Seventy Seventh Seven-Chapter 61: Bootleg System Feature

"...I fucking hate this."

Seven had been talking to the system—at least, he thought he was—but as always, it never responded verbally. Instead, it bombarded him with notifications.

[Protagonist System Evolution Complete.]

[New Functions Unlocked:]

Seven exhaled, trying to calm the erratic thumping in his chest as he pulled himself up and leaned against the bed frame.

[Notice: 1,000,000 NP has been deducted.]

"...What now?"

His fingers twitched as he navigated to the system's new interface.

His fingers twitched as he navigated to the system's new interface. Unlike before, when it only displayed notifications, new and interactive options had appeared.

[??? Fragment (Locked)]

Seven stared.

Then stared some more.

"...What?"

He rubbed his temples. The names alone were enough to make him suspicious.

"Fragment? The fudge is this...?"

It wasn't even complete, but just a fragment. Which meant there were more. And if there were more, what exactly did the full version contain?

His gaze shifted downward at every category.

None of this made sense yet. He needed to check each function properly.

First things first, he focused on the most practical-sounding one:

[Portable Dimensional Storage]

As soon as he activated it, an empty black void appeared before him. A system message accompanied it.

[This storage space allows the user to store and retrieve items at will.]

[Current Capacity: 10 cubic meters.]

Seven blinked.

"This... is actually useful."

Seven blinked. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it inside. The pillow vanished instantly. When he focused on retrieving it, the item reappeared in his hands just as easily.

A slow grin crept onto his lips.

"Finally..."

After all, this was the first time that the system provided him something that is actually useful.

Then, another notification popped up.

[Seventh Reader's Loyalty Gift: Earthly Essentials Pack has been added to Portable Dimensional Storage.]

"...Huh?"

Seven quickly opened the storage again, his curiosity piqued. Inside, neatly stacked, were several items that should not exist in this world.

— Instant Ramen (Assorted Flavors)

— Soda (Limited Brands)

— Canned Goods (Various Brands)

— Bottled Water

— Chocolate Bars

— Lighter and Matches

— A Foldable Stove

Seven stared blankly at the list and a long silence stretched in the room.

Then, ever so slowly, a breathless laugh escaped him.

"Fudge. Are you serious?"

Out of all the things the system could have gifted him... it gave him instant noodles and canned goods.

He rubbed his face, torn between disbelief and amusement.

"...Is this a protagonist system or a bootleg convenience store?"

Still, as ridiculous as it was, he couldn't deny how valuable these things were. Food that required minimal preparation. It meant that no matter where he was, he wouldn't have to worry about starving.

And more importantly—

His gaze flickered to the soda category.

"...Bless you, system."

He wasn't the overly dramatic type, but at this moment, he was tempted to shed a tear.

Shaking his head, he returned his focus to the other features. Some of them, like [Narrative Loop Token] and [Unwritten Chapter], sounded too abstract.

He decided to check [World Progression Log] instead.

The screen shifted.

[Fixed Events:]

— The Fall of the Hart Duchy (Fixed)

— The Death of Archduke Elias (Fixed)

[Anomalies:]

— The Exile of Eden Hart (Changed)

— The Death of Seven Hart (Changed)

— Coronation of the Crowned Sovereign (Changed)

Seven frowned.

"As expected..."

[Variable:]

— Event: Howlers Appeared at the Entrance Exam. (Variable)

— Event: Seven Hart Arrives at the Academy. (Variable)

"..."

He now had a clearer picture.

This log tracked the effects of his actions on the world. Some events were Fixed, meaning they couldn't be changed. Changed meant he had already altered the original story. And Variable meant minor events that were still in flux.

If he could actively monitor these, then that meant his decisions truly mattered.

— Appearance of the Seven Readers (???)

"...?!"

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

He stared at the ceiling. There was a lot to process, but one thing was certain.

"...Seven readers."

It wasn't just a hypothesis. Three readers had already appeared, including him.

Shaking off his thoughts, he then turned his attention back to the remaining system features.

Scrolling further down, he noticed that some events were still Locked. That meant he wasn't seeing the full picture yet.

"Tsk."

He ran a hand through his hair. He had been thrown into this world with no real direction, no clear goal other than to survive.

But now, the system was subtly pushing him toward something more.

[Protagonist Progression Bar: 2.5%]

And, whether he liked it or not, he was at the center of it.

Scroll.

[Narrative Loop Token (Locked)]

[A single-use token that allows the user to rewind a fixed point in the narrative.]

Seven's breath hitched.

"...A rewind?"

He read it again. And again. But the meaning didn't change.

This was a literal do-over button.

There was no information on how far back he could rewind or if there were any side effects. But even so, something like this...

"This is broken."

The sheer implications made his stomach twist. If he failed in the future—if something went catastrophically wrong—he could use this to go back.

To change his decisions.

To fix things.

But that also meant...

If he could rewind, wouldn't that mean someone else could, too?

Seven closed the interface, his fingers slightly cold. He didn't like the idea that someone else, be it the other readers, could possess something like this.

Setting that aside, he opened it again just to check the last feature for now.

[Unwritten Chapter (Locked)]

[A blank slate. A missing piece of the narrative, waiting to be filled.]

[What will you write?]

He frowned.

There were no further explanations.

Unlike the other features, this one felt... strange. Almost like it was inviting him to create something.

But create what?

For now, it wasn't something he could test without understanding it first. So he moved on.

With the system upgrades settled, Seven exhaled, rolling his shoulders. Though the pain from earlier had faded, there was still an underlying fatigue clinging to him.

His body felt heavier than usual.

His gaze flickered to the [Portable Dimensional Storage].

'Fudge. Maybe a snack would help.'

He opened the storage again, scanning the list of modern-day food that had somehow been gifted to him.

The absurdity of it all hadn't lessened, but it wasn't like he was going to reject it.

He grabbed a cup of instant ramen and a bottle of water, then pulled out the foldable stove.

Setting it up was easy.

He turned on the flame and placed a small pot of water on top, waiting for it to boil.

The scent of instant ramen soon filled the room and he watched the steam rise from the pot.

If someone walked in right now, they'd probably think he had gone insane.

A guy from another world, casually cooking modern instant noodles in the middle of a dimly lit and rundown shabby inn room?

Yeah.

Definitely insane.

He pulled out the Pepsee cola next. It wasn't his usual brand "Koka Koula", but it would do.

Pouring the hot water into a mug, he stirred the mixture with a spoon before taking a sip. The warmth spread through his body, easing some of the tension in his muscles.

"...Yeah. That's the stuff."

His mind felt clearer now.

The first bite was heaven.

The familiar salty-sweet broth, the slightly overcooked noodles—he had never appreciated instant ramen this much before. He stood up, walked and leaned against the windowsill, eating slowly as the sun began to hide itself behind the clouds.

"Hah..."

For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something close to peace.

But of course, peace never lasted.

Knock.

A knock came at the door, and Lythian kicked the door open.

"Fucker! What the fuck is..."

"What?"

"How— do you—?!"