[Memory Transfer Complete]
[Complete Soul Integration Successful]
[Congratulations, Host. System has fully awakened.]
Those words floated clearly on the familiar blue screen in front of me, accompanied by that mechanical voice echoing in my head, repeating the same announcement— just do one of them though i prefer screen when i am relaxed and voice when i am busy.
I had regained consciousness a few minutes ago and was still in the process of sorting out my thoughts. After all, I had just received another sixteen years worth of memories—it felt like watching a movie, except this time, I wasn't just a viewer. I was the character itself.
I needed to thank the system again. The transfer of memories had been surprisingly smooth—I didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain. and most important of all I'm still 'me' or to be more precise, the me from Earth—not the original Thorin nor some strange mixture born from the fusion of both us.
"So it seems the original Thorin's soul isn't in the body... or at least not active—likely in a dormant state," I sighed in relief.
I had feared this possibility might not be true. After all, is it even worth living if I am not truly me?
Don't get me wrong. I saw Thorin's life unfold. I felt his emotions, his anger, his sadness... even his desperation. I witnessed everything he did, every mistake, every reckless decision. But my mind—shaped by twenty years of life on Earth and the emotional weight that came with it—remains the core of who I am.
Aside from the first eight or nine years of his life, most of Thorin's memories were of him wasting time, indulging in petty activities and doing things with no real direction. A life without purpose, almost as if he has accepted that he indeed is the disgraced one.
"System," I called out. It was time for the moment of truth.
[Yes, Host.]
"Why did I get transmigrated?" I asked again, this time with genuine anticipation. Now that I had completed the integration, I hoped the system would finally give me a real answer not any poetic shit meant as hints or roundabout explanations.
[To save the world, Host] it replied flatly, as if it were stating that i was handsome—which is obviously a fact.
"Save the world?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"From who? The Demon King was already defeated by the protagonist and his party... I read that part. He was definitely killed."
I racked my brain, recalling the final chapter I was on before my accident. The protagonist, aided by his overpowered system and his loyal companions, had fought an epic battle and emerged victorious against the so-called Demon King attaing the title of 'Hero' offically and the world had finally found peace or at least, that was supposed to happen.
So where did it all go wrong?
"Did the Demon King fake his death?" I asked, running through the possibilities. "Or maybe the protagonist—or someone from his camp went rogue? Or was it something stupid and random, like a giant meteoroid slamming into the planet?"
[Indeed, the Demon King was defeated,] the system responded calmly. [But he managed to fulfill his true purpose before his demise.]
"His... purpose?" I repeated, my eyes squinting. "To destroy the world?"
I clenched my fists, irritation rising in my chest. The system was clearly trying to build suspense, delivering information in short, frustrating bursts like it was hosting a dramatic suspense genre film. I wasn't exactly in the mood to follow its little games.
"Just answer the damn question in one go," I snapped. "Just say it and get it over with."
There was a pause. Then—
[To summon the Demon God.]
I felt the weight of those words crash down on me like a collapsing building.
For a moment, I just stood there, stunned into silence. My breath caught in my throat, and my thoughts scrambled in every direction, trying to process what I'd just heard.
So that was it. The Demon King—the monstrous being who had terrorize the world for so long had no intention of conquering the world or enslaving humanity. But to summon—
A Demon God.
A FUCKING god. If the Demon King was enough of a nightmare that it took a cheat like eing called protagonist and his entire overpowered squad to take him down, then what the hell was I supposed to do against a god?
This guy wasn't your average joe. No, This was on an entirely different level. A god. A divine-level existence a immortal with immense power.
"And how," I asked slowly, each word laced with sarcasm, "am I supposed to stop this god, my dear system?"
[Kill the Demon King before he succeeds in summoning the Demon God.]
"...Easier said than done," I muttered under my breath, unable to stop the bitterness in my tone.
It's not like this idea hadn't crossed my mind. In fact, it was the only logical move—if you wanted to stop the Demon God, you had to cut the summoning short by taking down the Demon King himself. But that was the problem.
The protagonist of the novel—"Hero: The Destined One"and his squad took a whole five years of growth and development to stand a chance against the Demon King's direct subordinates and the Demon King himself.
Meanwhile, I was standing here, in the body of a disgraced side character, hoping I'd somehow manage to save the world.
"System," I asked, gathering my thoughts. "When will the Demon King complete the summoning ritual?"
[Four years from now, Host.]
"Four years, huh...?" I muttered.
That put things in perspective. The protagonist and his main crew were already around sixteen years old at this point in the story. If my memory served right , they'd just entered their first semester at the Academy. That meant I had exactly four years to pull off what they did in five.
But then something didn't quite add up.
"If the Demon King could summon the Demon God in 4 years from now, why did he wait an entire year?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
[Stabilization.]
One word. Just that.
"...Stabilization?" I echoed, trying to piece it together. "You mean... the world? The ritual? His own body? Or is the Demon God too powerful to descend directly right after a successful summoning ritual"
But the system didn't offer any more details. I sighed.
"Any more information?"
[You have reached the limit of unrestricted information, Host.]
Figures.
I leaned back , crossing my arms as the gears in my mind worked rapily.
I was on the verge of spiraling into that pit of 'how the hell do I do this?' when it hit me—
"I have a system " I said aloud.
Seriously, how could I forget that? I was so caught up in this mess that I forgot the most important asset in my hands—the System or more like its most basic purpose.
In every story I've read, systems were cheat engines, growth boosters, miracle workers. They helped their users break limits, gain skills, evolve beyond natural means.
If mine was anything like that...
"System," I asked cautiously, needing confirmation. "What's your purpose?"
[I am here to aid the Host in completing the mission: to prevent the descent of the Demon God.]
There it was—confirmation. It was designed to help me survive, grow, and ultimately prevent demon king's goal.
If I could grow fast enough I might be able to compensate for the lack of 1 year worth of growth the protagonist had. All i had to do is grow and accumulate power without affecting storyline at all.
One step at a time.
"How will you help me, System?" I asked, my voice tinged with hope.
[The System has now fully awakened. You may now call upon your status window.]
That was the moment I'd been waiting for.
In this world, everyone had a status window—a panel that displayed their personal stats, talents, skills, and attributes. Thorin Frostbane, the body I now inhabited, naturally had one too. But I didn't had the opportunity to check it after the integration. Too many things had taken priority.
But now... now it was time.
"Status," I called.