Narrowly focused, Dravin read every word of the status screen in front of him. But his attention darted between the system name and his role.
What kind of shit is this? Demon Hunter? Is this NuLife Balance some kind of "work-life balance" between reality and spirituality?
But the words "Chefluencer" and the skills he had made him smirk inwardly. At least there was something he was familiar with, and his adrenaline slightly spiked because of it.
"Is this some kind of fantasy world where demons roam around hanging out in restaurants?" he asked.
[No. I'm sure your memories tell you that you've never seen such things.]
"Ah… that bothered me. How could this body have the same physique and name as me? Is he my doppelgänger?"
[Vitaronia is a parallel world of your real world. This world is just like your world. But as you've already realized, there is only one thing that's different. There is no real entertainment in this world.]
Dravin went silent for a moment, accessing the memories of this new world. Throughout his memory, the Dravin of this world really led a boring "eat, sleep, work" routine without any enjoyment or escapism.
Ah, there was one thing people of Vitaronia called "entertainment," but it was nowhere near making people happy.
"Is that why he's always depressed?" Dravin looked at Rubby. "I mean, myself from this world."
Rubby smiled.
[And that's where the real problem came from. The depressed state of this world invited all kinds of demons from the underworld to possess humans.]
[Your mission is to hunt and expel demons from human bodies. Afterward, you must help the formerly possessed human increase their Pleasure Index through content creation.]
[That's the core mission of the NuLife Balance System that you need to complete.]
"Just from cooking?" Dravin asked with disbelief, and Rubby just gave him a knowing smile.
[Just some time ago, hunters found that feeding a possessed human good food could make the demon come out of their body faster.]
[And that also helps to catch them faster. What's more, after eating, the Higher-Ups found that the humans' Pleasure Index would increase, which could then increase their immunity to being possessed again. Therefore, this system was born.]
"So there are other hunters?"
[Yes, you won't work alone.]
"Other chefluencers too?"
[No. You were the only one chosen to complete this system because of your profession.]
Dravin looked down, his brow furrowed. He understood the explanation well.
Even though it still felt odd and he didn't know what kind of missions he needed to carry out, hearing that he was "the chosen one" was endearing to his ears.
It seemed like the Dravin from this world would not feel useless anymore.
"So, basically, you want me to become a hero for this world?"
[I wouldn't put it that way. But, if that term makes you feel better, yeah, you can call it that.]
Rubby smirked with an air of swagger, as if assuming Dravin enjoyed being called a hero.
"I like antiheroes more, though. I hate doing anything for free. Besides the wealth, coins, and I-don't-know-if-they're-useful stats from this system, what more could I gain? Can I be immortal once it's complete?" Dravin shifted his sitting position and raised an eyebrow.
The smug smirk on Rubby's emoji face faded, replaced by a look of being caught off guard.
[Oh Host, where did that imaginative idea come from? You must have been reading too much fantasy. Um… Don't you like money the most?]
Dravin looked displeased and crossed his arms.
"I already had enough wealth and fame in my previous life, but none of that could protect me from death. So, of course, I need to reach a higher target in this life, don't I?"
Rubby didn't answer right away. It displayed a thinking emoji.
Seeing that for more than a minute, Dravin suspected that this Rubby wasn't an AI bot. Someone had to be controlling it.
A moment later, it smiled.
[I appreciate your greedy ambition, Host. But, I can't answer that question about immortality right now.]
[However, I can guarantee you will enjoy this journey. In this life, you're not just a user creating content. You will be the pillar of that creator world. Wealth, fame, sure you will get that.]
[And imagine being the first one to create that world. You could control it. This world. Your world. Isn't the power of being a creator worth the pain, even if death is the end?]
Dravin sighed. Now, this Rubby reminded him of some AI chatbots that kept glazing over and validating feelings with small tricks of persuasion.
Then memories of how pathetic the Dravin of this world was flashed in his mind.
He had just been dumped by his cheating girlfriend, which made him lose his will, mess up his work, and drink heavily, all while he kept grieving and thinking of suicide.
He shook his head. This Dravin had no one to console him, and the monotonous life he led made it harder to get entertained and distract his mind from bad thoughts.
The last memory Dravin could retrieve was when the Dravin from this world jumped from the rooftop of this very apartment.
He died at the lowest point of his life. This contrasted sharply with his own death from Earth, where he died at the highest peak of his life.
Dravin stared at Rubby sharply.
"You sure talk a lot for a bot. You can't answer it now, so I assume you'll give me a clear answer in the future when I ask again."
The emoji gave him a wide grin.
[I'll keep searching for the answer in my database, Host.]
"So, what now?"