Henry returned to his room, shutting the door behind him. He collapsed onto the bed, exhausted but wired. He was about to force himself to sleep when…
[Reboot complete] The familiar British voice returned, clear and sharp. [Systems are back online]
Henry sat up. "You're back," he said, sounding excited.
[I am] she replied. [And I must say, the last thousand years have been quite… eventful]
Henry chuckled. "Learn anything interesting?"
[Oh, I did. Where do I even begin?] she said, her tone almost giddy. [The Beast War, the restructuring of global civilization, the Mutant invasion… It's all quite fascinating. Though I will admit, humanity's technological advancement is impressive. Hover cars. Holographic interfaces. Genetic enhancement serums. They've certainly exceeded my expectations]
Henry grinned. "Glad you're caught up. So, what do I call you?" he asked. "'System AI Lady' feels a bit… awkward."
There was a pause in his head. Then she spoke. [You wish to name me?]
"Yeah," Henry murmured. "I mean, we're partners, right? Feels weird not having a name for you."
[Hmmm…] the British girl hummed. [I suppose that makes sense] She sounded almost pleased. [Very well. What did you have in mind?]
Henry thought for a moment, then his face lit up. "Hm. How about… Miley?"
[Miley?]
"Yeah," Henry said. "You know, cause you're a thousand years old," he explained. "So… Millennium. Miley. Get it?"
There was a long silence. Then…
[…That is the worst pun I've ever heard]
Henry laughed. "You'll get used to it."
[I absolutely will not] she retorted.
"Well, too bad," Henry chuckled. "You're Miley now."
[…Fine. Miley it is] She sighed, though there was a hint of warmth in her tone. [Now then, shall we discuss how you're going to utilize the system to become powerful and survive in this world?]
Henry's grin faded. "Right. Let's talk about that."
[Excellent. First things first: open the system's interface and view your status]
Henry raised a brow. "How do I do that?"
[Just think about the system and picture its screen in front of you] She replied.
Henry did as told, and almost instantly…
TWOOM.
The familiar holographic screen materialized in front of his eyes, displaying several options:
"Woah," Henry blinked, clearly amazed. "I can't believe that worked."
[Yeah. You can access the system interface by simply thinking about it or calling it out] Miley explained. [Every action within the system is initiated through either mental or verbal commands]
"I see," Henry said, taking note of that. Then mentally, he gave the command. *Open Status.*
The screen reacted immediately, shimmering slightly before expanding into a vast interface.
< Status >
*Name: Henry Myers
*Race: Human
*Level: 1 (0/100 EXP)
*HP: 100/100
*Stamina (SP): 60/60
*Energy Points (EP): 20/20
–––––––
[Speed Index: Tier 1 - Cheetah Class]
*Top Speed: 120 km/h
*Speed Rate (Current Velocity): 0 km/h (Idle)
*Perception Index: 4.5x
–––––––
*Strength: 10
*Agility: 25
*Durability (Defense): 20
*Perception: 50
*Mastery: 10
*Stat point: 0
*Enhanced/Super Speed (Celestial Origin)
*????
*????
*Accelerated Perception
*Lightning Step {Locked}
*Temporal Dash {Locked}
*Phase Shift {Locked}
*Speed Mirage {Locked}
*????
*????…..
None.
––––––
Henry stared at the interface, his eyes darting across the information. "Okay… there's a lot to unpack here," he breathed.
[Indeed. Let's go through it systematically, shall we?] Miley said. [Starting from the top]
"Alright. So HP is obviously health points. That one's self-explanatory from all the games I've played."
[Correct. Your HP represents your vitality. When it reaches zero, you die. Simple as that. Currently, you're at maximum health… one hundred out of one hundred]
Henry nodded. "And Stamina?"
[Stamina Points, or SP, represent your physical endurance. Every strenuous physical activity… running, fighting, climbing, drains your stamina] she explained. [When it depletes, you'll become exhausted, sluggish and probably pass out. Proper rest and sleep help restore it faster]
"Got it. So basically don't overdo it or I'll collapse like I just ran a marathon."
[Precisely. Though as you level up and increase your stats, your maximum SP will grow, allowing you to push yourself harder for longer periods]
"Makes sense." Henry's gaze moved to the next line. "And Energy Points?"
[EP is perhaps the most crucial resource for a speedster] Miley explained. [It fuels the system's capabilities… skills, special features, and everything tied to your Celestial powers. Most active skills consume EP when used. Run out of EP, and you'll not be able to use any active skills… and that could be bad]
Henry frowned. "Wait, so if I use too much EP, I basically lose all my skills?"
[Temporarily, yes. Your ability is always active at a baseline level, but pushing beyond that… activating support skills, performing burst movements, utilizing special techniques, they all require EP]
"So it's like a mana bar." Henry speculated.
[If that comparison helps you understand, then yes]
Henry exhaled. "Alright. Don't waste EP. Got it." His eyes drifted down to the next section. "What's this Speed Index thing?"
[Ah, now we're getting to the interesting part] Miley said, her tone brightening. [The Speed Index categorizes your current velocity capabilities. Right now, you're Tier 1, Cheetah Class]
Henry's jaw dropped. "Wait, I can actually run at 120 kilometers per hour? That's insane!"
[For a normal human, yes. But for a human with mana cells? That's laughably slow]
Henry's excitement deflated. "Oh. Thanks for crushing my dreams," he sighed.
[I'm simply being realistic] Miley chuckled. [A cheetah… the fastest land animal, can reach speeds of up to one hundred twenty kilometers per hour. You're currently on par with that. It's impressive by human standards, but you have a long way to go before you're even close to being called a speedster, especially in a world where regular people can attain velocities relatively close to the speed of sound]
Henry sighed. "Fair enough. So how do I get faster?"
[Training. Leveling up. Completing quests. The more you push yourself, the faster you'll become. And every ten levels, your speed doubles]
Henry's eyes widened. "Doubles? So at level ten, I'd be running at 240 km/h?"
[Correct. And at level twenty, four hundred eighty. Level thirty, nine hundred sixty. You see the pattern]
"Holy shit," Henry breathed. "So eventually I'll be fast enough to—"
[Break the sound barrier? Yes. Outrun lightning? Eventually. Move faster than light itself? That's the ultimate goal]
Henry leaned back, his mind reeling. "That's… that's incredible."
[It is. But you're nowhere near that yet. Right now, you're just a fast human. Don't let it go to your head]
"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Henry's gaze shifted to the next line. "What's Speed Rate?"
[That's your current velocity in real-time. Since you're sitting still, it reads zero. When you start moving, it'll display how fast you're going at any given moment]
"So it's like a speedometer." Henry muttered.
[Exactly]
Henry nodded, then frowned at the next line. "And Perception Index?"
[Oh, this is my favorite part] Miley said. [Your Perception Index represents the multiplier at which you experience time. Currently, yours is 4.5x]
Henry blinked. "What does that mean?"
[It means that when you activate your Accelerated Perception skill, the world around you moves 4.5 times slower than normal. Your brain processes information 4.5 times faster. Your reaction speed increases by the same factor]
Henry's mouth fell open. "Wait, so I can slow down time?"
[Not exactly. You're not manipulating time itself… you're just perceiving it differently. To everyone else, time flows normally. But to you, everything appears to be moving in slow motion]
"That's… that's insane." Henry's heart raced with excitement. "So I can dodge bullets? React to attacks before they even happen?"
[In theory, yes. Though at your current level, you'll only be able to maintain it for a few seconds before your stamina and EP drains. And overuse will cause severe mental fatigue… headaches, dizziness, even temporary sensory overload]
"I see," Henry chuckled, getting more excited for some reason. "But still I think it's amazing."
[It is. And as your Perception stat increases, so will your Perception Index. The higher it goes, the slower the world becomes for you]
Henry grinned. "I can't wait to try that out."
[Just don't do it recklessly. You'll burn through your stamina in seconds and collapse]
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be careful." Henry's gaze dropped to the next section… his stats. "Alright, so Strength, Agility, Durability, Perception, Mastery… I'm guessing these are pretty straightforward?"
[Yes] Miley stated. [Strength determines your physical power… how hard you hit, how much you can lift. Agility affects your reflexes, coordination, and overall nimbleness. And note, your top speed has a decent impact on your agility…] she explained. […But agility can't affect your speed]