BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

[I remind the Host that this is the available list of powers]

"..."

Erik paused a bit, he wanted to understand better what was happening and had many questions. Based on his interaction with the Biological supercomputer or whatever it was, Erik could safely assume that the system wasn't bad. Having access to the devices was an incredible power, after all. That should have been Device Manipulation.

There was more, though. The list of available powers showed multiple locked ones and two others available besides device manipulation: Analysis and Brain Information Injector. According to the brief explanation, this power would allow him to get information instantly from the Biological supercomputer, but the young man was trying to understand how.

"Hey BSC, can I call you BSC?" Erik asked the computer.

[Host can call the Biological supercomputer however he wants.]

"Good, then can you tell me what analysis and brain information injector do?"

[Yes. The analysis is a function that gives information about the surroundings to the Host. It is activated by looking at things and thanks to a window. The brain information injector works with data; the Host must touch a device, and information stored on the said device will be downloaded into the brain. This will help the user grow his knowledge, and it will help the Biological supercomputer gather information for better functioning. As usual, the powers work by willing them to work.]

Erik read what the BSC said and immediately tried the analysis power as soon as its explanation ended. He looked at his computer and then willed to see the analysis. Immediately, a screen appeared before his eyes. It wasn't really there, but he could see it.

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- Erik Romano's computer.

- Two years of life.

- Builder: Klinio corp.

- Operating System: Linux 60.0.1

...

...

...

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A sequence of information was shown about the computer. Some unknown even to the young man. Erik wondered how the BSC could acquire such information, but it was probably something related to mana or electricity.

"Well, I saw how analysis works, but what about the other one? The interface says that I must touch the object I want the information from."

The young man then went to his PC and touched it.

[DEVICE FOUND: ERIK'S PERSONAL COMPUTER. DO YOU WANT TO CONNECT TO IT?]

"Yes," Erik said.

[CONNECTION TO THE DEVICE: ERIK'S PERSONAL COMPUTER, COMPLETE.]

the young man thought. Then a list of multiple books appeared on a window in front of Erik.

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List of available information:

-COMPUTER CHARACTERISTICS

-COMPUTER ASSEMBLY GUIDE

...

...

...

-HEIRS AND HORSES

-LIONS AND HUNTERS

-STRIFE OF THE NIGHT

-SUCCESS OF THE LAND

-DECAY WITHOUT SIN

-DETERMINATION OF REALITY

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The last ones were titles of books that Erik had already read and that he had on the device.

"So, I have to choose among these, and then the book's content will be downloaded in my brain?"

the young man willed.

After doing so, he felt an incredible rush of energy flowing through his body and mind; as time passed, he gained actual knowledge! Not just random facts either; he actually learned the book's content. He already knew what the talked about. Still, this time he could recall line after line, every description, every character, every paragraph. It was incredible. After the process ended, the young man was ecstatic. For once in his life, he got lucky.

"That will effectively allow me to skip studying for the rest of my life," the young man said, astonished.

[The Biological supercomputer suggests to the Host to check his daily quests.]

"Daily quests? What do they do?"

[Daily quests allow the Host to unlock features and to gather the required energy to strengthen the DNA or the brain crystal through the two related powers. The Host can choose how to strengthen the DNA through the information screen. To access it, the procedure is always the same.]

The young man then willed to see the information screen, it was simple, and a new interface appeared after a couple of moments.

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[Host Information]

-Name: Erik Romano

-Age: 16

-Level: 0

-Experience: 0/100

-DNA points: 0

-Health: 89/100

-Mana: 10/10

[Attributes]

-Strength: 3

-Intelligence: 6

-Dexterity: 4

-Energy: 1

[Available Attributes point: 0]

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"Basically, my physical characteristics are summarized by this screen? My mana is at ten... That's why I have an F-ranked power, I guess."

The young man inspected the screen; he assumed that once the Experience were at one hundred, he would gain points that he could then use to increase his attributes. These were very simple to understand. Strength probably measured physical prowess, intelligence, how fast one could think, and how his or her memory was good. Dexterity was, instead, probably related to how easy it was for the individual to move his body. Erik then asked the BSC for clarification, and it told him the same things, and everything started to make sense.

"Quests," the young man said, and then a screen appeared in front of his eyes.

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[Quests List]

[Daily]

-Rewards for completion: Ten Experience, ten DNA points

-Failure Penalty: None

(Eat a healthy meal)

(ACCEPT QUEST) (REFUSE QUEST)

-Rewards for completion: Ten Experience, ten DNA points

-Failure Penalty: None

(Train for at least an hour. The Host may choose whatever exercise to complete the quest.)

(ACCEPT QUEST) (REFUSE QUEST)

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Erik only had time to make one of the two quests and decided to make the first one. He prepared dinner; it wasn't particularly fancy, but it was good. He gained ten experience points, the quest could be made just once a day, but he could gain twenty points a day from the daily quests meaning that he could jump to level one and get the attribute points in five days. As he ended his meal, he saw the Experience increase. What was at the basis of its working was unknown; maybe the BSC transformed the energy he gained into something that it then converted into points.

Erik spent the following hours trying to understand what the BSC really was and how it was related to the sinister cold. Besides telling him it was an AI, the system had no information regarding the strange disease; all it knew came from Erik's knowledge.

As much as the BSC said to him, there was no way for the computer to be removed besides killing him. It also told Erik that, once he died, he would become a BSC himself and that he would then have to find a host and replicate. It looked like this was really a computer meant to enhance individuals but that, as a side goal, the creature, or whatever it was, wanted to replicate as any biological creature.

The young man took his time to process what he had learned that day. The thought of becoming a Biological supercomputer would have scared any other person, but he reasoned that it didn't actually matter since he would be dead. He then went to bed; the following day, he had to go to school and then to work. He couldn't afford to miss either of them, or grave consequences would happen.

***

Erik woke up early, feeling tired. His eyes were red, he hadn't slept well, and his dreams troubled him. He checked his list of daily quests and saw that the eating habits quest did reset, so he ate something and got ready quickly, completing the quest at the same time.

He put on some clothes and left his room. The young man quickly made the bed and left the house. New Alexandria was a beautiful city, despite awful people living inside of it.

Erik walked down the street until he reached the main square. There was a huge fountain where many citizens gathered at night to socialize. On the other hand, a small park was nearby, full of trees and flowers. People enjoyed their coffee while looking at the sky above them, admiring the stars at night.

In front of the park was a statue of a man holding his head high, he seemed proud and strong. A plaque next to the sculpture explained who he was.

Erik read the inscription carefully. "Solomon Judd, Saviour of humanity." Solomon Judd was the first X-ranked individual on the Ferebitz scale, his full rank has been kept undisclosed, but he was powerful, judging by his achievements.

Up to now, he was considered the strongest man in human history, thanks to his powers, he was able to free the continent on which the seven-nation prospered. The other continent was controlled by the Thaids, and expeditions were made to eliminate them from there.

Richardson joined the team, but unfortunately, the last expedition was unsuccessful. A powerful thaid killed Solomon Judd and all the heroes that went with him. It was then that humanity split into multiple nations.

Another person was sitting on a bench nearby the statue. He wore a long coat over a suit, both black, he and Erik exchanged glances. The older man nodded toward Erik, but nothing else happened. The man recognized the young boy; he usually saw him full of bruises and marks made by his classmates, and Erik usually saw him sitting on that exact bench. But they didn't know each other.

New Alexandria, the city where he lived, was Frant's capital, one of the seven nations. The city bordered the coast and was located northwest of the nation's center. The city was divided into three districts, North, east, and west districts.

Each district had different characteristics depending on the population density. Due to a large number of businesses and buildings, the northern one was mostly populated by adults and business facilities. It was the only industrial zone of the city, and it had factories producing goods for the rest of the nation.

The city's eastern part had more families, children, and old people. It was mostly a residential area with shops scattered here and there. It was the place to be if you wanted to enjoy life; it had plenty of bars and restaurants, clubs, theaters, and cinemas. But it was also the city's poorest area, even though it had a lot of shops and markets.

It wasn't uncommon to see beggars walking around the streets, asking for money. The western part was mainly composed of academic and military facilities. Erik has been going there since his high school was located there.

After fifteen minutes, the young man kept walking down the city streets and arrived at the main train station.

He jumped on the designated train and sat on a seat near the door. As soon as the compartment was being closed, a few kids ran past him. They weren't very polite and almost hit him several times because of their playing.

After ten minutes of traveling, he finally arrived in the western district and then at school. Another nightmarish day was going to start.