Off Script

2.1: In Sickness

Liu Jian stared at his fingers, wiggling them, in intense concentration. A voice spoke to him in a mechanical manner, starting him out of his exploration.

[This system greets Host. Thank you for taking me up. System hopes we get along for future missions.] The inflections in it's speech made Liu Jian think, fleetingly, that it was human, but he knew better than to trust a disembodied voice.

Without the slightest thought to his Host's internal monologuing and descent into confusion, it continued on in the same humanly-robotic tone, [The body you are going to be residing will be a boy named Mao Cheng, a deathly ill patient stuck in a hospital ward. As he aged from a tender little dumpling to soft, beautiful looking young adult, the doctors told his parents that he would not live to grow any older than the age of eighteen. His parents did their best to make his life comfortable and painless, doting on him extremely. But he was still alone, friendless and sick. In the end, because he was the technical successor to the large business his father had, Mao Cheng died much earlier, succumbing to grievous internal injuries that he received from his own sister, Mao Ling, who wanted to inherit and gain the money that came with the company. Mao Ling is a two-faced character, scheming and evil inside, but looked as pure and lovely as oriental jade. Mao Cheng, not knowing how deeply disturbed his own sibling is as well as his own trusting nature, made him easily taken out. Mao Cheng hid how he felt, causing his untimely end. He is classified as ' tragic side character', 'cannon fodder' and 'white moonlight'. Objective is Perfect End. Perfect End gives extra gifts. System wishes Host good luck.]

Speechless both externally and internally, Liu Jian just looked to be in disbelief, 'What tender child, what soft teen?! Luck?! I don't need luck, I need help!'

Fretting, as if hearing his thoughts, the system tried to soothe him like he was a child throwing a tantrum, [Host do not worry, this system was very good with previous Host. I shall help you. Since it is your first world, I am also able to give you more of a hand than normal. Would Host like a hint?]

"This Host would like to know why he is here first..."

[Host is here because of reasons system cannot reveal. To unlock, must go to hubspace and open 'agenda'. Very easy, you just need points and rank to open. System hint: First, Host must complete missions to gain points and rank. Second, usually, if Host fails, there is no penalty, just sadness and crippling failure. But since this is the first mission, failure to complete leads to dire consequences.]

"Is there anything that you can tell me before I head on?" As much as he wanted to curse the system, it didn't seem to understand what the implications of being tied down to it meant.

[The world is a [tutorial]. It is meant to help Host understand how to work in tandem with hub space, complete missions and gain points. Since you are borrowing a body that is tied to a world, it limits you to its governing set rules. But, since system is here, things can be bent more than normal as long as Host does all everything according to the laws set in place for mission. I shall tell you beforehand if there are any. Right now, no rules are implemented, mission is Perfect End, to have Mao Ling committed into a jail or a mental asylum. Jail gives more points. Once completed, Host is allowed to die.]

Liu Jian just groaned, but accepted nonetheless. Being stuck in this emptiness doesn't seem like a fun idea. As he lost consciousness, he could hear the system speak again in a frank manner, [Host please do not fail. This world is the easiest. Failure to complete leads to eternal unrest, forever to wander the world as a ghost. Best wishes.]