Tsukuru's eyes widened as he read the new messages.
''Video…Emperor'?' he thought.
Although, despite his confusion, he could deny that it was a hugeupgrade. Between the effects of the new Title and his newly-upgraded Video Legion Skill, he no longer had to pick and choose which of his Summons were active at a time. He could summon them all out at once.
Additionally, they could all speak now, and he would gain XP when they defeated an enemy. It completely negated the only detriment to using them.
'It also seems that I can bring an already-existing fictional character into the real world to join me,' Tsukuru thought. 'Although I don't have the required screen nearby to test it out now.'
Tsukuru then noticed that there was a small exclamation pointinside of a circle next to the new "Auto-Recovery Mode" System function.
He tapped it, and a new System screen opened up.
[Auto-Recovery Mode
Allows the user to recover their HP by consuming Health Potions without removing them from the System's Inventory. If the user's HP is reduced to 5, Auto-Recovery Mode will automatically activate.]
Reading the new information, Tsukuru narrowed his eyes.
'Sound kinda like Quinn's Blood Bank,' he thought.
Tsukuru's musings were then cut short, as even more System messages appeared.
[You have reached the required threshold.
The System will now be upgraded…
Beginning System Upgrade…
System Upgrade in progress…
System Upgrade complete.
System has been upgraded.
System is now System Model 4.1.0.
System Level 2 will now activate…
System Level 2 is now activated.
You will now receive currency when defeating enemies.]
Tsukuru's eyes widened at seeing the message.
''System Upgrade'?' he thought. 'Like what happened to Quinn on the Red Portal Planet. Looks like he reached Level 10 before I did.' Tsukuru then glanced to the side. 'Wait…is that why he evolved? It would make sense. He evolved last time because he reached Level 2…'
Before Tsukuru could dwell on this more, a new System screen popped up in front of him. However, instead of showing any text, this one was different. Staticcrackled across it, like a TV screen coming to life.
A moment later, an image could be seen.
In the image, he saw a woman in her late twenties. She had her hair pulled into a bun on the back of her head, leaving her roots exposed, a single, solitary strand reaching down the left side of her face. She also wore elegant earrings in either ear. They looked like turquoise ovals with small pearls lining the earrings' outlines. The woman was wearing the same military outfit that everyone in the base that Tsukuru currently found himself in wore.
Tsukuru recognized the woman immediately. His eyes widened.
'Mom?' he thought in shock. It was his mother, Hikiko Reiju, HERSELF.
In the video, Reiju wore a weary smile.
"Greeting, Tsukuru,' she replied. 'If you're seeing this message, then that means that not only was this whole 'System' thing a success, but it also means that you managed to reach Level 10." Reiju glanced to the side. "Despite Richard Eno assuring me that this 'System' had worked just fine two times before, I still had my doubts."
Reiju then turned back to the viewer.
"Anyway, let me cut to the chase," she continued. "The military has asked us all to record a message for our children on the highly probable chance that we…don't make it through this war." Reiju's face fell. 'Unfortunately, I happen to know for a fact that I won't make it out of this alive. That woman with Richard Eno told me as much. In fact, by the time you see this recording, I'll have long since been dead. So let this 'System' be my last and finalgift for you."
Reiju's smile widened.
"Originally, this 'System' was programmed with an AIvoice to assist the user when they reached Level 10. However, I decided to take…an alternative route." Reiju crossed her eyes, a smug look on her face. "I've created a digital copy of my mind and memories, and implanted it into your System to take the place of that AI. Now, even though the real me is dead and gone, you'll always have me by your side!"
Reiju let out a sigh.
"Hopefully, this will make up for the fact that I was always too busy to spend time with yougrowing up. Even if just by a little," she continued. "Truth be told, I would have loved to have this digital copy active by default, but, hey, that's the cost of using somebody else's software."
A warm smile crept across Reiju's face.
"If all goes to plan, I'll be with you in a minute," she replied. "I know I've rarely gotten the chance to tell you this, but I love you, Tsukuru."
The message then ended, flicking out like a TV screen being turned off. The screen then vanished.
Tsukuru just stood there, stunned for a moment.
He was at a total loss.
However, he didn't have much time to think about it. For a moment later, yet another System message appeared.
[System AI will now begin a Diagnostic Scan of the System's mainframe.
Diagnostic Scan in progress…
Diagnostic Scan complete.
Flaws and Suboptimal Programming have been detected in the System's mainframe.
Corrections will now be implemented.
System will now begin Recalibration Process…
Recalibration process in progress…
Recalibration complete.
System has been optimized.]
[Name: Hikiko Tsukuru
Race: Human
Level: 10
XP: 0/8000
Title: Video Emperor
Ability: Video
Ability Level: 4
______________________
[HP: 55/55
Energy: 200/200
_______________________
[Strength: 11 [+8]
Stamina: 15
Agility: 15 [+12]
[Stat Points: 0] ]
Tsukuru's eyes narrowed as he saw the changes from the System's "reformatting". While most of his System had remained unchanged, he did notice some changes. For example, his XP, which had said that he needed an absurd 102,400 before, now said that he only needed a much more manageable8,000.
Additionally, his MC Stat had been replaced with this new "Energy" Stat. And, more importantly, it had doubled in amount.
'What the hell?' Tsukuru thought in confusion.
It was then that Tsukuru heard a voice ring in his head. A voice that he knew quite well.
"Oh, don't mind me," Reiju replied. "I was just making some adjustments to the System. Obviously, whoever made this System in the first place had no idea how to design a game. An XP curve that merely doubles the XP requirement of the previous Level? If I had such a thing in one of our games, the fanbase would have revolted."
Tsukuru's eyes widened, and he felt a warm sensation fill his heart.
'Mom?' he thought, hope in his mind. 'Is that you?'
Tsukuru's answer was a snort.
"Somebody obviously wasn't paying ATTENTIONto my recording, it seems," she replied.
Even though Tsukuru couldn't see her, he just knew that she was rolling her eyes.
'Hey!' Tsukuru thought back, sounding defensive. 'That was a lot of information to go through! Forgive me if I'm still processing it!'
Tsukuru's eyes then crept down to the floor in front of him. There, he saw Erin. Still collapsed on the ground.
'Oh, shit!' Tsukuru thought, his eyes widening. 'I was so distracted with all the new INFORMATION that I forgot to administer the antidote!'
The boys around the two all watched as Tsukuru knelt next to Erin.
Tsukuru grabbed the hilt of his dagger, which was modeled into the shape of a cobra head, and began to pull. As he did, it came off, revealing a small dagger the size of a pocket knife.
As soon as it was revealed, the boys around Erin all gasped, eyes wide.
Tsukuru watched as Erin's eyes widened very slowly. His eyes narrowed.
'It'd be pointless to explain anything to her.' Tsukuru thought. 'By the time I'd administer the antidote, she wouldn't have heard so much as a single syllable of it.'
A short distance away, Leo narrowed his eyes as he watched Tsukuru's actions. He had been paying special attention to the fight between him and Erin. Like the others, he too had noticed that Erin had started moving strangely after Tsukuru had first cut her.
'Hmm…' he thought.
Back with Tsukuru, he stabbed the dagger into Erin's knee like an EPIPenepipen.
Almost immediately, Erin felt her senses returning to normal. It was as if the world around her had finallysped back upto how it was supposed to be.
Erin looked up at Tsukuru.
'I need to watch out for that weapon in the future,' she thought, then her eyes narrowed slightly, as a thought came to her. 'Wait…that weapon…it would be…'