“Gasp, gasp, gasp."

Leo abruptly woke up from his nightmare, his breath heavy and his heart beating wildly.

"Sis, I'm so sorry," he muttered with his eyes still dazed, showing that he wasn't completely awake.

It wasn't the first time Leo was having this dream, actually since his accident he would have this same dream almost every night and sometimes he would be so shaken that he would hardly move from his bed during the whole day. No matter how many times he had it, it would always affect him. Now, it looked like this nightmare was going to follow him in this new life. However, things were different now, not only was he at the beginning of a new life, but he was also in a completely different world.

Unlike before, this nightmare didn't affect him too much and after some minutes Leo was able to regain his bearings. It may be because during his time in that dark place he had all the time to think things over, and after seeing the fate of the people in that cave he knew he was far from being the most unfortunate person alive. Anyway, after the mess he went through yesterday Leo was determined to survive and to move forward.

'I can't keep going like this. I can't let my past life destroy this new chance. I have to let go and live my life, I have mourned sis enough,' Leo thought.

He may not know how or why he was given a second chance, but since he was the one to receive it among the thousand that died each day, he wanted to think he deserved it. And more than all he didn't want to waste that chance.

Lady Death may be beautiful, but he was sure Lady Life was even more beautiful.

'I will enjoy this life without any regrets. I'm sure wherever sis is she would understand me. And if by any chance she got reincarnated like me, I hope we could meet someday,' Leo muttered with a clear gaze. With this decision taken, Leo's face regained its clarity, and he could feel that his body was lighter, confirming that it was the right choice to make.

Now that he had left his past life behind him, Leo turned and completely focused on the new one that was just beginning.

Quietly he remembered the event he went through yesterday. Now that he was able to take some distance and analyze everything, Leo realized how lucky he was.

If it was not for the fact that he had something like 'Shadow cloak' and the absolute incompetence of the orcs that were looking for him, there was no way he could have swaggered around as if he owned the place. If anyone more experienced and competent was sent after him, Leo wasn't sure how well he would have fared.

Also, if the orc shaman wasn't so arrogant and didn't look down on him, he would have dealt with him more seriously and cautiously. The consequences, a group of dumb and incompetent orcs that kept looking for him. Escaping from a face-off with the shaman, and even managing to injure him.

But more than all, what Leo considered the determining factor behind his success was the fact that he was able to remain calm despite the situation. The hellish scenes he witnessed in that cave were things that could have made many lose their minds and give up on any hope.

Leo too was a normal person, he knew that he was far from being a tough or emotionless person, the proof, he mourned his sister for a year and didn't get over it. For him to be able to glass over the shit happening in this cave was proof that something changed in him.

Maybe, it was because his mind was too focused on how to escape, and he didn't linger too much on anything else. Maybe it was thanks to the time he spent in that dark place after his death. Maybe it was because his new self couldn't focus on many things at the same time.

No matter what it was, it worked well for him and taught him his first lesson. No matter the situation he had to keep his composure and stay calm. Only then could he make the best decision.

'Sigh, I guess the tutorial mission can't be too difficult,' Leo sighed heavily and checked his body. He had to admit that this world was incredible. His body that was on the brink of collapsing some hours ago was completely healed now and there was no trace of the injuries he sustained.

'System, you there,' Leo called once he made sure that he was completely fine.

[Yes, host.] The cold and mechanical voice of the system sounded in his head.

'We need to talk.' Leo said with a serious expression. He may have been happy when he received the system, but that was due to the dire circumstance he was in. Now that he was safe, he at least wanted to clear some of his doubts.

[What do the host want to know?]

'Are you the one behind, my death and my reincarnation?' Leo asked. No matter how much he thought about it, the events from his death to his reincarnation weren't natural. It was clear that something was behind it and the most likely culprit was the system.

[No, the system isn't the one responsible. The system just fused itself to the host during his rebirth,] the system answered.

'Ok I see, so do you have any idea about who could be behind it?' Leo continued; he was surprised when he heard that the system wasn't responsible for his cross-over. But that didn't mean there wasn't someone else behind it.

[The host shouldn't bother about those things for the time being,] the system said, confirming Leo's suspicion.

' So, I was right. There is indeed something or someone behind this,' Leo muttered with a frown.

'You do realize that it is my life we are talking about, right? How can you expect me to just accept that?' he continued, unwilling to give up so easily.

[The host would gain nothing from knowing it. Instead, knowing it may prove to be harmful to the host.]

'Sigh I get it. You aren't involved but you won't tell me who did it either. Could you at least tell me why you chose me? And what are you expecting from me?'

[The host was chosen due to his compatibility with the system. The host was the only one able to complete the fusion process since the system creation. As for the system goal it is to help its host become the Ultimate Beast.]

' Oh, I see. Guess my karma isn't so bad. But no matter how I see it, I am the only one benefiting from this. You are going to help me like that, for free? Could it be that you will be satisfied by just reaching this goal?' Leo couldn't help but have some doubts when he heard that answer.

The system has to come from somewhere and certainly has a creator or something like that. Why did the creator of the system not use it himself or someone close to him and instead gave it to someone else? What would he gain from giving someone such a godly thing? What would happen if Leo ever managed to achieve the system goal?

[The system is a product of the universe. The system has fused with the host and can't be separated from the host. The system is an entire part of the host and will be destroyed if the host dies. From now on The system's only goal is to help the host become the Ultimate beast. The host can rest assured that The system will never harm him but will only do its best in assisting the host towards this goal and all his others,] the system said coldly. Nothing changed in its tone although it was trying to dismiss Leo's doubts.

'Okay, I got it. I too will do my best to work towards this goal.' While Leo didn't completely believe the system, he didn't try to press the system further. For better or worse the system was his only ally right now and he needed it if he wanted to survive. Even if the system acted like a robot there was no need to push it too far. Hell, even if he wanted to get rid of the system, and he didn't want to, he had no way to.

'Ok, now can you tell me more about your functions?' Leo said, going towards a more helpful subject.

[The system has many functions. The host already knew about those that are currently available: Status, Missions, and Inventory]

"So, you have other functions aside from those three?"

[Yes, according to certain choices or actions of the host, new functions can be unlocked. And others can be unlocked as advancements or missions reward.]

'Oh, that's good to know. Care to tell me more about each function? I may have some idea, but it won't kill me to ascertain that what I know is right.'

[The system can give the host a basic overview of each function. The host will need to keep using them to get a better understanding of the system.]

[Status sheet helps you have more or less precise data about your current power and the skills you possess. To access it you just have to say status in your mind, and you'll be able to see it clearly.] 

[About the mission, they will mainly be given based on the host’s actions, decisions, and the kind of situation the host will be confronted with. Each mission will always come with a reward, which will vary depending on the completion grade and difficulty of the task. The host is free to reject any mission from the system. The system will not give punishment to the host in the case of failure. In case of failure, the only punishment the host would need to deal with would be the consequences of his actions.]

"I see, it's a surprisingly good and easy-going system. So that's to say if I receive a task from someone, will the system be able to give me a mission with this task as a basis, and also reward me without considering the reward I would receive from the one who gave me the original task," Leo asked eagerly.

[That'll be possible only if this task is judged worthy of becoming a system mission. All the missions the host will receive should always help the host grow and give the host a certain level of challenge. Also do note that the number of missions that can be accepted at the same time is limited.]

"Damn, so even the easiest of my missions will always be difficult. How many can be accepted right now?"

[All the missions will be challenging, but unless the host puts himself in a truly dire situation, most of the missions the host will receive will be missions the host should be able to complete. Three mission slots are currently available.]

"That sucks a little, but I don't think I have a choice anyway. How do I access the mission board?"

[ Each time you have a mission, you will receive a prompt showing you the said mission details. To access the mission board, you just have to think about it, like for the status.]

Leo did as the system told him to, but this time all he saw was a blank sheet since he didn't have any mission right now.

" Ok, let's continue."

[The inventory is a subspace where the host can store everything he receives from the system. Currently, the inventory has 16 slots and each one can stake 5 items of the same kind. The host can access it with a thought just like the two others.]

This time the sheet that appeared before his eyes was divided into many little cases. Half of the case contained what should be the items of his beginner gift, reminding him that he still hadn't checked them.

'How do I take things out?' Leo asked

[ To take an item out, you can put your hand in the case that contains it or just wish for it to appear in your hand or anywhere in your immediate vicinity.]

'Ok, I see. I will try it later. Can you show me yesterday's notifications?' Leo asked

[Yes.] The system answered and a holographic screen appeared in front of Leo.

[Congratulations

You have completed your first mission.

Completion grade: Normal

Do you wish to claim your reward?]

[Rewards successfully claimed. You received 'Basic inventory ', 'Beginner's gift' ]

[The host has opened a beginner gift box. The host has received the following items: Three Health potions, Three Stamina potions, Three mana potions, two double Exp cards, one teleportation crystal, one skill card, one rank E dungeon crystal, The world of Aria for the noob, 100 gold, 10000 SC, 3 SP]

[The items have been put in the inventory. ]

[Teleportation crystal used.]

After looking at the notifications, Leo opened the inventory and checked his hard-earned beginner gift.

[ Lesser Health potion: Recover 10 of your HP each second for 3 seconds.]

[Lesser Mana potion: Recover 10  of your MP each second for 3 seconds.]

[Lesser Stamina potion: Recover 10 of your SP each second for 5 seconds.]

He took a bottle of each of the potions out of the inventory. It was an interesting experience to watch each one pop out of thin air in front of him. All the potions were in a plain round and plugged glass bottle, and there were some weird inscriptions on each bottle. The Health potion was red, the Mana potion blue, and the stamina potion green. Despite the different colors, all the potions were bright and clear, giving the impression that they were of perfect quality.

'They are good, but I don't think lesser potions would be useful for too long,' Leo muttered as he glanced at his HP and MP bar. They were already very high and would only get higher in the future, quickly making those potions obsolete. And that was especially true with his sky-high Mana.

[Double exp card: Use to double the Exp you receive during a system dungeon run.]

[Skill voucher: Use to receive one rank E-D skill randomly]

"Ah, I hope I'm lucky with this one. It'll suck if I receive a worthless skill."

[The world of Aria for the noob: Read to obtain the basics knowledge about Aria]

'So, the name of this world is Aria, uh! This book will surely help me a lot.' Leo uttered as he looked at the brown leather-covered book.

[Rank E dungeon crystal: Give you access to a rank E dungeon]

The dungeon crystal was a round ruby-like gem that seems to have red light pulsating inside of it. It was finely worked with many runes like symbols etched on its surface.

'Wonder what a dungeon would be like. How do I use it?' Leo asked the system as he continued to look at the beautiful ruby.

[The Host just needs to wish for the crystal to activate and the host would be transported inside the dungeon.]

'Thank you,' Leo muttered before putting the crystal away. He was eager to go inside a dungeon, but he wasn't ready for it yet. There were still some things he wanted to take care of and understand first.

"Now that I think about it, the way we are communicating is truly awkward. Can you just call me Leo and address me more casually instead of calling me host every time? I'll also give you a name if you want," Leo suddenly said. It really hurt his ear each time the system called him host. It was like the system was a parasite and he was its host. It was weird.