THE UTILITY SYSTEM!

At around 6 o'clock, Jacob slipped into his Unit. There were people in the streets and they did give him the funny look however, it is the modern era, people have the freedom to dress however they saw fit. At least he wasn't totally naked! Just some tears and burns, heck, it was a fashionable masterpiece...in a sense. Enough of that!

Clothes were strewn all over the floor, the trail leading to Clara's room.

'Well, guess Anne's still around,' Jacob smiled after hearing some muffled snoring.

Without delay, he made his way to the bathroom and began the cleansing. His body was slowly regaining its water percentage, hopefully, his skin would absorb more through the shower like the amphibians. He took longer since he was dead set on reviving his hair; using the plethora of hair products in the shower, courtesy of Anne. Bless her short soul.

Jacob walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and brand new, his damp hair wrapped in a towel, he left his torso bare, with only a pair of brown sweat pants on him. Discarding the beyond-repair clothes, he proceeded to make himself some breakfast. Apparently, Anne and Clara had left him some cake, lucky him. Anne was probably more interested in another cake yesternight.

{Synchronization at 97%...98%...99%...100%! Host successfully integrated with.}

Jacob felt a click in his brain and now he certainly was no longer alone anymore.

{Proceeding with the full scan of Host's body.}

Following that announcement, a breeze washed over Jacob, tickling him all over. It began from his head, descended down to his toes, then rounded back to his brain. It made his skin crawl, in a good way.

"Wait, can you do that again?" He requested, that cool tingling sensation was starting to get addicting.

{The scan was thorough, Host should remain assured that nothing has been bypassed and that all has been analyzed to the atomic level.}

'To the atom? Come on, just do it again, that scan thingy made me aware of new stuff in my body. Just one more,' Jacob nudged.

{... Affirmative, initiating another scan.}

And the sensation did another lap inside his body, goosebumps popped on Jacob's skin as he concentrated on that feeling. He felt the shape of his heart as it brisked by, his lungs, liver and many other organs he had not read about. He could feel the flow of his blood, the little cells racing within the streams! His skeleton even! As the sensation did its lap back to his brain, he followed it along the trip, feeling the touch of the mystery on his mind.

"Now that, has got me hooked!" Jacob shivered as he made himself a mug of coffee and went over to the table.

{Merging completed. Welcome, Host, to the Utility System! An out of the world technology has bonded with your conscious and shall aid you in the upcoming adversaries.}

Jacob mulled at the introduction as he sipped his coffee with a slice of Black Forest cake. He ate in silence for a moment, and when his coffee was down to half, he put down his breakfast and addressed his new tenant.

"What would be the catch? No way this is a 'gift' from whatever heavenly entity gracing me with their benevolence." Jacob knew the ways of the world, he had learnt it first hand. There is never a free meal!

{Host is currently of a low tier and need not concern yourself with such unattainable information. Host is adviced to level up and only then shall the system indulge your curiosities and whims.}

"Fair enough. Now, is there a tutorial or am I to do the guess work along the way?" Either way, this was bound to be an adventure, and Jacob was all for it.

{I shall provide whatever information you require within your tier.}

'All this tier stuff...how will I even know where I stand?' Jacob gulped the last of his drink.

{That is of no matter, simply summon your 'status' and you shall be able to operate the system.}

'Status?' Jacob turned the thought over in his mind.

And as if it were a keyword, magic happened before his very eyes. With a shimmer of green, a 24" screen conjured before him, it was translucent and emitting a hue of neon green. There were words on the surface of it; these were in a darker shade of green. Before he could indulge his curiosity, another screen appeared on the left of his field of vision beside the first.

This one was smaller and on it, there was a model of a human's anatomy with its limbs spread out, slowly rotating on itself. This new screen had an extension just a few inches below, with a pie chart and a plethora of constantly updating words. Jacob averted his gaze, there were big terms on that chart; he did not want a headache early this morning.

Then another screen popped up; this time, at the right side of his visual field. Also slightly smaller than the first. It was blank and probably required a prompt. Is what Jacob deduced. The screens were arranged in a manner that they appeared like desktop monitors curving around him. He loved the green theme; it was aesthetic and, by slightly concentrating, he could see past the panels then the table would come to view. Truly, at least he would not be tripping on flat ground like a clown.

"Jace~ Have you forgotten how deep your voice is? Am sure those on the ground floor were awaken by your booming too," Clara yawned as she absentmindedly walked over to the table, stealing Jacob's cake.

"Morning~ who were you talking to?"

She was only dressed in a see-through purple night gown and as Jacob turned towards her, he was pleasantly presented with youthful breasts, perking against the soft fabric; the mounds winked at him. Clara was always careless before Jacob, she presented herself defenselessly all the time; seemingly forgetting he was a man with warm blood running through his veins. He never reacted impulsively towards her, and Clara got more comfortable; it was not that he was not interested interested in her body, Jacob respected boundaries and relationships...but oh god, was he holding back!

Anyways, that was the least of his current concerns. Jacob just realized the screens moved with him; the phantasmal monitors would always be set in his field of vision no matter what direction he was facing! As Clara had not brought up the interface, Jacob concluded that they were only visible to himself; currently. He would need further testing as his roommate still looked sleepy.

Setting that train of thought aside, he focused on the larger screen that was his status.It had a taskbar with icons he could not recognize:

[Name: Jacob Talbot Voss Tier: Bronze

Age: 25 U.P: 600/10,000

Height: 177cm(5'10") S.P: 0

Weight: 65kg(143lbs)

Analysis: Slightly malnutritioned; Severely dehydrated!

Shop: (Locked)

Inventory: (Locked)

Cyberspace: (Locked)

Library: (Locked)

Avatar of Umbra: (Locked)

Notice: Host is advised to upgrade their tier and unlock the unavailable features!

Utility Points shall be used in acquiring more features and updating the system at large.

System Points are the currency set to purchase items from the shop; a feature yet to be available. ]

Jacob held his chin, deep in thought, trying to organize the information before him. Sooner rather than later, his stare made Clara cover her chest at his blatant gaze.

"You...you're staring, Jacob! What...don...don't tell me you are finally going to pounce on me," she took a few dramatic steps back, her face feigning worry.

This snapped Jacob out of the depths of his mind. Now he realized that he had indeed been staring. He casually waved his hand to disperse her concerns and shamelessly used the 'sleep deprived' card. It would be of no use to explain the extraordinary system to his friend; for now, he would keep it to himself to avoid any shady organizations setting their eyes on him.

"How unlikely for you to be awake this bright in the day Cara," Jacob rose from the couch and stretched, his skin wrapping around his ribs and sunken stomach.

"Well, someone was talking to himself this bright morning. What was up with that? Having one of your self talks?" Clara yawned, her eyelids getting heavier by the second. She was not an early riser.

"No, I just got some strange news yesterday, got a sketchy call from this Lawy...AHH! THE CALL!" Jacob grasped at his hair, pulling on his oiled curls at his current predicament.

Clara yelped at the sudden rise of tone. Having had enough of the short morning, she dragged herself into her room, locking the outside world and resuming her sleep. Jacob no longer had his phone! How was he going to meet up with Oliver Brix, the Lawyer? Yes, he did know of his address, but having a contact is always preferable for impromtu circumstances. Just as he was about to drown deeper into his misery, the system mechanically announced its presence.

{Package available for the Host!}

[Received: Tracked Data; Wit of Zephyr and Hyperprosexia]

Well, well, well, now those are some words Jacob had not come across. What else does the Utility System have in store for him?