[DING]
[Congratulations Ken…]
Mika's voice entered his mind. Despite no longer being monotonous, Ken could instantly recognize it. His spirits soared, but he was a little confused. Why was she appearing now?
'Mika, what's going on? Didn't you say that you had to leave to keep this reality stable?'
[…]
[I'm sorry Ken…]
'What do you mean? Why are you sorry?'
[We… lied to you]
[The system was concerned that you would not give your all to improve and play earnestly in the Major League. Please forgive us]
Ken's brow furrowed, not understanding what was happening.
'What? What did you lie about? Is all of this not real?' Panic crossed with anger filled Ken, causing his mind to race.
Just when he had accepted the new reality and his goal, this happened. His thoughts instantly moved to his wife and unborn children who he already loved dearly.
If it turned out that these things weren't real, Ken didn't know what he would do.
[Warning: Heart rate increasing exponentially. Please control your breathing]
[Warning: Panic attack imminent.]
Ken's hand moved up to his heart and he gripped his chest, feeling overwhelmed.
[Administering sedative]
Ken felt his body begin to relax and the rising panic that gripped him suddenly lulled, kicking him out of his panic attack.
'Answer me… Mika.'
[Very well]
[This reality is not falling apart]
'What?'
[When the system read your mind back then, it realized that your priorities had changed. Baseball was no longer your top priority.]
'Yeah and so what!? It's a damn game.'
Mika ignored his words and continued.
[The system felt threatened, therefore it crafted a convenient lie in order to get you to dedicate yourself to baseball once again. I apologize for my part in all of this, Ken]
'Wait… are you saying that all of these visions I've been having all along have been because of the system? All the different "realities" were just a ploy to get me to believe that this reality was crumbling?'
Ken blinked a few times, trying to wrap his head around it.
[Yes, I'm afraid so…]
Pain and anger flushed through him, threatening to burst. He had never felt so betrayed before in his life. Because of this incident, Ken had risked his whole career and wellbeing of his family to go all-in this season.
He purposefully stirred up the media and made outrageous claims, all to increase his fame with the sole purpose of saving everyone. Not only had he been working like crazy, he also spent 4 hour each night in the Image Training to improve.
And all this was because of a lie?
Ken's expression turned grave, almost desperate, 'Tell me this now, Mika… Is this reality I'm in right now real? You better tell me the truth right now or I swear to god I will destroy both my arms in front of you now.'
[This is real, Ken. I can promise you this]
'I don't believe your damn promises!' Ken screamed in his mind.
'IS THIS REAL OR NOT!?'
[…]
[I can assure you, this is real]
Ken was silent for a while, but inwardly he was praying that she was telling the truth. If she was lying once more, then he might not be able to take it.
'So… Why are you telling me this now? Wouldn't it have been better to wait until after the season?' Ken asked, his tone cold.
[Because you activated the function. I had no choice but to tell you]
'And what is this function?'
As if to answer him, he heard the sound of a notification.
[DING]
#NEW MISSION: Final Showdown
*Task 1: Throw a Perfect Game
*Task 2: Win the World Series
REWARDS:
>System Integration
FAILURE:
>Loss of system and skills
Ken's eyes briefly scanned the mission, his eyes lingering on the rewards and failure.
[With this, you have a chance to take make the system your own, absorbing its existence entirely. But if you fail… It will take everything that you've grown and leave to find another host.]
'Everything?' Ken asked.
[Everything. You would return to the talent you had in Middle school.]
At this, Ken couldn't help but laugh. He had worked so hard this life, but if he didn't succeed in this final mission, it would all be for nothing.
If he lost his current talents, who knew how long it would take to get back to the position he was in now? Even with all of his knowledge, Ken wasn't even sure that it was possible.
'So it's basically succeed or die, right?'
[Your life will not be in danger]
'You know what I mean, Mika. What could the system possibly want from this? Is it just glory?' Ken asked.
[Unknown]
Ken shook his head. It seemed like he wasn't going to get any answers about this.
'What was the 1,000,000 Major point option?' Ken asked, changing the subject.
[Answer: An ultimate skill]
Ken raised an eyebrow. Shouldn't the lesser option have been something else?
[If you chose this option, the system would have taken it all back after this season.]
Ken sucked in a cold breath of air, realizing how close he'd been to ruin. Even if he had managed to throw a perfect game and qualify for the World Series, after losing the system and reverting to his Middle school talent, he'd be forced to quit baseball.
'This is too much Mika…' Ken said, feeling a headache starting.
To think that he'd been used and abused by the system at the end of all this.
[I'm really sorry Ken]
'Whatever.' Ken replied, laying his head down on the pillow.
He couldn't believe that he had been played like a fiddle. Now more than ever, he wanted to teach the damn system a lesson. Now that it had come to this, there was no way that he was going to lose, not when he'd come so far.
Part of him was happy that the reality theory was a lie since it meant that no matter what happened, he would still be here afterwards. He had his wife, family and two children on the way, nothing was worth more than this.
[Activating Sleep Protocol]
'Mika what…'
Ken's vision went dark and he drifted off to sleep.