System in Assassin's Creed

5 Years Later…

It was autumn in Swansea, and the wind was cold. Alaric's thin shirt did nothing to stop the chill.

He shivered and tugged the worn fabric tighter to his chest as he stood partly hidden behind the village well.

Night was coming but there was still enough light for him to see a merchant haggling with an old man over a bunch of onions nearby.

Over these five years, survival had taught him a few simple truths.

Swansea's farmers hated paying taxes, no matter how little they earned. They worked hard, but the collectors always took their share.

Edward Kenway's laugh was loud enough to make people flinch, easily breaking the quiet. 'Well... he's still young, but I wonder if his rash personality and decisions came from a very young age? For now, I better observe.'

And then there was poverty. When people had nothing, they did whatever they could to survive. Some borrowed, some begged, and some stole.

Alaric traced patterns in the dirt with his fingers.

In his mind, he kept a mental ledger of everything, small observations were valuable in his world.

His father, Leonard Kenway, was a hardworking farmer with no education and is the brother of Bernard Kenway.

His mother, Eleanor Kenway, had a cough that never went away.

Also... Four years of failed crops had taught him that every detail matters.

He had spent five years counting every loss and gain. 'I might need to buy a guide for crops from the system for this...'

But he wasn't a farming expert. Even in his past life, he knew nothing about crops. He had lived in the city, only existing as a consumer.

That was his old life, though. In this one, he owed his parents.

They raised him the best they could despite being poor, and he had to repay them somehow.

They were his new family, they were poor but never had the thought of abandoning him. 

Suddenly, his day was interrupted when Edward, his lively cousin, sprinted past him.

Edward was chasing a small green frog that had somehow captured his attention. "Catch it, 'Laric!"

"You're wasting time," Alaric muttered under his breath, though he couldn't help but smile at Edward's antics.

Edward was already knee-deep in mud, completely oblivious to anything other than his chase.

Alaric slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off his worn trousers.

His eyes drifted over to the old Kenway farmhouse, a wooden shack that creaked with every gust of wind.

For five years, he had eaten meals with them, played the role of the child they wanted, and accepted being Edward's cousin. It wasn't perfect, but it was the only family he had.And they were good people.

Still, as he sat there watching life go on, he could not help but remember how drastically everything had changed just last night.

--Flashback--

That evening, dinner was once again potato soup. Simple, plain, and always served in the same worn-out bowl.

Alaric stirred his soup, half-listening as Leonard grumbled about another tax hike and the future of their small farm.

The monotonous conversation kept on going when suddenly, a sharp ding! rang in his ears.

Alaric froze.

In that moment, he saw translucent blue text flicker in front of his eyes.

The words were simple and clear:

[SYSTEM SHOP UNLOCKED!]  [BUY] [SELL]

He choked on his soup. Leonard noticed immediately and thumped his back, saying, "Slow down, lad." 

Eleanor shot him a worried glance, but no one could really explain what was happening. 

Alaric blinked repeatedly, and though he tried to shake it off, the strange text remained on his vision.

--Present--

Later, behind the barn, Alaric stared at the floating blue screen that now appeared in his vision.

His heart raced as he whispered to himself, "Okay… it's really real. Of course it is—if I'm even in this world, then this is legit..."

Alaric looked around then moved towards a sack of wheat leaning against the barn wall.

Hesitantly, he reached out and touched it lightly.

'Sell.'

With that, the sack vanished in a flash.

On the screen, new text appeared:

[+3 R]

[Current Balance: 3 R]

He quickly glanced around. No one had seen anything. Not even Edward, who would have snitched if he knew Alaric was swiping family property.

With a small sigh of relief, he turned his attention back to the screen and scanned the shop's catalog.

The list of available items read:

[Unlock Chakra – 500 R]

[Kunai x10 – 20 R]

[Shadow Clone Jutsu – 1000 R]

[Sharingan – 3000 R]

And so many more...

He shook his head and scoffed quietly.

Alaric scoffed. "Cheap? My ass."

He was already thinking ahead. The Caribbean was full of Spanish treasure—privateer gold, merchant chests, wealth buried in the sand.

If only he could get to the coast.

Before he could think any further, a familiar voice cut through his thoughts.

"Alaric!"

He quickly swiped the system screen away as Edward came skidding around the corner.

Edward's hands were covered in mud, and like always... a small, squirming frog poked out of his pocket.

"We're mendin' fences! Da says you're better at knots," Edward said with a wide grin.Alaric raised an eyebrow. "He said that?" He didn't ask aloud. 'Who's Da?'

Edward just laughed and ran off, leaving Alaric standing there, lost in thought.

--Two Months Later--

That evening, as dusk settled over Swansea, Alaric was busy working inside the cramped Kenway house.

He scrubbed the fireplace, trying to clear years of soot and grease, while Edward snored on a torn rug in the corner.

Through the thin walls, Leonard and Eleanor whispered about practical matters.

"…needs a new coat before winter," Leonard murmured.

"…and maybe sell the goat while we can," Eleanor added.

Alaric's jaw tightened. If only I could help…He pulled up the system screen.

[Current Balance: 397 R]

Two months of work... stealing laundry scraps, grabbing rotten apples, even pocketing a drunk's tarnished watch, and yet he was still short. 'Though with this... I could buy a few months of food for the family. Well... nah...'

His fingers hovered over [Chakra Unlock]. Imagine if they freeze this winter. Because you wanted magic… or chakra in my case… okay, bad joke.

Later that night, Alaric stepped outside for fresh air. He was on the hills near the sea, just nearby the Kenway household.

Leaning on the goat pen, he took a deep breath of salty air. It didn't help.

He missed a lot from his old life... phones, webnovels, and a real bed.

Even with a system offering wealth and power, part of him still longed for what once was. 'Nah… system's better. Imagine the riches, the power… but no phone...' *Sigh*

A pebble skittered under his boot as he shifted.

"Hey…"Alaric turned. Edward had flopped down beside him, a half-chewed, stolen carrot in hand.

"I'm surprised you woke up," Alaric teased. "Thought you'd be in a deep slumber."

Edward grinned. "I was pissin' in my dreams. Woke up panicked, thinkin' I pissed on your room."Alaric chuckled.

"You okay?" Edward asked, watching his face. "Your mom spank yah?"

"Peachy," Alaric said with a wry smile. "I'm good, thanks."

Edward shook his head. "Liar. You always look like Da when the crops rot." His teasing tone made Alaric chuckle despite everything.

"It's the face God gave me," Alaric shot back. 'Who's Da, anyway? One of the kids we played with? I can't remember peasants.'

Edward snorted. "If that's your face then God's a right prick, then."

They both laughed.

Can't get offended though, I'm more handsome than him.

Later, as night deepened, Alaric retreated to his makeshift bed... a pile of hay wrapped in old burlap sheets inside the cramped room of the Kenway household.

The hay poked at his neck. Edward chose to sleep on their house so Alaric fortunately have the room to himself.

Alaric couldn't help but wonder how a kid his age could snore so loudly, and whether it might mean something was wrong with him.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last saw uncle Bernard and aunt Linette...

'I wonder how they're doing now, have they been able to sell the latest crops?'