Alec sat on what would have been the riverbank if the stream he had used as a bath had been thrice the size. He was cold, wet, and almost naked.
"Does hypothermia exist in this world?" He asked absentmindedly, trying to distract himself from the fact that he was lost again. Or still lost, maybe.
The stars were beautiful. And the three moons gave more than enough light for him to find his way. But he did not know enough about the stars and moons to use them to figure out his way back to the Academy.
He could only hope that he had been unconscious for longer than he thought, and that the suns would soon rise.
[It exists in all the worlds I've been to.] The System answered.
"Oh? How many is that?" Alec asked, genuinely curious. He had already figured that there were other worlds out there.
Earth was one, and Miteria was another. Naturally, there were others. They could be other worlds from books or other worlds like Earth.
Regardless, Alec doubted the System would be able to tell him much about them. It couldn't even tell him how the original savior of this world had died in this alternate version.
[Three. Home, another world, and this one.]
"Just three?" Alec thought the System would have visited more. But then again, it didn't seem like a very experienced System.
[You're a little cocky for someone still on his second world.]
"I am not meant for more than one world in the first place. Isn't this your job? Only having done it once before doesn't exactly raise my evaluation of you."
[This is my first time, actually.]
"Oh…"
Far away in his mind, Alec wondered what the System had done on the second world, and even what its homeworld looked like. Was it a world of Systems with or without hosts walking around like humans did on Earth, or was the System's homeworld unlike anything he could even imagine?
But none of those thoughts reached his mouth. A mountain of heavy realization blocked their way.
The System, his one source of help in saving the world and his life and returning to Earth, was a total newbie.
"Greenpea, you better take this seriously."
The System wasn't sure about the new way of address, but still responded.
[Of course. If you die, I die. I am always doing my best to raise your odds of success.]
"How's that going so far?"
[Minor Quest: Kill and eat five monsters.]
[Reward: 'Monster Muncher' title and 'The Abyssal Guide To Monstrous Gourmet Eating']
"..."
Alec stared blankly at the text prompt in front of his eyes. He wasn't sure if he wanted either of those rewards.
"What about the fact that eating monsters increases the risk of becoming one?"
[You have already eaten one, Alec. Is now the time to be worrying about that?]
"Now is exactly the time to be worrying about that!" He protested.
"I don't want to become a monster!"
[Then don't.]
"What?"
[Major Quest: Figure out the monsterification process plaguing Miteria and solve the age-old mystery.]
[Reward: Complete monsterification immunity, Random Monster Egg, and 1 Ticket to the Abyss.]
"...What?" Alec stared blankly at the prompt. Again.
"How am I even supposed to do that?"
[That's up to you. I can only provide you the quests. Solving them is your part.]
Alec frowned and hugged his shivering body tighter.
"I guess the time it will take for me to become a monster is part of what I need to figure out, which means you can't tell me."
[Something like that.]
"Will eating monsters help me figure it out?"
[There's only one way to find out.]
Alec sighed.
"I'm not a fan of monsters."
[You'd better work hard, then, before you end up one.]
Alec was silent. He looked at the reflection of the stars in the gentle stream. The life of a star had to be simpler than his was. He would much rather transform into one of them than a monster.
Unfortunately, that seemed even more impossible than not transforming into a monster.
So, he was stuck trying to get his blood circulation going with some basic exercise while he waited for the sun to rise and his clothes to dry.
Having gone through what he had just gone through, that was a risk.
He didn't have any food. He tended to get hungry after exercising.
But to his surprise, he still wasn't hungry even after an hour. There wasn't a hint of dissatisfaction in his stomach.
'Goddamn shit.'
Alec quickly realized why.
He didn't understand how. But it was thanks to the sheep he ate.
Clearly, monster meat was more filling than fruits, vegetables, and jerky.
If his [Gluttony] worsened in the future, he had no choice but to fulfill the minor quest if he wanted to remain a functional human who wasn't trapped at a dining table all hours of the day. But if he went down that path, he had to also solve the major quest.
He could either become a monster muncher or find another solution to his hunger.
Alec leaned toward finding another solution since indulging [Gluttony] would only make it worse. He had already proven as much the past couple of weeks. The more he ate, the hungrier he got.
But then he looked at the condition of his body again.
'God-damn!'
One monster had enhanced his figure noticeably and trimmed the outlines of his muscles. It was to the point where his exercise just now had been a little too easy. The overall condition of his body had improved.
If it was just his muscles, it still might be worth the risk.
But if it wasn't just his muscles but his entire body that enjoyed the benefits of eating monsters with [Gluttony], he might have stumbled upon a solution to the impending heart failure that affected all Aether condensers.
If the powerful monster meat strengthened not just his skeletal muscles but the rest of his body as well, he had to go down this path.