"The Guide System is one of a hundred systems compiled to be tested in the system project. It works by giving the user, Axel Blade, directions on how to achieve whatever endeavors he desires to partake in" the system said.
Benjamin crossed his arms and grimaced with slight disappointment.
"So it's basically an over-glorified instruction manual. How impressive", Benjamin said, not impressed by the information he had just been given.
He then thought about it some more and sighed.
"Maybe I'm judging it too harshly and finding out more about it will impress me down the line," Benjamin said, hoping that he was right but deep down thinking that he was deluding himself.
"And the system project? What's it about?" He asked the system.
"The system project is an experiment where one hundred people are chosen at random and observed to see which one of the one hundred systems they picked is superior,"
Benjamin groaned.
"I had a feeling that was what the System project was about, but in that case, it isn't very fair. How can someone with my system compete against others that can do something as crazy as creating something out of thin air", Benjamin said, a slight annoyance in his tone.
"The system project also takes account of the type of person who possesses the system, so if a winner emerges from the most disadvantaged situation, it only promotes the idea that their system is the superior one,"
Benjamin groaned.
"So it's kind of forcing those like me with the bottom of the barrel system to make the most out of our limited resources," Benjamin said, kind of digging the idea but at the same time frustrated that he had to be among the people with the weaker seeming system.
In fact, his seemed like the weakest out of all of them, but sometimes the weakest can be full of surprises.
"Would you like to know the skills provided to you by the Guide System?"
"Sure. I should at least know what I'm working with if I hope to accomplish anything in this project" Benjamin replied.
"As you wish. Here is a list of the skills that are available as of this moment. More will be unlocked the moment you hit certain targets"
A display popped up in front of Benjamin.
In it was a list of the skills he had access to.
"Number one, Tutorial. Two, Search, and three, Instruct? These are all I get? Just three skills? I guess I shouldn't have expected too much considering what my system is", Benjamin grimaced disappointedly.
In the novels he used to read, the skills the system gave the user were much cooler, and it made him wonder what skills the other ninety-nine participants got.
"All of these skills sound boring. What exactly do they do?" Benjamin asked the system.
"Tutorial creates a simulation that shows you how to do whatever it is you ask for"
Benjamin's eyes widened.
"What do you mean by 'anything'?" he asked, a skeptical yet intrigued expression on his face.
"Exactly what I said. Anything you can imagine. As long as the resources exist, there's no limitation to what you can use this skill for,"
Benjamin chuckled.
Maybe the Guide System wasn't as useless as he thought, but instead had a lot of potential.
"What about the Search Skill?" Benjamin asked.
"The Search Skill allows you to pinpoint exactly what you're looking for as long as you know exactly what you're looking for."
Benjamin groaned.
"So as long as I don't know the identity of the other ninety-nine participants of the system project, I can't find them with this skill", he asked.
"That is correct"
Benjamin pondered some more.
"What about if I use the tutorial skill to learn how to make something, then I'm shown a component I've never seen or heard about before, can I use the search skill to find it?" He asked.
"Are you asking if you can combine skills to achieve a goal?"
"Yes. That's what I'm asking" he said.
"Combining skills is possible, so yes, you can"
Benjamin grinned.
Thanks to that, what would have been a limitation of the tutorial skill was starting to seem less like one.
The system had said that he could use the tutorial skill to learn not only how to do, but also how to make whatever he wanted. So, if there was something stopping him from creating a particular thing, he could just use the search skill to find it.
The only downside was that while the owner of the Conjurer System could use their system to create things instantly, he had to take the long and arduous route of crafting them himself, facing challenges like procuring the necessary resources and lacking the required manpower when needed. However, it was a good start.
With the Guide System's unorthodox skills, he had a fighting chance in the System Project as well as achieving his goal of protecting and providing for his family.
"And the Instruct Skill? What's it about?" Benjamin asked.
"The Instruct Skill forces your body to carry out a required task. However, the further the task is from your limit, the greater the consequences."
Benjamin's eyes widened at the word "Consequences."
"That sounds like a dangerous skill to use," Benjamin said, wondering what kind of scenario would require him to use the skill.
"Hopefully, I don't have to use it anytime soon," Benjamin said, his heart racing a little because, knowing his luck, he would be forced to use that very skill sooner rather than later.
"So these are the skills I can use for now, huh? Cool. They should serve me well, especially since their usage seems almost endless," Benjamin said, and then squinted his eyes curiously.
"What about the unavailable skills? Let me see a few of them," he asked, and the display showed him a list of some skills that were locked.
"Prep, Coercion, Foresight, and Route? Besides the coercion skill, these all sound boring. But knowing this system, I'm sure there's something unorthodox and interesting about them". Benjamin said, then grinned "I can't wait to unlock them and see what they are about."
Now that was a great topic. How exactly does Benjamin unlock those other skills and increase the ability of the three he could already use?
"How do I unlock these other skills and hopefully increase the functionality of these three I already have?" Benjamin inquired.
"To unlock the other skills, you have to complete missions provided to you by the system. You also get points you can put into the skills to increase how powerful they are"
Benjamin nodded in understanding.
"That's all I wanted to know, so thank you"
"You're welcome, Axel Blade."
Benjamin looked at where he was, took a deep breath, and sighed.
Just then, a display from the system appeared in front of him with a message, and in his head, he heard:
[You have a mission.]
"A mission?" Benjamin said, then he smirked excitedly.
"Show me," he said, and the details of the mission were laid out to him.
[Mission title: Escape from captivity]
[Description: You have been arrested under false pretenses, and your current situation prevents you from fully participating in the System Project. Find a way to gain your freedom before time runs out.]
[Mission Duration: Five hours]
[Reward after mission success: Seventy-five points]
[Penalty for mission failure: Twenty-four hours lobotomy]
"Lobotomy?!" Benjamin exclaimed, his eyes widened in shock as the display became smaller, and started counting down the time he had left until the mission was over.