Taryn sat upright, stretching his arms over his head with a quiet yawn. The day had been packed—and now, with the quiet of the evening settling in and the moonlight seeping through the windows, he turned his attention back to the glowing book in front of him.
"Time to finish Cultivation 101," he muttered, opening the final pages.
The content now was more reflective, more about one's mentality during cultivation, the dangers of inner demons, and how many cultivators fall not to blades or beasts—but to themselves.
"Yeah," Taryn whispered. "That… makes sense."
"Wow, look at you," the system suddenly spoke, sarcasm turned all the way up. "Mr. Deep Thinker now. Watch out world, he read one book and got philosophical."
Taryn didn't even react. "I was waiting for your voice. It's too quiet otherwise."
"You love me. Admit it."
"I love that I can't uninstall you."
"That's practically the same thing."
Taryn flipped the last page of Cultivation 101. The words shimmered and faded, and a new light began to glow from the side of the panel.
[New Module Unlocked: Cultivation 102 – Foundations of Spiritual Refinement]
Taryn tapped it mentally, and the new book opened with dramatic fanfare.
"WELCOME, brave cultivator!" the first page shouted in unnecessarily bold letters.
"Now that you've stopped being a mortal potato and stepped into actual cultivation, let's teach you how to refine your spiritual energy, build a proper core, and—oh yes—survive without blowing yourself up."
Taryn blinked. "This book has sass."
"That's me. I wrote the intro." The system chuckled. "Do you know how many cultivators try channeling raw energy directly into their hearts? You're lucky you have me. They don't even make it to Chapter 2."
"I'll try to avoid spontaneous combustion, thanks."
He read through the first chapter of 102. It talked about refining energy through breathing techniques, focusing the energy into meridian channels, and slowly forming a stable spiritual base. It warned against greed—trying to absorb too much too fast.
As he read, he felt his eyelids getting heavy. The long day, the emotional high, the spiritual work—it was all catching up.
He leaned back on his bed, letting the book fade from view.
"You know," the system said softly, now strangely calm, "you actually did well today."
Taryn smiled faintly. "Are you feeling okay? No jokes?"
"I'm always okay. I'm the system. I'm perfection. But you? You did alright, newbie."
Taryn chuckled, already halfway to dreamland.
"Sleep tight, Son of Destiny," the system whispered. "Big things are coming. You'll need your strength…"
There was a beat of silence.
Then—
"…also, I may have signed you up for something. But we'll talk about that tomorrow. Nighty-night!"
Taryn's eyes shot open. "Wait. You WHAT—"
"Zzzzzz…" the system replied, fake snoring echoing into the night.
Taryn stared at the ceiling. "I'm going to uninstall you in my next life."