[Wa….]

[…..ng]

[Warning]

[Warning]

[User Cassandra must wake up.]

The System’s voice woke me up, but I still felt really tired.

“What? Why?” I asked out loud with a groggy voice, my jaw no longer stuck.

[User must use the skill {Body Regeneration} immediately.]

“Why?” I still felt woozy, being woken up out of nowhere wasn’t fun.

[User currently has internal bleeding. System was unable to identify the issue before user started sleeping. Without the use of the skill, user will bleed out.]

“Ok, ok. Tell me how I use that skill so I can go back to bed,” I groaned, trying to shift my position, but I felt really weak. Maybe I was still tired from the previous day.

[Think about the name of the skill {Body Regeneration} with the intention of using it on user's stomach.]

“Right, right,” I mumbled and thought about the skill. It took me a while. When using {Compression} I would focus on the pole, but with {Body Regeneration}, it wasn’t as simple as focusing on my body. Only once my mind went towards the idea of regeneration. How blood would coagulate forming a scab and then heal over time that the skill finally triggered. And that was one of the weirdest feelings I ever felt in my life. Something left my body by going inside it. There was no other way to describe that. It is as if the layer of skin from my organs peeled off and started moving around without any pain.

I tried to go back to sleep, but that sensation was too weird. With yet another groan, I sat up, but a sharp pain on the side of my stomach woke me up completely.

“Ouch. What the hell?” my hand was holding the left side of my stomach as if that was going to help with the pain.

[That is the location of the internal injury. A part of your small intestine ripped open yesterday. System was unable to recognize the danger before user slept.]

“So you can also tell me where or how I’m hurt?” I asked.

[System is aware of everything the user is aware. Including situations that are known to user’s body but not to user’s mind. Due to the user’s increased value of Body, System was not prepared to identify such a small wound. As the wound became unable to heal itself naturally, the risk of an internal hemorrhage became a reality.]

“Yes. The answer is yes, then. Right?”

[Correct. However, there are limitations. Some wounds, diseases, and conditions might not be recognized as an issue to be solved. For instance, autoimmune diseases. Once user’s Body increase, System will be better equipped to recognize threats to user’s body.]

I frowned, reading the message, “Wait, that’s the second time you did that. What is the difference between body and Body, with a capital B?”

[Body refers to the attribute that can be enhanced by System. While body refers to user’s physical form.]

Hearing that, I reached out to the crate. Thankfully, it was right by my side. Using my left hand, I carefully tipped over the jug of water in the open waterskin to fill it. Once it had enough for maybe a cup I started drinking greedily. Eating now might be a bad idea. However, I needed water more than ever before.

After finishing, I refilled the waterskin again, but the bout of thirst was completely gone, which felt odd. If anyone were to stay hours without water, they would be parched even after sleeping. In fact, there were days when I felt that exact effect, and a single cup of water was never enough. Yet… now it was. Even if I were to consider the liquid energy that I drank from the Eater as water, this still felt really odd.

“Ok, let’s get into it. At least is a way to stop me from thinking about what is going on in my gut. What is that Body you are mentioning.”

[That is one of the attributes present in user’s status screen.]

“I have a status screen? Like a video game?”

[Correct.]

“Can I see it?”

[User can access the status screen by simply thinking about it. Just as it does when it communicates with System.]

“Ok… Status?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cassandra Ydorf - Level 5
Mutations: Enduring Heart
Tier 0

Mind 1 - Body - 6
Energy - 4 Energy - 1/3

Skills - 4/4
Quick Tier 1 Evolution - Passive
Energy Storage - Passive - 1 Energy
Body Regeneration - Active - 1 Energy/ 10 minutes
Compression - Active - 1 Energy/ 5 uses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ok…. I am going to need you to explain everything to me. This is... a lot to take in.”

[Understood. The status screen shows user’s name followed by the level. The level currently represents the percentage of user’s body that was enhanced with system particles. Each 10% increase will increase the level by 1.]

“And when I reach 100% or level 10, it will be over? That’s the limit?”

[Incorrect. Once level 10 is reached, user will return to level 1 but become tier 1 instead of tier 0. This will convert the system particles into tier 1 system particles. The total amount of SP in the user's body will be equal to 10% of the original quantity. However, doing so will increase SP’s capabilities and in turn do the same for System and user.]

“Then I get to level 10 again, reset, rinse and repeat?”

[Incorrect. The upgrade from tier 1 into tier 2, and all subsequent upgrades have a different set of rules and requirements. System is able to explain those rules now. However, even if this explanation is given now, it is likely that System will be required to share that knowledge once more in the future.]

I frowned, was this System messing with me again? Saying I was too stupid to understand.

“Why do you think that?”

[User mentioned being overwhelmed multiple times since first coming into contact with System. This suggestion was made to avoid causing such effects.]

“Oh…” I couldn’t say anything against that. It felt… sweet? The system was either looking out for me, or just trying to avoid wasting its time. Either way, any annoyance I had towards that comment vanished, “Thanks. So let’s focus on the status. We have my name, level, then mutations. What are those?”

[Mutations represent unique alterations suffered by the System Particles that exist in user’s body. Said mutations can only happen in extreme conditions when skills are not being used to influence the results.]

I felt some pressure in my stomach, as if someone had stuck a finger inside my bellybutton, but ignored that, focusing on what the System was talking about, “Then why did I have one? Didn’t you say that I only survived because of skills?”

[Due the circumstances surrounding System' integration, the particles became a part of user before any skill was applied. Mutation was generated in the moments where user’s mind was going through the effect know was ‘life flashing before your eyes.]

“So I got that because it took a while for me to accept you?”

[Correct.]

“Right, and what does it do?”

[Just like opening the status windows, user is able to analyze individual parts of the window by calling them as if user was calling System. User does not need to speak out loud in order to do so.]

‘Like this? Enduring Heart,’ I said in my mind, the same way we talked the night before. Only now I realized that there was daylight hitting the entrance of the cave. I should try to see if there was anyone around once I could move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enduring Heart

Increases regeneration and healing skills as the body’s condition becomes more critical. A testament to unyielding resilience, this mutation shines brightest in dire moments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘Oh… ok…hum,’ that last part felt weird. Unyielding resilience that shines in dire moments? Was the System a bit of a poet?

[User seems conflicted. Inquiry: What is the issue?]

‘Nothing. I get what it does. Makes it harder to kill me, in essence. But… I don’t know if I love the way it’s phrased. Don’t be mad, but it feels a bit cringy. And that is not good,’ I admitted knowing this might be a problem. Then again, if I was going to have a room mate in my own mind, I didn’t want to have to lie to it.

[Acknowledged. System can provide variations of the description. Would user like for variations of mutation description?]

“You can change that?”

[Mutation description was created by System once mutation was analyzed. Modification is possible since it is a new mutation. However, once a new description is accepted, it cannot be changed later on.]

“Ok, that’s good, I don’t like the whole ‘Shines brightest in the dire moment.’ Like it’s a fine flair, but it sounds very pretentious,” I could hear how nit-picky I was being, but it was also a way to know how much I could customize this system. Not to mention that it was a good way for me to distract myself from some of the bigger and scarier questions that were already floating in my mind. The last thing I wanted was to become a puppet controlled by the Eaters.

[Acknowledged. Generating alternatives for mutation Enduring Heart.]

[Boosts regeneration and healing powers as the body’s condition worsens. Symbolizing steadfast resilience, this mutation excels in dire circumstances.]

[The tougher the situation, the faster you heal. This mutation proves you bounce back like a champ when the going gets tough.]

[Improves healing and regeneration the closer the body is to critical condition. Reflecting strong resilience, this mutation shines in tough times.]

“How about we mix a bit? The first line of the third, and the second of the second,”

[Acknowledged. System presents the new description of the mutation Enduring Heart]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enduring Heart

Improves healing and regeneration the closer the body is to critical condition. This mutation proves you bounce back like a champ when the going gets tough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yeah, that sounds fun. I like the idea of this. Even if the mutation part still makes me feel weird. Can we change that too? In games or stories that have a system, things like that are titles,” the idea that this was something created by the Eaters was still gnawing on my mind. I knew that wouldn’t go away, but this was just a reminder. Right now, all I wanted was to distract myself for now. Once I knew more about my situation, I would worry about that.

[Acknowledged. Mentions of Mutation have been changed to Title.]