The System’s Harvester

Late Evening - Early Summer : Arlington, Virginia | East Coast United States

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"I am very, very sorry for being unable to get to you sooner..." *Woosh* Opening the door to his office, Alrek motioned me inside. "System Enforcers are only ever sent out under the most extreme circumstances, so it's unfortunately not unlikely people have already begun calling you a monster.. especially considering how many people saw that you were the enforcer's target."

Casually walking inside, I looked over at him. "Are human-looking monsters common here?"

He immediately nodded as he followed me into the office. "They're extremely troublesome beings, but they generally fall into one of a few categories." Walking past me, he motioned me toward a couch sat next to a short table at the center of the room. "Go ahead and have a seat while we talk."

It appeared to be a meeting area, with three couches centered around a large, but short table at the center of the room in front of his rather grand wooden desk.

But while quite aesthetic, it was completely covered in paper, with several stacks at least a dozen centimeters tall being silhouetted by the glow of city lights passing through the massive window spanning the entire wall behind them.

From the 187th floor, it made for quite an incredible vista.

But my mind was already preoccupied.

*Puff* Quickly sitting down, I leaned into the couch and watched Alrek walk up to his desk and begin sifting through papers.

"The general classifications are 'Destroyers', 'Mimics', and 'Shells', with destroyers being actual 'humans', and Mimics and Shells being traditional monsters."

-They're familiar with destroyers?- Tilting my head, I felt a wave of doubt wash over me. "What are the differences between each?"

Finally getting together several papers, he walked back over to the couches before sitting on the one adjacent to mine. "Mimics are the most simple, I'm sure you're already fairly familiar with the monster, but this classification is for any monster that transforms or uses illusion magic to look like a human. Typically they don't have much consciousness, can't speak, move unnaturally, don't have local system panels, and so on, so they're very easy to detect and catch. Shells are one step up from that, being monsters that have physically possessed the body of a deceased system user. In most cases, their speech is very limited and their movement is sluggish, but they still keep the local system panels of their host, so they aren't nearly as easy to catch."

They were types of monsters I was only vaguely familiar with. -It's been a really long time since I've seen one... I forgot about them...- "And what about destroyers?"

He quickly continued. "They are what we call system users who abuse their strength, deliberately spread chaos, or 'view society as an obstacle'. Interpret that last notion as you wish..." *Fwip-Fwip* Sorting papers on the table, he spoke while falling into focus. "For a long time, they were known as 'villains', but after an apostle spoke about a divination a hundred years ago, we began using the term destroyer... It was more appropriate."

-Ah, so it's the same term as what the admins use, it's just on a much broader scale...- Essentially, they were classifying any criminal that was a system user as a destroyer, while the admins reserved the term for.. much more troublesome beings... -I think, anyway...- "And you think people will assume I'm a destroyer?"

He immediately nodded. "Considering the rather extreme response of system enforcers being issued, and the fact you survived without a scratch.. people have probably already started accusing you of being a destroyer 'beyond the class of Earth'." He spoke as if quoting off a paper.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Genuine confusion immediately washed over my face.

"System Mercenaries aren't allowed to return to worlds that they personally exceed the rank of, so, for example, if you were doing missions in Rank 3 worlds and your strength was average for that class of system mercenary, the lowest rank of world you could visit would maybe be Rank 5."

-O..Oh...- "Do exceptions to that rule ever happen?"

"We believe yes, however apostles have said that administrators expel them from Earth before they can do anything..." Quickly sliding me a piece of paper, he continued with a mix of pain and discomfort. "The biggest exception that was left to roam was this man."

Picking up the sheet, I looked down to see the portrait of a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, a regular-looking half-elf mage with nothing particularly special about his appearance besides a small scar at the base of his neck. -How painfully average...- It was almost like the portrait was of someone using magic to blend into a crowd.

"He returned about 40 years ago and was level 845. When the local Turkish military went to intercept him, he crushed them and sank the country in a matter of days. At the time, he was the strongest person on Earth, and his ability to blend in was completely unmatched..." His expression darkened as bad memories seemed to surface. "At the end of it all, it took ten years to catch him, and he racked up a kill count in the millions. Ever since, anomalies like this have not been taken lightly..."

"By anomalies, you mean-"

"The System Enforcers being called." Finally finishing his sorting, he pushed a stack of papers to the opposite side of the table, where no one sat, and turned to me. "Which is why we need to approach this very carefully... You aren't someone this city can afford to upset, however, I would highly recommend your cooperation." His expression quickly stiffened with caution. "Even elephants can be killed by a swarm of ants."

-How firm.- Finally straightening my posture and leaning back, my gaze dulled and nonchalance faded. "Alright... What do you need to know?"

"Hooh..." He let out a long breath as if to calm his nerves before looking me in the eyes. "I need to know the details of what happened to you when you returned to Earth. The more I know, the better the ISO can protect you from misunderstanding."

-Perfect.- "Then I will tell you all I know." -With a few twists, of course...- Covering my mouth with my hand, I felt a hint of relief surface in my mind. -I can't get too comfortable yet, but.. this is looking good...-

Although the situation was absolutely terrible, the recovery from it actually seemed alright. -The question is whether Michael will help...-

When the system enforcers first appeared, I immediately questioned whether Michael was the one to call them, but the more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed. -If he was related to it, he would be kissing my ass with apologies to make sure I didn't accuse him of it, yet he isn't here...- It meant he was either extremely confident he could dispel my worries or he wasn't yet aware of what happened.

Whichever the answer, only time could tell.

Continuing my conversation with Alrek, we spoke about 'everything' related to my return before I eventually brought up killing The Warden, and damaging Richmond's wall when the railgun shot at me, only leaving out my fight with the apostle in an attempt to give him details he could use as leverage when inevitably speaking with the military. -The issue is that pilot...-

Diana was a bomb I wasn't sure how to handle. -If she exposes that I killed the apostle.. it'll get troublesome even with the ISO's help...-

But the situation was like a maze... I needed to focus on taking things one turn at a time.

After wrapping up my talk with Alrek, he had another employee guide me to a higher floor where there was a visitor's suite for me to stay in until Alrek's boss returned. According to him, I just needed to stay put and let him handle everything for the time being.

And I wasn't going to complain.

*Puff* But after stretching out on the bed in the suite, I felt restless. There was an unease that I couldn't quite shake no matter what I did. -But.. it's unfamiliar...-

Quickly sitting up, I looked down into my palm as it faintly shook. "Haah..." It was unlike me.

It felt like anxiety or nervousness. -But why...- *Puff* Falling back onto the bed, I looked up at the night sky displayed on the ceiling with a soft gaze. -What am I even doing...-

Having returned to Earth and gained access to a nigh-endless volume of mana, I was excited. For the first time in what felt like eons, I was actually curious about something, and there was nothing stopping me from fulfilling that curiosity to my hearts content.

On Earth, I was literally unstoppable. If I wanted to rule the world, all I had to do was reach out my hand. -So why am I just laying here.. worried that I'll be targetted by a single country...- Sure, at the end of it all, it would be annoying, but after a while, they would eventually realize fighting me was a fruitless effort.

And to me, a couple years was nothing. -It'd pass in a flash.- Yet I still felt.. off...

"Is it that I'm.. overwhelmed?" Turning my head to look out the huge window, I looked out over an endless sea of buildings, peering through the lit windows of nearby skyscrapers to see businessmen working hard deep into the night regardless of the chaos that had filled the city.

But while everything I looked at was a new sight.. at the same time none of it was. Being constantly tossed into new worlds was something I was all too familiar with. The sensation of something being 'new' or 'unfamiliar' were simply things I had become numb to with time. The same went for the feelings of loneliness and isolation.

I had grown used to them all.

The only thing that defied that, was mana.

Instead of being a feeling, it was like I had suddenly grown another arm, sprouted wings, or opened a third eye.

*Pat* But even as I sat their, laying my hand on my stomach, I didn't do anything about it.

I was curious, but not enough to move.

I had no motive. No reason to grow.

For eons, my motive was survival. If I didn't constantly grow, I would eventually fall behind and it would bring about my death. At every waking moment, I had to dedicate myself to growing stronger or else I would get killed.

But on Earth, I was so far ahead of the curve it didn't matter. Even if I didn't advance my knowledge of mana at all, it would take hundreds, if not thousands of years for Earth to reach a rank where there could be a threat to me. "Haah..." -So what do I do...- Staring listlessly into the pixelated sky above me, I felt time slowly slip from my grasp. -How do I motivate myself with curiosity alone...-

*Crackle* But as I laid there, the sound of static suddenly filled the room, and a presence appeared behind me. "~What is it you desire?~" The voice was deep and filled with arrogance.

"A motive." I replied bluntly.

"~Hoh?~" The voice sounded surprised. "~What an odd response...~"

I had to snicker. "What did you expect? Even you administrators, the so-called gods of this world can't lay a scratch on me." Looking up, my eyes fell on the figure of a black-haired and red-eyed man standing over me.

But instead of looking stressed like Michael, or afraid like the administrator he killed, this man wore a smile. "~Haha, normally I would execute someone for such a statement... But it doesn't leave your mouth as arrogance, does it?~"

Looking back up at the sky, I continued. "You want to find out yourself?"

"~It was meant to be a rhetorical question. My apologies if it pushed the wrong button.~" Taking a few steps back, he spoke with coercion. "~I may be able to help you though... You see, I was in a similar position to you at one point. I traveled between worlds as a slave of the system for so long that I forgot what it was like to slow down... When I died and found myself here on Earth, reborn as a god, I was bored.. unbelievably so... Earth didn't even have mana at the time.~"

Sitting up, I looked over and matched his gaze. "So, what did you do?"

I expected an answer, but he simply shrugged. "~I found joy in helping advance the progress of humanity, using natural disasters and wars to accelerate their growth.~" He paused as his smile slowly faded. "~But I know that's not the answer you were looking for, so I would like to extend an offer... I have a method to expose you to the system again.~"

-Expose me to the system?- My gaze narrowed with skepticism. "What do you mean?"

*Snap* Snapping his fingers, a panel instantly appeared in front of me. "~Well, you see, since your profile was completely wiped, you aren't marked as a mercenary.~" His smile slowly widened as he stared into my eyes. "~If you'd like, I can mark your data link as a mercenary, and you will be able to visit other low-level worlds as you wish until you find what you're looking for.~"

It was actually a pretty enticing offer. -But there's something he isn't telling me...- *Vwoop* Opening his local system panel, my gaze turned skeptical.

-He definitely isn't who his panel says he is...- Looking him in the eyes, I dulled my gaze. "So, will I be able to return to Earth once I find something to motivate me?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Of course! I guarantee you on the integrity of the System."

-The integrity of the system, my ass...- I wanted to just brush it off and send him on his way, but as I closed his local system panel and looked back at the panel he made appear before me, I found myself being indecisive.

It was oh-so-obviously a trap, but the longer I stared at it, the more I wanted to fall for it. -I wonder what will happen...-

But after a moment, I waved it away. "I'll pass."

The man immediately tilted his head with a confused look. "~Is that so? I guess I can't force you to do anything...~" His demeanor changed in an instant. "~What a shame. I thought I was pretty convincing.~"

My unamused gaze quickly shifted up to him.

"~I was hoping you wouldn't make this difficult.~" As his voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze became lifeless. "~I really don't like forcing people to do things, but unfortunately, if you remain here things will only get more difficult for me...~"

*Vwoop* As a gate started forming around me, I instantly darted out of it, escaping in the nick of time.

-Holy shit...- It was a way faster gate than anything I had ever seen.

"~Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be.~" *Vwoom* As the gate compressed and disappeared, removing a section of the bed, floor, and ceiling in a flash, I found a different man standing in front of me.

His eyes were white and faded like that of a blind man, with a pure white robe and two long, curled horns sticking out of his head.

*BeEeEpP* The sound of the System distorted as I opened his system panel.

But it only fed me errors, flickering with different names and levels as if none of it mattered. *CRACKLE*

"~Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be Evren...~" As he pointed his palm at me, I felt my instincts scream for the first time in centuries. "~You are still a mortal.~"

*Fwip* But the moment I darted back, he curled his fingers, everything went dark and silent, and it felt like I was suddenly standing in the center of a black hole, unable to move while being crushed into nothingness.

There was no longer any ground beneath my feet, nor a ceiling over my head. Even as I released my mana, there was nothing around me.

The only thing I could see was the man's glowing figure, floating in a field of nothingness just out of reach, looking down upon me with a look of pity. "~You are a harvester for the System, don't get ahead of yourself.~" His voice carried a hint of bitterness as his gaze matched mine. "~You do not own your fate. Even if you try to run or hide, your owner will find you.~"

*VWOOM* Seeing me slowly managing to move, he tightened his grip to a fist, and the pressure on me multiplied in magnitude by thousands of times. "ACK-" It was an unfathomable force coming from every angle, all at once, making my ears bleed, and body ache.

But there was nothing I hated more than the pity that filled his eyes.

"Owner?" Forcing my head up through the pressure, I looked at him with a fiery glow in my eyes. "I'm a stray cat no one knew existed until I broke your stupid fucking system. Do you know how long I had gone without receiving anything from it?! Do you know of all the errors that nearly got me killed?!"

He fell silent as he looked deep into my eyes as if looking at my soul.

*CrRrRrAcKLE* Forcing myself through the immense force, bloodlust flooded into the space between us and a craze found its way into my eyes. “To have the audacity to say I wasn't abandoned.. you better pray I don’t get my hands on you one day…” Staring into his eyes with dilated pupils, I spoke with a hint of insanity. “The moment I touch you, I’m going to wring your neck like a fucking chicken.”

But he didn’t react at all. “~Is that so?~” Speaking without emotion, he lifted his hand. “~I don't have a reason to pray though.~” *Vwoop* With a gentle wave, he disappeared, and I found myself back in the visitor's suite.

But before I could even orient myself, my feet lifted off the ground. -What the?!-

*WOOOOOSH-WHAAAM* Falling into a thick bed of massive leaves, the room rotated sending me sliding down the floor like a slide before slamming into the window. *THUD-CRACK*

Thankfully, the glass caught me, but as I looked down to see the cracks that filled the window, instead of seeing anything I would expect from Earth, I found the suite hanging from the canopy of a massive tree, looming over a huge river, filled with raging rapids and colossal fish. -You have to be fucking kidding me…-

I could tell by the air alone that it wasn’t Earth, but as I anxiously opened my main system panel, my heart sank.

-You.. can't be serious...- The world's rank was an error.

The same rank as the last dozen worlds I destroyed before my system was wiped, and the highest planet rank I had ever seen.

Except now, I didn't have any upgrades. "Fuck..." -This.. might be a problem...-

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