Welcome To The System~

Feng Yongrui is feeling down. His head is blank and his eyes stare emptily at the vast expanse of emptiness around him. Feng Yongrui wants to curse, but for some reason he can't think of the perfect word to say in this situation.

Didn't he... die? What happened to him? As far as he knows, after death, he will arrive in a dark tunnel, see the light at the end of it, and probably arrive in King Yama's palace.

He has been looking forward to seeing a grand, majestic palace or a gloomy river with spirits and ghosts wandering around. Why is everything white and empty?

"Oh, could I be in heaven?" He mused. "But heaven shouldn't be boring like this, right? White, empty, no books, no webnovels, no internet and no phone..." Feng Yongrui's eyebrows curl into a frown.

"Don't tell me I'm in hell?!" Feng Yongrui yelled. "No way... even if this is hell, isn't this too... mundane? Hell should be fiery hot, filled with our worst fears, dark, cruel, filled with endless torture..."

Feng Yongrui could only frown even deeper. Maybe... he didn't actually die? And maybe this was just a dream?

"Hello? King Yama? Anyone? Is this a dream?" Feng Yongrui started to lose his patience.

"If you don't come out, I'll beat you up until your mother can't recognize you!"

"Beep... Beep..." A mechanical voice, similar to the sound of an alarm clock, rang in his ears.

"Welcome to the System~ This System is not King Yama, please do not call the system with an unidentified, stranger's name."

Feng Yongrui: ?

"Thank you~"

Feng Yongrui: ??

"Hey... just what is this? Don't tell me you're a 'system'? Like the ones in webnovels?" Feng Yongrui didn't know what his expression was like at the moment.

His emotions were jumbled up like a salad, a mixture of confusion, helplessness, slight anger and also... a little bit of joy?

Back on earth, Feng Yongrui loved to read webnovels, and so he naturally knew that quick transmigration, reincarnation, and time travel were extremely popular genres.

One of the most common features of transmigration was a "system".

There are many kinds of systems, and as an avid webnovel reader, Feng Yongrui was confident that he knew all about systems. There were good systems, bad (useless) systems, and systems with certain goals.

For example, a system that binds with a host that has to counterattack the female lead, or a system that makes the host a capable master (training his/her disciples and reaching the pinnacle of the cultivation world).

There were even systems that made the host farm or tame pets.

No matter what it was, wouldn't it be awesome to get a system? Would he get benefits? Would he be able to shop in the "system mall"?

Or would he and the system get along as friends? Oh, there's a lucky draw too, right?

A system is equal to a golden finger! And gold is the best!

Feng Yongrui's thoughts were flying everywhere that he was momentarily in a daze. It was only when the System spoke that he broke out of his fantasy dream.

"Host, welcome to the System~" The mechanical voice sounded again, the voice was cold and mechanical.

"Yes, yes, hello," Feng Yongrui smiled awkwardly and rubbed his hands together.

Oh wait, he didn't have hands.

"Where are my hands...? Huh?" Feng Yongrui looked down and realized that he was a ghost. He did have hands and a body, but, everything was transparent.

Feng Yongrui felt that he was really slow. How could he just realize this now?

Hm, he could overlook that. Wouldn't the System help him get his real body back or something?

"The System has judged that the Host is perfectly capable of executing all the twisted, terrific, tremendous tasks that are about to be issued. The System is willing to generously help the Host conquer the worlds and fulfill the fantastic but futile dream of being number one. The System - "

"Wait, wait," Feng Yongrui's eyebrows scrunched up again and he frowned.

"Can't you speak normally, System? All those fancy words and useless, flowery stuff. Can't you just get to the point?" Feng Yongrui's voice was laced with a little bit of pleading.

The System was quiet for a while, before a small "Hmph!" was heard. However, the voice was small and cute, like a young child throwing a tantrum and trying to intimidate people, but instead sounding cute and spoiled.

"This System does not use flowery words! This System has earned a Certificate in Literature and therefore, this System will often use alliteration and repetition to make the sentences sound more beautiful!" The System's angry voice rang in his head.

This time, the voice was soft and crisp, like a child's. The cold and aloof voice from before was gone.

"Hey, first, you should stop speaking in third person, alright? It's kind of difficult to understand..." Feng Yongrui helplessly coaxed, his voice turning gentler.

"...Fine. This System, no, uhm, I will try."

"Okay, good." Feng Yongrui breathed a sigh of relief. "So tell me, what kind of system are you, and what's going to happen to me?"

"I'm your System, and you're my Host. We'll be moving from one world to another doing tasks." The System had calmed down and adapted quickly, its voice turning cold and mechanical once again.

"Alright. What kind of System are you? Cultivating System? The Counterattack System? Or a Pet Training System?"

The System was silent. Feng Yongrui thought that maybe the System was shy.

"Uhm... it's okay. You're probably just a Minor Passerby System?"

Feng Yongrui was met with silence again, and his heart was restless.

"Am I supposed to be a villain or something? Or... don't tell me I'm going to transmigrate into a horror game or whatnot?"

Feng Yongrui was afraid of blood and gore, so anything related to horror movies and horror games were thrown into the back of his mind to collect dust.

Feng Yongrui didn't want to get nightmares... But it couldn't be that he was going to transmigrate into horror stories, right?

"Hey, System, say something..."

"This System is just a system." The unfeeling voice finally responded.

"...Okay...?" Feng Yongrui didn't quite know how to react.

"I still have questions though," Feng Yongrui was a bit indignant. "Shouldn't you be a little more specific? I need to know my job description, right? Should I play matchmaker? Be the villain? Break apart the main characters in a world?"

"Host just needs to do the task that the System provides. As for the rest, Host, you need to find out yourself." The System was still speaking in third person. Apparently its habits were hard to change.

Feng Yongrui wasn't satisfied. Does this mean the System was like a game, in which he had to explore the functions and everything by himself?

Couldn't the System just tell him everything? He came from an era of laziness and a time when everything could be resolved with a click!

"Oh right. What will I get from doing these tasks? Will I be revived or something? Or will I get points?" Feng Yongrui realized he needed to know this.

"Host, you just need to do the tasks and you will get emotional fulfillment as well as a sense of achievement."

(⁠╯⁠°⁠□⁠°⁠）⁠╯⁠︵⁠ ⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

System, are you joking with me? In a capitalist society, people work to get something, alright? "Emotional fulfillment" and "sense of achievement" are just nonsense, because at the end of the day, we need to pay our bills too, right?

Be it monetary reward, fame, or happiness, people do something because they want something. Only wants and desires can push someone to action, right?

"Hey, System. Let's be serious, okay? Tell me what's in it for me." Feng Yongrui said again.

"Well... Host, you can do tasks and earn points to get what you want."

"'What I want' is too vague, System. You should tell me what I can get..."

"When Host reaches 100 points, the System will kindly let you see the options." The System seemed a little proud for no reason.

"Alright... how many points do I have now?" Feng Yongrui frowned in anticipation.

"Five points, Host." The System's mechanical voice was a bit mocking, as if looking down on Feng Yongrui for being dirt poor.

"Hey, that's actually not that bad," Feng Yongrui sighed in relief. "I thought I wouldn't have any points at all. Where did those five points come from anyway?"

"A complementary gift from me, the generous System."

Yup, Feng Yongrui was sure of it now. The System was very smug and was looking down on him!

Forget it, Feng Yongrui didn't want to pick a fight for no reason and end up losing those 5 points. At least it was better than nothing.

What Feng Yongrui didn't know was that normally, a host that binds with a system will get 50 complementary points in the beginning.

Also, while it was true that you needed 100 points to see the system's reward options, a new host would get a 50% discount...

"Host, do you have any more questions?" The System asked.

"Well, I feel like I still have a ton of things I want to ask, but even if I asked, would you answer me?" Feng Yongrui lifted an eyebrow.

"...No. The Host needs to find out by himself." The System replied, feigning sadness.

"Alright then. I knew you'd be like this. I'm ready to go to the first world, System."

"Understood. Initiating..."

Beep, beep...

Feng Yongrui closed his eyes.

***

Feng Yongrui: The System is so generous! 5 complementary points in the beginning, so happy!

System: Hehe~

***

If you could choose a type of "system", what kind of system would it be?

Comment below~