š· System Level 2: Mirror of the Self
System no longer just gives missions, but begins to reflect the user's hidden moral logic and emotions.
Including:
Reactions based on Alaric's emotional tendencies, not just logic.
Advanced ethical simulations with real-world consequences.
The ability for the system to suggest middle ground in difficult conflicts. Not just binary black and white.
Alaric was silent for a long time. The noisy honks from the street below didn't reach his ears. Only the sound of his own thoughts continued to roar with rustle.
"If I exchange this token, then I will lose one of the few things I can never get again. But if I keep it, my system won't evolve. Not every opportunity comes twice."
Suddenly, his memory drifted back to his father's office. The hidden illegal file. The debt that almost trapped his father. A week ago, he had to choose between silence and destroying the career of a senior executive.
He chose the truth. Without spotlight. And without any reward.
That is why he has the token now.
"Unused integrity ā¦ only becomes a dead medal," he said softly.
His hand rose, pressing the hologram button in the air.
[Confirm: Use Integrity Token to Upgrade System to Level 2?]
š¢ YES
š“ NO
Alaric's finger touched YES. His breath hitched. For a second, he thought nothing would change.
Thenā¦
[System Evolvingā¦]
A subtle echo of digital synchronization vibrated softly inside his head.
[Begin Emotion and Logic Synchronization]
[Moral Tendency Analysisā¦ 63% Consistent]
[Ego and Trauma Filterā¦ 41% stable]
[System now has the right to question user's intentions, if moral value deviates]
[System Level 2 Active]
Alaric was pushed back half a step. Not from an explosion, but from sudden mental pressure. As if someone could read the raw truth buried in his heart.
And when the system reappeared on the slim screen before his eyesāits display changed. No longer just flat text, now there was a faint reflection of his own expression, as though he was speaking with another version of himself.
No longer just AI ā¦ but a Mirror of the Self.
The system said:
["From now on, we will not only record your actions. But also your reasons. If you decide to save someone, we will ask: Why?"]
["If you want power, we will ask: For whom?"]
["If you get lost. Then the system will lead you astray too. Because this system is not God, nor your shadow self"]
Alaric swallowed. For the first time, he felt this system was not a tool, but an inseparable partner to himself.
He stared at the faint reflection of his face in the hologram. Cold and determined. Though weariness hung in his irises.
But there was no regret.
Because starting tonight, he chooses to lead the system, not be guided by it.
And as he stepped back into his workspace, the system spoke again:
[Mission Three Ready: The Oldest Villa & Grandfather's Overseas Asset]
ā Location: An old family villa in Kyoto, Japan.
ā Risk: Sabotage by an international asset acquisition network.
ā Reward: Progress +12%, Rare Item (Historical Key)
Alaric only smiled faintly, glanced once at the system screen before closing it, and walked to his desk.
Not because Alaric underestimated the mission.
But because now ā¦ he and the system are no longer two separate entities.
Alaric gazed at the night sky over the capital.
One by one, the lost legacies will be reclaimed.
Not for pride.
But so no one dares belittle his family name again.
Jakarta under the night sky no longer felt suffocating, the city's lights flickered like stars finally brave to breathe. Alaric stood on the balcony, letting his eyes sweep over the thousands of lights from passing vehicles scattered below.
However, that night was not about this city. Not about the headquarters just secured. It was about something much older. And deeper.
[Mission Target: Villa Fukui, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan]
[Asset: Inherited Ownership Rights from the Late Fukuzawa Daigo ā Maternal Grandfather]
[Status: In Dispute, Claimed by an Old Business Partner]
[Optimal Intervention Time: 5 Days from Now]
The system never gave specific details. But Alaric knew one thing, that this was the inheritance from his childhood stories.
His mother often said that villa was the most beautiful place she had ever known. But after Daigo Fukuzawa's mysterious death, the asset suddenly vanished from the family's reach.
Now the system brought it back. Not by coincidence.
The plane landed softly at Kansai International Airport. Kyoto's sky was gray, autumn beginning to bite. Maple leaves fell on the runway. Alaric stepped out with a black suitcase and a digital file full of old legal archives.
No one welcomed him there. But the system had arranged everything.
[Local Transport Ready ā Level 3 Autonomous Rental Car]
[Legal Data & Inheritance Archives Uploaded to Personal Tablet]
[First Evidence: Old Will (Manually Signed, Not Digitally Verified)]
"So ā¦ if this will is not validated, then everything can be taken at any time," he murmured.
The car drove through the old suburban streets. The scent of old wood and thin mist entered through the window gap. In the distance, the villa silhouette began to appear. A classical Japanese structure with curved roof, standing on a small cliff overlooking a misty valley.
But one thing was immediately clear,
The villa was no longer the family's.
There was a new high iron fence. Surveillance cameras. And a middle-aged guard in uniform stood at the gate, holding a digital guest list.
"Sorry, young master," the guard said in formal Japanese. "This place has been officially the property of Fukuda Global Holdings for the past 6 months."
Alaric raised an eyebrow. "I brought inheritance documents directly from the rightful heir," he said in fluent Japanese.
The guard only bowed, pointing to the screen.
Access was only allowed with approval from the managing director: Fukuda Renji.
[System: Identifying Potential Corruption Conflict. 64% chance the old inheritance will was hidden or forged by another party]
[Suggestion: Visit the Elder Notary who Handled the Inheritance ā Office: Arashiyama District]
Alaric took a slow breath. He knew he could not force entry. This was not a muscle mission. It was an inheritance and legal mission. And in this game, one mistake could turn eternal rights into just a family legend.
_
The office of Notary Hiroshi Yamamoto stood between a tea shop and an old temple, hidden from the crowd. The man was old, over 80 years. His white hair tied neatly, and his eyes stared at Alaric with deep memories.
"Fukuzawa Daigo. He was an honest man. But after his death, much ā¦ disappeared," he said softly.
Alaric placed the original document from the system on the wooden desk.
"I am his grandson. And I want to know who took our rights."
Yamamoto opened the document with trembling hands. "This signature is genuine. I witnessed it."
His eyes looked out the window. "But this willā¦ it never made it to court because it was revoked unilaterally by a family representative who brought a new document. I suspected that document was forged. But I was too old to fight them."
[System: Key Evidence Detected]
ā Biometric Blood Seal Detected on the Corner of the Will
ā Activation: Embedded Digital Witness Hologram
Suddenly from the document, a 3D hologram of his grandfather, Daigo Fukuzawa, appeared. His voice sounded like a whispering wind yet remained clear:
[If this will is opened. Then I hope my family's blood still flows on this land. Inheritance isn't about buildings. But about who is worthy of guarding our history]
Suddenly Yamamoto shed a tear.
"You really are Daigo's grandson ā¦ I will help you."
With the revalidated will and holographic recording, Alaric and Yamamoto brought the case to the Prefectural internal court, specifically for international inheritance affairs.
Fukuda Renji appeared. The man wore a black tie, standing with a cold demeanor.
"This is just nostalgic trinket," he said with a smirk. "A young man from a foreign country trying to be his family's hero."
But Alaric didn't respond. He just replayed the original will hologram before the board, complete with blood biometrics and historical digital stamps.
[System: Closed Court Accepts Evidence. Final Verdict: Asset Restored]
Renji only stared blankly, then stood and left the courtroom without a word.
_
Alaric stood in front of the old villa the next morning. The iron gate had been opened. Maple leaves scattered along the stone path to the wooden veranda. He walked slowly, touching the old wooden post that his grandfather might have once touched.
System sent a notification:
[Mission Complete: The Oldest Inheritance]
[System Progress +12%]
[Total Progress: 52%]
[Rare Item Acquired: "Historical Key"]
[Function: Unlocks secret archives about bloodline origin & hidden ties to the original system]
And for the first time, Alaric bowed his head and closed his eyes.
This was not a victory. It was a restoration. Like laying flowers on a grave that bears no name. No one saw it. No one cared, except his own heart.
"Inheritance isn't meant to be flaunted. But meant to be protected. And I will protect it."
Not for pride. Not for power. But for the ones who came before, and the ones who would come after.