Maximilian shifts his attention to the UI in front of him.
Greatest Super Villain System
Host Name: Maximilian Sterling Graham
Energy Needed Till Next Level: 2/5
Accumulated Energy: 2
CQC Mastery: Jujutsu, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Judo, Karate, Military Knife Fighting, all forms of martial arts and military close-quarters combat are ingrained in you, becoming second nature. Your mastery and experience in CQC are enough to go toe-to-toe with martial arts masters. Only a select few in the world surpass you in melee combat skill and experience.
Harsh Environment Survival Mastery: Excel in surviving harsh environments, such as deserts, snow regions, and jungles. Able to discern edible plants and avoid dangerous elements, such as wildlife and hazardous plants.
Black Ops Squad Leadership: Possesses the aura and charisma of someone who frequently performs black ops and the commanding presence of someone who has endured hellish battlefields and emerged bathed in blood. This will make you earning the respect of your subordinates. This also includes knowledge of conducting black ops.
?&*#@-Error__???Frenzy Trance: When injured, the body initiates enhanced regeneration to heal the injury. During this effect, the host experiences intense rage, which increases corresponding to the severity of the injury. While in a rage state, all physical capabilities—such as strength and reflexes—increase to three times their normal levels.
Cool Down Till Next Trial: 00:15:12
GPS Map (Detection Range: 500 meters)
Seeing the interface, many questions arose in Maximilian's mind.
"Level 1? Do you mean, when you first integrated into me, you were level 0?" Maximilian asked, feeling incredulous.
"What's accumulated energy used for?" he inquired.
[Consider it the main currency used to buy items or pay for System interference in the real world. But those are advanced features you've yet to unlock, so no need to worry about it, Host.]
"What's that error in the first slot of the Evolution Factor?" Maximilian asked. This was the second most important question he wanted answered.
"The error text in the first slot of the Evolution Factor. What is it?"
[Is there such a thing?]
"Are you high or something? It's written right there in your interface!" Maximilian immediately pointed at the interface where the error text was displayed.
[Sorry... I don't know.
"What!? You're the System! It's an error within yourself! Aren't you supposed to know?" Maximilian asked, feeling incredulous and doubtful. Now he was heavily questioning the System's capabilities in his mind. It was like a doctor asking where it hurt, and the patient replying, "I don't know." The absurdity was the same.
[Last time I checked, I'm not a god. There are things I don't know, too. Besides, this error might be caused by crappy code my creator wrote and didn't debug. (￣^￣)]
"If the code is crappy, aren't you crappy too? I mean... it's the code inside you."
[Hey! I'm the victim here! If I were human, I'd be someone with a heart condition or something else not working properly because my parents were terrible at raising me!] the System protested.
Hearing the System's words, Maximilian immediately fell silent.
[Huh? What happened? Why did you suddenly go silent!? What's wrong?]
"Sorry..." Maximilian uttered a heartfelt apology, though he wasn't sure if it was directed at the System, himself, or... someone else.
[Huh? You don't need to apologize! It's not your fault—it's the fault of my crappy creator! Don't worry! (´∀`)]
Maximilian smiled lightly before shifting the topic. "The trial cooldown time... how long does it usually take?" he asked. This question would determine how fast he could grow. He had just offended a hero in this world and might face consequences soon.
Moreover, this world was full of dangerous elements, such as mutants and mutated creatures. Who knew when he might need to venture outside the city? He didn't even have an ID, so being deported or thrown out of the city to fend for himself was a very likely scenario.
He needed to get stronger to handle it. The sooner the better.
[It depends on the Trial Master. For example, Blood Mongoose's abilities are within the range that can be achieved by a normal human—er, I mean, a human with a common, below-average Evolution Factor. His physique is just peak human, and his EF is decent, but it's not entirely reliable because it comes with a drawback. The intense rage the ability holder feels when injured is something an average human can't handle, and it has caused him to go on a rampage many times.] The System paused, then continued.
[This kind of Trial Master's cooldown is usually quick—a day or two is enough to re-challenge the trial. But for those with powerful abilities and supernatural skill sets, like beings who can carry an entire mountain on their back, the cooldown for their trials usually takes much longer—a week or two... or even months.] The System explained.
"So... the intense anger I felt after being injured by that Dragon Fist guy is because of this EF? No wonder..." Maximilian concluded, thinking back to his fight with Dragon Fist.
[That's correct.] The System confirmed.
"One more question, System... and it's the most important one... so... please don't joke with me." Maximilian paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Is it possible for me to go back... to my previous world?"
The System fell silent, not immediately answering. [Why? Do you still love her despite everything?] the System asked.
Maximilian wasn't surprised that the System knew about his previous life. It had integrated into him, after all. Knowing a thing or two about him was to be expected. However, he wasn't sure whom the System was referring to.
"Hell no! I hate that bitch! If I were to go back, I'd slap her senseless instead of returning to her!" Maximilian vented before quickly calming down. "But no... it's not because of her... I..."
[You want to go back to see your daughter?]
"Yes," Maximilian nodded.
The System was silent again, as if thinking. [Yes... you can go back. But... your previous universe, in the vast, limitless expanse of dimensional mapping, isn't easy to reach. It will take both time and effort... tremendous effort, even, from your side. Knowing this, do you still want to go back?] the System asked.
"She's the last thing that makes me think... maybe... despite all the shit I've been through... maybe... it was worth it," Maximilian said, a faint, nostalgic smile forming on his lips.
The System remained silent for a minute before finally speaking. [It will take a lot of effort... I'll try to help you with that, but no promises.]
"I appreciate it," Maximilian nodded. He then opened the curtain to look outside the window but noticed that it was already nighttime. He had unknowingly sat there the entire day. He had eaten the breakfast set but hadn't eaten anything since then.
Feeling a pang of hunger, he decided to go to the motel lobby to order some takeout.
[Beep! Detecting hostiles. I advise you to check the GPS map feature.]
Maximilian immediately tapped the GPS Map button. The screen changed to a bird's-eye view of the motel he was staying in and the surrounding area. There were more than a dozen markers creeping in and surrounding the neighborhood of the motel.
The number of hostiles displayed in the upper left corner of the map was 31. Maximilian quickly closed the curtain and glanced through the gap to the outside.
He saw several people in black tactical Kevlar gear, armed with submachine guns, moving and shifting from cover to cover as they advanced toward the motel.
From his experience, he could tell that these people were professionals—most likely trained, possibly even military, judging by their stances and how they moved from cover to cover.
Maximilian didn't know why these people were coming here or their goal. Since they were marked as hostile and their approach was stealthy, it was clear they weren't here to negotiate. He needed guns if he wanted to have a chance of surviving this... but his gun skills? It's of a man who had spent his days sitting in an office working for a software company... It's not something that could help him survive this ordeal.
He looked at the interface and noticed that the trial cooldown had finished.
"System, if I enter the trial now, will time stop outside?" he asked.
[Yes, it'll stop. But... you need to win and pass the trial to gain the rest of Blood Mongoose's skill set. If you lose, the trial will go on cooldown, and you'll be pushed back here.] the System replied.
The trial is a best-of-three match. Maximilian had already won one match; he only needed to win one more to acquire all of Blood Mongoose's skills, the Trial Master's entire skill set. And who knows? If he completes the entire trial for the Trial Master, he might even get something special that isn't listed in the trial rewards.