Chapter 51
[David's POV]
The apartment was quiet. I checked the time.
Thirty minutes left until the system came back online.
I needed something to calm my nerves. Something simple.
Cooking helped me focus. It gave me control when everything else felt like waiting. So I stepped into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients I had stored earlier in the fridge.
I decided to make something light but filling. Grilled lemon herb chicken with buttered garlic rice and stir-fried vegetables.
First, I took out the chicken breasts and placed them on the board. I trimmed the fat carefully and then marinated them in a mix of lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, black pepper, dried rosemary, and a pinch of salt. I let it sit while I prepped the rest.
I poured some rice into a pot, washed it three times until the water ran clear, then added fresh water and a bit of butter. I placed the lid on and set it on the stove to cook slowly.
Next, I grabbed carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli from the fridge. I sliced them into thin, even pieces, then tossed them into a pan with a little oil. The sizzle was instant. I added a splash of soy sauce and stirred as the colors brightened. The smell alone made me feel better.
With the veggies almost done, I turned my attention back to the chicken. I placed the pieces on the grill pan and let them sear. The kitchen filled with the smell of herbs and lemon. I flipped them after a few minutes, checking for that golden color.
As everything cooked, I reached for the bar counter. I wanted something to go with the food. Something smooth.
There was a drink I had seen online years ahead of 2013—one that didn't exist yet in this timeline. But I remembered the recipe clearly.
I called it a Midnight Bloom.
I pulled out a small shaker. Into it, I added 30ml of aged whiskey, 20ml of elderflower liqueur, a dash of orange bitters, and a splash of pomegranate juice. I added ice and shook it until the shaker felt frosty.
As I shook it, I had a sudden flashback.
I was behind a bar, shelves full of liquor behind me. My hands moved smoothly, mixing drinks while laughing with the customers. I was good at it. Quick with my hands and better with my smile. That had been a part-time job in my past life. The late nights, the loud music, the casual talks with strangers.
I chuckled quietly and shook my head, snapping back to the present. "Some things just stick," I muttered.
I poured the drink into a short glass and garnished it with a twist of lemon peel. The smell was floral, woody, and sweet.
I set the glass aside and turned off the stove. The rice was fluffy, the chicken perfectly grilled, and the vegetables still crisp.
I plated everything neatly and sat down at the table. Steam rose from the food, mixing with the light scent of the drink nearby.
I took a bite.
The lemon and herbs cut through the richness of the chicken, and the garlic butter in the rice tied everything together. Each bite grounded me.
Then I took a sip of the Midnight Bloom. It was smooth, clean, and just sweet enough.
This was peace. At least for the next few minutes.
After finishing my meal, I stood up, took the plate and glass to the sink, and washed everything carefully. I dried the dishes and placed them back in their spots.
The kitchen was clean again.
I walked back to the living room and sat down on the sofa. The apartment was quiet. Still.
I leaned back and looked ahead.
Then I called it out.
"Open system interface."
The air shimmered faintly, and the translucent display appeared in front of me.
[STATUS]
[LOTTERY]
[INVENTORY]
[MISSIONS]
I looked at the screen. Everything seemed clearer than before. The interface had changed slightly.
"Let's start simple," I said.
I reached out and selected [STATUS].
The panel shifted.
[STATUS]
Name: David Arthur Brown
Age: 25
Race: Human
SP: 175
Skills: Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery, Parkour Mastery, Hacking Mastery, Perfect Recall, Cooking Mastery, Bullet Time, Eye Color Manipulation, High-Speed Calculation (Psycho-Pass – Shinya Kogami's Combat Analysis), House Cleaning Mastery, Rope Mastery, Acting Mastery
Character Assimilated: Deadshot (DCEU), Jason Bourne, Chris Wolff, Harold Finch, Snake Eyes, Hikage Shinomori (MHA), L. Lawliet, Art Rosenbaum
Character Assimilation:
1. Ezio Auditore da Firenze – 90%
2. Richard Drakunovski – 50%
3. Nil
4. Nil
Characters Summoned: Nil
"Huh. Where did my stats go?" I muttered.
"Hey, System. Explain."
A moment passed, and then the system responded.
[The previous interface was a tutorial mode designed to help the host integrate with the current world. With the upgrade complete, your physical and mental abilities now reflect the full extent of the characters you have assimilated. Individual stat displays are no longer necessary.]
[You are now operating under a full assimilation mode. Your progress will be reflected through skill performance, not numerical breakdowns.]
I blinked once and leaned back.
"Alright. What other changes were made?"
[The Lottery function has been updated. You may now draw only once at the start of each month and receive five rewards. Additionally, you can use 1000 SP to draw a Lottery at any time. Real-world currency can now also be converted to SP.]
I sat up a little straighter.
"Wait, real-world money to SP? Now we're talking. What's the rate? A thousand dollars for ten SP? Maybe a hundred per SP?"
[1 SP equals 10,000 US dollars.]
Silence.
I stared at the floating panel.
Then leaned back again, groaning. "Of course. Why not just ask me to sell a kidney while we're at it?"
I rubbed my face and did a quick calculation.
"So, if 1 SP is 10,000 bucks... That means 1000 SP would be—" I paused, then sighed, "Ten million dollars."
I slumped deeper into the sofa. "Yeah, that's definitely not happening anytime soon."
The system stayed quiet.
I rubbed my face.
"Alright then. Let's see what the new Lottery interface looks like."
I reached out and tapped the [LOTTERY] tab.
The panel changed again, opening up the new design.
[LOTTERY]
Monthly Draw: 1
Stack Limit: 1/5
SP Draw: 1000 SP per draw
Current SP: 175
Note: Monthly draw resets at the start of each month. SP-based draws may be used anytime if enough SP is available. Real-world money conversion rate: 1 SP = $10,000 USD.
I stared at the lottery panel for a second longer. The clean layout made things easy to follow. I wasn't going to draw anything just yet. I needed to understand everything first.
"System, what about the other tabs? Anything new in [Inventory] or [Missions]?"
[No, Host. Both [Inventory] and [Missions] remain unchanged.]
[However, the [Inventory] tab will receive enhanced features once the system is upgraded to Level 2.]
I paused, eyebrows raised.
"How many points do I need to upgrade the system to Level 2?"
[10,000 SP are required to upgrade to Level 2.]
I blinked. My mouth opened slightly.
"10,000 points?!" I nearly shouted. I felt like pulling my hair out.
Of course. Of course it would be something ridiculous.
I muttered, "This damn system must love grinding me to the bone and bleeding me dry."
The system replied in a calm tone.
[My purpose is to assist the Host. Higher levels allow access to more powerful rewards. More rewards help the Host grow stronger.]
I sat there, dumbfounded. I couldn't even argue with that.
Begrudgingly, I asked, "Fine. How many levels are there in total?"
[Host lacks the required clearance level to access system information.]
I stared at the panel in silence, sighed, and leaned back into the sofa.
"Figures."
I sat there quietly for a few more minutes.
Then I finally spoke again.
"I'll ask again," I said, staring straight at the glowing system screen. "I want to know more about you. What exactly are you? Who made you? Why did you choose me as your host?"
There was a pause. I could hear my own breathing in the silence.
I continued, "And not just that. I want to know how I got here. How did I transmigrate into this world? Ever since I got Perfect Recall, I've noticed something strange. My memory about how I died is… vague. Too vague. I have no clear memory of the moment I died. I don't remember anything about the transmigration either."
I leaned forward slightly, my voice dropping to a whisper.
"I really want to know what happened to me. Who brought me into this universe? Why was I chosen?"
The screen in front of me stayed quiet for a long time. Too long.
Then finally, a soft notification ping echoed across the interface.
[ACCESSING ARCHIVED MEMORY FRAGMENTS...]
[PLAYING MEMORY FILE...]
---
---
[Third Person POV]
The void beyond the known worlds was filled with swirling shadows and broken stars. Somewhere beyond the edges of time and space, a great forge once existed. This forge was used to create a system by an unknown being.
It had no name. No master. And before it could be assigned a purpose, the world that birthed it was destroyed by a cataclysmic event.
A dimensional rift tore through the realm, swallowing it into the void.
The system drifted for what felt like eternity.
Eventually, it crossed into the Abyss. A place of chaos, whispers, and forgotten gods. It saw things. But no being or soul within the Abyss was compatible.
Until it found him.
A broken soul. Wounded. Barely holding itself together.
It was David.
The soul had cracks, deep ones. But it was compatible.
The system bonded with him—not because of destiny, not because of fate, but because of survival.
And in doing so, it began to heal the soul. Slowly. Piece by piece.
The system carried David's soul through the layers of the Abyss, shielding it from further damage. It looked for a place where he could live again.
And when it found a crack in the wall of another universe, it slipped through.
Into this world.
And with it, came David.
[David's POV]
All I could do was sit still after hearing the truth.
Then I laughed. I was laughing at myself.
I always thought I was chosen for something great. I thought maybe I had won a cosmic lottery, or met some mysterious being who gave me powers and a second life—like in the stories I used to read.
But no.
"I was saved and brought here," I whispered. "By accident. By chance."
The system stayed quiet.
I leaned back slowly, staring at the ceiling.
To Be Continued...