It was when he woke up, encompassed by void, that he felt the unwavering support of everyone, every being, every soul. Even though he was trapped in an infinite dark room with nobody in sight, he felt the strongest sense of family he'd ever felt…
After waiting for what seemed like all time and also devoid of time, a crystal blue screen appeared in front of his eyes. The blue screen yielded white and bold words. He felt relieved at the sight of it. He didn't like the nothingness; he feared the nothingness. It read aloud" Ding! Welcome! Please create a character!!"
"Ah… what's a character…" when he asked, a flood of information entered his mind like fleeting memories. The information seemed to answer why he was here, and what he was meant to do. Afterward, his space of nothingness formed into a village. The village was old-fashioned. Every "house" had the same theme of wattle & daub, with the occasional wood planks, keeping the house together. However, the most peculiar thing about the village was that nothing moved, the celestial bodies of the world didn't move, the people didn't move, the birds didn't move, the ants didn't move, the wind didn't move, and the trees didn't tilt, time was at a pause.
In the center of his view was a masculine figure. The figure held a similarity to a mannequin; it was greyed out. "Ding! Please give the character his name" read the text inside the blue box.
"A name? That's easy" He chose the name he felt closest to.
"Aridel." The person said with passion. He had no connection to the word before the influx of information, but afterward, it called to him, it resonated with his soul, if that's what you'd call it.
"Ding Excellent choice host!" said the blue box, "please customize 'Aridel' with haste!"
The person, understanding every word of the system, nodded his head. He imagined a man with a tall stature, jet-black hair, and light brown irises. The man's looks were average. After the person was finished imagining Aridel, he glanced at what used to be a mannequin. To his surprise, he found someone identical to his imagination.
"Affirmative, please allocate your remaining points," a scroll list appeared inside the blue box. It read:
[Allocation Points: 10 Strengths Available: Quick Thinker: -50 Quick Thinker (Inheritable): -100 Strong Mana Veins: -50 Strong Mana Veins (Inheritable): -100 Light Body: -50 Light Body (Inheritable): -100 Pure Light Body: -250 Pure Light Body (Inheritable): -500 … Weaknesses Available: Weak Minded: +100 Frequently Tired: +100 Slurred Speech: +200 Short-Term Memory Loss: 250 …]
He quickly deduced that to have strengths, he needed to grab weaknesses. The more he scrolled, the more the concept of greed ran wild through his mind. There were very expensive strengths, the highest costing 1500 Allocation Points. He wanted them, badly.
He quickly glanced down at the weakness tab and scrolled down until he reached the end. The most expensive weaknesses were Mana Inhibition, Base Distortion, and Core Blockage. All three of the weaknesses were worth 1000 APs (Allocation Points). "Blue box, can I have descriptions on Mana Inhibition, Base Distortion, and Core Blockage?"
The system quickly displayed descriptions on all of them.
[Mana Inhibition: This rare condition severely obstructs one's ability to absorb and process mana, preventing normal progress. Even consuming precious resources yields minimal benefits, like pouring water into a leaking vessel. Overcoming this requires miraculous perception and physique to slowly transform small amounts of energy without wastage.
Base Distortion: Those afflicted find their inner base extremely unstable, with foundations crumbling under the slightest stress. Attempting to circulate internal energy causes more damage, like constructing a building upon quicksand. This requires supreme resilience and care to reinforce the base little by little, rebuilding one's center from the ground up.
Core Blockage: A devastating obstruction within the vein channels that completely blocks all energy flow. No internal force can pass through, like a dammed river unable to nourish its banks. One must carefully widen small pathways outside the main channels to grow until the roots can be removed.]
"I'll take all of them!" he said with not a sliver of hesitation. As the architect of the Systems - the hand that breathed purpose into every Family System, every Sword System, and every Conquest System - having no clue what went through this idiot's mind was starting to become a regular occurrence.
"Ding You now have 3010 APs available for use."
Nodding his head, he scrolled through the list of strengths, with a temporarily infinite amount of information on the subject at hand, he quickly asked the system another question," Can I have descriptions of Peerless Sword Talent (Inheritable), Genius Mind (Inheritable), Demigod Physique (Inheritable), Peerless Chaos Aptitude (Inheritable), and Peerless Order Aptitude (Inheritable)?"
A blue list appeared immediately.
[Peerless Sword Talent (Inheritable) (1500 APs): This exceedingly rare gift grants supernatural intuition and insight into the way of the sword, allowing unparalleled mastery given proper training. Blade techniques that take others decades to grasp can be learned in days, and sword arts are executed with utmost grace, elegance, and precision. An individual with this talent is destined to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship. If inherited, the highest form of the talent will appear in 1 in 1000 direct descendants.
Genius Mind (Inheritable) (500 APs): Extraordinary cognitive capabilities are a hallmark of this gift, including astonishing memory, perception, analysis, and learning capacity. Those blessed with a Genius Mind absorb new knowledge and skills exponentially faster than their peers, able to discern profound truths with minimal effort. This allows one to far outpace others on the path to enlightenment. If inherited, the highest form of the talent will appear in 1 in 100 direct descendants.
Demigod Physique (Inheritable) (500 APs): A physique blessed with nearly limitless potential, endowed with herculean strength, astonishing recuperative abilities, monumental stamina, and an incredibly resilient, dynamic body. It can harness forces that would destroy a normal mortal vessel with ease. This is the ultimate physical foundation. If inherited, the highest form of the talent will appear in 1 in 80 direct descendants.
Peerless Chaos Aptitude (Inheritable) (255 APs): This exceedingly uncommon aptitude allows supreme mastery over the forces of chaos, unlocking the power to upend and reshape primordial energy. Wielders gain deep insights into calamity and embracing unpredictable change. With practice, chaos itself bends to their profound will. If inherited, the highest form of the talent will appear in 1 in 250 direct descendants.
Peerless Order Aptitude (Inheritable) (255 APs): This aptitude gifts masterful control over the forces of order, bestowing potent influence over principles of structure, reason, and inflexible law. Practitioners gain a deep understanding of fundamental natural order, able to enforce their supreme will upon it. If inherited, the highest form of the talent will appear in 1 in 250 direct descendants.]
"Perfect! I'll take all of them!" he said with - once again - zero hesitation. "Affirmative, you now have 0 APs available for use. Continue?" He hastily hit the [Yes] button within the blue box. "Perfect, please beware. You will only retain basic knowledge of this conversation, you will not keep any of the knowledge you were given today. You will be granted basic knowledge of the world. Your purpose is to assist the path of what hopes to be the greatest family ever. Transporting has begun, you will now become 'Juniel, FS-984, The Family System'." The being felt something it hadn't felt before - not in all of whatever time it had existed. Not fear. Not reluctance. Something quieter than both. The weight of a name.