System Interface

CHAPTER 6

[Host Status]

[Name: Carter Griana]

[Origin Planet: Earth]

[Race: Human]

[System Points: -]

[Assets: -]

[Age: 23]

[Occupation: Simple Store Owner]

[Contracts Finalized: -]

[Projects Completed: -]

[Renown: -]

[Abilities: Null]

[Skills: Null]

[NOTE: Status Upgrade At Store Level 2]

****

Carter's lips twitched as he read the self-explanatory Status Window displayed before him, he thought there would be something special about it but all he got were things he already knew about himself.

"What is the relevance of this window then?" he asked, slightly irritated at the apparent uselessness of the system.

"Not even attributes or anything?" He clicked his tongue.

[Don't be so shortsighted] Was the cold reply he received.

Sighing to calm himself down, he gritted his teeth and sent a mental command to open the Store Status Window.

/

[Store Status]

[Owner: Carter Griana (100%)]

[Shop Renown: Unknown]

[Level 1(+1 Upgrade pending)]

[Capital: (Calculating) ]

[Estimated Value of Store's Assets: (Calculating)]

[Facilities: Staff Restroom]

[Unlocked System Perks: -]

[Employees: - ]

[NOTE: Status Upgrade at Store Level 2]

\

"Okay, that's just. . . hopefully the upgrade will do something at least" he sighed, too tired to complain.

Moving on, he opened the one he was most excited about.

[SYSTEM SHOP]

[Slave Market**]

[System Products**]

[System Technology**]

[Facilities]

[Note: (**) Tags can only be used by the Host or Shop Employees, items cannot be gifted, stolen, or lost.]

Seeing the sub-tabs, he hesitated to open them, eventually deciding to come back to it.

[CONTRACTS]

[Pending Contracts: 6]

Without hesitation, he extended the tab.

[System Note: Only one Contract is visible due to the Host's low level]

[Contract Details: The Divine Shop is to supply 10 workers to Planet Nitra Yearly.]

[Current No. Of Workers Owed: 7890]

Carter immediately blanked.

"System, I need an explanation" he uttered coldly.

[The Host inherits all obligations and remuneration of Indefinite Contracts signed by your Predecessors]

"Yes, I got that much but the exaggerated amount..."

[Simple, it has been 789 years since the System was last active]

Carter struggled for a moment to accept the implications of this, wouldn't that mean that he would have to make up for the other contracts too? What was his predecessors thinking? He wondered.

Sighing, he decided to proceed, excited about the prospect of revisiting the System Shop.

[Employee Window]

[There are no Employees in the Store at this time]

"That's simple and straightforward," he thought with a nod.

The last window as well as the only one blinking subtly.

[Upgrade Window]

[System Note: Bussiness has an almost infinite definition, the system respects the free will of Hosts to decide their development direction. Thus, the upgrade Window is where Hosts selects his development direction so that the system can tailor each upgrade to your choices]

[Upgrade Options]

[Selected Options]

[Upgrade Points: 2]

Opening the Upgrade Options Tab, Carter shivered at the infinite options appearing before his eyes. He immediately closed them forgetting that the system window was not a physical thing but something within his mindscape.

With no choice but to adapt to it, Carter took a few minutes to train his mind to focus on the options as a list. A list appeared before him, the options displayed on it changing according to his thoughts.

"If I understand this right, I need Upgrade Points to choose Upgrade Paths"

Considering carefully, an idea struck him and he smiled. "Best mall in the world huh? Then. . . let's start."

"What's a mall without a restaurant?" with that thought, the option popped on the the top of the list and as he quickly selected it, one upgrade point was deducted.

His second choice was unconventional, he chose a Residency. For this, he had his personal considerations rather than ambition.

With upgrade paths chosen, the window tab stopped blinking and instead, the plus sign in his Store Status began blinking.

Struggling with a disgruntled expression, he gritted his teeth and decided to check out the shop anyway.

At the end of the day, he had to close it with a bitter expression and tears almost falling out of his eyes. The things he had seen, he desperately wanted but the prices for them. . . he decided to delete the memory from his mind and simply click on the plus sign in the store Upgrade tab.

Waiting expectantly with his eyes scanning the shop, Carter held his breath and watched as. . . nothing happened.

Maybe a little longer. An hour later. . . nothing happened.

[Please take a look at the Store Status Window again] The system's cold voice spoke in his mind and he could swear he heard a sigh.

Doing as was told, he finally noticed a change.

[Store Status]

[Owner: Carter Griana (100%)]

[Shop Renown: Unknown]

[Level 2 (E.T.A of Upgrade Crew: 7hrs; Estimated Time of Upgrade completion:7hrs, 40mins]

[Capital: $101,572,749 ]

[Estimated Value of Store's Assets: $917,934,018]

[Facilities: Staff Restroom (Upgrade Pending), Staff Residence (Pending), Owners Residence(Pending), Eatery (Pending)]

[Unlocked System Perks: Protective Force Field]

[Employees: Alisha (Cleaner), Hartley(Guard)]

[NOTE: Status Upgrade at Store Level 3]

"What's going on?" Carter was dumbfounded. Not because of the changes, the system was easy to understand, what confused him was why the upgrade wasn't as instantaneous as he imagined it should be. Or the arrival of the two Employees as magical and sudden as he'd read in books.

[I advise the Host to remain clear-headed. Magic is not real, I am not magical, Construction companies have been hired to make the needed changes. As this is the first time, all expenses will be covered by the system. Subsequent upgrades will require the Host to pay corresponding costs. As for the employees, they are in a standing contract with the system, not all contracts have the system as the contracted party. Wake up!]

As expected, the system's clarification ended derisively.

***

Noon came and Sienna loyally returned with lunch for Carter, after which he explained to her that the Store needed to be locked for an upgrade. Unwilling to spend the night in the Store, Sienna returned home while Carter excitedly waited to see aliens for the first time.