ALL NOVEL Chapter 15: Steps into Society
The current "New Cover" Is likely going to be temporary, but it is art I had done for Evren! It will be released publicly with the next chapter
Late Afternoon - Early Summer : Virginia | East Coast United States
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"'The System Forums', huh?" Sinking into the couch's plush cushions, I sipped on alcohol and nibbled on a bagel while scrolling through countless messages in my system with a disappointed expression. "So, to summarize, it's a database of chatrooms sorted by subject, where people can ask and answer questions?"
"Generally, yes." Bella gently nodded as she started refilling my glass. "It was originally made for researchers, to give them a faster, more universally accessible method of sharing research around the world and between the lunar colonies, but because things like moderation and user restrictions cannot be realistically added, the public having unrestricted access has made it difficult to formally use."
"Ah, so it's a 'system extension' made purely by humans..." -That explains a lot...-
"Essentially, yes." In short, system extensions were any kind of additional feature externally added to the system, whether formally by administrators, or informally by users. "Although not much has been released about how it works, it's a common understanding that it relies on using system artifacts for purposes they aren't meant for, so adding things like rules and restrictions is difficult."
-Of course, without the help of administrators, they have to rely purely on exploits to give it any functionality...- It was the whole reason why the extension was so janky, being embedded directly into the 'Settings and Customization' tab of my data link, and simply using recursively embedded folders to narrow down the subject of the chatrooms. -It doesn't even have a search bar...-
But at the same time, I couldn't help but commend its creators. Compared to system extensions I had seen in other worlds, similarly made without the help of administrators, it was quite usable. -What a clever combination of features...-
Making use of just a handful of features present in other areas of the System, they managed to create an entire forum where anyone could ask anything. -But I'm surprised it's been left untouched for so long...- "Have any administrators spoken about it at all?" Considering it used exploits, which highlighted system vulnerabilities that urgently needed to be patched, it felt odd that they didn't at least properly implement it into the system. At least that way they could fix the exploits the extension relied on.
But Bella didn't seem to know. "I'm.. not sure? The gods of Earth rarely communicate outside of divine oracles."
"Is that so..." -That means Michael, and likely the other admins are mostly hands-off...- Meaning they left humanity to its own devices, not helping or restricting them in any way to act more like a guide than a leader. -Considering Earth's huge population and communication technologies, it's actually not a bad way to manage things.-
In cases like Earth, letting users grow unrestricted while making them rely on themselves instead of leaning on the administrators was a great thing.
-But to be hands-off to the point you don't even fix system vulnerabilities...- "Haah..." It said a lot about the gods themselves. -I'll have to talk to Michael about it when I get the chance...- But I could already tell it was going to lead to a troublesome conversation.
*Puff* Finally leaning back into the couch as I looked up at the clouds zipping by overhead, I swiped away my System.
*Fwip* "In any case, the forums aren't what I'm looking for right now." -I need a huge amount of general knowledge, not nitpicks of details...- But after weighing my options, I also wasn't sure a simple library would be enough. "Does the 'Magic Tower' have anything that could help me?"
"Of course." *th-thump* A faint sound bounced through the lounge as the airship touched down on the runway. "The Magic Tower is the head of United States mana science and system research. Although I can't guarantee they will assist you directly, they do have an archive accessible to registered mercenaries."
-Perfect... Seems like that's where I'm headed after I grab an ID then...- Taking my final moments in the airship to relax, I watched the sky appear to rotate before I finally stood up with a stretch.
"Alright, well.. it seems like this is where we part ways." Glancing over at Bella, I gave a respectful farewell. "I hope you treat yourself well. I enjoyed your company."
Bowing down the floor, her tail curled with joy. "It was truly an honor. If you ever require an assistant or maid, please let the airline know. With my word, they will give you a discount."
"A discount? On what, a robot similar to you?" -Having one could be pretty handy, especially if I can register them in the system...-
But while I gave it some idle thought, she just laughed. "Haha, no. I mean on me, specifically, Madam." Slowly getting up from her bow, she looked at me with a smile.
-Hoh?- "Is that so?" I actually wasn't totally against the idea. "But unfortunately, I don't have any money since I just returned to Earth."
"I believe you can make a transfer with gold, if you have some to spare. Normally it's eight thousand, but with my approval, it would be f-"
"Whatever works best for you." I quickly cut her off. -Only eight thousand...- I honestly didn't know whether to think she was cheap or if gold was simply worth that much on Earth. -In some of those worlds I visited, I couldn't even buy bread for that much...-
But I wasn't complaining. -With some upgrades, she'll be quite useful...-
Plus, I didn't mind the company.
Quickly asking about how the transaction would work, she gave me a short rundown before signaling the captains. In short, I was to directly speak to and pay 'The Trainer', the manager of all the robots on board. However, because of the chaos, I would have to go and pay him in the Guild Hall while Bella stayed behind to have her 'restrictions' removed.
Not really minding, I was then promptly guided back to the hall by the same young man who guided me in and met with the Trainer, but that was when I found out things weren't as cut and dry as I would have liked.
After some back and forth, it turned out that the restrictions he was removing from Bella were only the airship-specific ones, and while I wanted all the restrictions gone, he stated many of them were legally required to prevent things like rebellion and uprising.
It was something to be expected, but at the same time, it was a shame. -Even when I said I'd pay a few times full price he didn't budge... If he'd do it for me, it'd save me some time...-
But there was unfortunately nothing other than money I could offer, so after getting an earful of warnings about why not to remove restrictions, I inevitably paid him a little over five thousand gold, and agreed to pick her up from the 'pet pickup' area of the airport later in the day. -I'll have to ask around to figure out where it is though...- "Is that all?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am." He quickly bowed as he held out a slip of paper. "If you ever need anything else related to trained robots, please contact me."
Gently taking the slip from him, I looked down at it to read: 'Eternity Robotics - Graduate Trainer Mikill Atall' With a list of contact methods I didn't recognize.
-What were these called again? Business cards?- Not caring for it, I quickly threw it into my inventory before turning and making my way outside, following the flow of the crowd.
But as I walked down a wide ramp amidst the crowd, idly thinking about my plans going forward, my casual demeanor flipped on its head, and my eyes went wide. -Woah...-
Looking out over the airfield, I saw so many runways, each loaded with countless grounded aircraft, that it made Richmond look like some backwater town. -Holy shit...-
Continuing out onto the tarmac, my gaze did nothing but wander, taking note of the huge airships that completely dwarfed the one I was in, a huge, familiar railgun looming over the horizon, and countless towering spires that didn't fall behind it in size or grandeur.
Compared to Richmond, it was on a completely different scale. -Holy shit...-
Eventually looking ahead again, I noticed that everyone being evacuated was being forced to go through a series of security and medical assistance checkpoints, and split off from the group, hopping to the top of the airfield's terminal to avoid anything so troublesome.
Almost immediately I found myself standing in front of a huge sign that read...
"Welcome to Arlington." Hearing a voice read it as I looked at it, I glanced over to see a well-equipped man in a formal black uniform.
-He must be a security guard...- Not even opening his system panel, I spoke bluntly. "Would you happen to know where the International Security Organization is?"
Tilting his head with confusion, he seemed to tag me with a system panel before jolting. "Ah, uh..." His tense, confident demeanor instantly crumbled as he stepped to the side and pointed at a huge, glimmering blue spire. "Y..you mean that?"
It honestly looked like it was made of mythril, and with it being at least half a kilometer taller than anything in the surrounding sea of skyscrapers, it certainly stood out. "I guess so." -It's a bit farther than I was hoping.. I'll have to go slow so I don't risk destroying anything...- But it was still about a dozen kilometers away. "Alright, thanks."
*Vwoop-CRACK* Instantly disappearing, I blew past the man, zipping over a huge jungle of tangled roads packed with vehicles before landing on and continuing across the rooftops of smaller buildings, hopping over streets and city blocks with each stride.
But while I wasn't looking forward to spending more than a few seconds running, it didn't take long for me to find that I didn't mind it. -Woah...- Compared to Richmond, Arlington was overflowing with life. With streets filled with vehicles and markets filled with people, it felt like I had traveled back in time a few hundred years and was exploring a new world. -How nostalgic...-
No matter where I looked, there was something I had never seen before, filling my mind with questions that fueled the flame of curiosity in my chest like kerosene.
Before I knew it, I found myself gleefully exploring as I used to do whenever I first visited a new city, checking the markets to see what the city's diversity of resources was like, the residential areas to check on the living conditions of the people, and even a small visit to the industrial region to see where the focuses in development were.
But compared to worlds I had visited in the past, a simple glance around was far from enough. Even compared to Richmond, it felt like a whole different world, rich with culture and bustling with life. -It makes me wonder what the upper district will be like...- Looking up at the towering skyscrapers as I neared them, a gleam appeared in my eyes. -For everything to be so organized... I wonder how they manage everything...-
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- Alrek Ocorro ~
"WHY?!" *WHAM* Slamming my hands on my desk as I jumped up and launched my chair out from under me, I looked at the huge black orb at the center of the room with a furious expression. -Ever since that damn mana wave, I can't catch a break.-
It was our mana gauge, an orb that would turn mana into light, which we then measured to acquire the mana level of a mercenary. By then combining that stat with their system level, class, and general demeanor, we could more accurately estimate their stats and combat power to give them a fitting rank.
Essentially, it was our way of determining the strength of System Users since their system level didn't always match how strong they were, acting more like a general estimate than a reliable value.
But ever since the mana wave blasted through, I couldn't get it to calibrate. -Just what the fuck is wrong with it...-
Quickly flipping a few switches and turning a dial, I walked out from behind the thick wall of tinted glass and set my hand on the gauge. *Pat*
*Woom* It instantly purred to life, vibrating ever so gently as a faintly glowing swirl of yellow and orange light, like the flame of a candle lit up inside it. -It's a bit dimmer than normal.. but it should still give me a number close to my estimate...-
Holding my hand on it for a moment, I continually injected my mana and waited for the machine to beep at me so I could go check the results, but even after several seconds of steady input, it didn't beep. -Is it an issue with the software?- Typically, it was meant to stop after receiving a stable reading for a moment.
But as I looked back at the orb, I noticed the candle-like flame my mana had made was actually dimming, slowly, but steadily. -What the hell? Did the mana wave really break it?-
*Knock-Knock* Hearing a knock, I quickly looked over at the door and saw my coworker nervously peeking in. "Is everything alright? I thought I told you I was busy."
She seemed quite anxious, but I didn't think much of it since she was fairly new and normally a bit skittish. "Uh.. I'm fine, but..." As a bead of sweat formed on her forehead, she looked me in the eyes. "An unregistered mercenary arrived and asked for us to register her.. but.. I don't think we can process her."
"Huh..." -Can't process her?- Looking back at the mana gauge, I saw that the small flicker of light I created wasn't even visible anymore. -Ah.. great...- I could see the paperwork piling up already. -How am I going to report this to management...- But at least for now, I didn't need to think about it. "Haah, alright. I'll check it out..." Finally pulling my hand off the orb, I walked back behind the glass and turned everything off. "I'll probably have to give her a temporary ID for now."
"Oh.. did the mana wave break the gauge?" Finally easing some of her anxiety, she stood up and opened the door for me to walk through.
"I think so. They'll probably have to call over the guys from the Tower to fix it."
"Sounds like it'll be a hassle..."
My expression instantly darkened as I reached over and grabbed my cup of steaming coffee from the table next to the door. "Yeah, I'm really not looking forward to telling an unregistered mercenary to come back at a later time either..." -They're always difficult...-
In my ten years of working with the ISO, unregistered mercenaries, or users from other worlds, who were unfamiliar with Earth's customs were the hardest to deal with out of anyone. -I'd rather deal with gangsters...-
But as I walked out into the crowded reception hall, I immediately noticed how abnormally quiet it was. -What the...- Even though the room had well over a hundred people in it, with many being the typical, arrogant system users, there wasn't a single peep. -What the hell?-
Following their gazes, I found that they were all looking at the area in front of the reception desk and didn't know what to expect. But as I finally rounded a wide pillar to see what had caught everyone's attention, I was presented with the sight of a black-haired woman, likely in her late twenties or early thirties, wearing incredibly heavy-looking white and gold plated armor that had to of been worth a fortune.
It wasn't just for show either, covered in scratches, with a tattered white cloth hanging from her waist, it was instantly made clear that she was an experienced fighter of some kind. -But that isn't enough to make these people so quiet...- She was quite pretty, to the point I would have expected catcalling of some sort, yet there was nothing.
However, my confusion instantaneously vanished when I finally pinged her with a local system panel.
"PFFFT-" Spitting out my coffee as my eyes shot open, I averted my gaze and instantly felt my chest tighten and my heart begin pounding. -LEVEL 600?!-
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