บท 2: Systemholders
"I have warned you about those late-night dungeon raids," Clark sighed with worry as he carried Lisa to the room.
"I said I'm fine," she retorted tiredly, unwilling and unready to sleep. Not having finished dinner, she naturally did not want to leave it to her husband. Who knows what chaos he might cause in the kitchen.
"No, you are not. Don't worry, I will handle dinner. Just try to get some rest," Clark claimed, convinced in concern, knowing she pushed herself too hard when trying to balance her duty as a systemholder, a mother, and a wife.
It could be said to be truly tiresome over time. Reluctantly, she could only sigh helplessly as Clark turned off the light and closed the door quietly.
She was about to start contemplating, but just then a wave of relief washed over her, and in the next moment, her consciousness dulled, and she fell asleep gracefully, her silent exhales carrying the weight of her exhaustion.
"Hmm, now it's just you and I," Clark affirmed after he had barely finished handling dinner, though he was certain his wife would not be happy when she woke up. He thought as he looked at the burnt food; he could only release a sigh before he focused on Allen, who stared at him with boredom visible on his facial expression.
"What to do, what to do," he pondered as he thought of how to combat the bored look he received from his son. Instinctively, he felt the need to provide any form of entertainment.
"Hmm, how about you play with your toys?" Clark suggested with a smile as he showed Allen the glowing plastic sword that was shoved right in his face.
The next moment, he couldn't help but deduce the indifference of his son. Sighting this, he couldn't help but feel dejected, he could only reluctantly return the toy to the chest full of toys.
"He's a tough nut to crack, but his mother really has an easy time with him," he exclaimed inwardly, taking a peek at Allen before closing the chest, as he remembered how Allen refused to play with any of the toys bought for him.
"I hope he doesn't think I'm a boring dad," he thought once again in frustration at his son's unwillingness to play or interact with him in any way possible.
"Wait, how about I tell him about my job? That should attract his interest, won't it?" he thought in a dilemma, but he knew he could only give it a try.
"Do you wanna hear about my awesome job?" Clark questioned with a wide smile, hoping he could at least gain Allen's interest somehow. Clark, expecting yet another failure, was about to sigh heavily.
With his focused gaze, he monitored Allen's expression, to his unmistakable sight, he noticed Allen's expression change to be slightly better. He smiled in relief, knowing he had managed to finally gain his attention. He couldn't help but pat himself on the back for his efforts.
"Oh, so you do wanna know," he affirmed in confirmation, making sure he didn't misread the change of facial expressions, and to his delight, it seemed he was right.
"Hehem," Clark cleared his throat while handing Allen his feeding bottle filled with green liquid substance containing every nutrient needed for proper growth in babies, also containing properties that enhanced the immune system.
Allen, sighting the green liquid, couldn't help but remember how he had previously been icked out by the green liquid. When he first sighted it some months but now, he took it with joy and delight, sucking at a rapid pace.
"This is not so bad after all," he mused as he continued to sip the liquid substance, delight and satisfaction evident as he sucked as rapidly as he possibly could.
"So, where should I begin?" Clark pondered, wondering where he should begin with how system holders came to be and the responsibilities they carry.
Gazing at Allen, he wondered whether Allen, a two-year-old, would understand. But since it seemed to pique his interest, he knew he had to proceed.
"Can you just start already?" he urged inwardly, wondering what type of job required swords. He also slowed down the rate at which he sucked the liquid substance with a smoothie-like texture, since he did not want to finish it before the story even began.
"Let's begin... firstly, the name of the job I do is numerous. In general, we are called monster hunters, and monster hunters are only capable of hunting monsters because we possess systems, which lead to our main name, system holders," he stopped, hopefully waiting for Allen to digest what he had just said.
"Monster hunters? System holders?" Is he telling me some fantasy story?" Allen thought inwardly, perplexed by the train of words he had just heard. He couldn't help but furrow his brows a bit.
"Well, it does explain how he was able to save mom in the flash of a second," he thought, trying to give meaning to what he had seen not too long ago. Ignoring the thoughts, he continued to listen as Clark continued.
"If you are wondering what systems are, systems are manifestations of soul power, which give us monster hunters the capability to grow stronger as we kill monsters," he continued, explaining the true essence of what systems were.
"Systems? Like the one Victor used to tell me about," he reminisced in thought of his past life friend, Victor, an anime weeb to the core.
He would always ramble about some anime he watched at some point. Allen even wondered how he had gotten a girlfriend. His thoughts were interrupted the moment Clark continued.
"To know more about systems, we have to talk about its origin. You see, around one hundred years ago, systems did not exist until when dimensional creatures we now call monsters descended upon Earth, though that was what we used to call this planet," he expressed with a smile as he paused to recollect about the history.
"Wait, is this planet not called Earth?" he blinked in shock before he calmed down the next moment. He was reborn, so the change of a planet's name could no longer faze him. Without care, he continued to drink his weird greenish juice.
"Humanity was almost on the brink of extinction when crystals descended onto Earth. With the coming of these crystals came system holders, meaning those who came in contact with them gained the system. And the crystals are called awakening crystals."
"Yup, classic plot, always the original use of awakening crystals," he mused a bit at the cliché of the story. He himself had been influenced by his friend Victor; he could only helplessly become addicted to watching the animes he once detested.
"You might wonder how the mechanism of the system works and how it was described as the awakening of the soul to give power.
Though researchers don't know the origin of the crystal, using highly advanced technology and by relying on the principle of energy conversion."
"It was detected that the system converted and transferred a form of energy, which was given the name soul energy. The awakening crystals were also detected to have this unique energy."
"The introduction of soul energy leads to the requirements to activate or awaken one's system. The requirements required to become a system holder include a minimum age of 17, which is the age at which the body can withstand soul energy.
"The utilization of soul energy comes during awakening when the crystals inject the soul energy they possess into the person attempting to awaken.
This, in turn, causes a spark which ignites the soul and its will to evolve. Those who don't have this will would become unable to awaken no matter what they did."
"This will is what manifests as what is called the system. This system absorbs the soul essence of defeated opponents, monsters to be specific.
The reason this will enables one to become stronger is that for the soul to evolve to its peak, the body also has to evolve in its nature. Which brings one to the types or nature of systems or soul power."
"A person's soul power," Clark, who was about to continue, couldn't help but notice Allen who was on the verge of falling asleep.
"Curse this body of a baby," he retorted against the wave of tiredness that washed over him, his consciousness falling into the realm of sleep.
"Oh, looks like it's bedtime," Clark, who had noticed Allen's tiredness, carried him in his arms, turned off the lights, and went straight to the room before laying Allen down in his abnormally large crib.
"Good night," Clark conveyed before he himself fell onto the bed in exhaustion, the slaying of monsters taking a lot of his physical strength. He could only sigh a little, knowing he had to do such every day to come.
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