"Hey Seaquant, can I borrow a weighted vest. If you won't train me, you could at least supply me with a way to train myself." Once I get one of those vests, I will go back to exercising. No need to rest since this is either a very complicated dream or I'm actually in another world and have a System.

"p.i.s.s off kid. I never told you my name, so how did you know it? The vests too, how did you know about those, huh?" I should probably stop revealing information, it's not good to show your secrets, including how much you know.

"If I told you how I knew what I know you would call me crazy, so Let's not start that debate. I'm just here to train and get stronger, understand?" I am probably being unnecessarily rude to him, but I don't really care that much. I doubt that he will do anything to me, even if I tried to break into the Zoldyck's property. They have a guard dog for a reason.

"So you won't tell me how you know things that you definitely shouldn't know? Then I have no reason to supply you with anything. You won't be getting any weights from me. Understand kid? Now then, if you have nothing to share with me, leave me alone." Wow, I guess I don't have any reason to be polite to him then, he's such an a.s.s.

***

After that conversation, I think I should just wait until it's Zebro's s.h.i.+ft. Maybe I should try to talk to Ai-chan about the system while I wait. How do I call for her though? Maybe I just need to think really hard and she'll appear, or do I need to speak her name aloud to summon her? Is she always in my mind or does she do other stuff when I'm not interacting with her? I'm just going to call for her in my head and see if that works.

'Ai-chan, are you there?' I hope this works...

'Yeah, I'm here. What do you need?' Great, now I know how to call for her.

'I was wondering if there is anything else you can tell me about the system, like how it works. Since I should have a body in both worlds does that mean I can't permanently die here? How does time flow here relative to my Earth? Is there a system shop or lottery I can access right now? What are the missions you told me about earlier?' I hope she doesn't get upset at me asking so many questions, but I need to have a better understanding of the situation if I'm going to live in this world.

'That's a lot of questions, but I'll answer them all, if only because of pity for your ignorance. Where do you want me to start?' Harsh. I really need to warm her heart before this gets too out of hand; I don't want to deal with someone so rude for any longer than I have too.

'Why don't you start with how time works, I think it's the most important thing right now. After that, we can talk about my mortality. Then, we can talk about the System itself and what help it gives me.'

'Well, time pa.s.ses much faster here than on earth. One week here is equal to, roughly, 6 hours in your world. 24 hours on earth is equal to about 1 month here. Also, you can access the system at any time while on your earth, and you automatically enter the system when you fall asleep. Don't worry about time pa.s.sing here when you aren't either. When you aren't in the Systems world, time here stops. The same rules apply to all future worlds unless specified otherwise.'

Well, that's good to know. Still though, is it even possible for this to be real? I think I will wait a while longer before I form an opinion on this being real. 'Okay, I think I understand now. Please continue explaining, but Let's move on to my ability to die here.'

'Sure. So, if you die here, you restart from the very beginning. Right at the moment you arrived here for the first time. Think of it as a video game with no saving, for now at least.' For now? That means I should be able to save later, I just need to be patient and not die until then. Not like I planned on dying though, so that will not be an issue.

'That's a relief, I was scared that if I died here I would die in real life or something. I've heard somewhere that if you die in a dream you could die for real but I wasn't sure.' Let's see how she responds to that.

'I am glad you're relieved of your worries Drake, but this isn't a dream. The system is very real and very powerful, I a.s.sure you, Drake. When you leave here, I can prove it to you.' Yeah, I'd like to see how you plan on doing that, Ai-chan.

'I'm looking forward to it then, Ai-chan. I'm sure the power of the System is glorious. In fact, why don't you tell me about more of its functions? What can it do, and how can I use it to help me in these anime worlds?'

'Of course the System is glorious, it is all-powerful and almighty! All shall bow down before its power one day! Until then though, I can teach you to use it properly. You wanted to know more about the Mission system and if there is an Item Shop in the System, right?' Yes. That is what I asked you beforehand.

'Yep. So, is there an Item Shop in the System? What are my missions and/or quests? What determines my missions? Can I access the Missions right now, or do I have to wait until later? Oh, and when will I get to see your cute body, Ai-chan?' That last question should fl.u.s.ter her and get her to like me more. I wonder if there is a dating sim function in the System? I should ask later.

' Wh- wh what? I mean- Yes, there is an Item shop but you can't access it at the moment. Your Missions and Quests are also unavailable to you, though I believe that you will receive a minor mission soon. The System determines all of your Core missions, it also chooses all other missions and quests it sends you, though I can also a.s.sign minor and intermediate missions and quests to you since I'm a part of the System. As for the last question, you will see me when you've earned the right, and I will be the judge of whether you've earned the right, so you'd better work hard! 'While I couldn't see her, I could tell my compliment fl.u.s.tered her. The way she spoke when answering the rest of my questions gives it away.

'All right, all right. I guess I have no more questions, so I'll keep training for now. If you want to stay and talk to me, feel free. I would love to continue to hear your beautiful voice, Ai-chan.' Now that that's over with, let's get back to training.

I started by doing push-ups. I moved onto Squats, Sit-ups, and then Pull-ups. I continued each exercise until I couldn't complete them with proper form. After each exercise, I take a five-minute break before continuing. I did this repeatedly until the sun had set. I'm completely exhausted, but it's worth it.

I notice that Seaquant is leaving the Gatekeeper's office, so I shouted towards him "Hey! Are you finally ending your s.h.i.+ft? Does that mean that you will get me a weighted vest now?" I don't really expect much from him, but it's better for me to ask then it is to ignore him.

An annoyed look grew on his face as he turned to face me, "Yes, I am off of my s.h.i.+ft now, and No, I will not get you a weighted vest. Leave kid, I won't help you, and even if I did help you the Zoldycks probably wouldn't train you. Your best bet is to leave and find someone else to teach you. Do you understand me, runt?"

"I hear you, but I don't want to accept what you're saying. I refuse to leave until I can meet with someone from the main family. Do You Understand Me?" I need to show that I'm determined, it's bound to help me make a good impression. That, or I'll be seen as stubborn.

"Fine, kid. Do whatever you want but I'm not helping. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon if you're still here." After that, he just walked away. Not cool, but whatever. I will just wait for Zebro to show up. He shouldn't take that long, anyway. Once he's here, I'll try to convince him to help me train to open the gate. I think he might actually help me too. Unlike Seaquant, Zebro is a much nicer guy. At least, that's how the anime and manga portrayed him. It could be wrong though so I will wait until I meet him before making my final judgment.

After a few minutes of waiting I hear something approaching from the distance.