Chapter 116: CH 116: The System’s Origin (1) - (WMR4)

Chapter 116: CH 116: The System’s Origin (1) - (WMR4)With Dave’s fingers wrapped around the mother crystal, a system notification had instantly flashed in his mind, the message appearing with a sense of finality. [You have successfully obtained a Mother Crystal] The notification was then followed by a prompt. [Do you wish to extract the energy of the Crystal?] Dave’s eyes narrowed as he read the options. "Extract it? Won’t I have to smash it on the ground?" he muttered to himself, a hint of curiosity in his voice. He wasn’t expecting a response, but the system surprised him as it gave a reply to his inquiry. [Smashing the mother crystal will ruin the user’s chances of getting a suitable reward] The message appeared, stern and filled with warning. Still, the prompt had appeared again. [Do you wish to extract the energy of the crystal instead?] Dave’s gaze lingered on the notification, his mind weighing his options. People said smashing the crystal will give them gifts, but the system said extracting it will give him rewards. He doesn’t know exactly what each would give him, so why not choose the more surest option. "Besides, what’s there to lose anyway?" he said, a shrug implied in his tone. Then, without further hesitation, Dave chose the yes option, having made a decision. At that moment, the mother crystal had begin to glow brighter in his hands, its energy pulsating with an otherworldly power. Dave’s heart quickened, anticipation building in his chest. What would the reward be? Would it be something he would love? The uncertainty hung in the air, as Dave watch the mother crystal started to disintegrate, its form breaking down into tiny, shimmering particles of energy. The particles danced in the air, and then they began to flow into Dave’s body, passing through every opening, infusing him with their power. The process was both mesmerizing and unsettling, and Dave felt the energy coursing through his veins like a potent elixir. As the last of the crystal’s energy was absorbed, a notification flashed in his mind. [You have successfully extracted the energy of the mother crystal] But it was the next notification that caught Dave’s attention. [The quest; Extract 3 million beast crystals has been altered] [New Quest: Extract 2.8 million beast crystals] Dave’s eyes widened in surprise as he read the words. "What? Did the number just reduce from 3 to 2.8 million?" he exclaimed, doing the math in his head. "That’s a decrease of 200,000 beast crystals." Dave’s mind whirled as he tried to understand what had just happened. The reduction in the number seemed to be directly linked to the mother crystal he had just extracted. But why 200,000? Could it be that the total amount of beast the mother crystal could produce was 200,000? If so, then it shows that even the mother crystal with its ability to produce multiple beasts, have its own limitations. But the system wasn’t done, as more and more messages continued to flash in Dave’s mind. [3/2.8 million beast crystals has been obtained] The numbers seemed daunting, and Dave couldn’t help but feel a sense of trepidation. "Well, that’s a long way to go," he said, his voice laced with a mix of determination and resignation. He knew the numbers would increase soon enough. After all, he still had a stash of 700 dead beasts in his void space, their lifeless bodies waiting to be processed. Once he was alone, he’d start carving out their chest to extract the crystals, a grim task that seemed to be his reality now. As Dave reflected on the events that had led him to this point, he couldn’t help but think about the world he now lived in. "This is just what the world now is, isn’t it?" he said to himself, the words hanging in the air like a lament. "We have to kill to survive." The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he wondered how many people had lost their lives to these gruesome beasts. The question of survival led to another, more profound one. What had caused the apocalypse in the first place? Who was responsible for unleashing this chaos upon the world? Dave’s mind turned to the mysterious figure he kept seeing in his dreams, a man shrouded in shadows. Did he have something to do with the world’s downfall? The questions swirled in Dave’s mind, but the answers remained elusive, leaving him with only more uncertainty and doubt. Dave’s curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to continue reading the messages from the system. [You have obtained a new reward: An Ability!] The words flashed above his face, followed by an explanation. [The mother crystal when extracted, is capable of giving the person whatever ability the beasts created has] The system’s message provided more insight into the workings of the mother crystal. [In the case of this mother crystal, the beasts created all have fire powers. Therefore, the user will be given an ability associated with a fire element] But the next part of the message was what caught Dave’s attention. [But since you already have another mother crystal inside you, you won’t be able to obtain a pure fire element] [And instead, you will be given the ability to make any of your tamed beast utilize the fire ability] Dave’s eyes narrowed as he read the words. "Hold on a sec, how did I have a mother crystal in me?" he wondered, a mix of confusion and curiosity in his mind. This was the first time he had heard about having a mother crystal inside him, and the revelation raised more questions than answers. The system’s tone seemed different this time, almost as if it was having a conversation with Dave like a fellow human. The previous robotic tone had displayed and was replaced by a female human voice. The clarity and detail of the messages were unusual, and Dave felt like he was talking to a part of the system that he hadn’t seen before. ’cause why was it speaking like a human? [You have a mother crystal in you, which is how you were able to tame and control beasts] The revelation raised more questions than answers, and Dave’s thoughts swirled with different thoughts. [Naturally, if the mother crystal hadn’t crashed on you, and you hadn’t been bullied that night, you would have had a different power] The system’s words painted a picture of a different reality, one where Dave would have had something other than the power he had now. [You would have had just a max level strength, max level speed, and max level endurance. It is the third power bestowed to human to survive the apocalypse] [However, perhaps it is luck, but you not only have a max level stats, but you also get to have a mother crystal embedded in you, providing you with the ability to tame and control beasts] The words seemed to imply that Dave’s circumstances were unique, and that he had somehow managed to achieve something that no other person had did. [You achieved an impossible task of obtaining two of the three powers given to human to survive the apocalypse] [And now, you have managed to obtain all three powers, making the fifteen years of experiment to become successful. Thank you Dave, I and my team are glad to have a strong human like you complete our experiment] Dave’s eyes widened in shock as he read the system message displayed to him. "I and my team?" He said. And before he could even think properly, he had blurted out the next words that had came from his mouth. "I’m sorry, but who are you?" he asked, his expression furrowed in confusion. The words "I and my team" hung in Dave’s mind, raising more questions than answers. The change in the System’s tone and way of talking wasn’t a coincidence either. What exactly is going on?