A synthetic voice sounded in Rose's head. It was eerily similar to the devices the Terrans used to communicate with each other, something that immediately let her file this voice under "artificial intelligence device."
[The Harem Rescue System has bound with the hostess. Please complete the tasks assigned to survive and reach the pinnacle of life. The first world has been loaded and is ready for you to enter.]
???
The harem rescue system? Bound? What the hell is this weird device talking about?
[The system is waiting for the hostess to choose a personality module for the system. Please choose from: 1. lovable younger sister, 2. reliable older sister, 3. overbearing president, 4. hot and cold childhood friend, 5. charming vixen, 6. iceberg genius, or 7. random option.]
[Wait, wait, wait! You called yourself a "system" correct? What exactly is a system and why are you bound to me? What does being bound mean? What do you mean by tasks?]
Before making any plans on how to move forward, Rose needed to know what exactly this device "bound" to her does, its purpose, and any other relevant information that can shed light on this situation.
[Personality module choice paused. System codex opened. To answer the hostess's question, the system is one of many advanced artificial intelligence devices that were created by the Great Creator God, { }, whose name and central body has been erased from existence after they created the systems to combat the energy deficiency of the universe. The systems are tools assigned to individuals who have a great amount of karma tied to their fate, and are meant to assist such individuals to use their karmic power in ways that will offset the encroaching heat death of the universe through tasks released by the systems.]
The expression currently on Rose's face was a bit hard to describe. She went from saving one world to being forced to save another. Scratch that, she went from saving a world to saving a universe. Where is the vacation she thought she would finally get? Her decision for self-exile was not entirely selfless. She really could not stay on her home world any longer due to her identity, but that didn't mean she didn't have other reasons she wanted to leave. Being a hero is exhausting. Her hope of being sent through the Dimensional Portal was to land on a nice planet where she could become a farmer, take care of animals, and just take a vacation. Doing tasks to fight heat death did not sound anywhere near close to a vacation.
[I'm not from this universe and I frankly don't want to be involved in something so grand. Pick someone else to bind yourself to.]
[The system does not have the authority to unbind from the hostess. The system already detected unknown energies and karmic power on the hostess, and thus will convey the relevant hidden information from the codex. The systems are not just tools assigned to individuals with great karmic powers, the systems are both weapons and shields against other karmic individuals who will try to steal that karmic power from others like them. If the system is unbound from the hostess, the hostess will die once another system holder is encountered.]
...great.
[I'm immortal though, that doesn't scare me.]
[The system detects that the hostess is not lying. Scanning the hostess for relevant information. Done. The hostess can still be killed through soul death, and the siphoning of karmic power will involve soul death. To reiterate, if the system is unbound from the hostess, the hostess will die once another system holder is encountered.]
Damn. If there was one thing that Rose did not want to ever happen to her, it was soul death. If her soul dispersed, she would truly be dead, and even worse, her existence would disappear. She still hoped to one day return to Avalia to reenter the cycle of reincarnation after finding some way to solve her own immortality. She could then reunite with Alexandra's soul once and for all until they reached Nirvana and escaped from the cycle of souls.
[Sigh. Fine, just explain what you mean by "Harem Rescue" and then give me the random option for your personality module.]
[The Harem Rescue System is a system that will go to small worlds within this universe where that world's "Son of Destiny" is surrounded by a harem of women who have been manipulated by fate to assist the Son of Destiny in attaining the peak of life. The Harem Rescue System's main mission is to rescue those women from a fate forced upon them by breaking their karmic ties to that world's fate using the hostess's power.]
Before Rose could respond, the system made a strange whirring noise before a pure white cat with striking blue eyes materialized in front of her.
[Iceberg genius personality module successfully installed. You may call me Zero Nine. I will be your assistant and task provider for the foreseeable future.]
The synthetic voice changed into a slightly low, cold voice full of feminine charm. It faintly reminded Rose of how Alexandra used to sound before she learned to trust other people. Shaking that thought from her mind, she squinted at the white cat that looked a bit funny against the white expanse of space she was standing in. Like a chameleon trying to blend with its surroundings. She picked up Zero Nine and started stroking her hair. True to an "iceberg," the cat did not react at all.
[So where exactly are we anyways?]
[The system space. You entered directly into my system space when you arrived in my universe. I detected high levels of karmic power on you and my binding protocols were immediately triggered. Whatever reluctance you have against my binding, it was your initiative that forced my hand.]
[That really isn't my fault. The coordinates were completely random.]
[Hm. Let's enter the small world for your first mission. The destination world is called "The Acting God's Road to Stardom."]
Without giving Rose a chance to respond, she was blinked out of the system space into the first world.
Aw, you got my hopes up with the choosing a personality module thing.
Great job on the writing.
I did actually think about it but decided against it cause I wanted to choose a personality that would make Rose be more amiable to the system.
I like it so far.