The rest of the crew joined in, while Lio's face turned ashen. He shot daggers at his daughter with his eyes, but he knew she was in a rebellious phase. As a doting father, he was no match for her wit and could only suffer in silence.
Remembering them, a slow smile formed on his face. The father-daughter duo he had recruited was one of the funniest elements of his guild, adding a unique charm to the group with their constant bickering.
Lio was a man who took immense pride in his work—sometimes to the point of being shameless—while his daughter, Vivian, was more reserved.
She took just as much pride in her craftsmanship but couldn't stand her father's ego, often roasting him in front of the entire crew.
"Lio never learns," Adrian laughed, shaking his head.
As the illusion slowly vanished, he was reminded that he was now in a place far, far away. He might never see them aga—
Wait. >
Adrian's thought process halted abruptly. A sudden realization struck him. It couldn't be... could it? Am I just overthinking? No, that's not possible. He tried to console himself, telling himself he was letting his imagination run wild.
But he quickly rejected that doubt and shook his head. Why wouldn't it be possible? If the Argonaut is here, and the last time I saw everyone they were on board... then shouldn't they be here too?
He muttered the words aloud, his voice echoing in the cold silence. He looked around at the frost-covered bridge. The ship was barely clinging to life on its reserve energy; most systems were still dark. If they are here, could they even survive this cold?
Wait... didn't the Argonaut have hyper-pods? I remember now! Before logging out, I had all of them enter the pods and left the ship on autopilot in the hands of the Red Empress!
"No! I have to confirm this myself!"
Driven by a sudden burst of adrenaline, Adrian turned and began to walk—No he run—toward the main console connected to the command seat.
He quickly climbed into the throne-like command seat. Settling in, he tapped the holographic screens surrounding his view and pulled up the crew records.
Suddenly, a sound made him stop.
Ding!
It was a sound he was quite familiar with. In his free time, before VR became a reality, he had spent hours reading novels. Many of them followed this exact trope: a protagonist in a desperate situation receiving their "Golden Finger." His mouth twitched at the thought.
It was obvious now that this wasn't a dream. If he hadn't woken up during that earlier session of agony, he never would. He had long ago accepted his reality, and the appearing systems only confirmed it. In that moment, Adrian failed to notice that his thought process was unusually fast; what should have taken minutes to process took him less than a second.
A neon-blue light began to flicker around his eyes, quickly forming into a holographic panel. It didn't surprise him; instead, it solidified his hypothesis. Indeed, this is the System.
[Host has been found]
[Acknowledging host...]
[System is binding. Please hold your horses.]
Adrian was speechless at the sheer cheekiness of the System. What do you mean "hold your horses"? he cursed mentally. I'm not even excited. Can't you see my face? He did feel some anticipation—who wouldn't?—but he remained calm and collected. The System's remark felt uncalled for. He nodded, briefly admiring his own ability to find a flaw in the System so quickly.
[ ┗|｀O′|┛ What the hell... ]
[ ... ]
Seeing the System's reaction, Adrian simply rolled his eyes and maintained his neutral poise. Unconcerned by its host's attitude, the System proceeded with the binding.
[System Binding: 0.9%... 8%... 32%... 84%... 99%...]
[System Binding: 100%]
Ding!
[System Binding complete.]
[The Ultimate Omni Sovereign System is now online.]
[Congratulations, Host, for being chosen by the Omni Sovereign System, the highest-tier system in existence. Your luck is extraordinary. Though you are a delusional person, do not worry; the System will proudly fix this disease of yours in due time.]
Seeing Adrain's mouth twitch, his composure quickly shattered as anger burst forth. "Who are you calling delusional? You're the delusional one! Your whole family of systems is delusional! Highest-tier system? Hmph—what a load of nonsense!"
[ ┗|｀O′|┛ What the heck?! ]
[ Hmph, this system will not argue with a host who has an insect's brain! You will soon witness the system's greatness. Now let me list what I have—so be quiet. ]
Adrain fumed, though he forced himself to stay silent. Still, he inwardly vowed that he would have a proper word with this system later and remind it that it existed to serve him. Hmph…
[For becoming the Host, you are rewarded with ten Super Newbie Packs.]
"Ten new packs, huh—and super ones at that?" Adrain muttered, clearly surprised, though he had no idea what "super" even meant in this context. For a usual system, even granting a single newbie gift was considered generous—yet here it was, offering ten.
"...You really are something special. Who exactly decided to give you to me?"
{ Shut up. }
"Heh…" Adrain smirked, quieting down as he reminded himself to stay silent.
[A special reward bestowed upon you by the Creator: A fragment of a Cosmic Rune — The Red Empress.]
[She will be your guiding light in this dangerous universe. Warning: Do not take this as a joke, or you may soon become a "golden goose" for alien races. If that happens, your future will be bleak, and I will have to find a new host.]
"Huh—oi, System. If you don't know, let me tell you—I already have Red Empress. I don't need another one!"
Hearing that, if the System had hands, it would've facepalmed.
[ The one I'm giving you is imbued with a Cosmic Rune of ???. In simple terms, she is far—far—greater than the one you have. The difference is like the very first computer ever created compared to one at the absolute peak of technology.
And with cosmic energy added into the mix, the gap only becomes more ridiculous. Understood? As for the exact differences and what she can do—you can ask her directly. And no, this is the last time I'm saying it—shut up. I'm almost done. If you interrupt me again, that's your loss, not mine. Hmph. ]