'Finally managed to calm the nurses,' thought Haruto, his face exhausted.
But really, who wouldn't be scared by a voice coming from nowhere in a room where you thought you were alone?
Now that I stop to think about it... I've seen this in some stories. Pretty sure this must be some kind of system the goddess gave me.
Maybe not everything is lost.
'Hey, system, are you there?'
[Yes, host, I'm here. What are your orders?]
Urgh, can you stop with that AI voice? You sound like some old Earth ChatGPT.
[Is this better?] said the system, now with a man's voice.
Not a man's voice either—use something softer.
[How about now, host?]
Uh... it's weird having a woman's voice in my head, but that'll do.
So, what's your use, system? Maybe something like leveling up by killing monsters? Or maybe a mastery system? Before Haruto could keep rambling, the system interrupted.
[Detection.]
Detection? What do you mean? Maybe you can detect enemies around me, like a domain expansion? Or maybe detect weak points? Or even detect lottery patterns so I can get rich...
While a thousand possibilities raced through Haruto's mind, he was hit with a bucket of cold water.
[Detection only works on the Goddess's enemies.]
With that information, Haruto's face darkened.
Noooo, my rivers of money!
He groaned, imagining his treasures disappearing.
As I sank back into the bed, I couldn't help but think how bleak the future looked.
A useless system that doesn't even help me grow stronger...
And stuck in the body of a Ghoul—if my deductions are right.
Yeah, looks like I've failed before the journey even began.
Who are the Goddess's enemies?
[They are the Order of Collapse. They are beings to whom the Goddess of Destruction granted power, in exchange for destroying their own worlds.]
And where do they go once their worlds are destroyed?
[We don't know. But they certainly don't die. This "organization" is recent—it only exists because the Goddess is weakened. To speed up her liberation, they accumulate destruction, tearing everything apart.]
I just closed my eyes, ready to sleep again.
[Host, may I ask a question?]
'Go ahead,' I said, sinking even deeper into the bed.
[You're not going to ask anything about your current situation? About why you were chosen? Or even about the Goddess?]
No, I'm sure I'll learn more about the Goddess on my own someday. As for my current situation...
Things are what they are. Not much I can do about it.
Now I just need to figure out how to live well in this world and fulfill the Goddess's mission.
[That mindset is unusual, but admirable. As for your "cheat code," it was never me, the system—but rather your race, and the other gift from the Goddess.]
What's so special about my race? I'm just a Ghoul, right? I asked hopefully.
[You are a Ghoul, but unlike the others... You can absorb the power of everything you eat.]
Like Rimuru's Gluttony skill? I said, sitting upright in bed, hopeful for a prosperous future.
[Something like that...]
Didn't like that tone of doubt, but I'll let it slide since I'm in a good mood.
And what's the second gift from the Goddess?
[I don't know.]
What do you mean you don't know?
[Like I said, I only have information about this world. I'll learn the rest as I observe the world through your eyes.]
Ugh, useless.
But there's been something bothering me since I woke up.
[What is it, host?]
Did I take Kaneki's place in the story? From what I understand, I went through the same transplant he did—so what happened to him?
[Yes, you took Kaneki's place in the plot. As for him... well, he'll continue his life at university, never becoming a Ghoul.]
I don't know if taking his place is a good thing. I actually liked the characters in Tokyo Ghoul, and without Kaneki, I have no idea what will happen to them.
[So, you'll join them in Kaneki's place, then?]
"No," I said, shaking my head from side to side.
My quest for power has to come first. After all, there's no point in protecting a few people if we'll all die anyway if I fail the mission.
Suddenly, I heard two knocks on the door.
"I'm coming in, Haruto," said the nurse.