Zen (2)

[I don't sense anyone beside you at all. I truly can't *see*, but usually, I can at least detect someone's presence…]**

*Huh? What does that mean?*

Zen and Yumi exchanged glances. Zen's face remained completely expressionless as the System spoke again,

**[Also, the System can only be seen by the person who possesses it. Those without a System won't be able to see it.]**

*But… he clearly saw and even heard the System's voice. Besides, the voice sounded just like Google's.*

**[Alright, that's enough. I will disappear in a few moments. My only purpose here was to explain how this System works. Goodbye.]**

"Hey, wait—!"

But the voice was already gone. All that remained was Yumi's status screen floating in front of her.

"It… vanished?"

On the upper right corner of the status screen, there was a map. Yumi tapped it, and instantly, a location marker appeared.

"Whoa, so this is where we are," Yumi muttered, studying the map.

"There seems to be a town not far from this forest. Let's head straight there," Zen suggested.

"Huh? What's this?"*

Beneath the map, there was a button labeled:

**[Translate Human Language]**

"Hmm… I guess we should just try it."

Yumi pressed it, and the button faded away after being clicked.

"I don't feel anything different."

"Maybe it's a translation feature for this world's languages. Now, when we meet the locals, you'll automatically understand and speak their tongue," Zen explained.

"Oh? But how do *you* know that?"

"No clue. Just guessing," Zen answered indifferently.

"What the heck…"

"Never mind that. Let's go to town."

Zen pulled something out of his pocket—a black smartphone with three rear cameras.

"Wait, you brought your phone? But in another world, wouldn't there be no signal or internet?"

"I made this one myself. This phone doesn't use batteries or the internet. Meaning, it won't ever run out of charge, and I can still access everything—YouTube, whatever. Plus, it's ridiculously sturdy, almost unbreakable."

Yumi looked skeptical. "Seriously?"

"See for yourself."

Zen opened YouTube and played a video. Though the loading stuttered briefly, the video still played smoothly.

"Woah, how!? If you sold this, you'd make a fortune!"

"I'm not interested in making another."

The phone was Zen's own creation because he hadn't had enough money to buy a new one. Built from spare parts, recycled metal, and modified to be waterproof and shockproof, perfecting it had taken him a long time.

Without further discussion, Zen slipped the phone back into his pocket and started walking toward the town.

"Move fast. Before it gets dark."

Yumi nodded and followed behind, occasionally glancing at the map on her System screen.