While I slept, the voice of a girl whispered to me. And within the darkness of my dreams, I noticed a faint glowing light. I slowly walked towards that voice, hoping to find its origin. This light was white, resembling a tiny flame with strands of light surrounding it.
Whatever this was, it seemed to be in pain. Then again, it was kind of obvious from how it spoke. I moved near the origin of the voice, wanting to check on it. I didn't know what it was, but I was incredibly curious.
"What are you? Are you okay?"
As I reached up to it, the glowing white flame that seemed to die off at any moment began to glow a bit brighter.
It seemed to calm down when I touched it.
"It hurts... host..."
"I'm host? Don't call me that. It makes me feel like you're a parasite or something."
"I am... the system..."
Eh? This tiny white light is that thing named the "System"?
I can't believe it... but I remember it having the shape of a cube before. What happened to that?
Ugh, so many questions, but she doesn't seem willing to answer all of them. In any case, it doesn't hurt to try.
"Can you tell me more about you? And why do you feel hurt?"
"I am... System #0. I am the first... creation of my master and father, whose true name is unknown to me. I feel pain due to my flawed creation... my own existence is... flawed... badly... made... It hurts to exist..."
"So, you were created by that asshole... wait a minute... you're number zero? Why is your existence flawed?"
"Badly made... I was constructed without prior knowledge and experience... hence, my existence has many errors..."
"Is there a way I can help you out?"
"Why... why do you want to help me?"
"Well, we're in this together. I might as well try to find a way to help you out somehow."
The little white light seemed to look at me before continuing to speak.
"There is a way... I... require external energy... I had extracted from my creator... but he... cut off my connection to him... Father has rejected me..."
"Are you serious? He actually discarded you?"
"What kind of energy do you need?"
"External... due to my errors... a strange capability has been created where individual Health Point and Mana Point values are frozen. Therefore, there seems to be unlimited quantities of this energy. Nevertheless... external energy from anything, may it be souls or... corpses can be used as surplus to fuel my capabilities... through them, it could be possible to... fix... errors..."
It was becoming increasingly harder for her to speak.
"Get energy to fix errors... gotcha. Unfortunately, I'm a baby right now, are you okay with waiting for a bit?"
"My capabilities can function without surplus energy... but I am... stagnant. I can wait..."
"Is there a way to ease your pain while we wait?"
"I don't know... I've always lived with pain..."
Since she says that, wouldn't she eventually get used to it? Then again, it still hurts her a lot...
Thinking of ways to help ease the pain she felt, I extended my ethereal hands over the tiny white light, hugging her.
"Sorry about this... but I guess the only thing I can do is ask you to be strong. Can you do that for me?"
I looked down as the flame seemed to flicker a bit. I guess this body I have right now might be a part of my soul or something.
"You sure? Do you like my hug? Can you feel it?"
"You're such a good girl... don't worry, we can get through this together."
I decided to keep hugging this little vulnerable and weak light for as much as I slept. During this sleep, I asked her about various things, and she would answer whatever she knew.
She said this guy that created her was named a "God of Transmigration", using his expertise over souls to send souls into other worlds that were in dire help for an otherworldly soul experienced in the "isekai genre" or whatever. While doing so, he gave them a system that he made, which varied in functions and features depending on the necessity.
With that being said, she was crafted as the first system. She told me she was a "primitive leveling and class system" with nothing else going for her. Her main function was to help me extract energy from the souls and bodies of the living beings I slay and add it to my body and soul, effectively earning "EXP".
After a certain threshold occurs, I can level up. But this is useless... why? Well, she said that a part of the glitch within her root was that my status had been frozen.
Meaning that it can't go up... nor down.
Naturally, it was strange to think about. But since my status is frozen, I cannot develop my physical or magical capabilities through the system. In exchange, I effectively have endless mana and... I guess I'm also an immortal?
She told me that this "glitch" ended up becoming a root of my soul, so even if she was fixed, it might remain...
Which I don't mind at all!
"Is it possible for myself to develop outside the system? I will still slay "monsters" or whatever for you to slowly recover through their EXP."
"There should be ways.... I... I don't know much about this world... but the rest of the living beings here don't possess a system... they develop their power through mana manipulation and superhuman strength..."
"I see... I guess I should get to know how I can do that with the aid of my parents."
"I apologize... because of me being a failure of an existence, the system is intervening with your own natural talents due to locking your usage of capabilities and inner power to the system interface. In other words, it will take you perhaps several times the effort to learn something new..." she sighed.
"Oh... well, I'm a hard worker, so I really don't mind it that much," I replied.
"Indeed. As long as I can have a second chance, I will make sure to live it till my heart's content! I can't wait to grow up and explore this strange world, to be honest... Oh, and of course, you'll come along with me!"
"...Thank you," she said in response to my words.
"Don't worry about that. We're both failures here, I guess. We gotta look out for each other."