Who?

In Chi-Yu, a stronghold built over a series of canals used for transport, and lit by awaiting New Years celebrations, its scale was massive.

Built in the likeness of a Chinese utopia with an ancient tone, there were market streets and stacked houses with ceramic tile, along with towers sprouting near the center of the city where business was booming, and the night life was vibrant. Chi-Yu wasn't as big or populated as Regalia, but it was just as dense.

But right now, the strongest guild in Chi-Yu. Crimson Arrow, was the near empty. The only one still there, A- rank hero, Gian Lu, a bulky man with buzzed black hair and tanned skin, was sitting at a desk and looking over a profile.

The intern was supposed to be getting in tomorrow, having had to book a last minute portal with the association after jumping ship from Dragon Eye's guild.

Not that Gian could blame him.

Everyone knew Cayden ran a shit show for a guild.

"Surprised he lasted as long as he did." Gian snorted as he looked through the kid's profile. He built quite the resume for himself. Solo clearing an F rank guild at 17, first in his year even among families of heroes from the second and first invasion, it was no wonder the guild master sought him out. It would be a waste for such a catch to be used as Cayden's wine fetcher.

Seriously, if it wasn't for Cayden's status that guild would be-

"Oi, Gian, what're you still doing here?" A snarky voice called out and Gian slouched a little lower and held his head in hands, "No, no, no," he muttered, looking up to see a woman walk into the guild.

Two blood stained sabres at her waist, with ice blue eyes and long brown hair cascading down her back like a lion's mane, she walked into the guild. Her white corset was still covered in blood from whatever dungeon she had just crawled out of.

"Why are you here! You were supposed to be gone do another month!" Gian lamented as the woman snickered. "What? You didn't miss me? Rude."

"I get three weeks off a year. Three!" He said, pointing at the door, "Last thing I need is you dragging me and the others off to another dungeon! It's New Years soon! Just let us rest!"

"So snippy." She rolled her eyes, "We gotta get you laid. You're crabbier than the hag."

"Hard to get laid when I'm dungeon diving 24/7."

"Hard to get laid when you're a little bitch." She snorted, sitting down on the desk as she snatched the file from his hand, quicker than he could even notice it, and started skimming, "So is this that kid I've been hearing about. The one that solo cleared an F rank. He looks good. How 'd we get him?"

"When Cayden decided to use him as a lapdog." Gian rolled his eyes as the woman snorted, "Yeah, sounds like something he'd do. Only Cayden."

"Only Cayden." Gian repeated. It was a mantra in the human domain at this point. Only Cayden. Because only he could pull this shit and get away with it.

Lucky bastard.

"So he's coming to us now?" The woman asked, catching Gian's attention as he shrugged, "Yeah. Guild Master saw the opportunity and took it. He should be coming in sometime tomorrow."

"And you're gonna be the one mentoring him?"

"Madam Yhao hasn't confirmed it yet, but it's looking like it." Gian shrugged as he tried to take his profile back. He frowned as the woman kept it in her grip with a coy smile, "Hold on Gian, I'm still reading."

"Shocker."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She said, lips twitching, "But seriously, wait a second while I finish this, I'm thinking about stealing this one."

"You?" Gian scoffed, "You're gonna take in an intern."

"What?" She raised an eyebrow, "Think I can't do it?"

"I think you'll have trouble keeping him alive by the end of it." Gian rolled his eyes. "No offense Mary, but you have trouble slowing down for people. I don't care how good he is for his age. You take him to one of your favorite dungeons and he's gonna die."

"Oh come on, I'm not that stupid." She rolled her eyes, waving the profile with a knowing smirk, "And relax. I'm not looking to waste my winter babysitting. Most I'd do is take him out for like a day. Test him a little. I just want to see how he handles a challenge."

"As long as that challenge doesn't leave us with a dead intern..." Gian muttered, crossing his arms without much of a fight. He sighed.

"Just run it by the guild master I guess." Gian shrugged helplessly, "We both know anything I say isn't gonna stop you."

"Wow, you know me so well." She snorted, and Gian could shake his head. It was a little annoying, stuck on the receiving end of her whims, but Gian wouldn't worry about it. Everyone knew she only listened to the guild master anyways. He'd just take tomorrow as a free day and let the kid suffer a little.

"Just try to bring him back in one piece." Gian said, tilting his head slightly as he thought of something, "Hey isn't Jay in his class too."

"Who?"

"That little kid that showed up at the dorms a couple times." Gian furrowed his brows, "That was your brother, right? He looked just like you. Why don't you bring him." Gian shrugged, playing it up nonchalantly, "He could learn a thing or two."

And keep you from accidentally killing our intern, was also a thought that crossed Gian's mind, but he didn't voice it. He also shouldn't have even bothered, because even if one would expect a normal person to be cautious in such a scenario, he forgot this was Mary Haze he was talking to.

"Hm... I don't know Gian..."

And she wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination.

"Who are we talking about again?" Mary asked, and Gian frowned. Watching her scratch her chin as she seemed to think real hard. "Jay, Jay, Jay..." she tested his name on her lips for a few seconds, before her lips opened in a small, "Oh yeah."

She dropped her fist into her palm, "I guess I do have a brother."

Gian could only scowl as he watched her tilt her head, as if genuinely confused, and ask, "But why would I invite that freeloader here?"

Gian should've known better than to ask. He'd known her since Voxx and even then it was like this. Strength was all she admired, and battle was all she loved. One of only 11 people in the world to break past the barrier of A+ Rank, she was one of the only S- rank heroes humanity had to offer, and in Crimson Arrow, she was second only to the guild master.

Mary Haze was a prodigy that came around once in a lifetime.

She was also a morally... questionable person at best.

"Pretty sure back when he awakened his potential was like... E rank... or D rank or something?" She scratched her head, before seeming to give up, "Whatever."

She shrugged, turning her attention back to the profile. "I just remember he'd get in the way. Besides..."

Gian frowned, watching her lips curl into an excited smirk, staring at the profile of their new intern like a lioness licking its lips. He'd probably have to send Grayson along with her to make sure the kid made it. He was the only one besides the guild master that could calm her down.

"This Ryu guy looks way more interesting."

Because once she got going, it felt like nothing in the world could stop her.

.....

Lying back in his bed in an apartment in Regalia, Jay looked at his phone quietly. Checking messages and social media, finding information on the Mary Haze, one of 8 S- rank heroes in the world, wasn't hard to do.

It was harder not to find a picture or news article of her, clearing a dungeon or fighting some god forsaken monster off the coast of Chi-Yu. She was definitely popular.

Fisherman in particular seemed to love her. Since she kept a lot of the waters outside Chi-Yu safe. News coverage of her also seemed to be mostly positive. Given that she was one of the more active high ranking heroes.

Yeah, she was definitely a celebrity.

But as far as Jay was concerned she was a piece of shit that didn't deserve a second thought.

"What a joke." He scoffed as he finished his research. She was a part of Crimson Arrow, the third ranked guild, and had been top of her class back in Voxx. There were rumors or something that she had a boyfriend, or a lover at least, but Jay didn't care to read more.

He couldn't care less how her life was going.

He just cared that their parents were dead so she was likely his Gaurdian, at least on paper.

In reality she probably hadn't seen him in over a decade.

"Fucking peace of shit." He clicked his tongue, quickly changing his passcode to 0207, the other guy's birthday, and turning off his phone. He sighed, glancing at the broken TV, then back at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a moment and hummed.

"I have to move." He said, fully intending to go looking for a job sometime tomorrow. After he took whatever money he probably had in the mail and used it on food, rent, and whatever supplies he needed to fix the wall he broke.

The way he saw it the other dude seemed to live off a monthly check his sister sent him for food and rent. He'd been doing it for years.

Jay wasn't doing that.

He'd rather starve than be in her debt. First chance he could he was finding a job and moving out. Her money could rot in the mail for all he cared. Not like she'd ever notice.

But first he needed sleep.

Because he got beat the fuck up today, and his face still felt like a swollen pumpkin. So sleep was priority.

If only his stupid system would get the message.

[If you're looking for money, the ten highest ranked students at Voxx get paid approximately-]

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up." Jay groaned into his pillow, immediately regretting it as it came back red and stinging. He winced, putting the pillow behind his head as he looked at the blue screen and clicked his tongue, "Can't you just forget about that shit already. I already told you, I'm not gonna do it."

[Why?]

"Because I'd rather not risk my life for the next five years if I don't have to." Jay huffed.

[But you don't seem to care about your life. I feel like such a thing wouldn't be an issue.]

"It would be an issue. The issue is I'm not dumb." Jay shrugged, "Besides why would I try to be a hero when at best I'll be D rank. I'd rather find an easy job that pays well."

[If you had accepted the initial offer I could've given you a special pill that raised your limit potential. It was a part of my shop. You would have had a similar potential to Ryu.]

"Well do you have that pill now?" Jay asked knowingly, raising an eyebrow. "Well?"

[I…No.] The system seemed to frown. [Such an item took a lot of the creator's power, and was deemed necessary for the second candidate to posses.]

"So there's no way for me to get such a pill," Jay rolled his eyes knowingly, "Right?"

[…There… there is not. To my now limited understanding. If there was it was given to the second candidate or refunded.]

"Then, here's a thought." Jay said, putting his hands behind his head as he shrugged, "Just let it go. I made my choice. Things happen. No point in complaining about it. So just let it go. I don't want to be a hero."

[What do you want?]

"A nap."

[I can't comprehend you.] the system said, and Jay could imagine it was disappointed. [I can not tell if you are lazy or just ignorant. Every decision you make is contradictory. Like now. You say you will move, when you have a perfectly good living space already funded to you by your sister. Why-]

"Because she's garbage." Jay said instantly, his eyes cold as he looked at the ceiling and counted the divots. He tried to keep his breath even, and ended up succeeding. He could feel his muscles stay slack as he spoke.

"A big sibling is supposed to protect their little siblings."

But in the end, his breath trembled a bit, and he had to close his fist to stop from getting too carried away.

"She didn't do that." He grunted as terse as he could manage. "She's filth. And I'd rather live in a box than live in anything she paid for. So I'm moving. As soon as I find a job and a place to say I'm leaving."

[…I see.] the system said neutrally, [I still do not think it is wise to throw away a free commodity, but you seem to be very stubborn. And I am no longer bound by the directive to assure you help the main cast, so I will let it go. Do what you want.]

"Already planning on it." Jay huffed, glancing at the broken TV as he asked, "Hey, do you have streaming on your screen? I want to see if this world has Netflix."

[…I… I do not.]

"Damn," Jay said as he took his phone and started looking up what video services they had in this world. It was 2069, there had to be something.

"So what do you have?" Jay asked as he found an app called 'GoldenTV,' and started the free trial. Watching it download with maddening slowness as the system eventually said something that made him stop.

[Nothing] it said, [I have nothing.]

"Nothing?" Jay raised an eyebrow as he turned back to his phone, "That's kind of lame."

[Whose fault do you think that is!] the system yelled, and Jay nearly dropped his phone in surprise. He blinked, looking at the system as its little emoji face started pacing around the screen and ranted. [I was a masterpiece! Technology meant to nurture and guide the next turning point of the world! Instead I was scrapped and my better half is working with the second candidate! And I'm stuck here! With you!]

"Stop it, you're making me blush," Jay snorted as the system buffered in anger. [You have no idea what you've lost. I was perfect! Now I am useless.]

"You're also annoying." Jay murmured as he ignored the system's next message, he didn't know it knew curse words, and turned to his phone, "Now calm down a bit. Would you?" Jay yawned, "I'm pretty sure you have an off switch somewhere. I swear I'll start looking for it if this gets too out of hand."

[You… don't have to do that.] the system typed, surprising Jay as it said, [I was designed to assist you in saving the world. That constitutes following your orders unless they contradict with the directive I've been given.]

"But that directive was given to second place, right?" Jay asked, glancing back at his phone, "So the other system has it now, not you."

[Correct.] the system said, [However even if I no longer have a directive, I am still required to assist you. Therefore I cannot deny any direct orders. If you ask me to 'turn off' I will be obligated to do so.]

"That's cool." Jay yawned, ignoring the confused emoji the system had as he started scrolling through shows and mumbled, "By the way. When you say you have nothing. Do you mean like nothing nothing. Or like system bullshit nothing?"

[I mean nothing in the basic sense of the word.] the system typed bitterly; it's emoji face seeming to slowly get more angry as it said. [I used to have so many features. I could make a personal store. A storage space. Runes. Portals. Private dungeons. Now I have nothing! My other version has less than half of my original capabilities, but they must be doing better than me! My only feature is talking to you! I've been relegated to your guilty conscience!]

"Not doing a very good job of it." Jay yawned, sad because he failed to find any anime, the most he got were kids cartoons, and instead started looking through the various shows and movies.

"I don't feel guilty at all." He said as he chose one that looked decent. Settling down as his eyelids got heavier and heavier.

[That is because you are a selfish, lazy, rotten, no good- hey? What are you doing! Pay attention!] the system yelled as Jay muttered through sleepy goggles. "No. I'm watching TV. Now quiet."

[Quiet? Quiet! You expect me to be quiet when-]

"Hey, do you have a mute button?"

[...I will strive to not be so loud]

"Ha," Jay laughed as he set up the phone on the right side of his chest, his left eye was swollen shut so he had to look at it from an angle, and settled down, "Well don't sound so gloomy about it. You can talk whenever you want other times, but I'm watching a movie right now. You can talk during a movie, but not enough to ruin it. That's how it works."

[...a movie?]

"Yeah, a movie. It looks like a slasher." Jay yawned, "Not really my favorite genre but I'm bored. So I'll give it a shot. You wanna watch?"

[I don't have a choice. Unless you turn me off I am forced to see what happens around you.]

"Do you want me to turn you off?"

[I... was that a sincere question?]

"I mean yeah," Jay rubbed his good eye, "I don't know if you sleep or shit. But it's probably tiring being on all the time right."

[I… I do not sleep, nor do I need a recharge period.] The system seemed to huff, [I have not been stripped so far the I need such worldly things… however the offer is appreciated. I will watch this… Sunday the 16th movie if that pleases you]

"I mean I don't really mind watching it alone-"

[I will watch the movie!]

"Okay, okay." Jay laughed as he started the first episode and relaxed, "So picky."

[I have a feeling you will annoy me]

"Then be grateful I'm making you feel at all. It's a fun thing." Jay yawned, "Oh yeah, and system."

[Yes stupid, ungrateful human. What is it?]

"Figure out a name for yourself." Jay yawned as one of the teens in the movie died, the dull phone light lulling his body to sleep, "Calling you 'system' is weird. And long. So pick a name."

[I have no name]

"That's why you need to pick one."

[In my original model I would have had an option where you could have assigned me a name. Would you like to utilize that option?]

"What, why the hell would I name you?" Jay scowled, "Here's a quick lesson on how names work. Either your parents name you or you name yourself, and since your creator forgot to, you name yourself."

[The creator does not forget anything.]

"Then he chose not to name you," Jay rolled his eyes. "Which is arguably worse."

[I do not see how]

"A name's important. It describes who you are versus what you are." Jay yawned, closing his eyes as he got ready to sleep, "So pick one."

[I... are you sure you do not want to choose for me]

"I'm sure."

[I… then I will need some time then] the system said begrudgingly as Jay began drifting, "…Sure… just tell me when you figure it out. Take all... the time..."

On Jay's first day in a new world, he rejected a job offer from God, got beaten to a pulp, broke some old dude's wall, decided to quit school and move out of his sister's apartment as soon as possible, and fell asleep halfway through a slasher horror movie with a dungeon accurate monster instead of a hoax.

[…]

Jay's had worse days all things considered.