Lucas pushed open the door to his dorm room and immediately locked it behind him. The place felt like a safe little haven after such a crazy day.
He tossed his bag onto the desk, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto his bed with a deep sigh.
"System," he called out. "Let's test those new functions you mentioned during Full Integration."
[Ding!]
[Which function would Host like to test first?]
"Let's start with Analyze. How does it work?"
[Host simply needs to focus on an object or person and mentally command 'Analyze.' The system will provide available information based on Host's current knowledge and the system's database.]
Lucas sat up and looked around his room. His eyes landed on the practice dagger he'd bought from a street vendor a few days ago.
Analyze.
A transparent window appeared in his vision:
[Item: Common Iron Dagger]
[Quality: Poor]
[Durability: 23/50]
[Description: A cheaply made blade of low-grade iron. Suitable for basic cutting tasks but poorly balanced for combat. The edge is already beginning to dull from minimal use.]
"Huh. That's actually pretty useful," Lucas muttered. He picked up one of his textbooks next.
Analyze.
[Item: Introduction to Elemental Theory - First Edition]
[Quality: Common]
[Condition: Well-Used]
[Description: A standard academy textbook covering the basics of elemental magic theory. This copy has been owned by at least three previous students, as evidenced by the various notes in different handwriting styles in the margins.]
Lucas grinned. "This could save me a lot of trouble identifying things. What about using it on people?"
[When used on people, Analyze will show basic information such as name, general power level, and any obvious conditions.
However, detailed information about skills, exact stats, or hidden traits will only be available if Host has significantly higher power than the target, or if the target is willing to share such information.]
"Fair enough. I wouldn't want someone reading all my secrets either." Lucas set down the book. "Next, let's test Storage Space. How do I access it?"
[Host can mentally command 'Store' while touching an object to place it in storage, or 'Retrieve' while thinking of the stored item to take it out. Current storage capacity is 3 feet by 3 feet. Would Host like to view the storage interface?]
"Yes."
A new window appeared, showing a simple grid layout. Currently, only one square was occupied. It was the bag containing his remaining Leklass fruits glowed faintly in the first slot.
Lucas picked up the practice dagger and thought, Store.
The dagger vanished from his hand and appeared in the storage grid. A moment later, he thought, Retrieve, and the dagger materialized back in his palm.
"This is incredible," Lucas said.
"No more worrying about carrying suspicious items around. I can store my Shadow equipment here and no one will ever find it."
He spent the next few minutes storing and retrieving various items, testing the limits. He found that liquids needed to be in containers, and that he couldn't store anything living.
The 3-foot limitation was also very strict. He couldn't fit his sword, which was just slightly over 3 feet in length.
"System, you mentioned I can improve storage size with Villain Points?"
[Correct. Storage expansion costs 50 Villain Points per additional 3x3x3 foot cube of space.]
"Expensive, but worth it eventually." Lucas nodded. "What about Instant Delivery? Does that mean shop purchases appear immediately now instead of any wait time?"
[Correct. All shop purchases will now materialize instantly in Host's storage space or in Host's hand, depending on Host's preference.]
"Perfect. That'll be way less conspicuous." Lucas stretched out on his bed, feeling satisfied. "And the Sentience function is obviously working, since you're actually responding to me with personality now instead of just robotic confirmations."
[System is honored by Host's acknowledgment.]
"Don't get too excited. You're still annoying half the time," Lucas said. "Though I guess it's better than talking to myself."
He pulled out his notes from the study session and began reviewing them, occasionally using Analyze on various items around his room just to get used to the function.
The more he practiced, the faster the information appeared.
After about half an hour of review, Lucas set down his notes and frowned.
"System, is there a way to check my progress in skills? Like, I know I have [Basic Swordsmanship] and [Intimidating Presence], but I don't know how close I am to improving them or what level they're at."
Silence.
"System?"
More silence.
"System, I know you can hear me."
[...Yes, Host?]
The voice sounded like it was guilty of something.
"Why do you sound like that?" Lucas asked suspiciously.
[Well... Host, there is... technically... a Skills Interface function.]
Lucas sat up slowly. "There's WHAT?"
[A Skills Interface! It shows all of Host's skills, their current ranks, and progress toward the next rank!] The system's voice came out in a rush. [System may have... forgotten to mention it during the Full Integration explanation.]
"YOU FORGOT?!" Lucas shouted. "How do you forget something that important?!"
[System is very sorry! There were so many functions to explain, and Host was in a lot of pain, and System got distracted, and—]
"Just show me the damn interface!" Lucas interrupted.
[Right away, Host!]
A new window appeared:
=====
[SKILLS INTERFACE]
Active Skills:
• [Intimidating Presence] - Rank: F | Level: Novice (47/100)
Effect: Temporarily boost perceived threat level and cause opponent confusion
Duration: 30 seconds
Cost: Significant mana drain
• [Basic Swordsmanship] - Rank: E+ | Level: Novice (33/100)
Effect: Fundamental sword techniques and forms
Proficiency: Basic competency with bladed weapons
Passive Skills:
• [Greedy to the Bone] - Rank: D | Level: N/A
Effect: 1% chance to acquire a skill from a defeated opponent
Note: This is a unique trait skill and cannot be leveled
=====
[Skills are ranked from F- to SSS+ based on their power and utility.
Skill mastery is measured in ranks: Novice → Intermediate → Advanced → Expert → Master → Grandmaster → Perfect.]
[Progress points can be earned through active use of the skill or by spending Villain Points. The point requirement doubles with each rank:]
[Novice: 100 points]
[Intermediate: 200 points]
[Advanced: 400 points]
[Expert: 800 points]
[Master: 1600 points]
[Grandmaster: 3200 points]
[Perfect: 6400 points]
[Would Host like to invest Villain Points in any skills?]
Lucas studied the interface carefully. His [Intimidating Presence] was already halfway to Intermediate rank from his uses during the fight with Garrett and the alley incident.
His [Basic Swordsmanship] was a bit behind, but still progressing.
"This is actually really comprehensive," Lucas admitted. "Though I wish you'd told me about this earlier. I could've been tracking my progress this whole time."
[System is deeply sorry, Host! It won't happen again!]
"It better not." Lucas said.
He was about to close the interface when he noticed the system seemed to be...fidgeting.