I Hate Systems

"Vitality Bowl?" Compass Carburettor gazed at the pearl-like bowl on the ground, noticing it beginning to be filled with water soon after.

Once it was filled to the brim, Grisha scooped out some with her hands and drank from it, smacking her lips, "That's the taste that I missed!"

"Is it something other than water?" He asked, frowning.

"Of course, it's just water." Grisha laughed, "But, it's also the tastiest water you might ever drink. Well, just try it once, and you'll understand."

Compass Carburettor carefully walked towards it, alert against the grass, sighing in relief once it didn't target him. Grisha had told him of the reason as to why they didn't target her, saying as long as she was in the vicinity, he too wouldn't be targeted by them.

Now that he verified the claim, he scooped out a mouthful from the bowl, nodding, "Indeed, it's pretty tasty."

"Now, see this." She laughed before snapping her finger, observing the colour of water changing. It turned black, forming small bubbles along the side. Grisha drank that too, muttering, "Yep, this coke is better than the original. It has that freshness to it."

"Coke?" Compass Carburettor tasted it, eyes widened as he muttered, "How does this…object work?"

"Well, before that, I should tell you about this." Grisha said, using a glass to scoop the coke and take in sips, "This isn't part of the information we received when obtaining our abilities. It's just something we survivors eventually named for convenience's sake."

"Our powers are divided into External Items and Internal Beasts." She said, "My wand and your boots are part of the Internal Beasts. They are beasts that live within us and are summoned as items. So, they are named as such. Our Stage determines the number of Internal Beasts we can raise and the number of horns they can grow."

"This Vitality Bowl is an External Item. It's something man-made that we can bond to ourselves just like our Internal Beasts. But, one person can only possess a single External Item, regardless of their Stage." She sighed, "There are many ways in which one can produce an External Item. This Vitality Bowl was something that only appeared fifteen years into the apocalypse."

"It has the essence of grass and ant within it. So, when I place it on the ground and activate it, roots would emerge from its underside and drill into the ground. And based on what I wish, it'll suck in the related minerals from the ground and condense that in the bowl. And for that to happen, as long as I have a clear image of the item, it'll work. Since I wanted water, it brought water. I wanted coke, it brought the same."

"There might be some variations based on the mineral deposits, but this Vitality Bowl always condenses a fluid that is only beneficial to me. Even if I wish for poison, the generated liquid wouldn't be poison for me. It may or may not be poison for others." She laughed.

Finally, she spoke in seriousness, "With this, one's food and water needs are met. Moreover, they'll never fall sick if they consume from it. The food is just some nutrient solution it generates. But it's still healthy and tasty too."

"Also," Her voice had a hint of nostalgia, "The most precious use of this is the fact that it can condense a pearl every day. Even though it's nothing much, it's still a safe way to procure pearls without risking our lives."

"This Vitality Bowl was one of the major reasons humanity was able to survive the war against the Grassmen and the mutated beasts." She concluded.

"That's pretty amazing," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Are there other such External Items?"

"Yes, I know the method of creation for eight of them." Grisha said, "But all in all, the Vitality Bowl is the best of them all, even in long term."

"One of these External Items was created by me. I called it the Fortress." Grisha said with pride.

"Fortress?"

"Yes," Grisha nodded, "It's a cylindrical object that when you plant into the ground rapidly grows in size until it turns into a fort. It spans a height of twenty metres and a depth of twenty metres, preventing even Grassmen from infiltrating it. It occupies a square kilometre in area and can house 10,000 people comfortably."

"Once I created it and spread its creation method to others, humanity quickly erected countless forts and survived with better conditions. Though I was only at Stage 5 during that loop, my contribution to the world was the highest at that time." She said, sighing.

"A couple of the External Items are weapons, one of them is a warning system that detects enemies…" Grisha detailed the uses of all eight External Items that she knew, concluding, "If you wish to protect humanity and establish a stronghold, the other External Items are useful."

"But for our cause, they aren't suitable. So…" She spoke.

"I understand," Compass Carburettor nodded, "Then, make a Vitality Bowl for me too. I do need a lot of food to replenish my Darlac reserves anyway."

"Alright!" Grisha sighed in relief, "The materials for making the Vitality Bowl are really simple. As for the rest, it's hard and also takes a lot of production time."

"And yes, once destroyed, they cannot be used." She muttered, humming a tune as she began to capture the ants and begin the process once again.

Upon seeing her actions, Compass Carburettor shuddered for a moment, muttering, "She has changed into an entirely different person."

Shaking his head, he gazed at the Vitality Bowl on the ground, noticing a pearl beginning to form within it. "I see, this is a spectacular invention. And, her words make sense. Once I received all knowledge related to this power system, I stopped thinking about it beyond that. Was it done purposefully?"

He smiled wryly, "This Vitality Bowl alone changes things a lot. It makes me look forward to other secrets that have yet to be discovered."