Chapter 9: Mechanized Retractable Bag

The next morning, as Sonic woke up from sleep, his system greeted him again with messages.

< Good Morning, Slayer >

< Number of completed Quests: 3 >

< No new Quests found >

As he raised his head from his bed, he perceived something strange. Turning to the source, it was a steaming cup of coffee that James held in his hand, standing by the window.

"Hey there, Sonic!" said James. "Do you want one?" he asked.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head, unsure whether to accept the offer or not. The coffee didn't smell bad, although it still didn't smell quite like coffee either. Maybe it wouldn't taste that bad, Sonic contemplated.

"No thanks. I don't like coffee anyway," Sonic rejected, not wanting to spit it out after tasting it. However, James said something else.

"Why are you thanking me? It's not like I wanted to pay with my last point anyway."

"What? You didn't want to pay for it and you asked me if I would like one?" Sonic grumbled.

Soon, he realized that Eric was not in the room. Maybe he was in the bathroom, he thought, but after a few seconds, he didn't get any sign that someone was inside.

"James, where's Eric?"

"Hmmm. He walked out very early."

"Oh, I see," Sonic grumbled and walked into the bathroom. It had been a long time since he slept so peacefully in his life. Crashing in the woods, Sonic never got to sleep so deeply because there were nights when snakes attacked or insects bit him.

He closed the door and planned on entering the bathtub, but then he realized the watch on his wrist. He tried taking it off, but failed. Maybe it was stationary, he thought. Although he wondered if the watch was water-resistant, as he was about to enter the bathtub with it.

'If it won't come out, of course it's water-resistant,' with that in mind, Sonic fit himself into the bathtub.

As he relaxed while the warm tap water gently filled the bathtub, Sonic's mind began to race back to all that had happened to him recently, both good and bad.

One second he was the kid who thought he was the most unlucky person in the world who couldn't even act on his dreams, but here he was.

As he kept thinking, he realized there were many things he didn't get the chance to discuss with his system.

He didn't discuss matters like how the system got to that very place he awaited death, or what would become of him after he becomes a full Dark Slayer.

Many thoughts ran through Sonic's head as he lay there.

His system was ready to give him answers to these questions, at least to the ones it has answers to.

< Slayer, I see you have questions to ask. Do you mind telling me what you wish to know? >

Immediately upon hearing that, Sonic saw it as an opportunity to delve into the system. It's not like he needed permission to ask the system questions, but he hesitated because he feared the answers he might receive to some of his inquiries.

Questions like, 'Will his body transform into the appearance of a Dark Slayer?' or 'Will his perspectives about humanity change?'

< Being a Dark Slayer isn't necessarily a bad thing. The decisions you make with its energy define whether they're good or bad. You're fully in control of your mind and body, but I don't know yet what will happen to your physical appearance when you become a Dark Slayer. Also, I'm a system developed by the Dark Slayers, but I don't remember how I ended up where you found me. >

Said the system with a female voice.

< Should I display your stats for you? >

 The system asked Sonic.

Sonic was puzzled for a second, then nodded slightly, indicating yes.

Immediately, a holographic screen appeared in front of Sonic.

< Name: Sonic Lorcan >

< Age: 16 >

< Race: Plain Slayer >

< Slayer energy: 1 of 100 in use >

< Beast weapons: 2 >

< Agility Level: 2 >

< Number of Slays: 35 >

< Experience points: 5 >

"So indeed, I'm no longer human," Sonic grumbled as he quickly got up and left the bathroom.

It was almost 10 A.M., and the tour would begin soon anyway.

Upon reaching outside, Eric was already back. But that wasn't the only thing Sonic noticed; he also saw that James and Eric were putting on the same outfits. It was the school's student outfit, resembling the suits the Militants were wearing, but with different colors for the students.

The Militants wore green suits, while the students were all given black suits to distinguish themselves. The suits weren't made of Magic Beast crystals but were instead made with full concentration of technology.

James and Eric were wearing suits that resembled Star Wars ranger suits, but Sonic didn't see his own suit anywhere after scanning the room.

The only thing Sonic saw on his bed was a glowing green bag that looked like a gadget.

"Wait, is that what I think it is?" Sonic questioned.

"If you're thinking what I think you are, then yes." James grinned in excitement. "We get to wear these bad-boy mechanized retractable Militant suits as well."

'So the entire suit was a mechanized retractable bag,' Sonic mumbled, impressed by how advanced technology had become. He swiftly grabbed the bag and backed it. On its corner, there was a button with the word 'open' on it. 

Immediately, Sonic pressed the 'open' button, and the mechanized retractable bag began to expand. Within seconds, it became a full battle suit.

Sonic also noticed that Eric had already placed his Beast weapon on the back of his suit, which had a hook to hold any kind of weapon.

He would have loved to show off his Beast Weapons as well, but his system was already doing a good job at storing them for him.

'I guess this is the only thing that will keep me in this school,' said Eric, completely enamored with his suit after reading its features.

At the moment, their black suits were gleaming green lights, meaning their Health Points were stable, one hundred percent to be precise. But if they were hurt, even slight pain could change the color of the green gleaming light in their suit.

Green means full Health Points.

Orange means Health Points are affected.

Red means Health Points are extremely low.

But if none of these lights are gleaming on a person's suit, it means one of two things: unconscious or dead.

Soon, an announcement echoed from a speaker inside their room. 'All students should report to the meeting hall.'

It was the same hall where Mister Leo had addressed them the previous day.