Chapter 3: Information;Illusion

“Name?”

“Q.”

“P-pardon?” That was not the answer the doctor was expecting. He was inspecting the patient's pupils for any abnormality. That response caught him off guard.

“Q. My name is Q,” he reiterated.

There was nothing on him that held any identification. He didn't even have a wallet or anything of the sort. That in itself was peculiar.

The other civilians were done being treated. They sent those well enough to the agency that will assist them in getting back home. It was a normal procedure. This patient was the most gravely injured. And yet...

“Vital signs appear to be normal. Limbs are… normal.” He hesitated a bit. There was nothing wrong with the patient's limbs. Well, except that he had lost them to monsters. After the soul weigh-in had finished, his limbs seemed to have regenerated. It was the only explanation.

“Kyuu? As in nine?”

“No. Q.”

The doctor furrowed his brow and noted it down on his tech pad. “Alright. How old are you, Mister, uh, Q?”

“I'm not really sure.”

“Pardon?”

“I kind of stopped counting after a million,” he responded with an innocent smile. A smile that served only to annoy the doctor.

‘Is he for real? No. He's definitely messing with me,’ the doctor thought. There was a possibility that he was speaking some semblance of truth. The time spent during the weigh-in differs per person. It's possible that his weigh-in distorted his sense of time. But is it possible to lose oneself within it? They still do not completely understand the ‘mechanics’ provided to them by the gods. ‘I should probably report this.’

“Gender?”

“Male.”

The doctor heaved a sigh of relief. He realized his actions might be misunderstood. He coughed and continued with the physical examination. He couldn't find anything wrong with the patient, Q. At least, physically.

“Do you remember anything from the rift incident at all?”

“Not really. I recall getting tossed into it and getting attacked by monsters.”

“Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people to get caught up in the rift proximity.”

“No, not caught up,” Q interjected. “Tossed.”

“Tossed? What do you mean?”

Q instinctively placed a hand on his chest. He hummed for a bit before he answered, “never mind. I think I'm remembering wrong.”

“We'll have someone look you up. You might have suffered some mental damage.” The doctor nodded. “Not only were you caught in the rift but you entered the weigh-in in such a state as well.”

“Weigh-in?”

“Some sort of awakening. Congratulations. You've become a breaker.”

“Breaker?”

“Err…” The doctor noted that the patient may have some problems adjusting mentally. “We'll have someone to brief you on that.”

The doctor finished the checkup and headed out of the room. He came across Sera Mckenna and gave a curt nod.

“The patient seems to have memory issues,” he endorsed. “But otherwise, he is physically fit. He can be discharged by tomorrow.”

“Understood,” she responded with a nod. “We'll have him take the aptitude test tomorrow then. For now, we'll keep watch.”

“He is a bit peculiar. He claims his name is ‘Q’ and that he's more than a million years old,” he sighed.

“Side effects of the weigh-in?”

“Possibly. I've heard of weigh-ins that take decades to end. I've never heard of someone taking a million years to finish. But that could explain the memory problem.”

“We'll have a specialist look into it.” She peered through the room to see the patient, Q, looking out into the window.

Unknown to the two, ‘Q’ was hiding a smirk that he had been holding back.

‘Astraea told me that I can mess around a bit.’ He recalled. ‘But maybe I shouldn’t have teased the doctor that much.’

He wasn't lying. But within human standards, his answers were absurd. A bit of mischief wouldn't hurt as long as he fulfilled the role he was given. Though, he wasn't fond of the current ‘templates’ that were related to his circumstances. Still, it's not like every template was bad on its own. Stories tend to follow a template or two. Too much of it and it'd be more of a parody or a farce.

---

The following day, patient Q was given another physical checkup. He was well enough to sit by the edge of the bed. No abnormalities still. One of the staff from the assessment area came by to give him a brief explanation. Q knew about the whole system and trial from the gods. Still, he acted like he was listening intently.

“As a breaker, you are able to see your own ‘status’ as it's called. Please be careful when revealing your status information. Some people might use that against you. There are some people with varying appraisal abilities. They can also check other people's information to an extent,” she explained.

Q thought of wanting to see his information and the text popped up in front of him. As explained, only he could see his complete information. Normally, that is.

“The status differs per person. It adapts to the person's experience and makes it easier for them to understand.” She continued. “Some people have numeral values, some have letter grades. Others don't have them at all and instead focus on their abilities and titles.”

What remained constant was the main stats themselves.

Strength, STR, refers to physical prowess. It partially increases health.

Vitality, VIT, refers to physical sturdiness and endurance. It is the main parameter to enhance health.

Magic, MGC, refers to magical capability and power. It also partially increases one's ‘mana pool’.

Intelligence, INT, refers to magical resistance and supportive abilities. It also aids in skill speed and skill cooldowns. It adds a bit to the mana pool

Speed, SPD, refers to precision, agility, and dexterity. It helps with increasing the speed of actions like INT. That often depends on the skill type as well.

After this, the staff officer explained titles, classes, and abilities. These are given by the system based on the weigh-in. It is up to the breaker on how to improve them.

“After the weigh-in, all breakers achieve a class. This determines the kind of breaker they are. Some are non-combat classes. There are also those specialized in fighting or supporting.” She paused for a bit and coughed. “If Mister… uh…”

“Q.”

“Right, Mister Q.” She had the same reaction as the doctor. She took some time reading the previous notes. She continued. “If you don't mind, we would like to know your class later. You can also opt not to reveal it. But if we know your class, we might be able to assist you further.”

“Anyway.” She resumed her lecture. “Titles and abilities can be obtained from the weigh-in. Not all breakers start off with these. But, of course, they can be gained over time. If you have any of these as well, we would be interested in knowing. Rest assured, in exchange, we will provide you with our support.”

“I see,” Q affirmed and nodded. “Why are you doing so much for breakers? Is it because they can help with this ‘trial of humanity’?”

“Exactly. For now, we will have you partake in the assessment to gauge your abilities. You can also opt not to do so. Normally, we assist civilians caught in the rift. This includes getting them back home. But…”

“Ah… you can't find anything about me, can you? The doctor was pretty confused.”

“Partially. We believe you might have suffered some mental effects during the weigh-in. Also, admittedly, we would like to support a promising new breaker.”

“Yeah, the support offer is tempting. I guess that's why they sent such a lovely lady to teach me about the system, huh?”

“I, uh…”

“Anyway, I guess I should do that assessment first.” He helped out the flustered staff officer. She didn't expect him to pick up on her intentions. They do assign staff to try and reel in new breakers. There was no malicious intent but that tactic was a common one.

“The assessment area will be ready in a couple of hours. We will have you take the tests then.”

“Thank you, Miss…?”

“Estelle.”

“Miss Estelle. Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Mister Q.”

He nodded and shot her a mischievous smile. “Then how about we spend a bit more time getting to know each other. Off the record?”

“I-I…”

“Ah, sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“No. It's fine.” She went to the door and made sure it was locked. She didn't expect him to be so forward. This was an opportunity though. She turned around and leaned against the door as she composed herself. “Off the record.”

He smirked. He was certain she wouldn't keep anything to herself. She will definitely note down any important details she would get from him. It would definitely be endorsed to someone else. But he really didn't care about that. There were people with appraisal abilities. Some details would be bound to be found sooner or later. With nowhere else to go, he could also use a bit of support.

That's his excuse, at least.

---

Estelle Arden, a senior officer working for the assessment and training department. She was checking the data that was gathered by the intelligence unit. She added in what she was able to extract from him.

Real Name: Avis Walker

Nickname: Q

Real Age: 23

Age Claim: 1,000,000+

Unique Class: Contract Summoner (Rank Unknown)

Title: Lore Breaker

STR: C

VIT: C

MGC: C

INT: C

SPD: C

Unique Ability: Bonds of Time Immemorial

Notes: The subject refers to himself as Q. DNA testing shows the identity of Avis Walker. He went missing during the awakening. Presumed dead. No known family or acquaintances. Stats are above average relative to a normal adult male. Around average for a starting breaker. Class and Ability are both classified as unique. More information is necessary.

Evaluation: Promising

She finished up her report as she headed to her office.

“Miss Sera,” she greeted. “Here is the report.”

“Thank you.” She nodded and took the tech pad. “Erm… are you alright?”

Her keen eye noticed the slightly disheveled hair. Her clothes were creased in some particular areas. She had an uneven gait and a faint blush on her cheeks.

“Yes. Please don't mind it.” Estelle coughed and brushed it off.

“T-thank you for your hard work.”