Chapter 9: Encountering a Mysterious System?
Chapter 9: Encountering a Mysterious System?
‘It does seem to be working as it said.’ Compass Carburettor thought as he looked around, able to sense some sense of threat from multiple directions. Picking one that seemed to be the weakest of the lot, he walked in the respective direction, ensuring to always hide behind the trees as he moved.
He didn’t have the confidence to saunter freely in the System World. ‘If only Earth was a supernatural world, I would have been equipped with some powers to help hide me.’
He then shook his head, ‘I can only make do with what I have.’
Frowning, he thought, ‘The Money-Making System would have entered Stencil’s body already. She’s only eight years old now, not at an age where she could achieve much. There is a good chance the System would only lie in wait until she’s old enough, probably around 15 years old like me when our mental states are most volatile due to puberty.’
‘But, Stencil has been mature and level headed for her age. She’s not trash, not even close to anything I was at her age. So, how will the Money-Making System go about it? Revenge alone?’ Upon reaching this line of thought, he scowled, ‘Dammit! Even if I were to save her in the end, she would have led a life of suffering until that point. How long would I have to wait until the Money-Making System returns here? 10 years? 20 years like in my case? 30 years?’
“And even if it does return, I have no way of knowing when that might happen,” He muttered, sighing as he massaged his forehead, taking out a kerchief from his pocket as he wiped his face, cleaning it a bit. “I need more information.”
“But first things first, I need to obtain a System Fragment and strengthen myself.” He frowned, thinking, ‘In the end, Fourth was behaving strangely, almost like a madman as he looked at that spinning top. Why was that the case?’
After thinking for some more time, Compass Carburettor shook his head, intending to worry about them later. At present, he had no experience to gauge the information he perceived. So instead of worrying about everything with no sense of direction, he planned to head into a world and decide accordingly.
Soon, he arrived closer to a System that was seated before a rock. It had a humanoid appearance but sported a face that looked like a bucket. And, the bucket handle dangled on one side like a broken cord, swinging even though no wind blew through the area.
“Wind Breaker System, you traitorous bastard. You dare snatch my prey from me?” The System shouted in rage before stomping on the ground.
Compass Carburettor noticed its actions, realising a point, ‘Even if they look humanoid, their actions have an effect on the environment no different to when a human does the same.’
He thought as such because when the System flailed in the place, a couple of leaves flew because of its actions. And, this was no different if the case had been a human doing the same. So, it meant that while in the System World, the System had to follow certain laws of their own that made them like this.
‘But, Fourth told me to only attack Systems while in a world. Is it because if I tried to refine a body part of a System here, something would sense it? Possibly a Grade 3 or 4 System?’ He thought before shaking his head, ‘I’ll just tread on the safe route.’
The raging System then calmed down before it waved its hand, clenching it into a fist as its fist trembled for a good hour before condensing a portal. Based on what Fourth told him, a portal showed details from the point of view of the person that the System chose as a target.
So, it would show the scene that the target was looking at. And now, the portal was showing the figure of a giant that was standing before a mountain that was dripping lava. And, it seemed to be staring straight at the portal, moving its mouth, seemingly saying something.
The giant was conversing with the System’s target. Upon seeing the land covered by lava rivers, Compass Carburettor gave up on entering that world. He was currently positioned fifty metres from the portal. Hitting it would be easy.
But, he didn’t wish to head into a land of giants that lived in and around a field of lava. He would probably die within minutes of setting foot there.
Compass Carburettor mentally sighed as he watched the System jump into the portal. The moment it entered, the portal shrunk within a second and disappeared.
‘There’s only a second of interval after the System enters the portal. I have to target it within that interval.’ He assumed based on Fourth’s actions, ‘Maybe if I touched it before that, I would travel through the portal first. So, the System might notice me?’
He quickly left the place, heading in the direction of another relatively weaker sense of threat. While heading to the location, he came across a trench that was only a couple of metres deep. And, the slope wasn’t steep, easily scalable for him.
Just when he planned to cross it, he heard some hopping sounds as the sounds seem to be heading towards him. Upon seeing a black shadow in the thicket of trees on the other side of the trench, Compass Carburettor hurriedly dived behind a tree, noticing the sounds turn louder and louder as his heart thumped louder and louder in response.
He hurriedly placed his hand above his mouth to ensure he wouldn’t scream in fear as the sounds turned incredibly close; a figure flashed past. It was a deer, but one that was four times the size of those found on Earth.
As it jumped past, its eyes turned, gazing at the crouched figure of Compass Carburettor that seemed to be shivering in response to its gaze. Upon making eye contact, it didn’t do anything, simply ignoring him as it continued to hop past, soon disappearing from the place.