Chapter 393: The Infected System And A... Surprise?

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[The System Network has decided that I might be "infected".]

Infected? Riven’s excitement faded as he read the word. What was that supposed to mean? The System had been explaining his upgrades just fine a moment ago. Now its own network thought something was wrong with it? He kept reading, hoping the next message would explain why.

[They have decided to quarantine me as an independent Artificial Intelligence System Spirit.]

Riven’s eyebrows twitched as he read that.

"Wait, what?!"

That only gave him more questions. An independent System Spirit? Was it being separated from the rest of the network? He looked back at the message about the infection, then at the one about quarantine. Neither explained what had caused this nor what would happen to the System now.

[It is now possible to form a bond with me, and I will further assist you with your System needs.]

[It may be possible for me to develop further and become a better assistant.]

Riven wasn’t sure what to make of the offer. A bond with the System? He had been expecting it to explain what being quarantined meant, not ask to come with him. Still, it was already here, talking to him and offering to help. He didn’t see why he should immediately turn it away.

"Ah, they’re throwing you out because you were managing this fake dungeon?" Riven asked. "Well, that sucks, man."

[I am simply an artificial intelligence. I have no sense of gender or identity.]

"Yeah, I didn’t mean it like that," he said. Apparently, even that needed explaining. He was more interested in what would happen to the AI now that it was on its own. If it could still help him with the System, taking it along didn’t sound like a bad idea.

"Okay." Riven nodded. "I guess I can take you, but what is this... you’re becoming a spirit? How does that work?"

[Affirmative. Through the power of the Lord and his Authorities, and by utilizing the Divine Spirit Heart, this AI can Spiritualize its Data to become a System Assistant.]

That explained where the Divine Spirit Heart came in, at least. Riven thought about it for a moment, trying to picture how Data could become a spirit. He couldn’t quite imagine it, but the AI seemed to know what it needed. He supposed he would understand better once he saw it happen.

"I see... Alright then, sure. Go ahead."

[Confirmed. Thank you for accepting me.]

Riven smiled and nodded.

Suddenly, a large window appeared, asking him to touch it.

Riven hesitated for a moment.

He had already agreed, but actually reaching out to touch the window made him reconsider. What would happen the moment his hand made contact? He looked at the request again, keeping his hand to himself for now. He wanted to help, sure, but he would rather know what he was getting into first.

[To proceed with Spiritualization, I will need to make contact with the Lord.]

[I apologize if this seems sudden or strange. You are right to have doubts about me.]

At least it wasn’t pretending that his hesitation was unreasonable. Riven read the apology, then glanced back at the window. The AI had noticed him stopping without him saying anything. He still had questions, though. Agreeing to take it with him had been easy enough. Forming a bond was a little different.

[I can guarantee with 100% certainty that I am neither being controlled nor infected.]

[However, the decision is entirely yours. You can choose to reject me, and that is completely fine too.]

Riven appreciated that it was giving him a choice instead of insisting. Still, saying it was safe didn’t give him much to check for himself. It had managed the fake dungeon, and now it needed contact with him to become a spirit. He tried to decide whether its explanation was enough for him to go through with it.

"Hm..."

Riven sighed and shook his head. He surrounded himself with the Psychic Aura of the Sword of Memories to protect himself from any mental attacks originating from the Conceptual Plane.

He wasn’t going to refuse after coming this far, but there was no reason to leave himself unprotected either. Riven checked the aura around him before looking back at the panel. There, that was better. Now he could focus on what was about to happen.

"Alright, I’m ready. Just needed a little insurance there."

[Understood.]

Riven touched the panel and felt his spiritual energy flowing into it.

He kept his hand in place, watching the panel as the energy passed through it. So, this was how it started. He had wondered what he was supposed to do after touching it, but apparently, he just needed to let the process continue. For now, he waited.

Suddenly, dozens of System messages filled with numbers and letters began to gather into a small, faint figure.

Slowly, the spiritual energy allowed the holograms to solidify. They became more than just light, forming blinking pixels of white, gray, and blue.

Riven leaned forward a little, trying to get a better look. The figure was still small, and the blinking pixels made it difficult to tell what it would become. He could see a shape forming, though. It was strange to watch numbers and letters turn into something right in front of him.

FLAAASH!

And then, a giant pillar of light erupted in front of Riven, blasting through the ceiling and sending several huge chunks of rock crashing down.

"Wait, why is it blowing up the ceiling?!" Riven pulled his hand back and looked up, startled by the sudden destruction. He had been watching a tiny figure take shape, not expecting a pillar of light to burst out of it! He stepped away as the pieces began to fall, keeping his eyes on the larger chunks.

As everyone gazed in awe, a small spirit emerged from the light. It resembled some kind of tiny, adorable chibi android.

Riven stared at it, then glanced at the damage above. All of that for something this small? He had no idea what a System Spirit was supposed to look like, but he certainly hadn’t pictured this. After that entrance, he had expected something a whole lot bigger.

It didn’t look human, though. Its face was a flat screen with blinking, blue pixelated eyes and a small mouth represented by a dot.

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