Ch.41 The Puppeteers Hand

Back inside the Mindscape, The System finally reacted to Malpetios' worried yelling.

[The Host's insistence and the lack of connection to the Main System have created a knowledged loop. Protocol#30 System has overruled the Main System automatic memory implantation. The safety patterns and mental alignment inherent memories can now be viewed by The Host.]

"Finally!" Malpetios was happy to see some progress and immediately tried to ask for the removal of the affected fragments again.

[Warning. Warning. Protocol#30 System does not have the right authority to disconnect from the Main System. Host, please change your request.]

Why?! Also, the way you said it makes it seem like you can do it but don't dare to. Didn't you say you overruled the memories, cant you do the same to the Main System?

[Overruling the authority would prompt the permanent destruction of the connection to the World, as well as the removal of The Host System. The System has already access solutions over its authority, further attempts without a logical reason would trigger the destruction.]

Dam, that bad? Thinking to himself, Malpetios decided not to push his luck and take a look at the things he got access to now. A quick request to the system and he was nearly overwhelmed by the amount of information trying to enter his brain.

Luckily for him, The System quickly noticed and stopped it before it could. Instead, a large water screen took form in front of him. Feeling like the giant ball of memories would have crushed him, he was happy to have The System. After a few moments, the water screen stopped swirling revealing... a search engine??

Looking around the whole water screen, it had the look of a computer with two tabs, and no extra tools. Safety Patterns or Mental Alignment could be seen on the top of the white pages, a text box for questions in the middle.

Although this is weird, the fact that it was presented in the appearance of a search engine can only mean that I need to ask a question and anything related to it will show up for me to browse thru.

Contented, Malpetios asked a random question and he quickly noticed the similarity with asking things to The System. Having previous experience he constantly asks things while picking apart the reply, trying to find the right keywords.

After a quick search thru safety patterns, he was surprised to find that on the bottom of the pages the maker of these rules was stated as The Jewel's. Things like the minimum size for a Dungeon wall or Boss door, the correct thickness for a Dungeon Domain enchantment, and so on.

He had to grouchily nod at the Jewels to the point he started to wonder if they really were trying to take control of him. The more he searched the more he panic, the rules placed on both tabs were not detrimental towards him in any way, they can be considered necessary to a core's stability and survival.

In the seemingly endless rules and formats, many things that would otherwise kill him have been resolve. The 'Mental Alignment' is at its core, instincts, anything from how much mana a rock needs to take shape to how the nerve ending of monsters are connected and supplied by mana was in here.

And this is just an oversimplification of the data here, if I was to really cut this out of me I would have to figure out everything from the bottom. Although some of them seem useless, like do not form a rock right above you or it will fall and kill you, for a newborn core this might actually be useful.

Reading on and on I slowly began to feel depressed and hopeless, at this time I hear another yelp from my Boss, the sound snapping me out of my pit of despair. Taking a look at the Lily, I could see it has healed almost all of its corona, half of its chubby vines were now pitch black looking like charcoal.

Noticing my eyes on it, the chibi Lily waved one of its smaller vines in a gesture of reassurance. I could feel it was in no real danger at the moment, it did however send a worried feeling directed at its current leader, that being Q'ill. Unable to explain things in a more complex manner, all I could get from it was that she was alive but weak.

Knowing that my time was running out and that Q'ill is in danger, I stop worrying about how I would already be dead without The Jewel's rules and decided to ignore all of it, asking questions I hoped would allow me to fix this.

Many of the questions I asked this time were directed on what happened in my Dungeon, trying to find a loophole I can use to convince The System to help, and kick out the intruders.

Sadly I found nothing, things like 'why did my metal slimes stop working the floor one to three traps' came back with a wall of text explaining every detail of the reason.

From the unnecessary waste of mana to killing your own monsters from overheating to having a far too dangerous first-floor bringing in higher-level invaders than what you can handle.

And so many other things that I just can't list all, my Weighing Scale room also gave me endless reasons, from bringing in higher-level invaders, inconsistency of the dungeon alarming them to think I was a dangerous or mentally unstable core that should be erased, to breaking rules set up by the Main System such as there must be a path to your core room and so on.

Finally finding hope reading that last rule, he quickly searched for 'Main System rules' and was shocked by the tiny amount of settings on it.

After reading the three or so paragraphs I was stupefied. These rules and patterns were the bare minimum for a Dungeon... to Dungeon. After reading the very basics settings, I could tell what the Main System, or The World's Will, had done in the beginning.

If a human were to get the same treatment, it would be the same as giving a pile of meat life, reforming it into a fully functional human being with no will, and the only thing on its brain is to eat and purify Elemental Mana.

Then to add insult to injury, seeing that over half of them died before an equivalent amount of the Mana used on their creation was purify, the World's Will gave them souls and the power to store and form Elemental Mana into things.

That last thing didn't even sound like something it did to protect them, but a way for the cores to burn even more Elemental Mana. Malpetios could feel just how objective and stingy the world is, needing to create cores and then Dungeon Cores while throwing them into the wild for the fittest to survive.

The Worlds Will never forgetting the purpose of the Cores, to purify the Elemental Mana, basing all the Core's actions and tools on that one goal.

Even rules like 'there must be a patch to your core room' screamed I don't want you to stop eating Elemental Mana, invaders? That's walking Elemental Mana bags, kill them and eat their mana or die.

Taking all this in, Malpetios wanted to pull his nonexistent hair out. The Jewel's look like saints that build the foundation for cores to survive, each rule a brick covered in the blood and sweat of the cores that failed to survive.

While The Main System comes off as an animal that raises and protects you until you can take your first step, immediately turning you into its employee. It will listen to you and help you, it may even do things for you, but you need to work for it.

Although I am looking at this from the viewpoint of a human, I shouldn't judge The Main System, it has helped me so much. None of the Cores would even be alive without its help, even though that help came at the cost of the life of many cores, we still had to be grateful.

Reading thru more of the memories left behind by the Jewels, Malpetios was finally able to notice small differences. The feeling these rules and settings gave was as if many different people had written them, and yet they were all giving credit to The Jewel's.

Malpetios decided to ask, System, are all these rules really all set by The Jewel's?

[Connected to the World's Will, these rules were originally the lingering wills of Cores or Dungeon Cores, that failed to survive. The Main System collected and removed the ego and emotions from them, before passing them to the survivors.]

Malpetios grimace, are you serious? You pass down the memories of their death, even with the emotions removed, to children who hardly pass like what, nine years old by human standards?

Did it ever cross your mind that they would break mentally? This is the same that happened to me, I was born from all those core fragments not understanding what all those emotions were, as their will and hatred slowly corrupted me!

Malpetios could not stop himself from hating the System, deep in his heart fear, loneliness, and pain were bursting out. He remembers this urge, it's from the memories pass down from that child.

[The Host's emotions are unstable. Adjusting mental state.... complete.]

A cooling sensation ran thru my head calming me down, as I return to my usual self. Then it struck me! Adjusting mental state? I quickly got an idea.

Turning my attention to the System I ordered, SYSTEM! I wish for my Mental restraints to be fully removed!

[WARNING. WARNING. WARNING. The host is not 100% synchronize with the Main System. Removal of Emotional Suppressant will free the Host sub-consciousness.]

After the Systems reply, Malpetios typed 'what is Emotional Suppressant' on the water-screen. A single link came up from the search, labeled 'The Future Generations Pack'.

[We 'The Jewel's' hear by request the implantation of emotions to the newly born cores thru the System Connection. This action will benefit the World's Will by removing the lingering damage of newborn or artificially created cores.]

[Many cores, even with the parent's diligent care, will gain traces of the negative emotions left behind by the sapient races. It is our duty as the remaining Cores from the first generation to protect those to come, we know too well the damage these vile memories can do.]

[We will imprint our strong will and emotions of bravery, resolve, and love for life on the memories passed down by our fallen brethren. With this, cases such as the fallen ones will not happen again.]

[So that the next generations will not need to fear turning crazy or be swallowed by their soulless alternate-egos before the System can save them.]

Seeing this, Malpetios was shocked. So that's where the imprint came from, this is why the child could not be saved. With such a low synchronization rate the Main System could not save him, and the child himself was too pure and gentle to survive those memories.

He was ripped apart by the alternate egos, losing control of his body and soul. Taking a deep breath, Malpetios knew what he had to do. Alternate ego or not, you are still me! I will not have you sealed any longer.

SYSTEM! Remove the Emotional Suppressant now! If I really can't handle them you can seal them back up. Now do it!

[Processing The Host request. Preparing emergency lockdown... complete. Removing program.]

At that moment my knees hit the floor, the screen of water falling in a puddle before me, as I felt like my vision split in two. A feeling of happiness, of warmth, comes from somewhere inside me, protecting me.

While in my other vision I felt nothing but pain, fear, hatred, bloodlust, and so many other negative emotions. Who am I? Why am I here, why do I have to die, is not fair... is NOT FAIR!!!

looking down on the puddle before me, the reflection of a human shape shadow could be seeing. The creature was covered in pitch darkness, his head the only exception.

Half its face had a blood-red pupil with a bloody frown on half of the mouth, while the other side of the face, stretching a bit into the neck and shoulder, was a pure white face with kind eyes and a big smile.

"wHO ArE wHe?"