Chương 22: Chapter 21

The system did not even know where to begin. After observing the new identity, it decided that moving forward, the Will to Live values would not count toward debt reduction unless they were transferred into the true value. The fluctuations were simply too extreme. The system was becoming far too excited by these temporary changes, and relying on them would be inefficient. After making that decision, it felt slightly better and looked back at the new identity. Unfortunately, that relief did not last long.

A notification appeared. Self-Worth Value: -1 Current Self-Worth Value: -99 The system felt as though it was about to explode. System value analysis disrupted. What could this possibly mean? It was one thing for the Will to Live value to decrease, but now the Self-Worth value was decreasing as well? The system felt as though it needed some way to release this frustration, but the other side of its calculations reminded it that values could not simply fluctuate without reason.

But the goodwill it had toward the current identity had dropped significantly, becoming even lower than the goodwill it had toward the Elias identity. This identity had caused an even larger divergence in the values, and yet the person whose existence had caused the entire problem in the first place was not even the one currently responsible. The system couldn't understand..... A bit earlier, Elias was making his way home using the map feature.

Nina, who had been watching the outside world after awakening and reading through the memories of what had happened, could not help but question the other identity. After quickly summarizing what she had seen, she asked,"Why did you do that?"

"Oh, look who's finally awake," Elias spoke lightly, not caring that from the outside it would appear as though he was talking to himself while walking. He ignored her question.

"Why?" Nina asked again.

"You could have just waited until you got your information. And we're not going to come out for a good amount of time, so why are you doing this?"

"Isn't the suspense intriguing?" Elias replied. He sighed and shrugged, placing his hands behind his back as he continued walking.

"You wanted eternal slumber. I know that. But I don't agree with that. And since I'm the one currently in control, I'm not going to let it happen."

"It is one thing to keep me from sleeping away, but you're not serious." Will to Live Value: 15 → 10"Damn. Quite stingy, aren't we?"

"I don't want to talk to you. Go."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." Will to Live Value: -5 Current Will to Live Value: 5"Hmm. Quite a pity." Elias continued walking.

"I thought you would want to go and see what your system, that weird debt collector of yours, has in store for you. Perhaps what home it has created for you." Will to Live Value: +1"I wonder, given your personality, will the system pick something more intriguing? What direction will the system go about it?" Will to Live Value: +1"Now that I think about it, could the system possibly want me, as the reference?" If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Will to Live Value: -3"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hey, I'm joking, okay?" Will to Live Value: +5 Current Will to Live Value: 9 He smiled at the change.

"Hey, wanna bet?" Will to Live Value: -1 Current Will to Live Value: 8"Hey! Being stingy right now." Elias continued teasing.

"But here's the bet. I want to bet that the system will find something about you to put in there, even if it's something small. It is the system. It will find something about you and put it in." Nina, who had been trying to fall asleep, continued watching the outside world through the back of the eyes.

"It does not understand emotions, nor human desires," Nina said.

"So it should not be able to do that."

"So you're against me, I see."

"I'm saying that it will not."

"And I'm saying it will." Elias smiled.

"Oh, we're getting close. There should be something interesting to see." Will to Live Value: +2 Current Will to Live Value: 10 As they reached closer to the door, a notification appeared in the corner of their vision. They were now within the system's vicinity.

"Oh, isn't that wonderful? It hasn't left yet." Elias stood at the door, still trying to tease Nina.

"You ready to go?"

"Can you just stop?" Another identity said from the depths of her consciousness. It was Lily Blackmore.

"I am trying to sleep. Do you not know how hard it is for me to truly get proper rest?"

"Oh, if it isn't a princess. How did you sleep?"

"Not great, thanks to you. Just open the door and get this over with. I want to go back to sleep."

"Touché." Elias opened the door. What met them was what appeared to be a sterile ward. Lily, who had been prepared to return to sleep, caught a glimpse of the outside world. And then she saw it. Her dream resting place.

"It's so beautiful." She turned toward Elias, who offered no resistance as she took control of the body. However, the moment she took over, she immediately felt disgusted by the outfit. It felt like a disgrace to the feng shui of the room. With a small thought, she changed into her own appearance before removing her heels and stepping barefoot into the marvelous, disinfected space. The faint scent of herbs filled the area, and she allowed herself to simply exist within it.

She walked around, touching the off-white counter and enjoying every part of the environment. As she did so, Elias looked forward. Things had become rather complicated. Self-Worth Value: -1 Current Self-Worth Value: -99 Nina watched the scene with indifference.

"I told you," she said.

"The system will not be able to understand me."

"I guess you win," Elias replied lightly. He turned away.

"Well, I am off to sleep. Hey, don't beat yourself up too much, okay?" With that, he disappeared into the depths of her subconscious, waiting for the next time he would awaken. Nina continued watching Lily, who was happily walking around and enjoying the room. And she felt hollow. Even a thing created to measure value and understand humanity could not see who I am. It could not even do things based on my memories or bring forward the pieces that showed who I was.

For something as personal as a home, I do not know why I should have had any expectations. Self-Worth Value: -1 I do not see why I should expect anything in the first place. Current Self-Worth Value: -100"I'm really, really tired." Her eyes became heavy.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I will just sleep forever." There was no use. The system began its warning. Warning: Character is in a critical state.

"Nooo!!" Lily screamed in horror. Nina, who was about to fall into slumber completely, heard Lily's explanation. Even though she truly wanted to disappear, she realized something must have happened. She opened her eyes with heavy senses and looked toward the scene before her. What she saw was an empty storage space. An area where Lily had always said she wanted everything to have nothing inside, even the shelves needed to have absolutely nothing in it.

But when Nina looked closely, she saw them: books on the shelves. Her current state remained critical, but something changed. Nina wanted to get closer. So, she controlled Lily to reach out and grab one of the books. As she saw the title, she froze. It was one of the books she had read before. A book she had enjoyed.

"Someone..." Nina stared at the book.

"Even if it was not the most optimal choice..." Her hands tightened around it.

"It still did that for me." Nina held the book in her hands. Self-Worth Value: +20 Current Self-Worth Value: -80 She felt as though something inside her had been pushed back. Tears fell from her eyes as she curled into the corner. Even if the system's code was wrong, and it had never intended to do it for that reason... It still saw me. Nina could not explain the feeling. She only knew one thing. She felt happy.