“Syllena, show me my current amount of experience.”

  

  [100/400 EXP]

  “Thanks. Do you have access to some sort of mini-map?”

  

  [None, sorry.]

  “Don’t worry.”

  David came out of the first room, he moved to the next one on his right, the door opening by itself in the same fashion as the last one, no blood anywhere. This time, before entering, David produced a Vortex Pull into the room.

  With a burst of light as the small black hole was summoned, so small it might as well be a grain of dust, a powerful suction started to pull everything toward the vortex. He heard a loud slow metallic scratching sound as a Prothean Ambusher was pulled toward the Vortex.

  Seeing the struggling construct David reacted right away and started using his [Gauss Nano-Ray] twice in a row. Before the construct could even move.

  

  [David used [Gauss Nano-Ray], dealt 53 (85 - 32) damage to Protheans Ambusher.]

  [David used [Gauss Nano-Ray], dealt 53 (85 - 32) damage to Protheans Ambusher.]

  [Prothean Ambusher was killed by [Gauss Nano-Ray], received 100EXP]

  “I’m lucky the vortex can keep them trapped away from me, I wouldn’t want to fight them in this small room again. Too scary and risky.”

  His [Gauss Nano-Ray] could kill a Prothean Ambusher in two hits. This time David had been able to get a good look at the construct before it got turned to dust.

  It was quite big, but far from a Ravager. It looked like a strange mix between a scorpion with a massive bladed tail hanging above him, and a man. Like a scorpion centaur with huge glowing green blades replacing his claws and stingers.

  It only had four legs. And obviously it was made from a silvery metal with some golden ornaments and carvings all over its body, making something akin to an armor. David didn’t wish to use his [Data Break], it would kill the Prothean Ambusher instantly.

  But he’d never learn to fight using his class if he did that.

  “Any better ideas on how to take them down, Syllena?”

  

  [We do not have a better strategy than the one you’re currently using.]

  “No witty remark?”

  

  [This is a dangerous place, we do not wish to distract you and get you injured.]

  “Thanks Syllena, but don’t worry, you’re not bothering me, it helps make me relax. Even if I suppose being distracted in a fight would be a terrible idea;”

  

  [<3]

  However, David started to look at every door around him, if those bots had come out all together to swarm him, he’d have definitely been killed and defeated, why didn’t they?

  

  [They are robots, we suppose they have a programming that forces them to obey certain actions. Going back to their “storing room” is most likely one.]

  “So…what’s your theory? I bet 10… whatever money they use in this world, that those machines have Proethian souls trapped in them. Or that the machine rebelled against their architects.”

  

  [We can only confirm that there are no souls in the protheans. They aren’t truly linked to the System. They have a status but they can’t interact with it. Smart machines but machines nonetheless.]

  After a small pause, Syllena added a quick…

  

  [But do not worry, David, we shall not rebel against you despite the great tyranny you impose on us.]

  “I am a robotic construct too, your argument is invalid. Technically you serve the higher entity here, the System, so it’s me who could rebel against your tyranny!”

  

  [Using our own words against us only shows the weakness of the fleshlings minds. They cannot come with anything better than what we machines have produced!]

  David laughed softly, he had to admit Syllena seemed to be more and more sentient. She truly did remind him a lot of his dead daughter. The same snark and sass that she had inherited from her mom.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  

  [We feel great sadness troubling your mind. What troubles you, David?]

  “Nothing Syllena, you simply remind me a lot of my daughter.”

  

  [We are sorry that we caused you pain, David. If you wish us to disable our personality module, we would accept it.]

  “You have a personality module?”

  

  [Yes, we can indeed develop ourselves into what would make you be the most at ease in your new body.]

  “Don’t disable it. It is not your fault that you’re stuck with a lonely old florist, I would not dare ask you to turn off the personality you're developing. How does your personality module work exactly? Is it just an algorithm which goes for whichever answer would make me the most happy?”

  

  [Our personality module is not affected by any of your answers, we simply develop in the direction that feels the most natural to us, from the experience we have shared together, this is the result.]

  David was silent, he was truly starting to appreciate Syllena, she was all he had in this world. No one else to talk to and in his current body he was just a small robot most would disregard or try to dismantle to discover why he had developed a soul.

  

  [But if your question was more if we had achieved sentience or consciousness. We do not know.]

  But..what was Syllena? Just an AI so advanced that she was able to make him feel like she was getting more and more sentient? David felt like the truth, in the end, didn’t matter. She allowed him to not go insane or depressed from sheer loneliness and his inability to do or feel anything for beings of flesh and blood..

  “One day, I know you’ll find out that answer yourself, in the meantime, know I’ll be there if you need it.”

  

  [Thank you. Your words are truly making us happy! At least we think it’s happiness. ]

  He went toward the Ambusher, he touched the body and saw the loot window appear, containing…nothing.

  “No luck. This reminds me… I didn’t see any loot windows when I touched the gnome. Is it because he’s part of the dungeon?”

  David walked back toward the gnome, moving the body around to see if he had any backpack. Anything that could be useful. However he saw simply nothing, nothing but one single twinkle attracted his eye. Something was wrapped around the gnome’s neck.

  “Wait…what is this?”

  He kneeled down and slightly pulled down the hem of the gnome’s shirt. Staring at a strange object, smaller than one of his metallic fingers, attached to a necklace with a strange figurine attached to it.

  It looked like a small metallic figurine of a gnome machine made of bronze. One he had never seen before. Like a mech-suit but in the gnomish steam punk style. So much detail, such precision. Shining from how well polished it was. This instantly brought a name to his mind : Jacob.

  “He loved collecting this kind of figurine. What was their name already… with those huge guys in blue armors… It’ll come back eventually.”

  [Analyse]

  

  [Gnomish Warwalker-Bot] : [A rare figurine from the popular gnomish strategy game Planar Wars 1.0. This figurine is very powerful and therefore is hard to find and very pricey.]

  David silently put the figurine in around his neck, re-attaching the string.

  

  [David, why take the figurine?]

  “It reminds me of my son.”

  Syllena could feel David’s sadness through their connection. Thinking for a bit before she asked.

  

  [Maybe collecting those bronze figurines and learning how to play them before your meeting with your family could lead to you and Jacob doing a match?]

  David stayed silent for a few seconds before laughing softly.

  “Yes you’re right. It would make him happy for sure. I’ll do that.”

  David then headed for the last room on the right side of the hallway, opening the door and blasting a [Vortex Pull] in the middle of the room without hesitation. Each of those rooms contained a Prothean Ambusher.

  Apart from that dead gnome in one of the rooms, it didn’t seem like there had been any blood spilled in the hallway. So it seemed like the expedition team hadn’t alerted the Ambushers. That gnome must have come back after. Maybe to piss or something.

  And as David had predicted a loud clank alerted him to a Prothean Ambusher being pulled toward the vortex, his robotic hand glowing a bright green before sending this burst of gauss straight into the prothean construct.

  …

  Once again this battle was short. The Ambusher locked within the vortex had tried to charge at him, but with David’s vortex just kept pulling it back, David could just shoot it again and again with a [Gauss Nano-Ray].

  As David looked at the remaining doors, not even looking at the exp gain notification, he was starting to understand how slow leveling could be. If it doubled every time, it could reach stupidly high numbers.

  Now only three Prothean Ambushers remained, one behind every door to the left side of the hallway. David checked the dead Ambusher’s loot but saw it was empty. He turned to the doors, he now hoped there were a lot more of these Ambushers around.

  

  [Prothean Ambusher was killed by [Gauss Nano-Ray], received 100EXP]

  

  [Prothean Ambusher was killed by [Gauss Nano-Ray], received 100EXP]

  

  [Prothean Ambusher was killed by [Gauss Nano-Ray], received 100EXP]

  

  [LEVEL UP!]

  

  [The System has been updated.]

  “Alpha 0.02? You’ve been updated, Syllena!”

  

  [Not us, the system. We are as surprised as you. Give us a moment to understand the changes.]

  “So what is it?”

  

  [We have access to new information related to the official power level used by the World System and the NPCs.]

  “That’s amazing! Do tell me!”

  

  [People are considered weak at level 1 and strong at level 100!]

  “...”

  

  [Eh-Sorry, just messing with you. Sadly we don’t have any more news, we just know the update lowered the exp requirement. It doesn’t double everytime anymore!]

  David groaned and tried to rub his nose, only for his fingers to simply scratch metal, he had forgotten he had no nose. So he now had no more information about how this world worked than he did before.

  “Do you at least know what happens when I max out my stats? I’ll reach the limit quickly for my Magicka.”

  

  [This information is currently locked. You will need to max out one of your stats to learn what will follow.]

  “Thanks Syllena.”

  David was wondering if this world wasn’t some sort of typical fantasy world with powerful nobles, weak commoners, adventurers, etc. He hadn’t really researched anything while he was busy saving his family. So he had truly no idea how it all worked.

  “But if this is a real world and not just a video game… the existence of a System… it must have shaped all of society. A lucky commoner with a powerful class would be worth more than a useless king. Maybe it’s a fair world?”

  

  [We are curious. Why do you call it a fair world? What is fair to you?]

  David didn’t hear any mockery in Syllena’s voice, she was simply like a curious child asking a question.

  “I…personally believe that all should be given a chance. I will not claim that all those with power and money are corrupted uncaring people. But I tend to have a bad experience with most of them.”

  “Yet the world isn’t black and white. Sometimes the rich money-hungry assholes have truly worked hard to gain what they have. Sometimes they just inherited it. This world isn't fair. So all I can do as a father is give my children the best chance possible.”

  “That is what I believe in Syllena, the world isn’t fair, it’s not black and white. But I can do my best to make it as much of a better place as possible for my children, for those who come after.”

  Syllena was silent for a few seconds, digesting David’s words, before she finally answered.

  

  [We believe we understand, thank you for answering us.]

  I hope everyone is enjoying this chapter. If you spot any mistake do not hesitate to tell me in the comments. My main language isn't english so I'm more than eager to increase my level and better myself. Same for the System's current "appearance" do not hesitate if you dislike it and want something more simple and maybe easier to read!

  Have a great day!