Auren's POV:
It was late. The moon peeked through the curtains, casting ghostly shapes on the wooden floor of my room. The bed was far too empty. Still smelled like Kael.
Still felt like loneliness.
I rolled to one side, clutching the edge of a pillow and sighing.
"Just one more day," I murmured, the words barely a whisper, just as my eyes fluttered shut.
[System Core — Internal Network Initiated...]
SYSTEM 707 Notification: SKILL TREE ACCESS UNLOCKED.
Host has reached sufficient progression to be granted a transferable skill. Skills gained here will be ingrained into neural-soul memory and carried into the next world.
SYSTEM CHOICE INITIATED: Host will now be guided into Skill Simulation Mode.
[DREAMSPACE — Skill Simulation Arena]
The world shifted.
One moment, I was in my bed.
The next, I was standing in an endless void of soft-blue mist, barefoot, in my sleep clothes. A holographic screen hovered in front of me. It read:
WELCOME, AUREN. CHOOSE YOUR FIRST CARRY-OVER SKILL.
Oi! Oi! Let. Me. Sleep!
SYSTEM: Nope :)
Floating before me were three glowing skill icons:
Close-Combat Mastery — Boosts agility, reaction time, and physical techniques.Tactical Espionage — Grants heightened perception, infiltration techniques, and forgery skills.Social Manipulation — Enhances charm, persuasion, and lie detection.
Before I could even breathe, a second voice pinged in my head—different from my System. This one was sharper. Crueler.
"WELCOME TO HELL, NEWBIE."
I blinked as a new figure emerged. A translucent, glitchy version of a person in what looked like military cyber armor. They cracked their knuckles.
"I'm SYSTEM 1409, specialized in Tactical Espionage. Your babysitter for this test. Now MOVE."
[SIMULATION: Tactical Espionage Training Begins]
Within seconds, I was slammed into a new setting. A cold, industrial hallway. Red lights flickered. I could hear footsteps echoing.
"Objective: Break into the vault. Steal the data chip. Escape undetected."
"Also, if you get caught, I WILL mock you into next week."
"You're worse than 707," I grumbled.
"707 is soft. I'm your nightmare."
Cue chaos.
The hall was a laser grid of death. The security bots were bloodthirsty. The code panel was in a language I didn't know. But somehow... I moved. Learned. Adapted.
And System 1409?
She yelled at me like a drill sergeant on a caffeine rush.
"NO, NOT THAT WIRE, DIPSHIT– ARE YOU TRYING TO KISS THE ALARM?!"
"YES! THAT'S THE SLIDE ROLL I WANNA SEE! DAMN!"
Hours felt like days. I got tased. A lot.
Eventually…
"SIMULATION COMPLETE. SKILL IMPRINT SUCCESSFUL."
I collapsed face-first into the void as the training field faded.
"Congratulations. You're now 18% less useless. Tactical Espionage embedded. See you next world, rookie."
[Reality - Morning]
I woke up with a groan, every part of me aching.
707 chimed immediately.
"Host Status: Awake. Traumatized. But a little bit hotter. Skill embedded successfully."
New Passive Unlocked:[Infiltration Rank I]
I laid there, arms out, staring at the ceiling.
"Why do I feel like I just got verbally abused by a ghost drill sergeant?"
"Because you did. Now get up. You have one day left. Let's make your war criminal boyfriend proud."
[Somewhere between Dream and Wakefulness]
Soft hums and stutters in the neural link buzz through Auren's half-sleeping brain like a mosquito with a megaphone. He groans, his consciousness floating somewhere between real and not-real.
Auren: "System... why the hell did you choose that skill? I thought I was supposed to pick."
System 707 [cheerily glitching in]:
"OH? I'm sorry, dear Host, did you forget the part where you passed out before choosing anything? I had to step in. Can't let you learn 'Cross-Stitching for Nobles' when you're on a ticking clock."
Auren: "...That was an option?"
System 707 [casual tone]:
"Oh yes. Along with 'Dramatic Dagger Throwing for Maximum Angst', and 'Flirting While Dying (Advanced)'. Real page-turners."
Auren: "Then why not one of those?! You gave me—what—'Espionage and Deception: Elite Tier'?!"
System 707 [dramatic sigh]:
"You're welcome, first of all. Second, I'd rather not have you flailing through the next infiltration like a toddler with a butter knife. Third–"
pause. glitch crackle.
"—he likes the clever kind. You wanna keep up with Kael or not?"
Auren: "..." Busted.
System 707 [smug AF]:
"I may be a soulless directive hub, but even I know you've got it bad, Host. Real bad. Might as well equip you for survival and seduction."
Auren: "You're the worst."
System 707 [cheerfully malicious]:
"Wrong! I'm the best mistake of your life. Now shoo. You've got missions, a returning war criminal sugar daddy, and precisely 8 hours to fake your sanity."
Let me sleep!!!