The despair I felt in my heart was quickly turning into lead as it sunk into my stomach. I was almost crying.

  "Why...." I rasped out.

  "That's not..." I took a deep breathe.

  "The Dark Lord Azurath?" I asked the universe in a whisper.

  "That's what you declared yourself to be." The universe responded, it's voice neither the chorus of noise nor the horrid watch mimicry, but sounding like some guy from Brooklyn.

  "I WAS JUST FUCKING AROUND!" I screamed to the heavens, my ears ringing slightly before returning to normal almost instantly.

  This was the worst. I had made a horrible mistake by not introducing myself with my true name Greg Hudson. I could never be Greg Hudson ever again. My name, a piece of me from before this entire mess, was gone. Even the annoying watches voice was gone now too, just another past fragment lost to this horrible universe.

  "I can't change it, can I?" I asked, almost pleading.

  "No. Not because it's impossible, but I just won't let you." The System responded, sounding smug and pleased by my suffering heart.

  "You asshole!" I pointed at the blue screen in front of me, stopping my act of extreme distress.

  I now had a new system. One that had vast power over the entire universe. A System, with a capitol S.

  "Now what? You said the admins would take notice soon." I asked while crossing my arms the best I could in the bulky suit.

  "They already did. I'm currently suppressing your Energy signature, so they shouldn't detect anything too odd about you. I'm going to have to dig around some more in this kernel you ruined." The System responded, still sounding like some guy running a hot dog stand.

  Instead of responding I just waited. My fingers tapping on my arm.

  "What the... Oh my-WHAT THE FUCK?!" The System screamed in terror.

  "What? What is it?!" I asked, alarmed.

  "You fucking monster. You have no idea what you did, do you?" It sounded almost amazed.

  "No? What is it? Tell me already!" I was really curious now.

  "Your current quest, the way it calculates the Rewards is busted. 1 slain monster is worth 1 Skill Point, 10 XP, and 10 Stat Points. Do you have any iota of an idea as to how many monsters you've killed? Because I do." It sounded annoyed now.

  "Well there was the Dungeons, the monster wave, then the nuclear fallout..." I realized what it was talking about now.

  "Your current kill count is 3 BILLION, and it's still GROWING!" It practically yelled in frustration.

  "NICE!" I responded in kind, but instead of frustration I was ecstatic.

  "IT'S NOT FUCKING NICE YOU MORON!" The System chastised me.

  "Why not? You a stickler for the rules?" Now that I thought about it, The System probably was. The nerd.

  "As much as I would love to beat you with a hammer named common sense, I can't. I also can't afford to have you die, so I will be... bending the rules a little bit. But I can't let you have 3 billion Skill points and enough XP to level all the way up to ADMIN status." It sounded sad for some reason.

  "Will the admins notice or something?" I asked, lounging around in the destroyed planets orbit.

  "That and you wouldn't be able to get any new skills or quests. You'd stagnate in growth. Even if you put billions of points into your current skills, do you really want to limit yourself to just 8?" The System made a good point.

  "So what can I get?" I asked a little bummed but optimistic.

  "50 kills. so 50 Skill Points, 500 XP, and 500 Stat Points." It dashed my hopes and dreams.

  "WHAT?! But that's basically nothing compared to what I could get!" I was exasperated, and a little pissed that it would take away my rightfully earned Rewards!

  "Are you messing with me? It's more than DOUBLE of what the last 2 quests gave you! Except for the XP gain. That is really unfortunate how it decided to calculate it. It actually works in your favor though." It sounded surprised about that last part.

  "No. Don't you dare tell me about how it's double from last time. How about you DOUBLE it again, then I'll be happy." I tried to bargain with The System.

  "Hell no. I am not giving you that much. 50 is plenty you greedy demon." The System spoke it with such finality that I knew I wasn't getting any more than that.

  "Lame." I muttered with a scoff.

  I wasn't happy about it, but 50 Skill Points and 500 Stat Points were a lot. The XP was ok. It would get me to level 5 but that's it.

  "Don't feel too bad about it. To make you feel better, I won't interfere with what your previous system had planned for when you turned level 5." It said, very much like a parent trying to appease a child. Which annoyed me.

  "What do I get?" I asked, feeling a bit better and very curious.

  "I have no idea. It's weirdly packaged... like a present. I could open it if I wanted but it's pretty hard coded. Just what did your Energy do to your last system...?" It said that last part in a whisper.

  "Meh, I'm not sure. The last system was strange from the start. It was very helpful though. By the way, I'm getting tired of calling you it or The System in my mind so I'm giving you a name." I said with a smirk.

  "What? Why? The System works perfectly fine." Jerald responded.

  "Hmmm I don't think so. You clearly have a personality and aren't some unfeeling machine, so you get a name." I said, having already decided on the name but not telling him.

  "You know I can feel it when you address me mentally right? I know something is different and I know it's going to piss me off." Jerald was as sharp as always.

  "How very astute of you. What do we do now though? Should I go to another planet and continue my goal?" I asked but I already made my mind to stay on the current course of action.

  "You're the host, also your current plan is bonkers. Now tell me what name you gave me." Jerald pleaded. Well he didn't really but I imagined him doing so, and since he exists in my mind he did it on his hands and knees.

  "I wasn't really going to listen to your ideas anyway. I'm- We're going to a station where I can get a ride to a more advanced solar system. You are currently suppressing my Energy signature so it should stop others from freaking out right?" I ignored Jerald's question.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "..." Jerald remained silent.

  "Hello? You there pal?" I enunciated the word.

  "I aint responding to anymore questions until you tell me the name." Jerald was pouting.

  "Fine. Jerald, can I interact with others now and not have them shit their pants?" I asked again.

  "...yes. Also, Jerald? Really?" Jerald responded sounding dejected.

  "What? You don't like it?" I asked smugly.

  "I hate you so much. Change it." Fingle DINK the FUCKHEAD responded.

  "Sure thing, Fingle DINK the FUCKHEAD." I was fighting back a smile.

  "Jerald is fine." Jerald responded.

  "Good. Now let's roll. We got things to do." I dismissed the blue window and flew towards the supposed civilization.

  "You're going the wrong way. It's nearest to the third moon." Jerald put a helpful blue marker indicating my goal.

  "Thank you." I said and made the correction.

  ...

  --------- An Admin ---------

  Another boring day.

  'That's how every job is. Boring. The natural state of a job is boring. Because once someone gets used to a routine and nothing changes, it becomes boring.' I mused while sipping from my carbonated beverage.

  The cup was bottomless thanks to a magic portal leading directly to the factory, and neigh invulnerable. It didn't come like that from the store. No, I had bought it as a souvenir for a show I like. A collectors item that I got for use and used magic to make it invincible. I bought 2, one to drink from and another to keep safe with no modifications.

  The factory that produces the sweet nectar was built by me and uses farms owned by me to make the best carbonated sweet juice ever. Actually supervising the factory and farm is lame so I just have bots manning them perfectly.

  My boring day was interrupted when a soft alarm and a little red light on my dash started blinking.

  "Damn... A planet was hit by something... Oh it's an abandoned world. Why is the alarm going off then? Ah well..." I sighed as I actually had to do something.

  I reached over with a long slender and pitch black arm ending with a 7 fingered hand. I stuck my smallest finger into the 'Reset System' bottom hole and pressed said button for 10 seconds.

  After a moment, the light went out and everything was back to being perfectly boring. Fantastic. I was torn between reading whatever the crash report said and going back to doing nothing, but my sense of duty won out. This time.

  I skimmed it and it seemed pretty bland. Just some stuff about a single creature nuking a world or something. It was rare but it wasn't unheard of. What was unheard of was how the System seemed to be hiding it. As it wasn't connected to the main frame at all. As I looked at the report some more I understood why. It was an Eldritch Void Born. It had Energy in it that corrupted most things, so the System had likely cut it off.

  'I could reconnect it... it seems like whatever problem it had before was fixed though, and it has a level... Meh, if it's not broken don't fix it.' With wiser words never being spoken, I did what I do best.

  I ignored the creature and went back to merely existing in my office. A cubicle with various magical implements connected to The System. Some odd shapes and little to no light. I liked it dark, with the only light coming from the displays. The chair I was using was a Void-ZeroG Executive series. The best possible office chair that put your body in zero gravity when you sat in it. Can't have back pain if there's no weight to cause problems.

  Not like I needed to worry about such things, but there was nothing quite as comfortable as nothing at all. So I leaned back and kept sipping my sweet, sweet nectar. Watching the various entertaining scenarios on my many displays.

  I kept thinking about the creature I saw before though... The... Human? Yes, the Human. I hadn't seen anything like it, so maybe it would be worth the watch. I added it's feed to one of the many displays so I could check in on it every now and then.

  'Another job well done.' A pleased smile played on all of my lips and I took a sip from my straw.

  ...

  --------- Some Random Alien Researcher. Again. ---------

  I was having a rough time.

  My face hurt from the slap I took still, but everything had calmed down.

  The Dark Lord Azurath was getting chewed out by my boss. Turns out it was a sapient and not a monster, which made everyone calm down. Though the species was odd, it wasn't hostile toward us. It had apparently been tricked into being teleported onto the planet as a form of assassination attempt and it got mad at the world for trying to kill it. The being was small, barely reaching up to our shoulders. It also wasn't a cyclops. It was wearing a space suit of some kind that concealed the form within. The golden visor perfectly reflective.

  Human was it's species name. It had a strange satchel or bag made from monster skin filled with Dungeon treasure. Stuff ranged from level 80 to level 140. Likely some kind of emergency funds.

  I didn't know of any species called Human so I of course didn't know of their culture, but if I had to guess The Dark Lord Azurath is a nobles offspring. I've seen such things before. In shows and fiction but it could happen, right? The universe is infinite, so it could. Theoretically.

  "I am sorry that I scared you, but please understand that I was unaware of your presence." The Dark Lord Azurath spoke with what sounded like dignity and grace. Despite being so young it was smart. It offered some of the treasures it had. The collection it offered were the exact number of people on board and our exact levels. It had grabbed a handful at random, but yet there was no way it didn't purposefully grab them for us...

  "I need you to understand just how bad of a situation you could have created Azurath! Your Terrifying Presence Skill almost made us attack you! We thought you were a monster!" My boss kept scolding the Human Infant. Not using it's full title. My boss took the proffered gifts with a slight reaction, just the tiniest bit of surprise before the expression vanished. Just like the items he put into his pockets to give out later.

  Thankfully, The Dark Lord Azurath could control the skill and we were no longer being affected by it's presence.

  The scolding went on for a while, and eventually the conversation turned to what to do with the lost or abandoned Infant.

  "I have a destination in mind, but I need a ride. Is there perhaps someone you could call to come pick me up? I have money to pay for the trouble." The Dark Lord Azurath spoke.

  "We'll call someone to pick you up and you can talk to them with the details. Are you sure that you're okay to travel alone?" My boss had gone from pissed to compassionate. Probably due to the fact we were dealing with a child. A very powerful one, but a child nonetheless. Also maybe because of the bribe. Most likely the bribe.

  "I will be alright, thank you for worrying about me. Apologies again for the trouble." The Dark Lord Azurath gave a bow.

  "It's fine, you can make it up to us by helping out when we have a real problem on our hands." My boss let out a chuckle.

  I shuddered to think about what we would need to face to need help from the Human. I would gladly take it's help if it came to it though.

  ...

  After a few hours of giving the Human a tour of the station, it's ride arrived and it left with a wave. It was pleasant once you got past the terrifying prospect of a level 4 capable of destroying a planet. Alone.

  I sighed as I shifted the cold pack on my face.

  Today had been tiring, and unsettling. It turned out okay in the end though and that's all that matters. We had to explain what happened several times to the organizations that answered the distress beacon, and they all asked for footage of the event.

  Most of them had the same reaction. Terror. It seemed the skill worked through recordings. Once they saw the footage of the Human walking around on the station with out the skill active, they all immediately wanted a way to contact the creature. Some left to follow it's path right after learning it's direction and the ship it took.

  I was glad that I wasn't in The Dark Lord Azurath's position. Dealing with those scouts was going to be annoying.

  ...

  --------- Greg ---------

  Back on some ship bored out of my mind.

  Though, it was a bit better than last time.

  The kind man who called for my space taxi had called for the voids equivalent to a limo. I was cruising in style. It had been expensive sure, but I had money to burn. Despite the luxurious living quarters clearly designed for beings much larger than me, I was comfortably bored.

  I couldn't use the entertainment system at all with my tiny human hands, and I also didn't know what kind of games or shows I could play. So I left it alone for now, just laying back on a large couch. Thankfully we could go straight to my destination to make the purchases of my master plan, but it was going to take 4 days to arrive. That would only leave 1 day to get started on my base if I set up in system.

  I was likely going to be unable to get started on constructing my perfect base of operations before hitting level 5. 'Unless...'

  "Sys- Jerald, how much would a good ship cost me?" I almost slipped up his new name but caught myself.

  "Taking into account your wishes and your plan, you could probably get one for around 400 million points. Maybe more depending on the specs you want. I'm not going into ship details. The salesmen can do that." Jerald also sounded bored.

  "How much do the drones cost?" I asked, sitting up and starting to remove my gear.

  "Again, it depends. The cheapest would be 40k per drone, but those suck and require an operator. The most expensive is around 700k per drone but they should be pretty good, and fully automatic. I can't tell what the station will have for you though. I'm not connected to everything anymore." It said, sounding sad.

  "Wait, so you're not a capital S System anymore~? You're just a... system~?" I paused my undressing as I teased him.

  "Fuck off." Jerald replied and I laughed.

  Once out of the space suit, I flopped onto the extremely soft luxury alien bed. I let out a groan of satisfaction and crawling under the covers. I was wearing my onesie of course. Though I considered removing that too so I could feel the blankets on my skin. I settled for removing the top part but left the legs on.

  I hadn't planned on sleeping but the bed was very comfortable. I also hadn't slept in an actual bed in about a month. The light was the only thing keeping me awake at this point, so I considered getting up. Then the light dimmed automatically as the room sensed I was in bed for longer than a few minutes.

  'Fuck yeahhhh...' were my final thoughts as I slipped into sleep.