Chapter 1943: The Andromeda System
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Frank finally decided to open up about the System he had gifted to the girls.
"The Andromeda System exists beyond this world, likely within a Realm of the Astral Plane. My father left it as an inheritance. I unlocked its power the day my abilities awakened—when I was struck by lightning while using my phone."
"Oh..." Elayne muttered. "That’s quite the origin story. So your father came from the Astral Plane? I see... the realm that sits even above the Heavenly Plane..."
"Indeed," Frank sighed. "Since then, I’ve been trying to grow stronger so I can track him down. But reaching the Realms of the Astral Plane would be suicide at my current level. We need to keep growing. It may take decades, but I’ll get there. I’ll find him."
"I wish you the best, student," Olivia nodded. "But what exactly is this System?"
"From what I’ve learned... I still don’t know," Frank admitted, shaking his head. "The Seed capable of creating a Status was already inside my soul. It matured as I grew my cosmic powers. At this stage, I can spend System Points to cut small fragments of it and share them with others. However, the vessels can’t be too strong, or the seed won’t germinate properly and may cause errors. I gave one to all four of you because I knew you were still growing, just like us."
"Oh, thank you," Elena said with a nod. "Though... Ah, never mind. It’s incredible. Thank you, Frank."
"Yeah! I can grow strong again by leveling up, just like in BNLO!" Elisa cheered.
"Well, our Status is kind of weird," Elisa added.
"It’s like we share the same one," Monica explained. "It has both our names, and our stats and skills are combined... Is that normal?"
"W-What?" Frank nearly spat out his drink, eyes wide with shock. "You share a single System? That shouldn’t be possible. I made one for each of you..."
"Yeah, but we received the crystal while we were fused," Monica said.
"So it only bonded with both of us. Once we separated, it stayed kind of the same," Elisa continued. "There are some errors too."
"You girls fused?!" Frank asked, stunned.
"Whoa, you can fuse like Dragon Ball Z?" Emily interrupted, suddenly invested.
"Yeah, kinda!" Monica nodded.
"That’s so odd!" Sofia exclaimed. "What the hell... so that giant black dragon was you two?!"
"It’s incredible though... and so romantic!" Alma said, eyes sparkling. "Are you girls together?"
"Yeah, we are," Monica nodded.
"No!" Elisa protested, blushing. "We’re just friends..."
"Eeh..." Monica looked heartbroken, like a sad puppy abandoned in the pouring rain.
"Anyway," Frank coughed, steering the conversation back. "I might be able to help fix it if you’ll let me. Can I see your Status?"
"S-Sure," Elisa nodded.
"Okay..." Monica agreed.
They showed him their Status, and Frank studied it carefully, his fingers moving across the interface. Thanks to them revealing it openly, even the most skeptical members of the group now believed in the System’s power.
"Wow, it really is like a game interface?" Alma asked.
"Yeah, so weird!" Emily added. "Hey Frank, can’t we have one too?"
"Emily, don’t be so shameless," Maria sighed. "Ignore her, Frank."
"But is this some kind of magic?" Sofia wondered. "He said it came from the Astral Plane, a gift from his father? Perhaps it’s a powerful relic... How strange. But why does it look like a video game? I don’t understand."
"I guess that’s how it adapted so humans could perceive it properly," Elena suggested, carefully comparing Elisa and Monica’s combined Status to her own.
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[Player Name]: [Elisa] [Monica]
[Titles]: [Fused System Wielder]
[Race]: [Human] [Golden Dragonoid] [Abyssal Ghost] [Black Dragon (Fusion Form)]
[Class]: [None]
[Subclass]: [None]
[Level]: [100/100]
[Talent]: [Black Dragon Fusion Soul (EX)] [Thunder Lord (S)] [Curse Master (S)]
[Health]: [15,600]
[Mana]: [30,300]
[Strength]: [4,800]
[Defense]: [3,300]
[Magic]: [4,200]
[Resistance]: [3,300]
[Agility]: [2,200]
[Luck]: [1,800]
[Charm]: [2,500]
[Stat Points]: [2,000]
[Skill Points]: [2,000]
[System Points]: [1,000]
[Skills]:
[Thunderous Dragon Fist Art – Tier 4: Level 7/40]
[Abyssal Ghost Curse Magic – Tier 4: Level 6/40]
[Dual Soul Draconification – Tier 3: Level 3/30]
[System Special Functions]:
[Inventory] (Unlocked)
[Quest Board] (Unlocked)
[Gacha] (Unlocked)
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Their Status was the strangest they had ever seen. Their combined stats were ridiculously high—higher than Elena’s current ones—and they possessed three unusual talents and skills that blended both girls’ abilities.
"Ah..." Frank murmured, visibly shocked. "Despite the errors, it looks like the System fully integrated with you. If you want, I can remove it completely, but... you may lose some of the power you’ve gained since you haven’t fully internalized it yet."
"Eh?!" Elisa gasped.
"W-What does that mean?" Monica asked.
"The System helps you develop your powers faster and grants you skills as a head start," Frank explained. "After a certain level, those skills become internalized, and you can use them even without the System. Right now, removing it would be a big loss. I’d say you should keep it as it is. It’s good."
"Is it?!" Elisa asked.
"Yeah. I’ve analyzed your stats and skills. Your bodies already carry about 50% of the stats shown here," Frank said. "But not fully. Apparently, when you’re within ten meters of each other, you get 75%. When you’re directly touching, it reaches 100% for both of you."
"T-That’s amazing, right?" Elisa said. "We could become so much stronger..."
"And we just have to hold hands?" Monica asked with a playful grin. "Heheh..."
"Yeah. This System could also make your fusion easier, and it will grow stronger, almost like a third person," Frank added. "I’ve never seen anything like this before, but... it’s not bad at all. I think you should keep developing it."
"I guess we can’t really do much else," Elisa shrugged. "Thanks, though."
"It sounds fun," Monica smiled.
"For now, you should pick your classes," Frank suggested. "Elena already did, and she grew much stronger."
Elisa and Monica nodded. They quickly changed classes and returned, gaining power in the process.
Just as Elena had experienced, it barely felt like a second had passed.
"We’re back! It took us a while to decide."
"We were able to choose double classes and subclasses..."
"Huh? Let me check," Elena said, narrowing her eyes as she tried to view their new Status.
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