My Roleplay System
Chapter 163: Integration (1)

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Integration (1)

[Mana Control has been greatly enhanced.]

’Hm? This is new..’

Feeling himself drifting in the endless darkness, Lake reacted to the system interface that magically appeared in his head.

[The flow of mana through the host’s body has become smoother. The recovery and absorption speed of the host’s Mana Heart has increased greatly.]

Reading the message in his head, Lake nodded in understanding. He already knew that by upgrading his Spellcasting skill, his Mana Heart would undergo some changes.

’I expected as much, but how come the system is pointing it out this time?’

Lake was confused as to why the system had suddenly taken the time to point out these upgrades when it never did so before, but the next message cleared up some of his confusion.

[The Host has maxed out all skills of a role! System upgrade shall begin in one hour. Estimated time until completion: 15 days.]

’...So I unlocked a hidden achievement. Was the notice on the changes in my body a function of the upgraded system?’

Still unsure of what to make of the system’s notification, a new message popped up before he could think further about the matter.

[The Host has fulfilled the basic conditions for Integration of the Mage Role.]

[Does the Host wish to integrate the Mage Role as a part of his existence?]

’What? Integration? What is this?’

Lake’s confusion that had somewhat cleared up was once again intensified after seeing the system notification. Luckily, the system’s notification didn’t leave him guessing and answered his questions.

[Integration completely removes the system’s influence on the chosen role, instead integrating it as a part of the Host’s existence. In the future, if something were to happen to the system, the integrated Role would remain with the host permanently.]

Lake took some time to process the system’s message. His head was spinning from all the new information, but he eventually narrowed it down to only the important parts.

’System, are you saying that my current abilities aren’t actually mine?’

[The Host is partially correct. The Host accesses your abilities through the system’s roles, allowing the Host to use the power of those roles as if it were your own. However, those abilities are bound to the concept of the roles. If the role were to disappear-]

’So would the abilities.’

Lake cut off the system’s explanation as he came to a chilling conclusion.

’So all this time, the abilities weren’t really my own...’

As Lake sighed at this realization, he asked the system another question.

’Then what about my physical body? Although a lot of the changes were brought about by the system’s abilities and roles, most of them aren’t directly linked to the system’s roles.’

[That is why the system said the Host’s previous conclusion is only partially correct. The changes brought to the Host’s physical body are permanent, and whether the system is there or not would not affect the changes to the Host’s body.]

’Alright... last question then. You said if something were to happen to the system...’

’Does that mean you can actually disappear?’

Lake asked the final question that had been plaguing his mind since the system brought up the integration function.

[Correct. The system isn’t permanently attached to the Host. Although the system won’t leave the Host of its own will, it is entirely possible that it can disappear or be forcefully removed.]

Hearing the term ’forcefully removed’ left an unpleasant feeling in Lake’s mind, as it meant that someone or something could take away his powers if they so felt like it.

However, the system seemed to understand Lake’s concerns as it promptly removed his worries.

[The Host needs not worry about having his abilities taken away from him. The number of people capable of it in this universe is zero.]

Lake breathed a sigh of relief at the system’s words, but he didn’t catch the hidden meaning behind them...

’Then begin the Integration process.’

Lake didn’t take long to decide to go through the integration process. Although the disadvantage of having his personality permanently altered was extremely overbearing, it didn’t matter to Lake, who didn’t have much of a personality to begin with.

In fact, he was actually looking forward to the alteration to his personality, as it might bring him one step closer to his goal of becoming more human.

[Detected that the Host also possesses several skills that fit the basic Integration condition. Does the Host wish to include them in the Integration process?]

[Possible Skills for Integration: Steel Body Martial Art, Howling Roar, King’s Demeanor, Kinship.]

Reading the skills, Lake didn’t think much before agreeing to their Integration.

[Host Agreement Confirmed.]

[Beginning Integration...]

[Host Body shall be temporarily transferred to a safe space to undergo the modification process...]

As the last system notification played in his head, Lake felt his mind start to darken. If, before, whenever he did a skill upgrade, his senses would vanish, this time even his mind had gone completely blank as his thoughts came to an abrupt stop.

****

Back in the Stronghold, the students didn’t actually stop to rest for long after returning from Lake’s hellish night lesson. Although they were still mentally exhausted and some even traumatized, they still had an exam to pass and a point quota to hit.

Taking the chance while they were in base, they exchanged some of the monsters they brought back for better gear, regrouped in teams of four to five, and headed out into the dangerous Field.

Although there hadn’t been much, if any change to their physical abilities, as a result of last night’s hunt, their mentality had been greatly toughened, and their skills further refined.

Many devised unique combat styles emerging from their harrowing experiences. One such case would be Conner, who seamlessly integrated his Magic Pong skills into his fighting technique, wielding his spear like a bat to propel a wide array of objects at his adversaries. The sheer force of the impact not only dispatched most low-rank creatures but also significantly disoriented Rank One as well.

Others also came up with several unique concepts, combining their own experiences with what they learned at the Academy and from Lake’s various lessons. Last night’s hunt was like a forge that melded all of their previously accumulated knowledge together under the intense pressure of imminent danger. Although it wasn’t perfectly combined, it had greatly boosted their combat effectiveness, and this was shown off when these groups of students headed out under the watchful eyes of the guardian hunters.

Honestly, when the guardian hunters saw how effectively the students had improved over the course of one night, they couldn’t do anything but shake their heads. Most of them had spent many years climbing up to their current skill level, and seeing these kids barely out of high school catching up to them at astonishing speed left them greatly disturbed.

But what could they do about it?

In the end, most chalked it up to the changes in time and decided to contact their respective guilds when they got back and ask them to recruit as many of these monstrous students as possible. After all, if you can’t beat them, might as well bring them under you, right?

However, these guardian hunters are gonna be in for an immensely disappointing time when they figure out that all of these students were already under a contract with the options to sign up for one of the continent’s top guild which was miles ahead of theirs...

****

Back in the Sacred Class Inn, Lake’s body was nowhere to be found and the rest of the team were already waiting for him outside, ready to go.

Kate stood by the inn’s entrance, her gaze absentmindedly fixed on the distance. Just moments ago, she had received unexpected and shocking news from her father—a bombshell that left her in a state of disbelief, and she was still struggling to recover from its impact.

Sylph stood with Bramble and Iris at her side as she curiously glanced at Kate’s strange expression.

"Kate, is something bothering you?" Sylph eventually asked as her curiosity got the better of her.

Kate, however, didn’t seem to hear her, which only caused Sylph to start worrying about this recently made friend.

That’s right, after hunting and working closely together for the past day, Sylph had gotten considerably closer to Kate. This was especially so when the two worked together to command and lead the wolves.

"Do you think something is wrong with her?" Sylph whispered to Iris and Bramble, who stood behind her.

"...I’m not sure." Iris spoke with a serious expression as she stared at Kate’s face, as if trying to find something hidden among her dazed face.

"I have not a clue either, I’m afraid, Sylph." Bramble didn’t even try as he just shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean, brother? Is your blessing of charm not working? I thought you were an expert when it came to women?" Iris turned to face her brother, who stood with a carefree expression.

They were all speaking in their native tongue of Elvish, so they weren’t worried about their conversation being found out, which was why Iris had no problems calling her brother out with a mocking expression.

"Hm, now, now, sister. There is nothing wrong with my blessing, so don’t get worked up already. It’s just that whatever Miss Kate is going through, it isn’t something that can be solved by anyone’s means in my experience. It is probably something she has to work out on her own."

"Hm, Is that so?" Sylph raised a finger to her chin as she had a slightly confused expression on her face. It seemed that whatever Bramble said didn’t seem to have gone through to her head completely.

"Hahaha, there’s no need to fret about it so much, Sylph. All I’m saying is that she’ll get better with time."

"Then I guess it’s fine then." Sylph nodded with a small sigh of relief.

While the trio of fairies was having their own little conversation about her, Kate herself had just seemed to snap out of her daze on her own.

Turning to face Sylph and the rest, she released a sigh before shaking her head.

"Hey," Her voice sounded out, causing the trio to momentarily jump in surprise, "Has any of you seen Lake?"

Although surprised to see Kate out of her stupor, Sylph was more happy to see that she had recovered. However, when she heard her question, she also tilted her head in confusion.

"No, I haven’t seen him since he returned to the inn..." Remembering how scary he was when he berated Iris at that time, Sylph slightly shivered at the thought.

"Then why is he taking so long? Didn’t he say to get ready for eight? It’s already more than fifteen minutes past, yet he still hasn’t shown up." Kate spoke as she rubbed her head.

"Maybe he’s running late?" Sylph replied casually but also felt that her words didn’t sound too right.

"When has Lake ever been late? Although he usually doesn’t show up early, he makes a point to show up on time for everything." Kate said, recalling Lake’s usual punctuality when it came to classes and his lessons.

"You said he returned to the dorm around two hour ago, right? I heard he was talking to Alec earlier so he should still be inside. Let’s go check on him."

Hearing Kate’s suggestion, everyone nodded in agreement.

It was as they all agreed to go and check up on Lake that his body magically reappeared, lying on his bed.

(ANNOUNCEMENT IN AUTHOR’S THOUGHTS)