RiftWalker: System's Domination

Wake up! Hey you, wake up immediately!

Earlier, you stayed late, and now you have also started to doze off in the library. A distorted sound, faintly heard from a distance, registered with David's subconscious mind.

In his semi-conscious state, the moments before he passed out flashed through his mind, startling him awake in a panic.

A guard stood directly before him. What had seemed like a distant voice now revealed itself to have been near all along. His face was marked by intense anger.

"And what makes you think it's acceptable to sleep here in the library hall?" the guard demanded in anger.

"The book, where's the book?" David said, speaking out while ignoring the guard.

"No more books for you. It's time to return to your cell. Should you persist, solitary confinement is always an option," the guard replied, his eyes narrowing menacingly.

David remained unresponsive, his gaze fixed ahead, as if he were lost in thought or simply indifferent to the guard's threat.

"Or should I just burn through your chest with my fire fist?" the guard implied, as his right fist began to burn, displaying radiant, cracked patterns.

Another flash of memories and David was prompted to examine his body for injuries inflicted earlier. "How am I still alive? And how am I perfectly alright?" he wondered aloud, lost in his own thoughts.

"What's wrong with you? Can't you stay conscious long enough to explain yourself? This is unacceptable!" the guard asserted, gradually shifting from anger to concern.

"Nah, let's go. It's nothing."

David replied before getting up and walking with the guard back to his prison cell.

The guard withdrew his ignited fire fist, the flames subsiding as he did.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, David neglected to notice the book he had been examining on the table.

In a matter of minutes, David was seen walking through the prison corridor with the guard.

A prisoner from one of the cells said to the others, "We all have to be locked up, but this kid has the privilege of staying out late. It's unfair."

"This guard thinks he's tough. Let's show him what we really think of his rules!"

The other prisoners began shouting and banging on the bars, creating a tense atmosphere.

The guard spoke with commanding authority, "Everyone, please be quiet. This situation will not unfold as you expect. Disruptions like this will only result in a lockdown, and none of you want that."

One of the prisoners said, "We are not afraid of you."

"Then I should burn all of you to a crisp and see which one of us comes out on top. You know that the law permits me to do so without any consequences," the guard asserted.

The noise began to subside as some prisoners backed off.

"That's better. You," he said, pointing to David, "are coming with me. We're going to have a little chat away from the group."

David, unresponsive to the guard, complied and continued.

Since the door to his cell was already open, David was directed inside. "This is your final warning," the guard said. "If I find you in the library longer than necessary, I will not be as merciful as I am today, as I have much work to attend to."

David kept his gaze lowered and remained silent, offering no response.

"Is that clear?" I said, the guard demanded.

"Yes, it's crystal clear," David responded while lifting his head.

"As it should be," were the guard's parting words before he walked away.

Now that David was alone, he exclaimed in confusion, "What the heck just happened in the library?" while holding his head with both hands.

"Have I gone completely insane?" he wondered to himself.

No, I am sure that what happened in the library was real.

"But then how is it that I have no injuries, much less how I am still alive?"

"How can I process what happened?" he said, bewildered.

"Returning to the library to examine the book again is also an option; it might shed some light, but I cannot go until tomorrow."

Normally, I could have searched for answers on the internet, but I don't have access to it.

"Or perhaps someone in the prison is playing tricks on my mind using their powers in the library," he pondered, seeking answers.

Still, I have never read about an illusion-type power in any book.

If only I could buy some informative books from the shop.

▪ ▪ ▪ THE SHOP FEATURES ARE LOCKED REACH LVL 15 TO ACCESS THE FEATURES ▪ ▪ ▪

A window suddenly popped up in front of David, and a strange voice verbalized the words displayed on it. Startled, David reflexively threw himself backward.

To his lack of success, the window followed the movements of his head.

"In the end, the window remained present."

Confused and lost in thought, he decided to observe the figure from a safe distance, considering calling the guard if the figure's behavior appeared suspicious or threatening.

It seemed like a hologram, floating in the air, though it was not threatening.

"Yep, I must have gone insane," David confirmed.

He tried blinking his eyes, shifting his gaze, and turning his head, but none of these actions had any effect.

As time passed, he realized that it was neither an illusion nor a mere trick. In fact, he could clearly perceive the window and see through it.

Slowly but surely, he recognized it from the old video games he used to play, yet he was still baffled by what was before him.

To affirm his understanding of the situation and what had happened earlier, he spoke again, "I want to buy books from the shop."

▪ ▪ ▪ THE SHOP FEATURES ARE LOCKED REACH LVL 15 TO ACCESS THE FEATURES ▪ ▪ ▪

The window blinked and reappeared, accompanied by the strange voice he had heard earlier, confirming his theory.

"He looked around to see where the voice was coming from but couldn't identify any source."

David noticed several other words above the notification, next to "Shop," in the swiping section of the window.

[ INFO ▸ QUEST ▸ INVENTORY ▸ SHOP ▾ ]

▪ ▪ ▪ THE SHOP FEATURES ARE LOCKED REACH LVL 15 TO ACCESS THE FEATURES ▪ ▪ ▪

"It's exactly like those video games I used to play, yet my question remains unanswered. Did it appear because of what happened at the library?" David sighed with a slight sense of relief.

In that case, I should interact with it further to gain some insight regarding that mysterious book.

David tried to touch the word "Inventory" on the window, but his finger passed right through it.

"That's odd; it should work," David uttered in disappointment.

"Does it only work when I speak?" he asked himself.

"I want books from the inventory," he said to ensure clarity.

▪ ▪ ▪ NO BOOKS FOUND IN THE INVENTORY ▪ ▪ ▪

"Once again, I was right; it only works when you speak."

"Let's try once more, open the inventory."

[ INFO ▸ QUEST ▸ INVENTORY ▾ SHOP ▸ ]

ITEMS

▫ Empty

"So, one has to directly ask for something for it to work," he said in acknowledgment.

"Open info," David spoke calmly this time.

[ INFO ▾ QUEST ▸ INVENTORY ▸ SHOP ▸ ]

PROFILE

NAME : David

LVL : 01 [ ▴ 0/30XP ] or [ ▴ 3 SU ]

TITLE : User

SYSTEM UNITS : 0

STATUS

HP : ▰▰▰▰▱ ⁰⁸

DEFENSE : ▰▰▰▰▰ ¹⁰

MANA : ▰▰▱▱▱ ⁰⁴

STATS

STRENGTH : 10 ▴

AGILITY : 07 ▴

STAMINA : 09 ▴

INTELLIGENCE : 91 ▴

POWERS

LIGHT POWER : E Class [ ▴ 10 SU ]

DARKNESS POWER : D Class [ ▴ 30 SU ]

"It even knows my name, he thought. It seemed legitimate, yet he felt confused. Despite this, he proceeded further to investigate. What are these statistics? Have I grown this weak over the past few years? he wondered in disappointment."

Heck, I could have been on par with an A-Rank RiftWalker in my prime, yet I was just a kid back then. But now I have fallen so low.

"Strength... agility... stamina... INTELLIGENCE: 91! The IQ's quite average. No wonder I ended up in prison, considering the poor choices I made."

Faced with the reality of his situation, David sank to the concrete floor yet again, consumed by hopelessness.

I skipped two meals today because of what happened. How many hours was I unconscious in the library? It's nighttime now, and my stomach is growling because it's empty, much like my inventory.

The window stayed suspended in the air.

Shouldn't this thing shut off at some point?

"Fortunately, I don't have a Rift collection duty today; otherwise, I would be in a difficult situation."

▪ ▪ ▪ A NEW QUEST HAS ARRIVED ▪ ▪ ▪

A window popped up again, displaying a different notification this time.

"Open quest," he said, realizing with surprise that he had forgotten to check the quest menu.

[ INFO ▸ QUEST ▾ INVENTORY ▸ SHOP ▸ ]

MAIN QUEST

▫ Collect All Glass Shards

DAILY QUEST

▫ Not Available

"Now, what in the world are glass shards, and why should I collect them?"

▪ ▪ ▪ USERS QUESTION HAS BEEN IGNORED ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ REACH LVL 10 TO UNLOCK

THIS SPECIFIC INFORMATION ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ HOWEVER THE SYSTEM ALLOWS FOR A PRECISE RESPONSE ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ THE DESIGNER CREATED THE

SYSTEM SOLELY FOR THIS PURPOSE ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ FAILURE TO FULFILL IT

WILL RESULT IN PENALTY ▪ ▪ ▪

"And what is the penalty?" David asked, seeking clarification.

▪ ▪ ▪ DEATH ▪ ▪ ▪

"Ha ha, he bursts out laughing. That's a clever way to compel someone to do your work."

"This Designer is truly remarkable."

"And where might one find shards?" David inquired once more, his curiosity evident.

▪ ▪ ▪ IN THE RIFTS ▪ ▪ ▪

"I'm never leaving this prison, much less venturing into the outside world or the Rifts. Essentially, I won't be collecting your shards. An evil person like me is better off staying here," he stated clearly.

▪ ▪ ▪ THAT SHOULD RESULT IN DEATH ▪ ▪ ▪

I don't care if you want to. You can kill me; in fact, you'd be aiding the world by erasing an evil presence.

▪ ▪ ▪ INITIALIZING PROTOCOLS ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ APPLYING PENALTY FOR

REFUSING TO COLLECT SHARDS ▪ ▪ ▪

"Oh, so you were actually serious?" David said, astounded.

▪ ▪ ▪ PENALTY SELECTED ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ DEATH BY SUFFOCATION ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ 3 ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ 2 ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ 1 ▪ ▪ ▪