Chapter 2: System and Attributes

The young man stood before the mirror, his gaze fixed on his reflection as he mulled over his future plans. "Since they will call me Lo in the future, I might as well adopt the name in this world as well," With a sigh, he tore his gaze away from the mirror and strode towards the futuristic table in the center of the room.

Sliding into the sleek black chair, Lo retrieved a pen and a leather-bound notebook from his pocket. He flipped through its pages and began writing down his future plans, as he pondered his options, a flicker of uncertainty crept into his mind.

"I need more information," he muttered, while his pen hovering above the page. "I must confirm if events will unfold at the same pace as the original story. But how..." Lo trailed off, his thoughts in turmoil.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Perhaps the system can help me,"

[ the system is an assistant to the host, the syst... ]

[ ■■■■■■ has invaded the system ]

[ Error! ]

[ %@#&@%#& ]

"W-Whats happening!" Lo exclaimed in shock.

"I never ever heard about a situation like this in the novel before!"

[ Due to ■■■■■■, the system has identified you as an ■■■■■ ]

Ding!..

Ding!..

[ The host has unlocked the [ System Shop ]...

for more information, proceed to call out [ System Shop ] ]

[ The host has unlocked the [ Lector ]...

for more information, proceed to call out [ Lector ] ]

'....'

Lo's mind raced with confusion as he struggled to come to terms with what had just happened to the system. Doubts about his own memories surfaced as he tried to recall information about bloodlines and talents. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss, especially when he remembered the last type of energy being called something different than what it was now.

"I know all the energies from the novel, but the name ■■■■■ just feels off. I remember it being called something else," he mumbled, his brows furrowed.

Frustrated and perplexed by the sudden appearance of variables, Lo let out a sigh of defeat. "I haven't even started the main story yet, and already, things are going off the rails," he grumbled while his mind racing with a million different questions.

"I suppose there's nothing I can do about it for now," muttering to himself with a resignation, as he cast a gaze towards the sleek futuristic device on the table. he called out, "Lector"

Instead of the familiar ding, however, Lo was startled by the sudden sound of a voice calling out to him, while a holographic window also appeared in front of him.

[ What do you want to know about the Lector? ]

Lo's expression turned cold as he inquired the mysterious voice, "Who are you?"

[ The ■■■■■ has no access to that information ]

"Then why am I here? "Lo demanded, his tone laced with impatience.

[ The ■■■■■ has no access to that information ]

"..."

He pondered the situation, wondering if there was an ulterior motive for his being here. Was he really meant to save the world from the Void Order? And who was the voice that spoke through him?

Several minutes of silence passed due to the unknown variables that did not appear in the original story, Lo asked hesitantly, "Is this really the novel [The Heroes Legacy]?"

[ Will the host pay 100AC for the information? ]

"..."

Looking at his current currency inside the system [ Balance: 112 AC ], Lo cried inwardly, "Why is it so expensive?"

Taking a deep breath, he tried to consider the potential benefits of the information. "Will the cost of information become more expensive if I ask other questions?" he questioned.

The mysterious voice replied.

[ The cost will depend on how relevant the information you want to obtain, the more impactful the information to the story, the more AC you would need to spend. ]

Lo further narrowed his eyes on the holographic window, "What do you mean 'to the story'?" he pressed.

[....]

But as usual, the voice offered little to no answer. He knew that there was no point in pushing for more information right now, since the story had not even begun.

"If you don't want to answer, then fine. Anyways, about my question, yes, I will pay 100 AC for the information," Lo responded with a disheartening tone.

Ding!

[ Calculating.. ]

Ding!

[ Yes. The host is in the world of [The Heroes Legacy]. ]

"Hmm... all this expense for so little information. But I suppose it's worth it, just to confirm whether I'm really inside [ The Heroes Legacy ]. I'll have to check out the [ System Shop ] later, although I doubt I can afford anything in there," Lo muttered with a dispirited tone. He began to plan out his next moves after the start of school.

Three hours later, Lo finished writting down his plans for the next six months. He headed over to a futuristic cabinet and pulled out a short sword with a white and blue wooden scabbard. Nodding contentedly, he thought to himself, "Even though I've never held a sword before in my entire life, I feel like I could get used to this. Before I go, I should check the [ System Shop ] to see if there's anything useful."

Lo calls out, "System Shop," and a golden transparent holograph appears in front of him.

[ System Shop - The Host can buy Consumables, Skills books, Traits, and Martial techniques in the System Shop. Ranks are based on Host's Rank. ]

[ Categories :

[ 0th Mortal ]

[ 1st Star ( locked )]

[ 2nd Star ( locked )]

[ 3rd Star ( locked )]

...

]

Lo navigates to the [ 0th mortal ] category and clicks on it. Suddenly, another golden holograph appears, overtaking the previous one.

[ List : ]

[ Consumables ]

[ Skills ( locked ) ]

[ Traits ( locked ) ]

[ Martial technique ( locked ) ]

"As expected... I'm too weak to even make use of the System Shop, even though it's supposed to help me in the early stages of the story," Lo mumbled irritably to himself.

Lo navigates to the [ Consumables ] tab and clicks on it.

[ Consumables :

[ Pill of Hypnosis ]

[ Poison Djinn's Needle ]

[ Hermes's Feather ]

...

]

Skimming through the [ consumables ] tab, he checked the list until he stopped as his eyes gradually widen in shock. clicking the item, he check the information related to the item called, [ Shadow Identification ]

[ Shadow Identification -

When the host consumes this item, they become identical to a chosen person

>Restriction :

~The effect is instantly nullified if the host engages in combat.

~The host must have a general understanding of the person they want to become.

~Stats are reduced by 50% while in effect.

~The host can only morph into a person of the same rank.

~Individuals with a 4th crescent rank or higher can see through the disguise.

Warning : **this item can only be used once, and the effect can be deactivated.**

Stock -( 10 ) Cost -( 5 AC ) ]

[ ]

After purchasing [ Shadow Identification ], Lo's face lit up with excitement. "This item is truly unique! I've never heard of it inside the novel. Although the restrictions are a bit of a hassle, it would greatly aid me in infiltration and make my plans much easier to execute."

"It's a shame I don't have enough AC to purchase more," he lamented with a sigh.

Upon acquiring [ Shadow Identification ], Lo left his futuristic room and exited the building. As he stepped outside, he was met with a mesmerizing sight. Countless people dressed in modern clothes walking down the streets, hovercars flew through the air, and skyscrapers of varying designs dotted the entire city.

"W-wow! So this is one of the four cities inside the human domain!" Lo exclaimed, feeling a sense of wonder and amazement. Despite the beauty of the futuristic city, he found himself unable to recognize it.

Lo delved into his memories, 'So, I am in the City of Mesh. It's still the same in the novel, huh? The human domain is divided into four major cities: the cities of Lea, Relon, Grey, and Mesh. These four cities are owned by four of the human domain's eight great clans, as their names suggest: Lea, Relon, Grey, and Mesh.'

'Anyways, I need to go to a public gate to train,' Lo thought to himself as he navigated through the crowded streets. He finally arrived at a modern skyscraper made of blue-colored reinforced glass with a holographic sign that read 'Messia.'

Consuming [ Shadow Identification ], his appearance slowly morphed into that of a young adult with short black hair, round black eyes, and a big scar on his left cheek. He also grew taller, from 174cm to 181cm, and his body appeared leaner.

'Great! now no one would be able to recognize who I am,' Lo thought inwardly before entering the skyscraper.

Walking inside, Lo noticed numerous people talking to each other, several people finding parties, and a constant stream of people entering and exiting the public gates.

Approaching the counter, Lo's attention was caught by the receptionist, she is a striking beauty with a long black hair, shining yellow eyes that gave off a noble aura, and a slim body that could have been a top model on Earth. She greeted him with a pleasant smile, "Good morning, sir. This is Messia, Mesh's largest public gate organization. You don't need to have a hunter's license to enter a public gate, as long as you have enough AC to enter."

Lo nodded, trying to maintain his composure.

"What rank would you like to enter?"

"0th mortal rank,"

"That will be 5 AC, and I will also need your identification to enter the public gate,"

Lo remembered that teens under 16 years old were not allowed to enter Gates, Tower, Dungeon, and The Wilderness, according to an agreement between the principal of Aleksia and the Great Eight Noble Clans.

The receptionist displayed a device, and a hologram resembling a hand scanner appeared. placing his hand on the hologram, it began scanning.

Tzz..

Tzzz..

Ting!.

A transparent window appeared mid-air, displaying his status window.

[ User : Makra Gloreya

Rank : 0th(intermediate) Mortal Ran

Age : 21

Skills : None ]

Lo looked at the hologram, as he realized it only displayed his Rank, Age, and Skills. and recalled a different scanner, one that could detect rank potential, bloodline, and talents. It was called the 'Scanner of M-Marea...' Lo wasn't a fan of the name, but he had to gave credit to the researcher who invented it.

"Okay, Sir Makra, you may wait for your turn in the queue,"

Lo nodded and waited in line. While waiting, he took the opportunity to examine his attributes more closely. He called out, "System Attributes."

[ Lo, ???

Rank : 0th(Intermediate) Mortal Rank

Strength : 0th ( 7.4 )

Agility : 0th+ ( 10.6 )

Perception : 0th ( 8.7 )

Intelligence : 0th ( 6.9 )

Mana Capacity : 0th ( 5.3 )

**System Review : ( 7.78 )**..

]

Lo was curious about the attribute system, but the narrator of the story didn't provide much explanation. He wondered how it the attribute system worked, "System, can you please explain how the system determines an individual's rank? What do 0th-, 0th, and 0th+ mean? Also, can you show me the required stats to ascend the ranks from Low 0th mortal rank to Peak 3rd Star rank?"

Ding!..

[ The host's rank is determined by the system review; each attribute is ranked based on the number of stats it has. ]

[ Low Mortal : 1 - 4

Intermediate Mortal : 5 - 9

Peak Mortal : 10 - 15

Low 1st Star : 16 - 18

Intermediate 1st Star : 19 - 21

Peak 1st Star : 22 - 25

Low 2nd Star : 26 - 28

Intermediate 2nd Star : 29 - 31

Peak 2nd Star : 32 - 35

Low 3rd Star : 36 - 38

Intermediate 3rd Star : 39 - 41

Peak 3rd Star : 42 - 45 ]

'I see. Thank you, System,'

"All right, Sir Makra, it's your turn to enter the gate,"

Nodding his head, Lo stepped forward passing through the blue gate and disappearing from everyone's view.