More than a day had passed, and Ellis, aside from the times when he woke up just to drink some milk from a bottle, had been mostly sleeping. Because of that, he hadn't been able to think much about his current situation.
Still, things were different now. He didn't feel as hungry anymore, and most importantly, there were no maids around to feed him something that would make him sleepy afterward.
So, while not minding the dark room, since it seemed to still be night, Ellis turned his attention to the corner of his eye, where the glowing mark that moved with him was, and focused on it for a moment.
[You have merged with the shard of ****]
[The shard of **** attempts to take over the Pseudo Seed of **** in the deserter's body]
[Taking over the Pseudo Seed of Evolution, the shard of **** commences its attack on the remains of the Twilight Codex in the deserter's body]
[The shard of **** absorbs the remains of the Twilight Codex and the Pseudo Seed of Evolution]
[The shard of **** removes everything encroaching on the existence of the deserter and absorbs them]
[The shard of **** attempts to reboot the System and create a new one]
[….]
[..]
[Successful]
[Congratulations. The first-of-its-kind **** System has come into existence]
[Welcome, Host]
[Due to the shard of **** eliminating all the foreign traces left in the host and the system resetting, the host's broken abilities will undergo refinement]
[Due to merging with the shard of ****, your abilities and attributes will be strengthened]
[Due to the incomplete absorption of the Nyxara cat's crystal core and judging it to be partially harmful to the host, the **** System will instead use the energy from the crystal core to strengthen the host's abilities]
[The **** System will attempt to reconstruct the host's abilities in the most optimal way]
[….]
[..]
[Partially Successful]
[You have died.]
[Due to the new ability "Ephemeral Soul Genesis," you are now reincarnating.]
'Wow!'
Ellis couldn't help but exclaim internally upon seeing the flurry of window messages in front of him.
The first thing that caught his attention was the frame of these windows, which had turned gray instead of the previous blue. However, he didn't focus on that for now. Instead, he concentrated on the messages, as they should hold the answer to his current situation. So, with a growing expectations, he began to read them.
Noticing the name of the shard he had fused with was actually hidden, from the start was a little irritating for Ellis. Still, he tried not to pay it too much attention and continued reading the rest of the messages.
'So, to summarize all those messages: the gray shard I fused with took everything parasitic on me, devoured them, created a new system, and strengthened me along the way. However, it seemed that my body couldn't handle all of that, so I died. Then, with the help of my strengthened blessing… or more accurately, my ability now, I was able to reincarnate normally.'
While reflecting on the information he had read, Ellis felt relieved that his last gamble had paid off. Had he not taken the golden crystal of the Nyxara cat, it might still have been possible to crawl on the ground then finally touch the gray shard, but he doubted it would have been guaranteed, let alone easy. So, seeing how the benefit he received from the golden crystal, due to the timing, was no longer harmful, he couldn't be happier.
More than that, for him, the most important thing was that he got a new system… a unique one, just for him, and was freed from that fucking Twilight Codex one. For him, it had been more of a parasite than something meant to help others.
Even though the new system seemed mysterious and didn't even reveal its name, with the possibility of some complications raising in the future too, it still seemed better. At least, because of it, he now had the ability to reincarnate.
After celebrating his partial success in the gray gate in his mind, Ellis turned his attention back to the messages, specifically to the "welcome" one that was strangely bothering him. He felt like it had become somewhat sentient, so while not expecting any reply, he tried to talk to it in his mind.
'So, can you talk now?'
[Yes, Host]
Seeing a new message appear, affirming his suspicion, Ellis, while surprised at first, became glad the next moment, as it meant he would likely be able to get answers to some of his doubts.
So, after mulling over things in his mind, he finally asked his first question.
'Why is the name of the shard and the system hidden?'
[I don't have enough authority to know the answer to your question, but it should have something to do with the shard of **** being too small, or you being too weak.]
All Ellis could think upon reading the answer was that it was a load of bullshit. Still, he didn't bother arguing with the system. It had been just a question out of curiosity anyway, and even if he didn't know the name of the system and shard, it didn't change the fact that they were still "his."
They, are his… right?
After brushing off the answer, he moved on to his next question, already feeling strange by the possible meaning behind its response.
'What do you mean by you don't have enough authority? Are you not the system?'
[No, I'm part of the **** System, not the System itself.]
[Due to the shard of **** being too small and having stayed in the area of the Twilight Codex's influence, for long time, it mutated, taking on some of its characteristics. Then, after absorbing the remains of the Twilight Codex within you, I was born.]
Feeling that his questions were only increasing instead of decreasing with the explanation he received, Ellis still pressed on, determined to ask them one by one.