A Message for the Host

"Is there any important information you're still hiding from me?"

[Huh? W-What do you mean?]

The system blinked in confusion before quickly shaking its floating form.

[Y- I mean—No! No. I can only tell you what I know and what I'm allowed to tell you.]

Its voice wavered slightly, as if it had just caught itself before saying something it shouldn't.

Eren immediately caught onto that.

His gaze sharpened, his previously relaxed posture shifting into something more focused.

"So," he mused slowly, "is there something important that you do know, but aren't telling me, despite being able to?"

The system froze.

A tense silence filled the air as it flickered nervously, struggling to formulate a response.

Then, hesitantly, it answered.

[A-Actually... there is one thing.]

Eren's eyes narrowed further.

"...Go on."

[It's a message.]

The system's voice wavered slightly.

[A message stored in your inbox… addressed specifically to you, Host.]

At this, Eren's expression shifted.

His casual demeanor faded, replaced by something much more serious. His sharp gaze locked onto the system.

"A message?" he repeated, intrigued.

[Yes. But…]

The system hesitated before continuing.

[I don't know what's in it.]

Eren's brows furrowed slightly.

"What do you mean?"

[I mean, I'm not allowed to look at it.]

The system's voice was firm, and after scanning it carefully, Eren concluded that it wasn't lying.

That only made things more suspicious.

"Show me," he demanded, expecting an immediate response.

But instead of compliance, the system flickered.

Then, its voice came out with an unexpected answer.

[I... can't.]

Eren's eyes widened slightly.

"Hah?"

His tone sharpened in mild irritation.

The system shrank back slightly, as if bracing for his reaction.

It wasn't lying. It truly couldn't open the message.

[It's not like that! What I meant is, I am unable to open the mailbox for you because of the restrictions.]

Eren narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening as he stared at the system's screen with a thoughtful look. His fingers tapped against his arm in an idle motion as he considered the words. "Explain," he ordered, his tone cold and sharp.

The system hesitated briefly before responding. [The thing is, the message has a restriction that makes it impossible for me to open it for you unless certain conditions are fulfilled.]

Eren's gaze remained unreadable, his posture unchanging. "And what are these conditions?"

The system stalled for a second, almost as if trying to find the right way to phrase its answer before reluctantly revealing the truth.

[Well... the host needs to reach Level 1 in order to open it.]

Silence filled the room. Eren's dull eyes bore into the screen, his face completely blank.

[I'm telling the truth!] the system quickly insisted, sensing the host's growing irritation.

Instead of replying immediately, Eren let out a quiet breath before speaking again. "Then bypass it."

[What?]

The system froze, confusion evident in its voice.

"I said, bypass that condition. You can do that, right?"

Despite being known for his laziness, Eren wasn't an idiot. Over the past two days, he had noticed strange occurrences—events that defied logic, inconsistencies in how the system operated, and most importantly, its unusual level of control. He had pieced it together, and now, he was testing his theory.

Realizing what the host truly meant, the system faltered, struggling to form a response.

[I... Host, I don't think I can—]

"Don't play dumb," Eren interrupted sharply, his eyes narrowing further. "How were you able to cancel a quest and even rewind time back then?"

The system visibly tensed at the question.

[That... was because, at that time, I didn't have a choice.]

"Well, now you do," Eren countered, his voice unwavering.

[No, it's not what you think!] The system sounded panicked now, scrambling to explain. [I had to sacrifice a part of myself to do it.]

Eren remained unimpressed, his expression unchanged. "Explain."

The system took a moment, as if preparing itself, before launching into an explanation.

[You see, in order to cancel that quest and save you, I had to use a significant amount of my own SP—System Points. That action alone came at a cost. My rank was reduced to Level 2.]

Eren barely reacted, his gaze bored as he absentmindedly picked his nose.

[Then, when you jumped out the window, I had no choice but to use even more SP to rewind time, which resulted in my rank dropping further—to Level 1.]

[Now, I don't have enough SP left to save you a third time.]

Eren absorbed the explanation in silence, his expression unchanging. If anything, his complete lack of reaction made it even more frustrating for the system.

'Too bad.'

His indifference was almost insulting.

"And what exactly is SP?" he asked lazily, shifting his posture slightly.

If the system had a physical form, it would have been twitching in frustration.

[SP stands for System Points. It is the currency I use to generate quests and rewards for you. It is also what allows me to manipulate certain rules in the world—]

"Skip."

[...What?]

The system fell into silence. If it had eyes, they would have been hollow with sheer frustration.

"I meant Stop," Eren continued nonchalantly. "I don't need the full explanation. I already get the gist of it."

Leaning his head back against the headboard, he tapped his fingers against his arm in thought. A moment later, he asked another question.

"So, how much SP do you have left?"

The system hesitated once more, as if reluctant to reveal something that should have been a closely guarded secret for every Host being who are contracted to their system. But in the end, it had no choice. A small, glowing holographic panel materialized before Eren's eyes.

[Current System Points: 687 SP]

Seeing the amount displayed on the screen, Eren raised an eyebrow in surprise. It was more than he had expected.

"Isn't that a lot?" he asked, his tone laced with mild astonishment.

To his question, the system responded in a disappointed voice.

[Host, if I need to save you a third time, I would have to spend at least 1,000 SP.]

Eren frowned slightly, absorbing the system's explanation. "And how much would it take to bypass the restriction on that message?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

The system hesitated briefly before answering.

[It would cost me 500 SP.]

Hearing that amount, Eren didn't see any issue. It was well within what the system had left.

"Then use it."

However, the system didn't respond right away. Instead, it remained silent.

[…]

"What's the problem?" Eren's eyes narrowed sharply, his patience wearing thin as he stared at the unmoving system screen.

The system took a moment, searching for the right words before finally speaking.

[Host, you should understand that in order for me to exist, I need to maintain at least 100 SP. That is the bare minimum required to sustain my presence in this world.]

[Additionally, generating quests for you costs anywhere from 50 to 100 SP. If I follow your order and sacrifice 500 SP to unlock the message restriction, I will be left with only 187 SP.]

[That means I would only have 87 SP available to generate small quests for you. But with such a low amount, I won't be able to provide missions that would help you grow stronger quickly. It would make things significantly harder for us—]

"I don't care."

[?!?!]

The system froze mid-sentence, stunned by the host's immediate and cold response.

Eren cut it off without a shred of hesitation, his tone as indifferent as ever. He didn't care about the consequences. He never did.

Seeing the emotionless, unbothered expression on his host's face, the system found itself at a loss. It couldn't argue back. It couldn't protest. It could only watch in disbelief.

"What are you waiting for?" Eren spoke again, his voice dull yet commanding. "Unlock the message."

The system trembled.

It was angry. Frustrated. Afraid.

And, most of all, helpless.

How did it end up with a host like this? A cold, heartless person who cared about nothing—not even his own life?

In the end, it had no choice but to obey.

[Understood. I will unlock it.]

Eren smirked slightly, satisfied.

But then—

Something strange happened.

[Huh?]

The system froze, its tone filled with confusion.

Noticing the reaction, Eren's expression darkened in annoyance.

"What's wrong?"

The system struggled to find an answer.

[It—The message...]

Eren's eyebrows furrowed, an uneasy feeling creeping over him.

[It's gone.]

…