"Wait, let me see too!" Rina hurried to touch the blade in Seraphine's hand.
The information flashed through her mind, and she fell silent for a few seconds as she processed the info.
Then, she looked up with a deadpan expression.
"Ha... garbage," Rina said in a completely flat tone.
"You…" Seraphine wanted to say something, but chose not to..
"Sera, I'm asking you one last time," Rina said, her voice turning into a genuine and soft tone. "Do you really not want this spell? This sword is... well, you saw it."
"I won't go back on my word," Seraphine replied firmly, her eyes narrowing as she examined the rusted edge of the sword.
She gripped the hilt, testing the weight. "And you know what? I usually wield a sword anyway. Even though the system message is spitting out some gibberish, it clearly states that the weapon's power depends on the wielder. Besides," she added with a dry, bitter chuckle, "a sword used for chopping wood might not be bad, right? I mean, who the hell actually uses a sword to cut wood, but still..."
"Yeah... you're right, I guess?" Rina agreed, though she didn't sound entirely convinced.
Seraphine ignored the doubt and swung the sword through the empty air, testing the balance. The blade whistled softly as it cut through the morning breeze.
"This doesn't weigh that much either," she commented, testing its balance with a few more swings.
Rina struggled with the worn-out yellow book, her fingers pressing against its fragile cover.
"Sera… how do I learn this spell?" she asked, frustration creeping into her voice as she tried to pry it open.
"How the hell should I know?" Seraphine replied, shrugging as she continued to test the weight of her rusted sword. "You're the 'gamer girl' here, right?, I thought you'd know how to do it." She flashed an exaggeratedly innocent look, though the mischief in her eyes was hard to hide.
"Don't call me that!" Rina pouted, her face turning a light shade of pink.
She gripped the edges of the thin yellow book, her knuckles turning white as she tried to pry it open. "Is this thing glued or what? Dammit, open up!"
And then....
suddenly..
her mind froze...
A blue translucent screen formed inside her consciousness, glowing faintly like a hologram.
-----------------------
{[Message] : Both surfaces of the grimoire must be held simultaneously. Mana synchronization will then be initiated.}
------------------------
"Haa... so that's how it is," Rina mumbled, her fingers trembling slightly as she pressed her palms against both sides of the worn book.
In an instant, the thin yellow book dissolved into a cascade of golden particles. They swirled around her before sinking into her body, vanishing into her mind.
Rina staggered, clutching her head as a torrent of information flooded her consciousness.
A soothing energy spread through her chest, calming her heartbeat, as if the spell itself was weaving into her very soul.
Then came the notifications, which nearly shocked her.
--------------------------
{[Message] : Healing Spell is recognized as one of the few Autonomous Spells.
[Congratulations!!]
[You have become the first known holder of an Autonomous Spell in Prithivi Lokh.]
[New Title Acquired: The First Autonomer]
[Title Effect] : Reputation with ???? has slightly increased. Rare informational responses may now be granted under qualifying circumstances.}
-------------------------
"Woah!!" Rina's mouth hung wide open, her eyes darting across the invisible text. She hurriedly explained every detail to Seraphine.
"What exactly does 'Autonomous' mean for a spell?" Seraphine asked, leaning on her rusted sword.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Rina pondered, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. "In most games, spells are just things you cast. 'Autonomous' usually means something that acts on its own, but how does that work with a healing spell?"
"You're a gamer girl and even you don't know?" Seraphine grinned, seizing the opportunity. She leaned in close, wagging a finger. "Shame, shame, puppy shame."
"I told you! Stop calling me that!" Rina's face flushed a deep crimson, and she stomped her foot on the dusty ground. "It's different when the game is trying to kill you in real life!"
But before she could argue further, her mind froze.
A new message suddenly popped into her consciousness..
------------------------------
{ [Message] : Autonomous spells adjust mana output according to necessity.
Fixed-cost limitations do not apply.
Minor injuries require minimal expenditure. Critical damage increases consumption proportionally.
Further clarification remains restricted. }
---------------------------------
"So that's what it was!" Rina exclaimed, her face lighting up as the pieces clicked into place.
She quickly relayed the explanation to Seraphine, but Seraphine wasn't just focused on the spell anymore. Her mind was racing.
'So it really does respond to her questions… but why only hers?' She recalled how the system responded when Rina was struggling to open the book, and now this-every time Rina asked, the system reacted.
'Is it because of her title?' Seraphine thought.
"Rina," Seraphine said, her expression turning dead serious. "It seems like this system thing actually responds to your questions. So..."
"So?" Rina asked, blinking.
"So... try asking some questions for me. We've been running blind for too long." Seraphine said.
"First: what exactly is this 'System'?"
"Next: how did this apocalypse even start?"
"Next: Was that meteorite a natural disaster or something artificial?"
"Sera, wait—"
"Next," Seraphine continued, her voice gaining speed, "How did these weapons and spells just appear out of thin air?
"Next________"
"Next________"
"Next________"
She stopped, her voice dropping an octave. " Last and most important question. What exactly is 'The Blight'?"
That name had been gnawing at the back of her mind like a parasite ever since the first system message appeared. The nightmare from the night before had buried that thought, but now it was back.
She didn't know who else to ask, and Rina clearly didn't have the answers on her own.
"Sera, stop! My head is throbbing!" Rina groaned, clutching her temples.
"O...okay... I will try asking it, give me a break first," Rina muttered, rubbing her temples.
She then cleared her throat and began with her first question.
"I don't know how to address you, but please answer my question if you can," Rina said politely before asking, "What exactly is this blue screen inside our mind?"
Both girls waited eagerly for the answer.
1 second.
2 seconds.
3 sec.
4 sec.
5 sec.
10 sec…
But
then…
suddenly…
O_O ----(system's emoji)[1]
no response.
Rina was a little upset but asked again, "If it's too much for you to answer, then I'll ask a simpler question."
"What exactly was the reason behind the apocalypse? Was the meteorite strike on Earth natural or artificial? If it was artificial, who did it? Who has that much power?"
Both girls waited for a few seconds..
(ʘ ͟ʖ ʘ)
but still no response.
Rina did not let her hope fade and continued with a series of questions:
"How did these weapons and spells appear out of thin air?"
No response...
（︶^︶）---(system emojis)
"How did____?"
Still no response.
( ˘︹˘ )
"What is____?"
No response.
"What is____?"
Still no response.
Rina's throat dried as she finally asked the last question, shouting loudly, "WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS BLIGHT?"
But still… no response.
(●'◡'●)
Seraphine let out a long sigh, her grip tightening on the sword. "I guess this thing isn't as idiotic as I thought," she muttered, her tone was carrying frustration.
A flicker of light behind Rina's eyelids made her gasp. "Wait! Sera, I got something! A new message!"
-------------------
{ [Message] : Increasing reputation may slightly improve the probability of information access }
-------------------
Seraphine snapped her head toward her. "What does it say?"
"It says we need to increase our reputation to gain access to more information."
"Reputation?" Seraphine raised her eyebrow, her tone was sharp and thoughtful. "I see… then the only way to find answers is to increase it."
She exhaled, gripping the sword at her side. "But let's put that aside for now. Our priority should be finding other survivors."
"Okay," Rina nodded, gripping the metal bat firmly with both hands.
Seeing her take that stance, Seraphine instinctively took two steps backward.
The memory of Rina's earlier mishap with the bat was still fresh.
"Rina… please don't do anything like before, okay?" Seraphine said....
"Okay," Rina giggled softly, her cheerful tone breaking the tension for a moment.
[1] (Author Note) : This is not a emoji that the system displayed on Rin's mind, i actually put it for some fun and to make it more engaging. Some of you might like this and some might not, Tell me if i really should continue with this type of writing or just Switch into normal system type novel