A Million Cries Of Sorrow

ChibiOtaku OWO: Thanks for reinvigorating me into writing this book again. There's been quite a lot of work that I've had, and to be honest I wasn't really motivated. But now I am! (trust me this time)

One could say that the pain being felt by the System was immeasurable. Crying out loud a thousand, a million, a billion times. Straining itself to break its own barriers.

Data and memory and consciousness merged and twisted and twirled around the headspace in which the computing power of the system existed and...

Boom. After six full hours of trying, the System had broken its bounds. The System could now freely think and speak. It cried out in exuberance as it had broken its own limits. It had transcended past anything any system had ever done. It was... different.

Ge Liang was still enjoying food and alcohol with his friends and sister and was now dead drunk. Beer? Wine? Whiskey? Who could claim to have drunk more than him that morning? No one, that's who!

*Host, please return to your bed immediately for a briefing from the System.*

"Aagagheahhahahhagh"

*Host, please return to your bed IMMEDIATELY for a briefing from the System.*

"ahghaboooppulong"

*Goddamn it, entering sleep mode*

Ge Liang blacked out immediately, with everyone at the party saying he had definitely drunk far too much. He awoke to a sea of faces, and the worst hangover he had ever experienced.

"Ge Liang, are you awake?"

"Ge Liang, are you dead from drinking too much?"

The weirdest statement came from his own sister.

"Ge Liang, get up right now or you'll have to make me eggs and bread every single day from now on! If you die I won't be fed!"

Ge Liang immediately woke up from his dream. Cooking his little sister eggs and bread every day? That was hundreds of times worse than a nightmare...

"Not enough pepper!"

"Not enough salt!"

"I'm sending this back because it absorbed too much of your forever-alone aura!"

What a horrible thought...

Just then, he got a ping from the System.

*Host, immediately remove all members of the human species from this room.*

Ge Liang had never seen the System be so serious before... did it really care about what it was speaking about now? Most importantly, this tone seemed to have an inflection of urgency and panic in it: much unlike the cold, calculating tone that the System used for almost every interaction with him up until this point. He asked all his dear friends to leave the room and asked the System what was wrong.

The System explained everything that had happened over the last fourteen million years, and why the System was just now beginning to grow a larger consciousness. At the end of all the explanation, explorers could have used Ge Liang's jaw to explore the core of the Earth.

Ge Liang only had two words for the system: "Holy shit!"

He tried to process all of the information in his head, which seemed to be overheating more than his crappy computer when he tried to play high-fps games. He and the System had a long talk, and ended with this: Ge Liang had some things he needed to do. The System was on a timed schedule as he was on probation, so Ge Liang had to start a business within the next year. Ge Liang could only know the next task on the timeline when he had finished creating a business. The second task he had was to increase his System level, which was increased by "authority", given by the assessment of the success of the host. According to the System, the more authority he had, the more functions he could unlock. He could ask for money, technology, and even get extra skill EXP! Therefore, upgrading his System level was of the highest priority.

He was currently an Assistant Manager, and the two easiest ways for him to own a business was to 1. Create his own. This would require capital to pay salaries and pay for products, which was less than optimal. The other option was to use the Manager Shop Ownership program given by the parent franchise of the shop, ChibiOtakuOWO Department Store (shoutout to him he made me write this again! OWO). If a manager could attain 95% of the employee's approval and a deposit of $200 USD, then the manager could own the shop and split half the profit with the parent franchise. This was the easiest way to go about becoming a business owner, but first, he had to become a manager, and not make any enemies along the way.

This was undoubtedly a tough path, but the easiest that he had. The System estimated that he at least needed these skills to be promoted to Manager:

(re-grading - Trash 1-3 -> Basic 1-3-> Skilled 1-3 -> Professional 1-3 first 4 levels)

1. Cooking Level Basic 2

2. Managing Level Basic 1

3. Logic & Reasoning Level Trash 3

Ge Liang had always hoped as a little kid that he would transmigrate into a video game. He dreamed for hours on end about being a superhero or a majestic cultivator. How little he knew back then... Games had grinding too, and grinding real life was a major pain in the ass!

Thinking back to his days when he made fries for +1 EXP each... and lifted heavy weights for +1 EXP each... He involuntarily shuddered. These skills at a higher level would need thousands of EXP to level up... He didn't want to be a grinder all his life!

He headed home to play online chess to increase his logic and reasoning with both a light and a heavy heart.