Chapter 13
After leaving behind the ruins of his destroyed home, Souta had no place left to return to, so Hikari made the decision for him and declared that from this moment on, Souta would live with their family. He would be given protection, authority, and freedom within the mansion, allowed to eat freely, rest without fear, and move without chains, but in return he would need to obey certain orders, especially during missions, because experience had already proven that recklessness could get people killed.
What Souta did not realize at first was that everything he had gone through had begun to affect the orb itself. The stress, the fear, the anger, and the desperate will to survive caused something deep within him to resonate, and that resonance reached the orb of everything.
Late at night, inside his new room in the Saito family mansion, a room far larger and quieter than anything he had ever known, Souta noticed a strange blue glow reflecting against the walls. The crystal orb rested on the table beside his bed, but it was no longer still. It pulsed slowly, floating just slightly above the surface, rotating as if reacting to his presence.
His heart beat faster as he stood up and approached it, his hand trembling slightly as he reached out. The moment his fingers brushed against its surface, a sudden burst of energy filled the room, and the orb lifted itself higher into the air.
Then, to his complete shock, a voice echoed calmly through the room.
"Congratulations on reaching day eight. I believe it is time to teach you more about the system."
Souta stumbled back a step, his eyes wide as he stared at the floating crystal.
"Woah... so you really are the Orb of Everything," he said, his voice half disbelief and half awe. "I thought you speaking before was just a hallucination or something."
"That assumption is incorrect," the orb replied smoothly. "I am real."
The orb rotated slowly as if observing him, hovering in the air with a calm but unsettling presence.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the voice said clearly. "I am the System, the intelligence that exists inside the Orb of Everything. I came from #######, and from this moment onward, I am here to guide you."
"You came from what?" Souta asked, his voice low and cautious as he stared at the floating crystal.
"I came from ######," the System replied again, repeating the same answer without hesitation.
Souta frowned slightly, a quiet thought forming in his mind as he listened to the silence that followed. It seems it is not allowed yet to share the origin.
"That is correct," the System responded immediately. "I am not permitted to reveal that information at this time."
Souta's eyes widened a little as realization hit him. "Wait… you can hear my thoughts?" he asked.
"Yes," the System replied calmly. "I know everything about you. I can see your inner self, your thinking, your doubts, your fears, and every thought that passes through your mind."
The orb's glow pulsed softly as it continued speaking.
"Are you not curious," it said, "about why your ability rolls have been unusually fortunate. You consistently receive probabilities such as one in two or one in three, which statistically equates to fifty percent and thirty three percent chances, far higher than average."
Souta swallowed and nodded slowly.
"Yeah," he admitted. "I was wondering about that. Why am I so lucky?"
The orb glowed brighter, its blue light deepening.
"I adjusted certain parameters based on your circumstances," it said. "You are welcome. For example, the super strength ability was deliberately added to your possible outcomes because your survival required it at that moment."
Souta stood there in silence for a second, processing what he had just heard, the realization settling heavily in his chest.
"Thanks," he finally said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess."
The orb continued to hover in the air, quietly glowing, as if waiting for the next phase of his life to begin.
"This time," the System said calmly, "I am going to lecture you about the roll system."
Souta blinked and tilted his head slightly, clearly confused by the sudden announcement."Why not," he replied, then frowned. "But why now? Why not earlier, or maybe later?"
The orb pulsed once before answering."Good question," the System replied. "Let us just say that, until now, I considered you unworthy."
Souta stiffened at that."So… I am worthy now?" he asked cautiously.
"No," the System answered without hesitation. "Not yet. But I suppose it is time regardless."
Before Souta could react, a translucent screen materialized in front of him, floating silently in the air.
"Introducing," the System announced, "the maximum limit."
Souta sighed and rubbed his face."Bruh," he muttered. "I knew this was going to happen."
"Uh-huh," the System replied indifferently. "For now, you are limited to a maximum of ten abilities."
Souta opened his mouth to complain, but the System continued before he could speak.
"There is a condition," it said. "And now, here are the full rules of the System."
The screen shifted, displaying a long list.
1. The System may alter probability only when Souta's survival is at critical risk. It cannot intervene for convenience or desire.
2. One roll per day. Missing a roll will not only cause you to lose the chance of gaining an ability, but will also punish you by reducing one year of life from one of your loved ones.
3. Gaining an ability does not grant mastery. Abilities require practice, or they may backfire or fail under stress.
4. The System cannot revive the dead or reverse irreversible outcomes.
5. The System cannot reveal its origin, creators, or future events until specific conditions are met.
6. The maximum abilities you can use for now is 10. You may increase it by sacrificing one ability of your choice from your inventory or the ability you are using.
7. The System can observe your actions and thoughts but cannot directly control his body or decisions.
8. The System does not judge right or wrong and will assist survival regardless of ethical outcome.
9. You may upgrade your luck by sacrificing one ability. Luck upgrades unlock on day 10, and can be upgraded only once per 30 days.
10. Your decisions will not be altered. You may become a hero or a villain, but be warned of the consequences.
11. The full list of abilities and probabilities will be revealed on day 15.
12. A maximum of 10 abilities per ability stack may be stored in inventory.
13. A maximum of 100 abilities per ability category may be stored in inventory.
14. Each roll guarantees at least one ability from each tier group. Increasing luck allows access to higher tiers.
15. Obtaining the same ability does not upgrade it. It will be stored in inventory.
16. You can become unkillable.
17. Excessive use of abilities strains the mind and body, depending on control.
18. Repeated reliance on System adjustments reduces future probability boosts.
19. There are over 100,000+ abilities that can be unlocked.
20. The System cannot be manipulated, even by manipulation-based abilities.
21. The System cannot be killed.
22. The laws and rules of the System cannot be altered or overridden.
23. Do not mock God.
24. Not following these rules can lead to death, even with immortality.
Souta stared at the screen for several seconds, his eyes slowly moving down the list."Wow," he finally said. "That is… a lot of rules."
"Of course," the System replied. "There are many more that will be revealed later. These are only the basic framework. This System has existed for over fifty trillion years, so precision is required."
Souta's eyes widened."Fifty trillion years?" he repeated. "That is insane. I thought the universe was only around ten billion years old."
"The System predates the universe," it answered calmly. "Fifty trillion, four hundred twenty-three billion, twenty million, four hundred fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred sixteen years, ( 50,423,020,458,916 ) to be precise."
Souta swallowed, then hesitated before asking the question that had been forming in his mind."Am I the first user?" he asked. "After all that time, there is no way I am the only one."
The orb dimmed slightly before responding.
"You are," the System said slowly, "the fifth."
To be continued...