According to the system analysis, the Host is still missing a total of 6 body parts, at least.]
[The first is Host’s Muscular System,] the system said as Ryuk’s brow knitted in confusion.
"My muscular system? Isn’t that the same as the skeletal system?" he asked, confused, and the panel blinked.
[No. The skeletal system is not the same as the muscular system.]
[The host’s skeletal system simply provides a rigid framework for the Host’s body.]
[Previously, one could say Host had just been fighting with his heart, brain, and lungs, which metaphorically means Host’s will, thought, and breath.]
[Just like a ghost,] the system said as Ryuk’s expression crumbled.
[But now, with Host’s bones having returned, Host has a framework to exist in the world again. The host is no longer formless or ethereal.]
[And symbolically, regaining the skeletal system is like regaining identity and legacy.]
[Host can now stand, withstand, and not crumble.]
[The presence of the nanotech body is what made Host not really understand just how devastating his previous state was, and how much better it had gotten from obtaining back the skeletal system.]
[But still, even with the skeletal system obtained, Host is frail. There’s no force behind Host’s movements.]
[Like a solid frame with no strength.]
The system seemed to mock him, eliciting a hmph from Ryuk in response.
"No strength? I have 6,500 points in strength!" he argued, but the system ignored him and continued.
[The muscular system will allow the Host to finally move with force.]
[Right now, the Host can stand and withstand attacks, but only with the muscular system can the Host truly fight back, instead of just surviving.]
[It’ll be a monumental difference. The point where Host obtains true brute power.]
The system explained, and a light gleamed in Ryuk’s eyes.
[But then, without Host’s second most important body system, which is the Nervous System, Host’s strength will be wild, unstable, and uncoordinated.]
[Host will be able to hit hard with the aid of the skeletal and muscular systems, but without the nervous system, Host can only hit hard, not aim well.]
[Same for Host’s reaction speed, which would grow even lower due to the strain of the muscular and skeletal systems, and lack of the nervous system.]
’So the second missing part after the muscular system is the nervous system, huh?’
[Yes, Host.]
It replied, and kept silent, but then he asked—
"Tell me about the rest. I want to know what’s still missing and how that links up to my full identity," he said as the panel blinked once more.
[While Host can now fight well with his skeletal system and muscular system obtained—and even gain accuracy with the aid of his nervous system—Host can only last long with his circulatory system.]
"Circulatory system?"
’Like my Veins.’
[Yes, and the ones Host has right now are not his, but belong to his uncle, Bob’zhakir.]
[It can still support Host now, with only the skeletal system obtained, but once Host obtains his Muscular system, then it’s only a matter of time before Host’s muscles begin cramping, and Host would lack stamina.]
[But with the circulatory system, Host can fight even longer, heal more naturally, and truly begin to move like a living being again.]
[The circulatory system symbolizes reconnection with the Host’s internal world.]
"Hmm, that makes it truly seem important. What’s next?"
[After the circulatory system is obtained, then the Host will need his digestive system—and be given the ability to absorb nutrients for growth, repair, and sustenance.]
[Without it, there would be no true natural regeneration at all,] the system said, but Ryuk grew more confused.
’But I can regenerate, right?’
[Yes, partly due to Host’s Anunnaki-model body that tries to automatically fix and restore what it determines.]
[The host isn’t capable of natural regeneration by himself.]
The system explained as his heart unnaturally unthumped.
’I’m not capable of regeneration,’ he thought to himself.
If he wasn’t capable of regeneration, then that was truly something bad. The thought of him being unable to heal up after a battle...
It’s the same as falling into a coma forever.
’I...I understand.’
[If the digestive system is obtained, the next would be the Host’s reproductive system.]
[I believe the Host already knows what this does, doesn’t he?]
It said as Ryuk gently nodded.
[But then, I’ll have to add the advantage that once Host obtains it, he would finally stop being an eunuch and finally be a man to his—]
’Hey! Shut the fuck up!’ Ryuk screamed out within him, and he could swear he heard the mocking laugh in his head, no doubt coming from the system.
It was mocking him.
"And that’s five systems already. What’s the last one?" he said, unable to wait and shutting down the system before him.
[The last missing body part isn’t a system, Host.]
[It’s something far more valuable compared to them all combined,] the system said, its tone regaining focus and seriousness, and Ryuk asked—
"And what is that?"
[Host’s Soul Core.]
The system replied, as a bizarre expression appeared on his face.
"My... soul core?"
[Yes. It is the true essence of you, Ryuk. Your true meaning and divine origin.]
[The true source of your Knull Lineage, your draconic spirit, and creator potential.]
[Your broken soul has shattered your ascension path and locked you in a lesser form.]
[Even if you got all your body parts back, without your soul core, you would never ascend into your true form.]
’I don’t understand,’ Ryuk mused confusedly.
[The difference between obtaining your soul core and obtaining all your body parts is the difference between a God and a Mortal.]
[Your body parts may allow you to be able to fight, destroy, or endure—but you will never be able to transcend, or evolve, nor create life.]
"But... I thought the reproductive system could create life?" Ryuk asked.
[No.]
[It just gives you an active third leg that can be used to fulfill the unholy cravings of the opposite sex.]
[It can’t create a new you—or anything beyond you.]
[In fact, the Soul Core is the only cause of existence, and the fact that you exist is due to possessing a tiny fragment of your soul core in you.]
[Without it, there would be no Ryuk in the first place.]
[But still, the majority of it, about 95%, is gone—taken away from you.]
The system said, as his gaze grew unconsciously cold.
’So there are a total of 5 body parts left, along with my soul core... and coincidentally, there just happens to be 6 Calamities left.’
[Zar’kul is right. Your body parts truly were split equally amongst the Calamities.]