"Nonexistent in my future?"
Cyrene keenly caught those fleeting words, her azure rhombic pupils contracting slightly.
[Yes.]
The cold mechanical voice held no fluctuation, like a scalpel dissecting a cruel reality.
[Had you not descended, this would be the final end for this world.]
Before the words had finished, the suffocating battlefield images surrounding her disintegrated like sand grains scattered by the wind.
Cyrene instinctively took a half-step back. Before she could steady her stance, the scene before her eyes had already restructured itself.
It was still the same intersection from a moment ago, with the exact same signs and shops.
But everything had changed.
The clamorous sounds of gunfire, the roars of monsters, and the wails of the dying vanished completely in an instant, replaced by a heart-palpitating dead silence.
The streets were devoid of people. The asphalt road was covered in dried, blackened cracks, with withered yellow weeds poking through the gaps.
Every shop window was coated in a thick layer of grey grime, looking like eyes that had been dead for a long time—cloudy and soulless.
The wind swirled scrap paper across the ground with a "soughing" friction sound; this was the only movement in this dead city.
[Extinction of civilization, xenogeneic species running rampant.]
The system's voice echoed over the empty ruins.
[Less than one-ten-thousandth of surviving humanity remains. They hide beneath sewers and the wasteland to linger on in their last gasps, awaiting final destruction.]
Cyrene stood beside an outdoor cafe table, her gaze sweeping over the layer of dust that had accumulated for years on the tabletop.
She slowly reached out her hand, her fingertips trembling as she tried to touch the dust-covered surface.
There was no sensation of touch.
Her fair fingers passed straight through the tabletop as if moving through a holographic projection, hovering in mid-air.
A deep sense of powerlessness spread from her fingertips to her entire body.
"Then what can I even do?"
Cyrene retracted her hand and tightly clutched the lapel at her chest, her voice low and raspy.
"A few hours ago, I was so angry over a gacha draw that I was slamming the table... I'm just an ordinary person. I've never even killed a chicken."
[Firstly, you are not weak.]
[Secondly, the purpose of the system's existence is to assist you in rewriting all of this.]
A white light flashed.
The desolate scene of the ruins was instantly swallowed by the glare, and the sensation of weightlessness struck once more.
When Cyrene reopened her eyes, that vast and icy starry sky enveloped her again.
Beneath her feet was the void of the Milky Way; above her head were rotating nebulae.
"Phew..."
Cyrene let out a long, heavy breath, as if exhaling the suffocating sense of despair from moments ago.
She raised her hand to rub her somewhat stiff cheeks, forcing herself to pull away from that hellish vision.
Since she was here, she had to make the best of it.
If she didn't accept it, was she supposed to float in this void space for a lifetime?
Besides... those monsters that slaughtered humans at will...
"Fine."
Cyrene looked up, the confusion in her eyes clearing slightly, replaced by a resolve born of having nothing left to lose.
"I hope this world-saving mission isn't too hardcore... System, where's the newbie tutorial? What should I do?"
[Switching to visualized interaction mode for you.]
A ripple of blue light spread through the air.
A semi-transparent, pale blue floating panel—carrying a high-tech flow of light—slowly unfolded in front of Cyrene.
[Name: Cyrene]
[Gender: Female]
[Race: Unknown]
[Ability: Unlocked]
[Memory Vestige: 0]
Cyrene's gaze lingered on the lines for "Cyrene" and "Female" for a full three seconds.
Although she had already confirmed it in the mirror, seeing this data in black and white against the blue background still made the corner of her mouth twitch. She finally let out a sigh as if resigning herself to fate.
"Well, looking like this, what's written here isn't wrong... though I'll still need some time to accept it..."
She shook her head helplessly, her gaze moving further down. After browsing those few sparse lines of information, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"This panel is way too pitiful. Aside from the name and gender, everything else is unknown or locked? Is this a 'three-noes' product?"
Then, her finger passed through the light screen, pointing at the prominent "0" at the very bottom.
"What is this 'Memory Vestige'? Currency?"
[Memory vestiges are the memory imprints you leave in this world.]
The system's explanation was concise and to the point.
[When the intelligent life of this world develops memories, cognitions, or emotional fluctuations regarding you, you will obtain memory vestiges.]
[The deeper the cognition, the wider the range of influence, and the stronger the emotion, the higher the value of the memory vestiges obtained.]
Cyrene rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her originally unfocused eyes gradually sharpening.
As a veteran gamer, she instantly understood the core of this mechanism.
"Got it. Basically, I need to build a presence and earn reputation points."
She snapped her fingers, her tone becoming significantly lighter.
"As long as more people remember me, or remember what I've done, I can get stronger, right?"
[Your understanding is colloquial, but accurate.]
"So what are these memory vestiges used for?"
[Memory vestiges are the sole currency for the system store, used in the 'memory collection' to exchange for items, unlock abilities, and... awaken past companions.]
Hearing the word "companions," Cyrene's eyebrows arched slightly.
"Open that memory collection and let me see."
The text on the blue panel vanished instantly, followed by the refresh of three new option boxes.
[Memory Collection]
[Character Reminiscence: 0 Memory Vestige / Use]
[Ability Recollection: 100 Memory Vestige / Use]
[To be unlocked]
"...This is even more concise than the personal panel earlier."
Looking at the large blank areas, Cyrene couldn't help but complain.
[Not even a product preview image, and there's even one still locked. Is your system development progress at version 0.5?]
[Because the quantity of memory vestiges you currently hold is too low, high-level functions are temporarily unavailable.]
The system answered solemnly, not showing the slightest fluctuation despite the criticism.
[After you acquire sufficient memory vestiges, subsequent modules will unlock automatically.]
"Fine, fine, I'm not allowed to look because my level is too low."
Cyrene waved her hand, her gaze finally locking onto the first line: [Character Reminiscence].
The consumption displayed there was not a number, but a heart-stirring "0".
"Wait a second..."
Cyrene leaned closer to the panel, her eyes widening slightly as her previous dejection was swept away.
"It shows 0 memory vestiges here? It's free?"
[The first character reminiscence does not consume memory vestiges and is considered a newbie benefit.]
[Would you like to perform the reminiscence immediately?]
"A free draw? Then what am I waiting for!"
Cyrene's eyes lit up instantly; it was the gacha addict soul engraved in her DNA burning bright.
The fear and confusion from earlier were diluted significantly by the temptation of this "free single pull."
She took a deep breath and nodded forcefully, her voice crisp:
"Bring it! Let me see who my newbie tutorial guarantee is! Start right now!"
[As you wish.]
Following the system's words, the originally quiet starry sky suddenly became restless.
The surrounding stars began to rotate at high speeds, dragging out long tails of light like countless ribbons of flowing brilliance, converging toward the void above Cyrene's head.
The nebulae surged, churning into a massive vortex.
Cyrene tilted her head back, holding her breath, staring intently at the center of that vortex.
The next moment.
A streak of extremely dazzling golden light suddenly pierced through the deep darkness!
"Gold?! I pulled something?!"
Cyrene cried out, her heart thumping violently.
That golden light expanded rapidly in the depths of the nebulae, then transformed into a brilliant meteor. Carrying an aura that could destroy heaven and earth, it fell straight toward Cyrene's position!
Rumble—
Despite being in a vacuum of conscious space, Cyrene felt as if she heard a massive roar exploding in the depths of her soul.
The golden light tore through the stardust along its path. In her pupils, which were gradually dilating, it slammed fiercely into the void right beside her!