My host still looked at me with a deep suspicion etched across their features despite my perfect professionalism.

  "...You can... hear me?" He asked hesitantly.

  [Of course Host!]

  "What are you?" He asked, still not moving closer. His posture practically screaming that he would bolt at the first sign of danger. Honestly, it's a little rude, but I get it. Not everyone has an easy transition.

  [I am your System, Host] I string out the words along the page, ever patient with my new ward.

  There's a pregnant pause. Expectant. As if he's waiting for me to continue.

  "... My system of what?" He finally asks after he realized I was done writing.

  That's... not the reaction I was expecting.

  This isn't the way this normally goes. Most Hosts are aware of my existence, excited for it even! Some try to call for me before my initialization is even started! They pop in after their chat with the Will of the World and start yelling for "Their System" to appear, like giddy children. I know the Complete Souls come from non-sequestered reality, so maybe this host is just from a younger world? Normally they're hand-picked by the World's Will for easy integration...

  Strange.

  [No, Host. I am not A system, I am The System.] I try to crify.

  "Right. Right." He mumbles, already stepping backwards away from me, as if I were diseased.

  [I'm a Guide. I help facilitate your growth, both in physical strength and in character! I grant powers and skills based on your performance!] I try again.

  "Yeah. Fae deals, got it. No thanks." He says quickly, already ankle deep in the underbrush as he's backing away.

  [No! I'm not a fae anything!] I try to shout through the ink, frustrated. My own break in decorum almost surprised me. I'm not used to having that free range of emotion. Frustration like this is... votile.

  [I'm assigned to you. You're my host. I'm here to help, no rules, no caveats, no deals.] I try to reel my emotions back in.

  [You take in the Energy needed, and in exchange for a small amount of that energy -I help forge you anew, so that you may accomplish your goals!]

  Professional. Calm.

  "... so you're some kind of parasite." He states, bluntly.

  [NO! I'm symbiotic at worst! If anything, you're the one getting the good deal here! Why are you being so-] The ink suddenly froze across the page, snapping to a taut line like a guitar string.

  [Ahem. I am only here to assist in your growth, Host.]

  This whole emotions-on-the-job thing is harder than I thought.

  He slowly walks back into the clearing, staring intently at my pages and looking around, as if expecting something to jump out of the underbrush.

  "You won't make some sort of pact that steals my soul? or some fae deal that usurps my name or fate or something?"

  [No, Host. I'm just here to help you. Think of me as an extension of your own power!]

  There's another long drawn out pause, filled with unspoken scrutiny. I can see the gears turning as he looks around the unforgiving wilds surrounding us.

  He opens his mouth once, before closing it again, clenching his jaw. Something flickers in his eyes. An unspoken discussion, a silent judgment. Finally, a begrudging determination.

  "What do I do?" He asks.

  [You just have to pick me up so that I can initialize the System's Integration. It will read your achievements and allocate skills or titles based on your previous life!]

  That's not the whole story, of course. At this point, I've noticed that the Will of the World has been completely silent. The ck of direction has become a bit worrying, but I'm not going to burden my host with something so trivial. I can wing it for now.

  This is clearly one of the "stranded on the wilderness" starts. I can work with that for now. And there's still energy in the world, despite the ck of allocation. I should be okay to issue emergency quests and just pretend they're the normal ones.

  I roll up my metaphorical sleeves. Ready to clean up this World Will's incompetence. I got this.

  He sighed heavily, but eventually reached down to pick me up. Despite the btant reluctance, I didn't waste a second activating the integration like st time. allowing the previously interrupted program to continue.

  [Thank you for your cooperation, Host.]

  [System now integrating...]

  It felt strange to give that message via ink, but old habits die hard. Maybe I should practice my calligraphy?

  My musings are interrupted as the achievement tally begins. I crack my ethereal knuckles and get ready.

  [System Integration Complete]

  [Analyzing Achievements]

  [... Starting at birth...]

  [Herbalist (1/10) ●Unlocked● - cataloged and memorized local flora]

  'Oh? An apothic maybe? It's been a while since I've had a healer as a host. Not bad as a base either.' I hum in approval.

  [Life Experience Gained: Herbalist Leveled Up!]

  [Herbalist (MAX)- cataloged and memorized all local flora - Used actively for alchemy, consumption, or medicine.]

  'Ooh~ dedication. Nice!'

  [Bushman(1/10) ●Unlocked● - Survived in the wild with minimal or no tools.]

  'Survival experience! Perfect. Maybe he WAS handpicked after all!'

  [Life Experience Gained: Bushman Leveled Up!]

  [Bushman (MAX) - Thrived for a year, starting from nothing.]

  'Wow, genuinely impressive. Most of my hosts are office workers and students.'

  [Bushman and Herbalist Resonate]

  [Merged: Wildman (MAX) - Thrive in the wild using both your gained experiences and knowledge of the local flora]

  'A merged Path? Way to go, Host! Bringing the right tools to the job!"

  [First Blood (1/10) ●Unlocked● - Kill a Beast]

  [Nothing Wasted (Unique) ●Unlocked● - Use every part of an animal you hunted. Waste nothing, want for nothing.]

  'Of course, of course. All good hunters have to start somewh-'

  But my musing are interrupted By another ping.

  [Heartless (1/10) ●Unlocked● - Kill an innocent who trusted you, and feel no remorse. ]

  [Exocutioner (1/10) ●Unlocked● - Kill a creature with greater base stats in a single blow.]

  [Cold-Blooded: (Unique) ●Unlocked● - Kill in cold blood for no real benefits.]

  '... Wait.'

  'Wait, what?'

  'What the fuck? That's... that can't be right, can it? I thought this was survival, is it actually a vilin system?'

  [First Blood, Heartless, Executioner, and Cold-Blooded resonate.]

  'Well, tell them to stop!'

  [Merged: Ruthless Butcher (1/10) - Murder an innocent, but more powerful entity for no significant gain. Feel no remorse.]

  'That's gotta be a vilin Trait, right?. Who did he kill? His parents? A lover?'

  [Life Experience Gained: Ruthless Butcher Leveled Up!]

  [Life Experience Gained: Ruthless Butcher Leveled Up!]

  [Life Experience Gained: Ruthless Butcher Leveled Up!]

  '... Experience? In this?'

  [Experience exceeded threshold. Achievement forceably evolved.]

  [Due to overflow, Ruthless Butcher has become Red Death]

  [Red Death (Lvl.1) ●Unlocked● - Snuff out at least 10,000 innocent lives, each with a single precise strike.]

  '... t- ten THOUSAND?! No no no, that's gotta be a bug, right? That's not normal! There aren't monsters in the Host worlds! You don't get Experience for grinding there! What the hell is going on?"

  [Life Experience Gained: Red Death Leveled Up!]

  'No...'

  [Life Experience Gained: Red Death Leveled Up!]

  'Why? Why would you...?'

  [Red Death (Lvl.3) - Snuff out 30,000 innocent lives, each with a single precise strike.]

  '...thirty-thousand innocent lives. Each taken down with a single strike...' I shudder as the once comforting hands on my cover now feel significantly courser. The callouses rasping on my page now leave me feeling... exposed.

  [Devoured Alive (Unique) - Be consumed until death.]

  'W-what? Not a truck? Not lightning? EATEN ALIVE?'

  [ERROR (■■■■■)●Unlocked● -

  O???????P??????E????????N????????? ?????Y????????O????????????U???????R????????? ?????????E????????Y??????E??????????S?????1-ERROR

  - THREAD ENTITY NOT SET TO AN INSTANCE OF A HOST. CANNOT READ ALLOTED SCRIPT. DEFAULTING TO SAFE-MODE SETTINGS.

  PLEASE RESET LOCAL REALITY OR CONTACT SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSTICS.]

  'You gotta be joking... An actual error? And what do you mean "System Admin"?! I don't have an admin! I can't even get the World Will to answer! '

  [Achievement Tallied- Creating Appropriate Reward]

  'Should we reward this? Really?'

  [Please Wait...]

  [Bloodline Skill Created!]

  'Yep. Okay. Ignore me. Let's just hand bottled power right to the murder junkie.'

  I prepare myself for the reveal. This next part is the message my Host actually gets to see.

  Time for the unveiling, drumroll please!

  "[Blood Butcher (Unique - Lvl.1):

  ? Fresh Cuts: If it's alive, you know where to cut. You can identify crtitical weakpoints.

  ? For the Bloodgod: Unlocks basic Hemokinesis.

  ? Razor Sharp: Bdes seem to work better in your hands. Even better when soaked in blood.

  ? Pound of Flesh: You're immune to most disease/afflictions, and spilling the blood of others hastens your own healing.

  ? Blood Feast: Gain bonuses from eating what you kill.

  Skill can be Levelled Up by pursuing your Bloodline]"

  'Oh.'

  I turn my attention back to Bernard, trying to assess his reaction, see if he has any doubts. Compints even. Some kind of denial of the macabre crown that had been id on his brow.

  Instead, I got-

  "Butcher, huh? I mean, I guess it's fitting." He shrugs nonchantly.

  [You certainly accumuted a... significant number of kills in your life.] I write out slowly, making sure I don't overstep.

  He just nods distractedly before he continues reading. I can't help but re-read the series of System Pings while he goes over his skill.

  'Yep. For sure a Vilin System this cycle.' I consider it for a bit. I hadn't had a vilin host in awhile. They weren't "uncommon" per say, but I certainly wasn't prepared to coach one with no instruction from the World's Will. Hell, I wasn't even sure if he's meant to succeed for that matter - at... whatever his goal is. Many of my vilins were destined to fail.

  'I'll have to keep that in mind for when I make my emergency quests...'

  He scans the page, mumbling through the rest of the skill abilities. He seems unimpressed, or maybe just confused- until he suddenly lights up, his eyes sparkling with interest.

  "Immune to most diseases? That's huge! You gave me some kind of super immune system?"

  He was looked gobsmacked at that reveal, much to my bafflement. It felt like the most mundane trait listed to me, but I guess I'm happy that my host is ...pleased...

  However,

  [Not exactly, Host.]

  'I struggle for a moment on how to phrase it to him.'

  [That's the achievement reward from your previous life. Think of it like... cashing in your karma.] I inform him.

  He nods, slowly. Seemingly confused, but attempting to take it in.

  [Of course, it's still the system's integration that rewarded you, so I guess I can take partial responsibility.] I scrawled, somewhat smugly despite the rollercoaster of emotions I'd just rode through.

  He doesn't acknowledge it, but that's alright. He'll warm up to it once we really get started. It's just a rough beginning, that's all!

  'Vilin or not, I'm his system, and I'll need to be helpful regardless of our task.'

  With that in mind, I took a deep (if metaphorical) breath, and prepared myself.

  [I look forward to working with you Host Bernard!]

  -----?●?-----

  [You certainly accumuted a... significant number of kills in your life.]

  I watched the words slowly squirm across the page in that strange living ink.

  "Significant number of kills", huh?

  I mean, I suppose It's true. I can only nod in agreement as ny mind flicked back to the years spent in the sughterhouse. The Abatoire processed cows mostly, and I worked the killing floor.

  There was supposed to be psych evaluations every so often. Limited time spent "pulling the trigger" per person.. but I guess, like all things in poorly staffed businesses, It slipped through the cracks.

  6 years.

  I spent 6 years on that floor, wrapped in face shields and baggy protective suits, carrying that bolt gun.

  It was... humane. Quick. But the pneumatic thunk and the accompanying crunch of skull when that bar was fired still pys in my mind sometimes.

  But humans... we adapt. Enough time makes us numb to most things. It's amazing what can become monotony when tickered off with enough paperwork and punchcards.

  I became just another cog in the bloody machine. Just one tiny machination in the endless deluge of pure, industrialized death- all to sate the ravenous titan that was human consumption.

  Dragging my mind away from that precipice, I focused on the script in front of me.

  "Blood Butcher" had quite a few addendums past my apparent job title. The irony that I was resuscitated through some hellish melting pot only to come back to my old job wasn't lost on me.

  Most of the entries were... odd.

  [? Fresh Cuts: If it's alive, you know where to cut. You can identify crtitical weakpoints.]

  That's just... objectively not true? Sure, I DID butchery too, but I'm only familiar with cows and pigs.

  And chicken... and fish I suppose.

  But everything? Nah. I hope the book pns to train me if I'm going to be cutting up alien creatures.

  [? For the Bloodgod: Unlocks basic Hemokinesis.]

  Pretty sure you're just making up words now.

  [? Razor Sharp: Bdes seem to work better in your hands. Even better when soaked in blood.]

  Better in my hands? I mean, thanks? I did practice for several years... but I can safely say: blood is slippery, and does NOT make for better knife work.

  [? Pound of Flesh: You're immune to most disease/afflictions, and spilling the blood of others hastens your own healing.]

  ... wait, what? IMMUNE to most disease? And blood heals me? Am I a vampire now? I mean, I'm not burning in the sun... I guess this is the power they talked about.

  I'll take it.

  At least I won't have to worry about getting sick!

  "Immune to most diseases? That's huge! You gave me some kind of super immune system?" I ask, finally looking at the other page the ink has been swirling across.

  I... assume that's what passes for it's face, so I try to look there when addressing it.

  [Not exactly, Host.]

  The ink seems to flow slowly - ponderingly, before shaping into words.

  [That's the achievement reward from your previous life. Think of it like... cashing in your karma.]

  I can only nod at that. It makes no sense of course, not in any normal way, but neither does anything else I've seen or experienced at this point. What's one more esoteric riddle, really?

  [Of course, it's still the system's integration that rewarded you, so I guess I can take partial responsibility.]

  ... right.

  ...I'll still boil my water anyway, I don't know if "afflictions" includes parasites. Moving on.

  [? Blood Feast: Gain bonuses from eating what you kill.]

  Bonuses? Like... Holiday bonuses? So this IS a job of some kind.

  - [I look forward to working with you Host Bernard!] I see scrawl across the other page, the formality reminding me of business emails. -

  ...A job set up by some kind of Insane Genie cookbook, but a job nonetheless.

  I drag a hand through my now unruly hair, suppressing another pang of anxiety that I feel cwing up my throat as the day's events try to catch up to me again.

  "Yeah," I force the words out, pushing them past the squirming knot in my chest, "Happy to work with you, Guide."