I Hate Systems

"Finally, it's done!" Grisha clapped excitedly as she gazed at the steel bowl being assimilated into the pearl structure within the bowl.

Soon after, the entire structure turned into a pearl bowl. Gazing at it, she almost teared up, "Life became easy once this method had been discovered. Alas, the grass and the ants had turned into disaster level threats by then. After all, only 15 years into the apocalypse was this made."

She sighed, for, in all her loops, she had possessed this item only five times. And they were all during the times when she had become terrifyingly strong. Creating it was pretty simple. As long as one followed the same steps as her, then it was possible to make it.

There weren't any complicated steps involved. But, there was one reason it took so long to be discovered. It was thanks to the information everyone obtained the moment they obtained power.

Because of that, it curbed one of the prime weapons of humanity: Their ability to innovate.

Had nothing been known about the power system, people would have experimented with it and discovered many other uses. But, since all the information related to the power system automatically appeared in their minds, none of them tried anything beyond that.

They became entirely reliant on their powers and didn't think out of the box. Only as the years passed did the survivors stumble upon discoveries while trying to survive.

With that, they realised that there was a lot left to discover about this power system. Once they began to think in this way, discoveries were made all the time.

Among them, Grisha too had her own. Though, the item before her wasn't one of them.

She switched off the gas after seeing that the item was finished, sighing as she patted it, gently making a cut on her thumb using a knife before touching it, spraying her blood on it.

The surface was smooth, with the creamy white colour slowly being dyed red as she rubbed her thumb over it, like colouring. Five minutes later, the entire bowl was dyed the shade of her blood as Grisha felt a bit light-headed.

But, her face was all smiles as she watched the bowl turn into a ray of light and gush into her body.

"Ugh!" Grisha grunted, feeling a burden as she immediately bandaged her thumb and drank a lot of water, arriving at her bedroom before slumping on her bed, falling asleep.

When she woke up, she watched the figure of Compass Carburettor standing nearby, holding a plate of food in his hands. Upon seeing it, she frowned, saying, "Is that all mutated beast meat?"

"Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Why? Is there a problem?"

"Yes," Sighing, she got up, "Eating the meat of mutated beasts is risky for humans. Keep up with it and you'll get cancer within a year. And this isn't just some regular cancer but one in which you would turn into a zombie-like creature whose body would keep expanding like a balloon while they devour everything in their path."

"Then, what do you suggest?" He asked, feeling alarmed.

"The grass is always the best option." She spoke, pointing at the ones growing on their lawn, "Add some grass into the mixture, even a couple of strands would be enough. They would purify the meat and make it safe for consumption."

"The grass has such properties?" He was surprised.

"They have countless uses." Grisha said, "In the future, those things you called the Grassmen would become one of the dominant forces. But, their bodies are also medicinal troves that are beneficial for your health. Some Grassmen are so precious that eating them would regenerate your limbs."

"But they would also become strong, too strong in fact." She sighed.

"What type of powers do they possess?" Compass Carburettor asked, curious. After all, even though they proved troublesome, the Grassmen of present weren't that threatening, at least one-on-one. Though, the fact that they were beginning to generate Mental Energy was a cause for concern.

"Burst Element, just like everyone else." Grisha said, "Most Grassmen have more or less similar powers, just one per each. But, it's their vitality that becomes troublesome."

"If they are on the ground, they would plant a seed deep into it. After this, even if they were killed, the seed would germinate within a minute and regrow their bodies in a couple of seconds, like grass growing out of the ground." She grit her teeth, "So, they become troublesome opponents that revive constantly. Moreover, within a year of the apocalypse, they would possess intelligence."

She shook her head, "So, they would plant their seeds in a safe place and then march towards human settlements. Even if defeated, they would revive from their seeds, possessing all the intelligence they had collected in the meantime. With that, they would be able to scheme better."

"When I reached Stage 3, I was able to kill ten Grassmen on my own. At Stage 4, I killed 20 easily. The strength of a Grassmen at peak is on par with a three-horned mutated beast. But, their numbers are what makes them terrifying." She muttered, "They'll simply pop out of the ground nonstop and would swarm you to death. No matter how strong you are, once you run out of energy, you are easy prey."

"That's terrifying indeed." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But, do they ever condense any pearls within them?"

"That's the only saving grace that prevented humanity from annihilation." She nodded, "Also, their pearls sometimes come with beneficial properties, like medicine. It's even better than eating their bodies."

After that, based on her input, Compass Carburettor added some grass strands on the meat, waiting patiently as he watched the grass turn pale for some reason.

"We can eat them now," Grisha said, throwing away the grass strands.

Once they had eaten, she got up and arrived at the lawn, beckoning for him to observe as she focused, gently summoning the bowl as she placed it in the ground, hearing the sounds of something piercing through the ground as she smiled, "This item was a dear necessity of the apocalypse. Those with it survived longer and were healthy. We held it dear to us, calling it…"

"Vitality Bowl!"