บท 38: New Quest.

"She isn't in the game?" The black doctor seemed quite surprised by the revelation. Her eyes wandered to Lara, who was equally as confused, and a question arose in her mind, one which Mark answered right away.

"I have been working on an update." He said. "She's a part of it."

He was supposed to do some testing before releasing it that night, but after passing out he never got the chance.

"I see…" Rebecca seemed to be in thought for a moment before she looked at him and said. "You really are a Level 05, huh?"

Mark couldn't help but grimace.

"It's not uncommon to find someone with an LRGS based on a game." She said. "Take me, for example."

Seeing her point at herself, Mark raised an eyebrow.

"My LRGS is based on a game called Doctor Simulator."

Mark suppressed the urge to snort and looked away.

"Sounds… sounds interesting…"

He wanted to say that the title felt like it belonged to one of those simple indie games that always have a wacky twist to them. He couldn't be more wrong, however.

"It's a simulation game, you see. The developers did their best to make it as realistic as it can be and ended up with something that was used in universities." The amusement in the doctor's voice was clear, showing the fondness she had for said game. "I was obsessed with it ever since I was a kid and got so good at it that I received my license without attending a single class!"

The story sounded too ridiculous, but there was a simple explanation for it. If such a video game existed, Mark was sure he would have heard about it. The fact that he didn't mean that the game wasn't available in his world.

"So you're an alien as well?"

Rebecca laughed.

"You'll be one soon enough." Shaking her head, she let out a satisfied sigh. "My point is, most Systems based on games usually belong to players who are a little bit obsessed. Almost all of them are Level 4s, and their custom LRGS can only do things that can already be done in their games by the time they Awaken. In my case, all the tools available to me are the ones from my homeworld. My System doesn't have any of the fancy tech they use in the Overworld and that wouldn't change even if the developers were to add them in the future. Not that it'll happen, since they're most likely dead."

Her last remark hinted at something, but she didn't allow him the time to dwell on it. "They already explained the difference between the System levels, right?"

Mark thought for a couple of seconds.

"Levels 1 to 3 are the standard types. Level 4 has a custom interface and functions, but none can create anything organic. Level 5 is the same except it doesn't have that limitation."

The vast majority of people Awaken with a Level 1, but after leveling up a certain amount of times it updates to Levels 2 and 3, gaining new functions with each upgrade. It wasn't possible to go from Level 3 to 4, and likewise from 4 to 5.

"The truth is that we aren't completely sure what separates Level 5 from 4." Sighing, the doctor followed. "The ability to create organic matter is one difference, but there are Level 5s with no such abilities so it's hard to guess where their rank comes from." She paused for a moment then turned to him with a piercing gaze. "I'm guessing that another difference would be that Level 5s aren't bound by what's available at the moment of their creation."

Mark raised an eyebrow, not sure if he understood her right. The Doctor remained silent and allowed him to ponder it for some time and soon enough his eyes shot open.

"I can update the System by creating more updates for the game!"

Mark was a Level 05, and he was the developer of the game his System was based on. Since the System was able to summon Lara despite her not being in the game, it would mean that he might be able to add things to it even if they weren't in the main game.

"Exactly!" Rebecca pointed a finger at him. "Depending on the conditions, you might be able to build an entire army of maids! You can even choose what kind of abilities you give them. The possibilities are endless!"

Lara didn't seem to share their enthusiasm, having given up on following their conversation. She watched as the two suddenly got excited and kept her true emotions hidden behind her stoic mask.

"Son, you really need to get a better look at your System," Rebecca spoke with utmost seriousness. "Figure out everything it's capable of and how to best make use of it. I can see you becoming someone big if you are able to do that."

[New Quest Received!]

Just as his mind began to conjure one idea after the other, a notification suddenly popped up and almost gave him a heart attack.

"What's wrong?" Rebbeca asked.

"I just got a quest…"

Thanks to Malarak of the Dark Mountain, Mark couldn't bring himself to feel any kind of excitement about quests. It should've been one of the best parts about having a system. Now, however, he was just afraid he would get another impossible task with absurd clear conditions.

[

Quest: System Upgrade.

Difficulty: C

Congratulations on your successful Awakening!

The path of Ascension is long and arduous, but the journey of a thousand miles always starts with a single step! Due to your very high psychic potential, your LRGS has been upgraded to Level 5, granting you a custom interface to better manage your exceptional abilities. But that does not have to be the end of it.

Further upgrades are possible. With each update the game Maids VS Apocalypse receives, new features can be added to your system. Continue updating your game to further customize your System and achieve greater heights!

Clear Condition:

1) Retrieval of the original Maids VS Apocalypse source code.

2) Successful rescue of Kobayashi, the main illustrator of Maids VS Apocalypse.

Clear Reward:

1) 1500 AP.

2) Access to Developer Mode.

Developer Mode: Grants the Subject the ability to alter their LRGS.

Failure Penalty:

Permanent closure of Subject Mark White's LRGS. No future updates will be implemented.

]

"Seriously…"

In a way, it was a confirmation of the conclusion they had just arrived at. It should have been a cause of joy, but looking at the clear conditions and failure penalty, Mark couldn't help but scowl.

'Kobayashi…'

The name belonged to an online friend of his. He was a rather skilled illustrator whose obsession with maids allowed the two of them to get along very well. Mark sought his help when working on Maids VS Apocalypse, but wanting to maintain control over the development, he chose to commission his work instead of inviting him in as a partner.

'Then why…'

He didn't understand why the System would ask for Kobayashi specifically when his only role has been to create illustrations he was commissioned to create. Mark felt that any skilled illustrator could fulfill that role, but apparently, the LRGS considered Kobayashi's involvement to be crucial, so much so that it threatened to stop future updates until he's rescued.

'This… this is going to be a problem…'