Capítulo 15: You’re One Of Us Now
"Voilà!" SystemZero shouted.
Akio and SystemZero made their way into the first dungeon she was currently working on. It looked typical—a large stone cave cavity leading deep inside a mountain. The entrance was a simple stone arch with no door, and beyond it lay nothing but bare rock. The entrance had been cleverly concealed from players, and Akio and SystemZero were also invisible. The entrance had closed as soon as they entered. As they ventured deeper, they reached a finely crafted stone floor and walls, covered in old spider webs. Akio imagined they were going for the vibe of an ancient dungeon left by a forgotten civilization. This particular dungeon was called Z7#1053v1, or as Akio had titled it, Old Stone Burrow.
"Okay, here there are going to be 5-7 spiders that summon. Over there, they have to solve a puzzle to open the door," SystemZero stated.
"What in the world... This is the least challenging dungeon I've ever been in. Where are the traps that teleport players into a room that summons them into a harder zone?"
"What... you don't like it?" SystemZero responded, confused.
"I don't like it? No, I hate it! These are old-school dungeons... They need to be more challenging. They should make players want to rage quit!"
"Rage quit... What?" SystemZero said, still confused.
"Tell me, what happens if a player dies inside one of these?"
"They get a 48-hour death penalty, of course," SystemZero replied.
"You see, there's the problem. I understand a 48-hour death penalty, but in a dungeon? I don't think so... This should be a special zone that drags players in here again and again. Here, for example... If it were up to me, I'd make any dungeon a non-death penalty area. That alone would draw players in here to try and gain some XP. All dungeons should be level-based in a way, and I don't mean player level. The lower the levels go, the harder it gets. If a player dies within a dungeon, they cannot attempt another try for the next hour, and they also greatly decrease their equipment's durability. That should be good enough... Yeah."
"Whoa, that sounds really cool!" SystemZero said, her eyes gleaming.
"Now, if you want some of those other dungeons like this, then you can, but you're missing out on a good opportunity here. Ooh! We can also use an algorithm to change the spawns to offer some added complexity."
"Whoa, I agree! How are you so good at this?"
"Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who love your types of dungeons, but personally, I love some challenges. And what the heck, maybe we can try a little bit of your puzzles in them too."
"Really, you like them?"
The puzzle before them required a player to shoot six beams with different types of magic until the right combination was given, then the door would open. Not challenging, but also not the most thrilling puzzle. It lacked pizazz, or so Akio thought once he ventured through the deep dungeon.
"Well, they aren't that bad, but I still think these dungeons could use a heavy overhaul," Akio muttered.
"How about this: I help you with your dungeon, and you work on the body for the Death God... How does that sound?" Akio proposed.
"I like that idea!" SystemZero replied, thrilled at the proposal.
"Okay, good. Now, how long do you think the body would take?"
"Hehe, usually making a simple body like that of a human is relatively easy. However, I have to spend days making sure that the body is 100% polished and ready for action!"
"Why is that?" Akio asked, confused.
"Well, normally, a body isn't strong enough to handle the amount of power that the Death God is to wield. That is why player characters level up slowly, since, you know, magic or skills are no joke! If you were to gain every magic and skill at level 1, you'd ultimately explode the character and log the player out, forcing him to create an entirely new character. Well, not like anyone has or ever will do such a thing, but this world's bodies are fragile!"
"That makes sense… So, two days?" Akio added, trying to pressure some sort of answer.
SystemZero thought carefully. Perhaps, Akio thought, she was calculating if two was enough. However...
"Try two weeks," she said nervously.
"Two weeks! What in the… There's no way!"
"Yeah, sorry... But your job should take just as long if not longer."
"So, what you're telling me is that if I didn't offer to help, I'd be stuck as a useless cloud for a month?"
"Correct! A month of in-game time!"
"That still doesn't make it feel any better!" Akio shouted within his mind.
"Haaa! I guess I have no choice but to wait," Akio frustratingly mused.
"Yes!" SystemZero shouted in celebration.
"I have no idea why I'm in such a rush to gain a body. Maybe the fact that I never got the chance to meet Miyuki in the game pressures me. This is my life now. There's no need to be up and down the whole time. Being more patient with SystemZero is something I should probably start doing now. After all, if it wasn't for her, I'd be dead. Long gone and never able to think or get a second shot at meeting with Miyuki. Face it, Akio, realistically, even with a new body, it's not like Miyuki will ever be with you. You're dead. If anything, she'll think she is being haunted by some ghost. Maybe this is what I was scared of... The first love that always causes the most pain. Did I say love? Oh, boy… I can't make my story be about love... No, this is more of a story of the new me… the Death God." Akio imagined himself as the main character of his own story and tried to make sure that story steered clear of the love genre. That meant he had to try and forget about Miyuki.
"Yoo-hoo! Hello there, Mr. Cloud!"
"Um... yes?"
"Were you listening to me?"
Akio realized that throughout his contemplation, he had inadvertently put the incoming sounds on hold within his imaginary ears. Despite lacking a physical form, his mind functioned the same; there was no enchanted new body capable of multitasking or distraction. He remained simply a human soul, after all.
"Ah... sorry, no, I wasn't... But why did you call me Mr. Cloud?"
"Well, you haven't given me your name, and I assume it's different from your previous character, so..."
"Oh, sorry, we're this far in, and I haven't even told you my name... Well, I'm Nakamura Akio, a student... Never mind the second part; it doesn't matter anymore. I'm no longer a student or a teen," Akio replied.
"Naka... mura? Hey you a… you know what? Don't sweat it! I'm also not a student or a teen!" she joyfully added, raising her arm in excitement.
"Do you have a name other than SystemZero?" Akio asked.
"Nope."
"How about I give you one, if you're okay with that?"
"Oh, I don't mind! Just don't call me that in front of the gods," she nervously added.
"How about Little Akane?" Akio proposed.
"Akane... Akane, hmm... Akane, Akane..." she mused, passing back and forth with her hand on her chin, pondering the name.
"Just kidding! I love it!! I'm Akane! Akane, nice to meet you... Akane Zero!" She fumbled around with several names and imagined herself greeting others.
"So, Akane."
"Yes, that's me!"
"Who are these gods?"
"Oh, the gods? They are the most magnificent beings... ever!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes, did you know they created this entire world, including me and the other systems?" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the dungeon walls since they remained within one.
"They must be the developers. So that means the white figure earlier is one of them," he thought.
"You mentioned them before, but who or what are the other systems?"
"Well, you've already met two of them, if I'm not mistaken."
"I did?" Akio asked.
"Yes, you met SystemOne; she's the one with the red hair and a slight attitude. And the other one is SystemThree; she has white hair and serves as the guide for dead players."
Here's a revised version of your text with corrections and some adjustments for complexity:
"That's correct... I nearly forgot. They are also alive."
"You could say they are all my sisters!"
"So, does that imply that there are more?"
"Yes, but don't worry; you'll have ample time to meet all of them when the occasion arises."
"Yeah, wait, I will get the chance?" Akio questioned, feeling insufficiently special to be among them outside of player interaction.
"Of course! You're one of us now. You should become familiar with all the systems," she smiled at the blue cloud that was Akio.
"I'm sorry, Akane..."
"For what?"
"For always being so hasty. I promise I'll try to be more patient; after all, this is my new life. I should take things slowly."
"Don't worry about it. But sometimes, there are things that need to be expedited... for example, these dungeons that I need to complete."
"How many of these are there?"
"Oh, just a few. Around 189,000 of them, and these are just the initial batches. Eventually, new ones should emerge."
Akio almost felt his essence leave the cloud form, not literally, since the cloud was his essence, but in a metaphorical sense, implying that he was utterly unprepared for that high number of dungeons. He then suppressed his feelings, realizing that the world they were in was vast, probably as vast as an entire continent. With that in mind, the number of dungeons seemed low. There were millions upon millions of players, and this was just the beginning. More and more would join as time passed.
Akio stretched his imaginary neck and cracked his imaginary knuckles. He proceeded to stretch his back from side to side, even though he didn't have one, but he did so anyway.
"Well, time to get to work," he declared, then let out a deep sigh to indicate the complexity of the task.
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