Neurolink System in the Modern World

Aria crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll do it. But I'm only agreeing because I want to see how this plays out."

She paused, shooting me a sidelong glance. "And don't think this means you own me."

I grinned, flashing her a mischievous smile. "Relax, I wouldn't dream of it... yet."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. "You're insufferable."

"True, but I'm also pretty powerful. Trust me, you'll see soon enough," I replied, unsummoning my sword.

Just as I was about to suggest a quick exploration of this place, the ground beneath us began to tremble again.

The vibrations intensified, and we both took a step back, ready for anything.

A deep, loud rumble filled the air, like the sound of old machines creaking back to life after being silent for hundreds of years.

Suddenly, a huge stone pillar burst out of the ground, rising quickly until it hit the ceiling with a loud, booming thud.

"What on earth is that?" I asked, squinting at the strange structure.

It was covered in complex symbols, each one glowing softly with a faint blue light.

Aria turned towards it, her expression one of recognition. "Oh, that... it's a Monolith. I didn't expect one to show up here."

"A Monolith?" I repeated, genuinely intrigued. "Alright, you've got my attention. What does it do?"

She glanced at me, a hint of a challenge in her eyes. "You really don't know? Thought you were supposed to be all-knowing and powerful."

I shrugged. "Hey, I just got here. Enlighten me."

Aria sighed, looking more resigned than annoyed. "Fine. The Monoliths are ancient constructs left behind by that sadistic Creator. They're like... shops, but instead of using money, you exchange power ."

I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure I understood. "As in, our actual power?"

"Yes," she confirmed, nodding. "In this world, power is the currency. You can use it to buy rare items, weapons, artifacts, and even unlock certain abilities. The stronger you are, the more you can afford. It's all part of the Creator's twisted game."

"Interesting," I mused, walking closer to the Monolith. The runes seemed to pulse in response to my presence. "So, let me get this straight. We can trade our power for stuff? But doesn't that make us weaker?"

"It does," Aria said, her eyes narrowing as she studied the pillar. "But sometimes, the trade-off is worth it. You might lose a bit of strength, but the items you can get might turn the tide of battle. It's a gamble, really. The Creator treats this world like his own personal playground, always pushing people to make risky choices."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it. "So the Creator's basically running a pawn shop where we trade chunks of our power for other toys?"

Aria shrugged. "Pretty much. But those 'toys' can be the difference between life and death here."

"Here, let me try," Aria said, stepping forward with a determined look. She reached out and touched the tall podium-like structure. As soon as her hand made contact with the glowing runes, a blue holographic screen appeared above it, displaying the number: PL: 147,500,100.

"This is my current power level," she explained, glancing at me. "It used to be at the 160 million mark, but I've been stuck here for so long that I had to spend some of it. And just so you know .I'm not usually that wasteful."

"Is that a big number?" I asked.

Aria sighed. "You might be underestimating me too much," she said. "The average power level here is around 120 million, so I'm actually above average."

"Is that really something to brag about?" I teased, a grin spreading across my face. "I mean, technically speaking, it just means you're only 22.92% better than most."

Aria shot me a glare. "Oh, please. Let's see you try to do better," she snapped, though I could see a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Sure" I stepped up to the Monolith, placing my hand on its cold, stone surface.

The runes glow even brighter, and a new hologram appeared right in front of me. I glanced at the display, expecting to see my power level... but all I saw was a single number: 0.

My eyes widened in shock. "What the—? Zero? That can't be right."

Aria raised an eyebrow "Guess you're not as powerful as you thought," she said with a smirk, barely containing her laugher.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. "There's no way. Something must be wrong with this thing."

Then I saw something at the bottom , it was a horizontal slider, I touch it and drag it and it revealed a new number PL : 10,000,000,000

"Ten... ten billion points?" Aria instinctively took a step back, unable to believe her eyes.

"What's the matter?" I asked, acting like it was nothing. "It's just 10 billion."

"Just 10 billion?! Are you kidding me? Do you realize we're weakened in this place? If you have that much power in this state, then how strong were you before?"

I touched my chin in contemplation, recalling all my feats and what I could do if I truly unleashed my power to its maximum potential. "Let's see... I could create this exact place."

Aria jumped back from me.

"You... Are you the creator?" she asked, her bow now pointed at me, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Me?" I pointed to my face. "Nah, I'm pretty sure I don't remember creating anything like this. Although, I have created my own world for fun before."

Aria's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on her bow. "Created your own world? That's... that's not something just anyone can do."

"I knew it! You're the creator!" Aria spat, her eyes filled with disbelief and anger. "You must've gotten bored of just watching, so now you're finally playing your own game!"

"I..." I paused.

Not because I agreed with her, but because I felt like this so-called creator had the same mindset as me. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire