"But, as for the fact of you becoming a System Slayer, let's put it on hold for now." Compass Carburettor said, wiping Grisha's tears, "Let me capture a weak System and put it under control first. That way, you'll be safe."
"Alright," Grisha nodded, relaxing before asking, "So, what shall we do now?"
"Well, this is the plan." Compass Carburettor thought for a moment before saying, "At present, I'll be hunting down Systems. And for Systems whose Core Skills aren't suitable to me, I'll give them to you. So, you'll be supported by the abilities of multiple Core Skills in the future. After that, I'll make you a System Host. There's a Level 1 System I have my eyes on that is perfect for this task."
As they were conversing through telepathy all along, it was fine.
"So, the moment you become a System Host, the countless Core Skills in your body would destroy its mind or at least bring it close to that stage. I'll then subjugate it using my Slave Harem and ensure it can never go against my commands." He spoke, "With that, you will be a System Host that is able to control the powers of your System. Well, that's my plan anyway."
"Is it guaranteed to work?" Grisha asked.
"If it's that System, then the possibility is rather high. Though, I have no idea as to when we would face it. There's a good chance it would have levelled up by then." He said truthfully, "There's some risk involved in this plan. So, if you don't wish…"
"Let's do it," Grisha said.
"Alright," Compass Carburettor nodded firmly, asking, "By the way, what did you mean before? Why would the government rescue never arrive?"
"In all my loops, they never arrived." Grisha shook her head, "In one loop, I managed to survive long enough that I made my way towards the survivors' camp, only to see the place turning into something worse than the dangerous wilds. It had become a place of dictatorship where people were treated like garbage."
"There were many who possessed strong powers there. They treated the rest of the people as cattle that only existed to serve them." She shuddered while speaking, "On the day the helicopter made a message, there was a radio transmission from a group of survivors that announced the camp's location. Anyone that heard the transmission and was able to move rushed there, risking their lives to head towards safety. Because of that, within two days, the camp became overcrowded. So, the government never arrived to rescue the rest."
"They had their hands full already," She snorted in derision, "And that was also why people were treated as cattle, because there were more mouths to feed than the hands that could prepare the food."
"What did you do during that loop?" Compass Carburettor asked, "Did the various loops have differences, or were they all the same?"
"No, every loop was different. After all, whether it was the actions of the Systems or the people, there were minor differences at the start that lead to major butterfly effects. So, my life was vastly different in each loop." She spoke.
She then stared in silence, gritting her teeth before saying, "In that round, I had been captured to be made into part of the camp leader's harem. But for the next two years, I endured and finally took my revenge, destroying all the villains."
She bowed her head, "But, I had already become a villain myself by then, treating the rest no differently. I created an even bigger harem, but thanks to the strength I possessed back then, our camp exploded in power and wiped out the surrounding mutated beast tribes."
"That was one of the few loops where I managed to live until the end before the world reset." She bowed, stating apologetically, "Sorry! In some of those nightmares, I was the cause for them."
"Circumstances shape the person," Compass Carburettor patted her forehead, "People do many things for survival. Had I been a chivalrous guy with righteousness in my blood, then I would have chided you."
"But I…" He smiled wryly, "Don't have such a qualification. So, apologising to me is useless. The only thing we can do is try to live while trying to withhold as much of our morals and humanity as possible. Can you promise me to do the same?"
"Yes, I had tried the same in every loop. But many times, I was no longer able to do so as I suffered one time after another, eventually turning into a villain myself." Grisha said softly.
"What was the highest Stage of strength that you had reached?" He asked.
"In that time when I was a camp leader, I reached Stage 7," Grisha said, "At that time, based on our information network, I was one of the strongest in the world. But, there was another loop in which I became even stronger."
"Stage 8," She said, "And, the power I could wield at that Stage literally made people worship me as a God."
"But, it was only because I was a certain someone's companion that inherited his will upon his death." She muttered, "Now that I remember, that was the only loop in which I had been his companion. It was also the one where I suffered the most. We were seriously the unluckiest."
"No matter what, for the duration of the entire loop, there wasn't a moment's peace. We were constantly attacked by countless humans and mutated beasts. Even though after a decade, we had become strong enough to be called the strongest in the world, our troubles never stopped." She groaned.
"And, terrifying enemies popped up left and right to fight us for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes, it made no sense as to why there were such powerful enemies that defied common sense." She sighed, "One after another, our companions died under the relentless assaults. Some were no longer able to endure the stress and committed suicide."
"Finally, even that person who formed the central pillar of our group died. After that, I reached Stage 8 and became unrivalled." Grisha said, staring at Compass Carburettor as she spoke, "Yes, as you have guessed it, that individual was Rhizen. And…"
"The cause of his death was suicide!"
