Free Web NovelChapter 3: Chapter 3: The Tutorial and the Sassy Mascot
Sputtering and shaking the freezing water from his face, Kellar pushed himself up from the mud He glared at the empty air in front of him, rubbing his sore backside.
"Okay, who the hell said that? Show yourself!" Kellar demanded, looking around the quiet clearing.
"Please calm down, Young Master I am the AI guide integrated into your Tribal System I am here to assist you in pulling this primitive civilization out of the mud and expanding your glorious bloodline" said the voice. The sweet voice echoed in his mind again, sounding entirely unbothered by his dramatic fall.
Kellar crossed his arms, his modern engineering brain trying to find a logical reference point.
"Well, it’s impressive, I’ll give you that But it’s incredibly weird talking to a voice inside my skull Can you actually appear? Like, do you have a body or a holographic avatar?" asked Kellar.
"Initiating visual projection" the voice replied.
A small particle of blue light drifted out of the hovering menu, spinning in the air before taking the shape of a small, chubby white cat with glowing blue eyes It floated right at eye level, flicking its tail lazily.
"Oh, wow You’re a cat" muttered Kellar, bursting into a hearty, confident laugh. He reached out to scratch the little creature behind its ears.
His hand passed through the blue light, feeling nothing but a faint tingle of static electricity The cat sat down in mid-air, licking its translucent paw.
"Currently, I am merely a visual illusion generated directly into your optic nerve Only you can see and hear me However, if you acquire enough System Power, I could eventually materialize a permanent physical form... or I could simply possess a living creature" said the cat.
Kellar shivered, taking a step back.
"Yeah, okay, that sounds incredibly creepy Let’s stick to the holographic ghost cat, please Don’t go possessing any birds or wolves around me" said Kellar.
The cat rolled its glowing blue eyes with heavy, unmistakable irony.
"You hijacked a dead teenager’s body less than an hour ago, and you are calling me creepy?" said the cat.
Kellar froze, blinking for a second before a sheepish grin broke across his handsome face.
"Oh Right Good point, you win that round" Kellar laughed, scratching his messy red hair. "Alright, let’s get down to business, little ghost Give me the basic tutorial What am I working with here?".
The cat flicked its tail, and the blue menu screen expanded, displaying a breakdown of Kellar’s current status and capabilities.
[Host: Kellar (Nickname: Little Flame)]
[Tribe: Fire Bear Clan (Status: Declining)]
[Strength: 15 (Average Tribal Adult: 20)]
[Stamina: 13 (Average Tribal Adult: 18)]
[Intelligence: 45 (Tribal Genius Level)]
[Unused Tech Points: 1].
"As you can see, your physical stats are quite pathetic, although your recent workout with your aunt did grant you a minor boost" the cat explained, floating closer to the screen "However, your modern knowledge gives you an unprecedented Intelligence score Your primary goal is to use Tech Points, unlocked through expanding your territory and reproduction, to unlock the Tech Tree".
A massive, branching web of locked icons appeared, starting from basic stone tools and leading all the way up to metallurgy, steam power, and industrial mechanics Kellar’s eyes practically lit up.
"Now this... this is my playground" Kellar smirked, his perverted engineer persona taking over "A world full of wild, voluptuous women, and a giant tech tree just waiting for me to build a modern empire? This starter pack is getting better by the minute".
The holographic cat floated a bit higher, its glowing blue eyes narrowing with a look that was pure, unfiltered mischief.
"And that is only the beginning" the system said, its sweet voice dripping with temptation "Everything you want, you can have You only need to desire it".
Kellar grinned, crossing his arms as he looked at the floating feline.
"That sounds excellent So tell me, how do I unlock the rest of it? You must have some kind of currency, right?" asked Kellar.
"Exactly, Host" the cat replied, flicking its tail "My currency is Tribe Evolution Points Every time your territory expands, your technology advances, or you add a new, high-quality mate to your bloodline, you earn points to spend".
Kellar’s Kellar’s grin widened, but before he could celebrate, the little white cat held up a translucent paw, cutting him off.
"However... that function is currently locked As of right now, you cannot earn or spend Tribe Evolution Points The system only recognizes the official chieftain of the clan to receive those benefits" the cat explained casually.
Kellar froze, his smile fading as the gears in his engineering brain began to turn.
"Oh... wait a minute That means I have to..." Kellar muttered, trailing off.
"That’s right, Host" the cat said, sitting down in mid-air with an indifferent yawn "This town isn’t big enough for the both of you, It is time to replace the old with the new".
Kellar stared at the holographic pet shocked The system was talking about assassination and overthrowing a tribal regime as if she were merely mentioning taking out the trash.
"Hey, hey... wait a damn minute! I just got here, and you already want me to murder the leader of the tribe?" asked Kellar, waving his hands defensively.
"Not necessarily" the cat replied, tilting its head with a thick layer of heavy irony "You could always walk up to him, ask him nicely to abdicate his position in your name, and then kindly stretch out your own neck so he can decapitate you without any mess Young Master, this is an excellent time to remind you that this is not Earth These people are not civilized, and they are definitely not kind enough to forgive a threat to their power".
Kellar let out a low whistle, rubbing the back of his neck as the harsh reality of this brutal new world finally started to sink in.
"Oh, boy... I see your point, and honestly, it makes total sense" said Kellar, his expression turning thoughtful "Just give me a second to process the fact that I have to plan a tribal coup on day one".
He shook his head to clear the heavy thoughts and turned his attention back to the glowing blue interface floating right next to the sassy phantom cat His eyes locked onto the small, flickering counter at the bottom of his status screen.
"Alright, setting the murder plans aside for a minute... look at that single Tech Point" said Kellar, pointing at the screen "What can I actually buy with this right now? Is there some kind of item or weapon included in this entire noob starter pack, or am I just going to have to fight a 350-pound chieftain with my bare, skinny hands?".
