An Unreliable System

An Unreliable System

"If I kill enemies, does the system not charge?" Lua asked.

"No. All EXP will go to the host; remember, the host is always the priority. Unless…" SIA's voice paused.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you have an item with mana."

"An item with mana? This, devourer?" Lua said, taking something from her leather pouch hanging at her side.

It was a round, blue stone, containing mana inside.

[Analyzing…]

[Incorporating item into system list.]

[Item incorporated.]

Information:

Beast Core:

Core extracted from inside a demonic beast.

Exp: 10000

Can be used to create invitations.

Can be used for blacksmithing.

Can be used for cooking.

Can be used to create runes.

Can be used for potions.

Can be used for crafting.

Can be used to recharge weapons.

Can be used to repair items.

ETC…

Lua saw all the information that appeared and was confused, but what interested her most was that it could be used to create an invitation. So she sighed.

"It seems it does work," SIA said happily. In reality, she was a completely different system before evolving. But since the world's intelligence was very low, she would basically have to learn as she went.

"That's good. How do I use it?" Lua asked.

"Well. It would be by sending an invitation like to the previous player, but… as I said before, the connection was only momentary on the part of the world…"

"So we'll have to wait no matter what for the fairy to come back?" Lua asked with her usual cold face.

"Yes," SIA said softly.

"Whatever. My life was already the same without your existence. We'll just wait; I'll just continue as always. At least I have company in my solitude," Lua said, though her stoic and cold face sounded quite warm.

"Host," SIA said robotically, as if wanting to cry, but she didn't have a body to form tears. "Don't worry, host. The system doesn't make mistakes in choosing people. Well, only the first time," SIA said.

Lua ignored the last part, as she knew what it referred to, and simply sat on the roof of her old, half-demolished house, waiting patiently.

Anyway, she had time. And a lot of it.

"

After the three had eaten together as a family, after so long, the old man was somewhat exhausted, so he went to sleep. Loli, meanwhile, remained seated across from her brother, who was looking at her with interest.

"So, you didn't tell me what you were doing earlier. All red and embarrassed. Did you get a boyfriend on the network?" he asked with a mocking tone.

"What! No, of course not. I just entered a game by mistake and it was fabulous. Yes. Very fabulous," Loli said with a slightly dreamy air.

"Is that so? Show me," Gilbert said with interest. After all, he spent a year inside a mine. Obviously, he saw things and lived through moments he'd rather forget.

"It's an immersive game, so it consumes a lot of mana, so it's better not to give it too much importance. If we get addicted, we'll end up spending everything you worked for," Loli said seriously.

"Come on, if it's just once. Just show me," Gilbert said with interest.

"Fine. Just a moment," Loli said as both entered her room. But Loli's gaze stopped at the mana vial, which was at 95%. "How strange," she said, confused.

"What?" Gilbert asked.

"The vial is almost full. But I was inside for a couple of minutes. When we tried a very bad old game with Sig, in just one minute it consumed a whole mana vial."

"Maybe it was a low-quality mana vial. You know Sig works with a lot of those; maybe she got confused. Come on, show me the game," Gilbert said with slight excitement.

"Just try it yourself," Loli said with slight embarrassment.

"Fine. I want to see what you saw there," Gilbert said before sitting down, turning on the computer, and opening the game, which was at the very beginning. "It's this one, right? Let's see."

When he tried to open it, a blue light scanned his body before a rejection message appeared.

[A game pass or invitation is needed to create a new account.]

"Huh? It seems it won't let me," Gilbert said a little disheartened while Loli stared at the message.

"What kind of game needs an invitation to play? Don't they want players or something? And how do you get those things? Now that I think about it, it said you were Player Number One," Loli said seriously. "Let's see, let me check the email I got earlier," Loli said, pushing her brother out of the chair before looking for the previous message.

But it had no sender and, strangely, not even a name. Just an invitation she had already used and the message itself.

"Maybe from inside the game you can get some information. I'll go get my computer; it's probably in the shed," Gilbert said. Even if he couldn't play with his sister, he now felt like playing something. After so long, it could be said it was a release, and for him, he deserved it.

Loli watched her brother leave, filled with excitement. And she just shook her head. Before starting the game. Which she entered instantly, as if just blinking.

Loli looked around where she appeared, now with more care, and realized she was just outside a wall that seemed destroyed.

But she didn't dare to explore. She started looking for settings, something to contact support to ask for another invitation. Or maybe give hers to her brother.

"What are you doing?" a female voice sounded behind her. Her heart fluttered a little. She swallowed before turning around.

To see the demoness from before who made her escape. And although she wanted to do it again, she restrained herself. She watched her approach slowly while her heart pounded relentlessly. She even stared at her, without taking her eyes off her. "What?" she said a little dazed.

Meanwhile, the Oni stood right in front of her. She even smelled good, like an enchanted forest.

"What? What are you doing?" the Oni asked with a cold, emotionless gaze. Which woke Loli from her daydream.

"Ahem. You're an NPC, right? Please, contact technical support," Loli said with a slight commanding voice. Remembering when the game she played with Sig got stuck and the NPCs had a way to contact support. You just had to give them the order.

"What's an NPC and what's support? And if you talk to me like that again, I'll beat you up," the Oni said as her eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Loli.

This left her stunned and scared, and especially terrified of how she had just spoken to the beautiful… ahem, Oni in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought you were an NPC," Loli said, apologizing quickly.

Meanwhile, the Oni was about to say something, but she stopped as if she heard something in the distance. And then she replied.

"Oh, right, I'm an NPC," the Oni said, leaving Loli confused.

"So are you or aren't you?" Loli asked.

"It seems so. But there's no support. They died," the Oni said suddenly. Now Loli was completely confused.

"They died?"

"Oh, no, they didn't die. They just quit. The game has no support and works with advanced magical intelligence; it doesn't need support. You can think of me as the support," the Oni said as if repeating something whispered in her ear.

"So you're a living person?" was the question Loli most wanted to ask.

"Yes," the Oni said. "I mean. Yes and no," she added.

But Loli looked at her suspiciously. She suspected this NPC was actually a developer. And maybe if everyone else quit, except for her, out of love for the game. But she would play along; it didn't matter if it was a dead game.

Even if it was just to enjoy the air. It was great.

"So, if you're support. I'd like to ask for an invitation for my brother if possible. If not, I'd like to give him my spot. He came from a dangerous and distant place and I'd like him to enjoy this environment a bit," Loli said softly.

"Do you want to leave?" the Oni asked seriously.

"Well, no. But for my brother, I wouldn't mind leaving until there's a new vacancy," Loli said quickly, shaking her hands as if justifying herself.

The Oni stared at her before reaching into the bag hanging from her waist.

"Here," she said, giving her three circular blue rocks.

"Emma. Is this?" Loli asked confused.

"Invitations," the Oni said, giving her all the cores without hesitation.

Loli took the cores and touched them for the information to appear. And seeing that a line said "invitations," she quickly smiled. She even got three.

"Thank you, thank you very much. I'll give it to my brother," Loli said happily before disconnecting.

…

"Weren't those all you had left and you used them as food?" SIA asked.

"Yes, but I can get more," Lua said calmly.

"Well. But at least she came back and will bring someone else, so that's great," SIA said with excitement. "But remember: you're an NPC, and remember the information I gave you. The developers quit. It's a free game. Repeat after me: 'I am an NPC. The developers quit, leaving a powerful artificial intelligence to control the world.'"

"I am an NPC. The developers quit, leaving a powerful artificial intelligence to control the world," Lua said, following the words, with a little weariness.

"Good. Don't say foolish things like 'they died' again," SIA said about what Lua had said earlier.

Lua ignored her and walked back to her waiting spot. She wanted to see the players, who it seemed would now be two.

…

"Brother!" Loli shouted with excitement as soon as she exited.

"What?" Gilbert said, running towards Loli, appearing instantly.

"I got three tickets!" Loli said with tears of joy.

"Huh? If I just left your room, was it that fast?" Gilbert said confused.

"What are you talking about? I was inside for at least a couple of minutes," Loli said confused.

"Minutes? I literally just left your room, looked out the window, and then you shouted my name," Gilbert said, even more confused.

The two looked at each other before their eyes widened as if they were thinking of something.

"Could it be?" Loli asked.

"No. No way. That's just fiction," Gilbert said.

Then, both looked at the vial, and barely a speck had been consumed.

"I'm going to get my computer," Gilbert said, running off at full speed. He had to check it himself.

Meanwhile, Loli looked at her computer confused before shaking her head. And touching the game icon. But instead of entering, she selected to see things in her inventory.

There were the three rocks called beast cores.

[Are you sure you want to transform the cores into invitations? x1]

"Yes," Loli typed without hesitation. So now she had a golden invitation.

"I'll use one with Gil. I have two left. Could I give one to Sig? And the other to Grandpa?" Loli thought carefully.

It seemed she had been mistaken, and the game didn't consume as much mana as she thought.

But still, it would be too much if three people from the same household spent mana vials to play.

As she looked at the beast cores on the screen, another option appeared that she hadn't seen before.

[Can be transformed into KA Energy.]

"What's that?" she asked, entering before clicking. Obviously, if she didn't like the option, she would put "No." But maybe it would give some information like the transformation of the slot.

[Are you sure you want to transform cores into KA Energy?]

[Yes] [No]

[Warning: First, place an energy container to load it.]

Loli saw this as her heart pounded faster and faster. It was what she believed it was.

As if her mind controlled her body, she took several vials she had on her desk, which she normally used to charge with her mana, and placed them side by side in the empty vial sections on the computer.

"It's a wasted invitation, but maybe you can get it in the game; it had many uses, so I'm sure," she said, as she mentally prepared herself. It was better to be sure than to lose an opportunity.

She closed her eyes and pressed "Yes."

Then, after a few seconds, she slowly opened them before going into shock.

Five of the seven vials she placed were now full. And she could be sure they were high-quality mana vials, like the ones her brother brought.

A game had just charged mana that would cost her at least a week each.

It was something even the system didn't know. But the world Lua came from was not the only one in need of permission to transfer people from another world. And it was not the only world on the verge of collapse if the foreign race won.

Thus, it would use the methods available to save its inhabitants.

That's right, Loli's own world, planet Earth, also wanted to help its inhabitants survive, even being on the verge of collapse. It used the little energy it had left to change something. And create a minimal connection with what everyone believed was a game.