"Let's try."
She closed her eyes and imagined some domineering forms her Halfsie could transform into. After quite some time, she glanced at the creature resting on her palm, tilted her head, and said,
"Well, it doesn't seem to work after all."
"Host, what did you imagine me becoming?" The system bounced ecstatically. If it could transform one day, at least it knew its host was willing to change its appearance.
"A viper."
"Viper?"
The system couldn't help but wonder why she'd chosen a snake. Of all the amazing creatures she could have considered, a simple snake was what she had in mind?
[Host, you know everything is possible, right? Literally, your imagination is the limit.]
Of course, it didn't dare voice its thoughts. Its round form might get flattened at any moment. It still remembered the look of contemplation on her face when she first saw it. Halfsie could almost picture itself being swatted away under that same scrutinizing gaze.
"Beautiful black scales paired with your ruby-like eyes. You'll also be a venomous, cold-blooded predator. Such deadly beauty. Isn't it perfect?"
Touching her chin, she nodded as she answered the furball on her palm.
[They're obviously elegant creatures. Why did I find them repulsive before?]
Such a thought crossed her mind.
"But, Host, I want to be a dragon."
Its youthful voice grew softer and softer. It had to be courageous now and tell its host that it wanted to become a domineering dragon. Never mind the golden scales it had daydreamed about. Pure black would be fine, as long as it could become a dragon.
"A dragon, huh?"
She raised her head, mulling over the possibility.
"Dragons are just like snakes, but with limbs, don't you think? If you become a viper, you'll be like a dragon without those unnecessary limbs."
Halfsie: ...
Looking at the dejected piece of black mass, she couldn't help but continue.
"Also, if you transform into a viper, I'll change your name."
Suddenly, the silent system became as excited as if it had been injected with chicken blood.
[It's not too late. Redemption, here I come!]
With its scarlet eyes flashing brightly, it urged her to continue.
"I'll call you Danger Noodle from then on."
Its bright eyes instantly shrank. It couldn't help but consider that its host must have an awful sense of naming. For a moment, it was thankful that its name was Halfsie.
It decided that from then on, it would embrace the name Halfsie for all eternity.
All of a sudden, it felt its host gently fumbling over its body. The furball immediately cast aside all its bad thoughts and immersed itself in the comfort of her massage.
[I knew it. Beyond those terrifying evil stats lies the host's gentle core.]
It closed its eyes and sighed contentedly.
"I can't find it."
Her voice pulled it back to reality.
Halfsie: ?
"Halfsie, you don't seem to have a pp. Does that mean you're female?"
She poked the cute creature on her palm. It was really squishy and so enjoyable to touch. She thought she might have just found herself a new hobby.
"What's a pp?" The system couldn't help but ask.
It contained an enormous amount of information in its database, but it couldn't seem to find the term pp anywhere.
She laughed ambiguously and replied,
"That will be your first assignment."
She was amused by such an adorable system. It seemed that eternity wouldn't be so boring with this little creature by her side.
"I understand, Host. I will do my best."
Halfsie felt that it could finally show its host just how dependable it was.
As if remembering something, the black mass stopped jiggling and turned toward its host.
"Host, you haven't bound yourself to me yet."
"Didn't I already do that with the contract?"
She placed the system on the floor and lay down on her side.
"Yes, but it's different."
It bounced closer to its host's face and angled itself into what it hoped was a more convincing position.
"It's like having a username. You bind with me so you can access the system through me."
"Go on."
She closed her eyes, looking utterly lazy.
"It's quite simple, Host. You just have to put a shred of your soul into me."
Her eyes abruptly opened, and she glanced at the system.
[Host, you're looking at me as if you want to cook me.]
The system thought it was in for another round of abuse, but was surprised when its host merely gave it a scrutinizing gaze.
"Carry on," she said.
Clearly, the host wasn't angry, so why couldn't it stop trembling?
"Well, Host, you, you just need to place your finger on my head, and I'll do the rest."
"That's all?"
She sat back up, brought the shivering little guy closer to her face, and questioned it.
"Yes, Host!"
The furball was completely stiff, not daring to even look into its host's eyes.
It didn't know exactly what had irked its host when it mentioned the soul allocation. But sensing the chilly atmosphere around her, it decided it would be better not to delve into it.
Seeing her system guide trembling in fear, she couldn't help but sigh.
What could she expect from a dubious contract, anyway? What's the worst that could happen, right?
Now that she thought about it, she hadn't felt any massive alterations within herself, as she had initially anticipated. She only felt so carefree. That insouciant feeling of not even batting an eye if the sky came crashing down? She liked it.
So, if they still wanted to dismantle her soul, they could just do it. Whatever. She didn't care anymore.
She then tapped her index finger against the furball's head. A golden light appeared at the point of contact before vanishing a second later.
She withdrew her finger and was met with Halfsie's horrified expression.
"Something wrong?"
She tilted her head and poked the cotton-like mass.
The system rigidly shook its head. It glanced at its innocent-looking host while struggling to process the shocking sight of her soul.
When it was created, the main system had stored all the basic necessities it needed to become a qualified system: the ability to determine a plane's plot, essential information about almost everything that existed, the ability to locate Heavenly Beings, and, most importantly, the capacity to assess an individual's evil status.
It was equipped to detect a person's evil value through two means: by grading their aura and examining the color of their soul. Naturally, the system possessed both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze these two aspects.
Basically, a soul with 0% evil wouldn't emit any aura at all, and its color would be transparent. It denoted purity.
The next levels were 25%, represented by light yellow; 50%, yellow; 75%, orange; and 100%, red, accompanied by a strong, unpleasant aura. The higher the percentage, the deeper the crimson hue, while the emitted aura became increasingly oppressive and suffocating.
The system had an innate fear of its host and had assumed that it was simply an effect of their binding. After all, she was its boss.
It had merely thought that she might have a 100% evil score. So, when it saw her soul, it was utterly terrified.
Her soul wasn't crimson at all.
It was pitch-black.