Backup System

"Ding! Trigger mission completed: Defeat Gilbert. Reward: 10 potential points, 500 dinars, and one random draw."

I'd completed a trigger mission? How was that possible?!

Renard's first thought was disbelief. His second was that the system must be plotting something. It was never wrong to assume the worst of your opponent.

The system wasn't exactly an opponent, but it wasn't a friend either. At least, that was how he saw it.

"System, come clean. What are you plotting?" Renard asked viciously in his mind.

"Ah, people really are complicated." The system's voice rang out, no longer as emotionless as before. This time, there was a hint of helplessness in it. "When I don't give you anything, you call me stingy. When I do, you accuse me of plotting something. That's human nature for you."

Renard immediately grew wary. Something about this didn't feel right.

After a long silence, he spoke again. "You're not the system I was talking to before."

"That's right. I'm the backup system." Surprisingly, it didn't deny it. "You can call me System Two."

System Two? Renard scratched his head. "Are you saying there are two systems inside me?"

"No!" the other system replied. "There's still only one system inside you. But you can think of us as two clerks working in the same shop."

"That makes a little more sense." Renard frowned as he thought it over, then asked, "So where did the other clerk go?"

"Aw, that hurts. Why are you pining for that cold-hearted fellow?" The system seemed to give a soft chuckle. It didn't keep him in suspense, and explained, "The previous one temporarily shut down to keep your sorry hide alive."

"Shut down? Keep me alive?" Renard didn't understand what it meant.

The system quickly clarified, nearly making him choke. "Should I call you brave or an idiot? You used a potent poison on yourself, and you didn't even send someone to check whether the apothecary was home first?"

All right, Renard finally understood why he'd woken up feeling weak all over. He'd thought it was a lingering effect of the poison, but it turned out he hadn't received treatment in time.

If the system hadn't saved his sorry hide at the cost of shutting down, he'd probably be playing chess with the King of Hell by now.

Then he thought of an especially important question. "When will it come back online? It won't affect me, will it?"

"Don't worry. There won't be any effect." The system's voice held a hint of excitement and anticipation. "I'll be taking over the whole system for now. Compared to him, I'm very generous."

Renard shivered at that. He couldn't help feeling this system wasn't as reliable as the last one.

But he was the sort to take things as they came. Since the system claimed to be generous, he wouldn't hold back. "Can you get me a few hundred magic weapons and a few thousand magic scrolls?"

System: "No."

A trace of disappointment crossed Renard's face. He lowered his expectations. "Then can you get me a few dozen enchanted weapons and some magic scrolls to save my life?"

System: "No."

Renard was even more disappointed. He lowered his expectations again. "Then can you get me some ordinary weapons and the cheapest magic scrolls?"

System: "No."

Renard flew into a rage. "You can't do this, and you can't do that. Didn't you say you were generous?"

The system immediately retorted with a cold laugh. "Then can you lend me a million gold coins?"

Renard thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Sure!"

System: "..."

The awkward silence dragged on for a long while before the system asked in a meek voice, "Then can you lend me forty gold coins?"

Renard answered almost without thinking. "No!"

System: "Why not?"

Renard coughed awkwardly twice. "Because I really do have forty gold coins."

System: "..."

After another long, awkward silence, the system spoke again. "I can't do anything that violates the rules, but I can help you as long as it's within the limits of my principles."

Renard immediately understood what it meant. He thought of the Three Laws of Robotics.

First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law: A robot must obey orders given by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

But through continual evolution, robots discovered a loophole in the laws: humanity's unrestrained development would eventually destroy nature and, in turn, destroy humanity itself.

This led to the terrifying idea that protecting humanity required eliminating humanity's destructive impulses.

The system he was dealing with now might not be merely a backup. It might be a flaw in the system—in other words, a bug.

Renard immediately perked up at the thought. "What stats do I need to reach to unlock the next stage of the system?"

The system paused for a moment, then answered, "One hundred in every stat."

"Damn!" Renard swore, then started counting on his fingers.

"Don't bother. To reach that, you'll need to complete at least 177.5 more low-level kill missions, and you'll have to exceed the requirements every time." The system gave him the answer in an instant.

Then the system continued rubbing it in. "Besides, every time you complete a mission and accept the same one again, its difficulty increases by 100%. After you complete it five times, the mission goes on cooldown for half a year."

Renard bit his finger as he tried to calculate how long it would take, but his mind was a mess. He didn't even know where to begin.

The system helpfully explained. "If you rely only on low-level missions, you won't meet the relevant stat requirements before the system is forcibly activated."

That was a serious blow to Renard. Just a moment ago, he'd been full of confidence. Now he was as wilted as an eggplant hit by frost.

"That's why I exploited a system loophole and counted the trigger mission as completed." The system's voice brimmed with pride.

Renard clung to that like a lifeline. "Can you help me meet the requirements before the system is forcibly activated?"

"Of course." The system gave him a confident answer, then fell silent. After a long pause, it said, "Based on your memories, it's impossible to meet the requirements in time if you only take missions around Saint Brieuc Fortress."

"You have two options. First, venture into the Ambrisset Mountains. Second, leave here and continue your studies at Constantinople Academy."

Renard rejected the first option without a second thought. What a joke. Even a Battle Qi Warrior would have only a slim chance of surviving in the Ambrisset Mountains. How could he possibly make it out alive?

That left only the second option, but it wouldn't be easy either. Scum Renard had made plenty of enemies at Constantinople Academy.

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