Waking Up

I blinked my eyes open, the world around me a blurry mess of greens and browns. My head throbbed, and I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me as I struggled to sit up. I tried to remember how I had ended up here, but my memories were as foggy as the forest that surrounded me.

As my vision gradually cleared, I realized that I was in the midst of a dense forest, unlike any I had ever seen. Towering trees with massive trunks stretched high into the sky, their branches intertwining to form a natural canopy that blocked out most of the daylight. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in scattered rays, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.

The air was thick with the scent of earth and moss, and the distant chirping of birds filled my ears. I could hear the gentle rustling of leaves. Pushing myself up onto shaky legs, my body protesting every movement, I took a moment to assess my surroundings. There was no sign of civilization, no hint of a path or road. It was as though I had been dropped into an untouched wilderness.

[System initializing….100%]

[Accessing hosts compatibility….100%]

[Installing core functions…100%]

Lines of code cascaded across a slightly opaque terminal window that seemed to float in the air in front of me, each character racing by like a stream of data. My thoughts raced as I tried to make sense of this surreal experience. The strange process felt both otherworldly and somewhat familiar. It reminded me of my many hours working on projects using my PC.

[Welcome to the breeding system.]

[Status]

[Missions]

[Abilities]

[Shop]

Seeing the information that appeared in front of me, I couldn't help but wish for an explanation. Suddenly, the terminal in front of me changed.

[Do you wish to enable the personal assistant functionality?]

  [Yes/no]

Thinking that having someone, or something, or whatever this system was, to tell me what was going on would be nice, I decided to focus on the "Yes" floating on the translucent terminal in front of me. Suddenly, the terminal floating in front of me began to flash rapidly. "Yay!!!" suddenly appeared, made from ASCII art. It flashed different colors while choppy firework animations exploded around it. I couldn't help but wonder if these janky animations were the best this mystical display could manage.

A high-pitched girl's voice echoed directly in my mind, her tone filled with annoyance, {User, please don't be mean to me; the goddess designed the system terminal to only display text. So, I think I was doing pretty well considering.}

"Wait, who are you? Why are you in my head?" I quickly started to become uneasy with the appearance of something clearly intelligent messing with my head. {Don't worry, user. I am an artificial intelligence that was integrated into the system the goddess gave you.}

"Please slow down. What is this system, and why did the goddess give it to me?" I questioned.

{The goddess bestowed you with a portion of her divinity before you parted, but your body couldn't withstand the pressure if it wasn't managed appropriately. So, after looking through your memories, the goddess decided to create The Breeding System as a way for you to utilize and eventually grow your powers. She chose the appearance and functionality based on your memories, hoping that it would be somewhat familiar to you.}

I replied, getting somewhat excited, "That's cool, but what was with the seizure-inducing ASCII art?" {Well, user, I have full access to your memories as well and saw that stuff like that being fairly common in text-only applications and thought it looked fun.}

Having calmed down and having a moment to collect my thoughts, a resigned sigh slipped from my lips as I realized that my memories had already been plundered by not only the goddess but the self-proclaimed AI in my head. "So how does this system work exactly?" I finally asked.

Suddenly the terminal in front of me changed. {I am glad you asked. Firstly, you have the status tab. Here you can see your stats, level, any effects that you are under, and any titles you might acquire.}

[Status]

  [Name: Adam Campbell]

  [Level: 9]

  [XP:42069/51200]

  [Race: Human]

  [Effects: Memory Alteration]

  [Titles: Fallen Noble, Messenger of the Goddess]

"Why do I already have some experience? Also, it says memory alteration under effects. Is that from the goddess sealing the memories of my death?" I asked, trying to make sense of what I am seeing.

{You are correct. The goddess has given me the ability to restore your sealed memories, but I would recommend waiting until I am done with my explanation. The reason you have levels is that the system is simply converting your skills and knowledge from your previous world to conform with this world's standards.}

"What is with my titles? I can kinda understand the first, but why does it say messenger of the Goddess?"

{ The Fallen Noble title represents your noble heritage, while Messenger of the Goddess is a special title granted by the goddess herself. Even though her religion isn't as strong as it used to be, there are still many who believe in her, and it may prove useful in the future.} After pausing and seeing me nod in understanding.

{Continuing, next up is missions. The goddess has given the system the ability to generate missions for you based on your surroundings and current abilities to try to motivate you. There are no penalties should you fail them, but because the stakes are low, they tend to have somewhat lackluster rewards.}

{The next abilities. This world's inhabitants can gain skills, talents, resistances, and magical abilities. Yours will be displayed here.}

[Abilities]

  [Swordsmanship lvl.3]

  [Acrobatics lvl.2]

  [Mana Manipulation lvl.1]

  [Etiquette lvl.2]

  [Alchemy lvl.1]

  [Magic Array Proficiency lvl.1]

"Based on what you said before, the system converted my experience from my former world, so that explains swordsmanship and etiquette. What about the other skills I have?"

{Swordsmanship lvl.3: Your expertise with bladed weapons is evident, granting you a 10% reduction in stamina consumption and a slight reduction in the strength requirements when wielding bladed weapons. Etiquette lvl.2: Your upbringing has instilled in you a refined sense of etiquette and decorum, making you well-versed in social protocols and interactions. This skill enhances your ability to navigate social situations with finesse.}

{There isn't the concept of gymnastics in this world, so the system assigned the closest approximate skill. Acrobatics lvl.2: Your remarkable hand-eye coordination allows for agile movements and precise control of your body, resulting in a 5% decrease in stamina usage during acrobatic maneuvers.}

{As for alchemy and magic array proficiency, they are derived from your mom making you study occultism when you were younger. Alchemy lvl.1: Your foundational knowledge of natural sciences and alchemical principles allows for a 10% increase in the effectiveness of your alchemical creations. Magic Array Proficiency lvl.1: Your basic understanding of magical arrays and formations gives you a 10% boost in the effectiveness of any magical arrays you create.}

{Lastly, there is mana manipulation, it is essentially step one on one's path towards mastering magic. Mana Manipulation lvl.1: While still in its early stages, you're able to manipulate mana. With further development, you will gain the ability to harness and shape magical energy to cast spells and perform enchantments.}

{With your abilities now explained, it's time to explore the last essential aspect of the Breeding System—your access to a unique shop. Here, you'll find a wide array of items, tools, and abilities that you will hopefully fine useful.}

I suddenly had a bad premonition when I asked," why do you say hopefully?" {Well, the shop is mostly limited to basic items, or things related to the goddess's domain} the AI said with slight trepidation, seemingly worried about my reaction.

Focusing on the shop tab, the window in front of me stuttered for a bit before displaying a seemingly endless list of items, ranging from mundane items like a bottle of water to the obscene. Some items I noticed as they flashed by included, Dragon Dildo(realistic), Paralytic pill(minor), and some more normal stuff like strawberry flavored lube.

I couldn't help but chuckle before comforting the anxious AI, "don't worry, considering the goddess expectations of me I am sure that at least some of the items available will be useful. But the prices a listed as PP, what is that about?"

{PP stands for perversion points, and that is the currency used by the system. You can earn them by completing missions or by engaging in sexual activities. The amount you earn is based on how unique, taboo, or extreme the actives are, however repeated interactions doing the same thing, with the same person, will have diminishing returns}

{For example, if you take someone's virginity you will get a onetime boost in the amount of PP you earn because it is a unique experience, but if you continue to sleep with the same person, in the same way, the amount of PP you earn will diminish to a minimum of 1 eventually. Some things can modify the minimum points earned, like if the recurring act is considered a taboo}

Questioning my reality and honestly wanting to move on, I told the AI "I think I understand the system now. Do you think you can restore my memories now?"

Suddenly everything that I had experienced recently flashed before my eyes in painfully clear detail. From the explanation I just received, to my meeting with the goddess, eventually to the fateful crash that sent me here.

With my memories restored I frantically started looking around me in a panic, desperate to find Mackinzie….