wanting to know just what type of items I could buy while also gauging my system's usefulness by the goods it offered me. Yet instead of being presented with a board of items, I was instead met with another transparent blue screen that wished to cock block my endeavours.

{The host cannot currently access the shop as he has no Affection points to spend,}

The system chided, spoiling my hopeful mood and returning me back to my grounded reality. 'System, is there like a starter pack or something that you have to offer me?' I questioned, pulling from my knowledge of novels once again.

{The host does indeed have a starter pack that can be opened}

{Does the host wish to open the starter pack?}

My eyes momentarily glowed upon hearing the system's response as I quickly rescinded with a vehement storm of yes's.

Immediately upon hearing my confirmation towards the system's question, the screen before me vanished and was replaced by a glowing gold backdrop.

{Opening starter pack: 0%...49%...Complete}

{Congratulations, the host has acquired the item: elemental awakener}

{Description: An item that will forcefully build both a mana core and extract the element within, if the host uses this item after already extracting an element, he may gain access to another,}

A small blue vial immediately appeared in my hands upon reading through the block of text presented to me via the system. 'Well, this is great,' I jovially thought, to reiterate every kid in the world will have their mana core formed by the time that they're ten years old with very few prodigies and those that are one with mana forming theirs at the age of nine but now I had to go through none of that, I didn't have to wait a single second longer to create my own core and start my mana gathering journey.

I quickly uncorked the small vial and rashly downed the liquid content inside that slid down my parched trachea, soothing it like a drop of water in the Sahara desert. That is to say… it didn't do shit to help combat my thirst, but that wasn't why I drank it anyway as the moment the contents fell upon the lining of my stomach, I felt my world change.

Pain, an indescribable amount of pain, immediately befell my senses. It felt like every nerve in my body was being poked with a scalding iron while every blood vessel seemed to crackle and shake, pushing against my veins. In my mind, I pictured myself looking like the personification of a carbonated drink, "AHHH!" My throat let out a raspy screech that I quickly reeled in, not wanting to alert anyone to my current situation, no matter how detrimental that decision may have been. 'Though I doubt anyone would come to help anyway,' I bitterly laughed through the pain, remembering what had happened just moments prior to me entering the cramped gap that was now caked in my dirt and sweat infused juice.

The pain continued to befall me for what seemed to be hours though in all likelihood it was probably over in a mere matter of minutes, the toga that I had wrapped around my chest to cover my wound fell loosely to the ground underneath its colour had shifted from it's dirty brown to a crimson red. 'Am I bleeding?' I delusionally questioned the pain, having already gotten the better of me. At the same time, my eyes trailed down to my dirty stomach only to see that it had met the same fate as the toga and was drenched in more blood than I could have imagined. 'Am I going to die?' I loosely thought, after all this amount of blood was just ridiculous and unknown to me, the bleeding wasn't just located on my chest as every single pore on my body began to release the red iron excrement like a broken tap.

*Urgh* My naked stomach churned as I attempted to suppress the urge to vomit out what little food this body had consumed though this venture ultimately ended in failure as a puddle of gastric acid could soon be seen pooled up amidst my blood having its mucus green colour forcefully turn into a horrid brown.

Minutes continued to pass like this, with me repeating the same cycle of bleeding and vomiting until eventually…It all stopped, and I was met with nothing but silence.

{Congratulations, the host has officially acquired a mana core}

{Congratulations, the host has reached the mana gathering stage}

{Congratulations, the host has broken through the mana gathering stage and reached the elemental extraction stage}

{Congratulations, the host has broken through the elemental gathering stage and reached the elemental harnessing stage}

{Congratulations, the host has acquired the water element}

{The host has gained the Title: Husband to the goddesses}

Name: Arthur

Age: 7

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Rank: Elemental harnessing stage 2

Titles: Husband of the goddesses,

Bloodline: ?????? (Unawakened)

Physique: ?????? (Unawakened)

Stats:

Strength/Agility: 50

Mana: 50

Defence: 50

Charm: 7 / 10 = Slightly good looking

Harem: -

Abilities: Water magic Rank F

{Water Magic Rank F

Grants the user the ability to create and manipulate water from the mana particles in the air. At the rank of F, the user can create flimsily structured attacks made out of water}

Shop

Inventory

Upon reading through the sudden influx of messages, all I could force myself to utter was a brief "Woah" Before I collapsed down into the pool of blood underneath me.