"Wooah. That was close." Summer patted her chest, trying to dispel the lingering thrill.
She had expected the emperor to be angry when he learned about her talent, but she never imagined he would be cold-blooded enough to try to unalive her directly.
Sylv might not have noticed, but the moment her talent awakened, several killing intents had targeted her.
'Will they hurt him?' Summer frowned, a pang of worry tightening her chest. 'No way, right? He is the crown prince.'
Even if she didn't wish to marry him... yet, she considered Sylv her best friend and hunting partner.
They had planned countless adventures together, exploring dungeons and venturing into the six other domains.
He had promised her he would accompany her everywhere and only marry her when she was bored with travelling.
'Poor him doesn't know there is no way for me to get bored with travelling.'
A bright red lotus floated out from her chest. Eight transparent petals covered the bright red core between them.
It was the manifestation of her talent.
These petals would turn blood-red as she absorbed damage. Once all eight petals filled, she could release the accumulated power outward.
There were no negative effects from unleashing it, but like all spells, she had to maintain a safe distance to avoid being affected herself.
"Time to bond with a system." Summer walked toward the central plaza of the tower, where a spiral staircase wound upward.
The System Tower had ten floors, each with unique systems. Only nine floors were numbered from one to nine because people only saw stairs up there.
The tenth floor was visible only from outside.
Inside, there were only nine floors. That's what books recorded.
The higher the floor, the stronger the systems and the better the rewards after completing the quests.
One had to consider the quality of their talent before climbing. Attempting a higher floor with an insufficient talent would result in being forcibly ejected by the system.
For an elf with an Uncommon talent, the third floor was often the highest they could reach.
Sylv had reached only the eighth floor with his Legendary talent, which hinted at the strict judgment systems employed here.
Summer scoffed and stepped onto the first stair.
"Ya~ya…"
"Choose me~"
The moment she touched the step, countless cute voices echoed in her ears, and hollow beams of light danced around her.
Every form had a charming appearance any girl would instantly love, from pink cats to furry hamsters.
Summer merely chafed at them and continued climbing. Floors one through eight passed quickly, each system she passed feeling familiar and predictable.
Powerful, yes, but not unique.
Finally, she reached the first step of Floor Nine. Only three systems waited here.
One was a giant humanoid with a single eye embedded in its forehead.
The second appeared as a massive shield, blood streaming down its surface like a living waterfall.
"You have good VFX."
"VFX?" a strong voice boomed from the shield. "Little elf, how dare you think this young master uses illusions to seduce you?"
Summer instantly rejected it. If she had selected it, her life would have become an endless cycle of nagging and inconvenience. Luckily, it exposed itself.
Dumb system.
Her eyes fell on the last system: a towering rock golem.
Summer moved her eyes between the two systems. Both options were appealing, she could feel the overwhelming power emanating from them.
It's just a pity that she could not see their properties without bonding.
Summer paused, contemplating the staircase above.
'The tenth floor...'
A massive door loomed at the end of the ninth floor.
'Why is there a door?' Summer furrowed her brows. No one had reported this, leaving Summer uncertain of what to do.
'There might be some truly powerful systems,' she thought, a grin spreading across her face. She continued climbing.
When she reached the door, it vibrated as if an earthquake shook the tower. Stepping through, she found herself in a single, dark room.
No windows, no doors, nothing visible except a simple, floating plate in the center.
The plate was transparent. When she looked at it, her own image appeared.
[Bonding with the system...]
"What the fuck! I haven't chosen you yet!"
[Bonding successful...]
The plate disappeared, the information transferring directly into her mind.
[Congratulations! You have bonded with the most innovative and unique system in the universe. There is no one with the same system in this universe and there never will be.]
[System mutating according to your talent...]
[Displaying status panel.]
[Summer's Warrior Elf System opens:]
Talent: Bloodline Stacker
Rank: Unranked
Spells: None
Physical Stats:
STR: 15 | DEF: 15 | AGI: 15 | VIT: 20 | INT: 5
Mana: 50 (INT × 10)
Health: 200 (VIT × 10)
Spell Stats:
Magic Attack (MA): 150 (STR × 10)
Magic Defense (MD): 150 (DEF × 10)
Magic Movement (MM): 150 (AGI × 10)
[Summer's Warrior Elf System closes.]
"You..." Summer's face burned with a mix of anger and disbelief. "Why did you bond with me without my permission?"
It frustrated her how little others respected her choices. This had always been the case.
[The system constructor programmed it to automatically bond with anyone who entered this floor...]
"So you bonded with me just because I entered here?"
[Yes.]
"If I hadn't entered here and it was another person, would you have bonded with them?"
[Yes.]
"You cheater. Disloyal."
[No one could climb the tenth floor, except you.]
Summer's anger dissipated like morning fog.
"That means I am the most talented person in the world?"
[Yes.]
"Most unique person?"
[Affirmative.]
"Most beautiful person?"
[That is true.]
"Super-duper smart person?"
[INT: 5]
Summer blinked, speechless.
"Anyway, tell me what's your speciality. For a system unrivaled among all systems to be here, there has to be something special, right?"
[Unlike conventional systems, quests of mine will adapt to your situations.]
"That doesn't sound that impressive."
[INT: 5]
"I am not a healer. I am a warrior. Why do I need to have high intelligence anyway?"
["..."]
"Are you mocking me? After cheating a sixteen-year-old child to bond with you?" Summer pushed a few drops of tears out of her eyes.
[In terms of seniority, I was just born a few minutes ago...]
Summer: ".."
"Let's exit here. Sylv is waiting for me..."
[Maybe you should reconsider that. It's not that diplomatic outside.]
"What do you mean?" her voice turned sharp.
[A lot of blood.]
"Exit immediately."
[Yes.]