Homegrown System

Alice was so surprised that she let out an involuntary cry of triumph. She'd done it. She'd broken through. She had understood something about herself. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd done, but it seemed like a big deal, getting an upgrade and a class to boot. She was going to be useful, powerful, strong. And she was only the third person in the world to do it.

Titus and then one of the other 18 had beaten her to it. Presumably, if it had been possible in the tutorial, she would have expected to be far from the third. There were a lot of people in the world, after all. It made sense to her if a few of them were also an E grade. Even if they weren't necessarily working together, they were probably more focused on fighting than she was.

But still, a 7% effectiveness to all stats? That's a powerful title, she thought. Better than my Mother of All. I'm still not clear on what exactly that does.

She started to skim through her options. They seemed okay. Titus yelled something from up above, and she ran up the stairs, a grin still plastering her face.

"What'd you say?" she asked as she popped her head just over the deck.

"You okay over there? It sounded like you fell. I was making sure you didn't go overboard," Titus replied.

Alice rolled her eyes at him. "I got to E grade," she explained, pumping her fist.

"I see. Level 11. Congrats. You picked your class yet?" Titus asked.

Titus seemed to be feeling better. After several hours, he was standing, though his weight was shifted off of his injured foot. At least both feet looked whole. He'd taken his other boot off so he could stand on level ground. Now, there was just some scarring rather than a bleeding wound, and the poison seemed to have left him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, not quite answering his question.

"Much better. If anything, I'm struggling more over my skill choice than this," Titus said, picking up his mostly healed foot.

"Oh, that's right. You just hit level 13. What are you struggling to decide with?" Alice asked.

"Well, this time, I got a whole different host of skills. And there are two that really tempt me: [Map] and [Inventory]," Titus replied.

Alice smiled. "Wow. It definitely seems like those are better skill options than we got earlier. Maybe you can replace one of your skills so you can take both?"

Titus frowned. "That's actually a really good point. I haven't leveled them so much that it's not worth removing one. Still, I don't want to lose my ability to identify things, and [First Aid] has saved our lives more times than I think it'd be reasonable to remove. [Critical Strike] maybe? But again, that's been invaluable. Still, only level two, though. Sure, [Map] and [Inventory] would be extremely useful. But would they be life-saving?"

"It's got to be [Inventory]," she said. "Depends on how it works. But if we can take a lot with us, think of all the cheesing we can do! Depending on how much weight it can carry."

Titus shook his head. "It seems like there are requirements for adding and removing things based on mana, so I can't just store this boat or something else this size. It's kind of hard to evaluate."

"I still say [Inventory], especially if you have to carry a bunch of enchanted weapons. Besides, we don't know when you're going to get your next skill," Alice said.

"Well, you said odd primes. So what, 17? It's only four levels away. I think I can carry one enchanted weapon for that long," Titus responded.

Titus had the shovel and pilum strapped to his back, the ax at his waist, and knives strapped on him. He already looked a little bit ridiculous.

Alice thought for a moment. "You think [Map] then?"

"I think so."

"Well, as long as the satellites are still up and running and they seem to be doing okay, we don't need the [Map] right away. We can make do." Alice argued.

"Maybe," Titus said, unconvinced. "But I don't know how much longer this will work. The service has been spotty," he said, holding up his phone. "I think we can't count on that lasting for much longer."

Alice sincerely hoped he was wrong. "Well, they need to last for a day or two more. But you're right. With no maintenance and who knows what happening up there? I'm surprised the power grid didn't immediately turn off everywhere or explode or something. It seems like the System did something to keep things connected, but still... there are so many other factors to take into account. Like the lack of repairs, especially with such tumultuous times," Alice left those words hanging.

"So you still say [Inventory]?" Titus asked.

"If we can power level you to 17 quickly, I think [Inventory] is worth it. Then you can take [Map]."

"But what if something better comes along? And what if I don't get a skill and we're lost without a map?"

"Hmmm, I guess it also matters how the [Map] works... Is it only things you've seen, or does it include a detailed map of the entire world?" Alice asked.

"I can't tell that," Titus said. "Anyways, sorry, I didn't mean to sidetrack you. Your choice is far more important. What'd you get for your class options?"

Alice smiled and thought of the options. She'd skimmed the descriptions earlier and hadn't really examined some of the details. Her smile was a little forced, though, when she really started to consider it.

The first three options were clearly decent but low rarity and low power. They were suitable for survival and would probably help her get by, but they wouldn't help her keep up with Titus. No, Titus got eight points per level, and she was getting three or four for those. Titus, though, seemed interested in several of the skills those classes offered. He made a point of indicating the interesting ways they could be used in combat. But Alice was dissatisfied.

The last option seemed like a trap. The System clearly offered a class for her achievement in creating it.

I mean, obviously, it seems like the System still cares for me after all. In its own way, she thought.

Alice had a sneaking suspicion that if she chose it, not only would Alice be unable to intervene, but she wouldn't even be able to offer advice or information. It seemed like the System would lock her away in some alternate dimension with monitors to observe everything. She would be absurdly powerful, with 300 stats per level and incredible skills, but she wouldn't be able to do anything.

Maybe I could communicate with the System and help it grow…

Some part of her mused on that. It was a very small part, one that wanted to feed her ego as the creator. This was her masterwork, after all, the culmination of years of research. And she could study it from within. But it was a tiny part, and almost instantly, it was overwhelmed by her sense of duty, guilt, and common decency. They all forbade her from abandoning her ally.

This left her with one option. One option that might not be any better than the last one. The Warlock class offering was risky, but Alice thought it might be the System's way of offering a middle ground. Instead of becoming the System Mother and observing from afar, the System was offering her a contract. Some compromise where the System would grant her power and the ability to act. Not so much that it unbalanced everything, but it was significant, judging by what she'd seen from Titus's offerings. A rare class should have only offered five stats per level, but this provided six. That was better. And the fact that the contract offering was legendary... well, what kind of legendary creature was there besides the System?

Titus tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It's a pity I'm not up to date on system law," he said with a smile. "But if I can see the contract or you can read it out to me, I might be able to give you some advice."

"What, you're a lawyer now?" Alice asked.

Titus grimaced. "Well, I definitely had more time to read legal documents than most. Something that comes up in my line of work."

Alice frowned in doubt. "Really? Why?"

"Patent law.Investor laws," he said. "There's a lot of contracts involved in the artifact trade."

Alice was surprised and a little doubtful. But Titus didn't strike her as someone who claimed to be an expert in everything, so they sounded cool. Also, she wouldn't mind a second opinion.

She opened the attached document and scrolled through almost thirty pages. "It's pretty dense legalese."

"Well, we better get started, then," Titus said, and Alice groaned, sitting down on one of the benches built into the side of the bulkhead.

"Fine," she sighed and began to read aloud.

The contract was actually very well summarized by the System's class description. It was a very loose contract. The only real imposition was a non-betrayal clause, which meant Alice wouldn't be able to betray whoever gave her the contract without it stripping away its powers. Alice wondered if turning a second AI against the System would count as a betrayal. Probably, but hopefully by then it would be too late, and it wouldn't matter if she lost her powers.

Otherwise, the System couldn't take her powers away at all. They would be granted to her and owned by her. It took nearly ten pages to define precisely what that meant.

The rest of the contract was more about offering bonuses and incentives for other things. For example, if the contract bond wanted a certain task done, they could offer incentives or provide extra power. In contrast, if she did something that aligned with their shared interests, extra power could also be rewarded. However, this was governed by the System rather than the contract bond. It all seemed rather circular to her. Like the boiler plate contract didn't quite fit. Perhaps this was one of the kinks the System was still working out.

I never planned to take any of those options. Especially not since I am actively working against the System. Alice thought.

In the end, the contract was sealed by the System, noting that it was generated and witnessed by the System. Alice thought that seemed a little unfair for it to be signed and sealed by the System itself, but who else was there to witness it?

Titus had a few things to say, but for the most part, it was relatively straightforward once she had a little help interpreting the legalese. The last bit was what Titus objected to.

"I don't know if we can be sure it's contracting to the System," Titus said. "It could just be written by the System and not by whoever is offering you the contract."

Alice frowned. "It could be, but that doesn't make sense. Isn't it supposed to be an agreement between two parties? That's the whole purpose of the warlock class in games. The warlock is bound to some sort of evil god or demon, and the two parties hash out a contract. Because the warlock is young and stupid, and the being it's contracting to is millions of times older, they inevitably get screwed and their souls are forfeited."

"And you're honestly considering this class?" Titus raised his eyebrow.

Alice shrugged. "Well, the System's not that old."

Titus glared at her, and she shrugged. "As you said, the contract is fairly straightforward."

"It's not true. But my point is just that it's odd that you don't actually know who you're contracting to."

"I mean, what are the options?" she said, gesturing around.

"The System could be making up a pantheon or something. They did make up the consortium and the luminaries," Titus suggested.

Alice frowned. That was possible. "Maybe," she said. "But does it really matter?"

"I suppose it might not. The contract is favorable, I think." Titus shrugged. "But I suppose unless you want to choose one of the uncommon classes, it's really your only option."

Alice nodded. Bracing herself, she took a deep breath and selected the class. Immediately, she felt a connection form.