The Last Legendary System

"Care to say that again?"

[Reminder!]

[Mission: Recruit Elf Empress!]

The elf girl’s eyes followed his hands. "Has the sun burnt off your ears? Your clothes are an eyesore and a clear indication that you don’t belong in these parts. Leave before I react."

Benign glanced down at his dark blue uniform. Sand clung stubbornly to the fabric, and green blood had dried along one sleeve. He brushed it off with unnecessary care.

"These clothes are the proud uniform of the Jarshi Military Forces." His hand rested on the revolver at his waist. "Show some respect."

[Reminder!]

[Are you genuinely offended about a uniform, Host!]

[Recruit Elf Empress!]

Benign ignored the system again, watching her movements. He saw her expression change as she scrutinized him. He felt offended because they were both in a desert, and anyone would die here if they didn’t get water and food.

But he understood her reasoning. These realms were in a difficult state, so lending a helping hand to anyone could be fatal.

He didn’t need to attempt to use force, especially as a staff that sounded like a homing device rested beside her.

Still. He held the gun in front of him.

"I have to get in."

’Let’s see what her next move will be.’

[Reminder!!]

[Benign Cross, what are you doing?]

The elf girl reacted instantly. Her steel rod broke in two, dividing into arrowheads that could cut through a droplet. She stooped in an attack stance, her entire demeanor changing instantly.

"Try."

[Beneta Crocs!]

[Error.]

[Benign Cross!]

[You will get killed!]

[I believe I said this in my first introduction, but Elves have magic!]

[She might not look like a warrior to you, but she is one!]

Benign slowly returned the gun to his waist. He smirked. "No, thank you. You can put those away now, as I did. I only tested you to be sure you are truly an elf warrior."

Silence.

To his surprise, the elf girl dropped her stance and reconnected her weapon to form the rod. She looked him over from head to toe.

"Testing me? Who are you to test me?"

[Important questions, Cross. Important questions.]

Benign hummed, a part of him enjoying hearing his system losing its bits. There were also fewer glitches when it was panicking, so he made a note of that.

The girl tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You. I saw you before, didn’t I?"

"You did?" He acted oblivious. She was clearly the one he had met in the sky a few minutes ago. And the fact that she could fly within clouds already told him that he stood no chance.

Trying to rile her up was just for the sake of it. Getting pretty women riled up was a guilty pleasure.

He snapped his fingers. "Right. I was trying to stop some Olien lizard-men from causing trouble around your realm."

The steel rod lowered to her side. She dropped her defenses. "Why? Who are you to do that for us"

"Why not?" Benign went on. "I am part of the Protectors of the three realms. I know about the glitches, and I genuinely want to help solve them. Nice to meet you, miss."

He stretched a hand, and it hung there.

He hoped that sounded believable. ’Protector of the Realms’ was random jargon he had read in a webnovel.

"Protectors of realms." Her eyes softened. "They finally reunited? I didn’t think they’d ever grow a conscience."

Benign paused, dropping his outstretched hand. ’Wait. Is there actually a group like that?’

"I’d take you to my father, the chief." She walked back three steps and waved her hand.

What Benign thought had been a shack behind her faded into an entrance with flowery vines around it.

"Come. We don’t have many warriors to spare, but we’ll do what we can to help you." She squinted her eyes. "If you’re truly a protector of realms."

Benign cleared his throat and nodded reassuringly. She had believed him somehow. Acting like someone else wasn’t new to him.

His experience serving in a spy unit would prove useful. "I mean no harm, my lady. That’s the bottom line of everything."

She nodded and walked in.

"What were you saying earlier, Lego?"

The system said nothing.

"Exactly. I’m the main player of whatever this system game is. Don’t worry and relax."

[Understood, Beneta Cross.]

He sighed and walked into the entrance. He found the elf girl waiting.

His eyes scanned the environment in one sweep.

The inside contrasted with the scorching desert. The place was cool with a temperate sun above the clouds, and birds danced about the lush trees surrounding the huts.

’Did they grow a forest within the desert using magic? Or is this a portal of some sort?’

Behind him, the entrance closes. His senses sharpened as he realized he was either in an enemy’s or an ally’s territory, and he had no backup plan for that.

"A mission pops up when there’s a threat to my life or when I need to recruit an ally. Yes?"

[Precisely.]

That meant, depending on what view the elf chief had of him, he would get a mission. "What happens if I kill the elf chief? If it gets that bad."

[The whole station, Kiron of Noria, comes for you. If you overpower all of them, you keep the place under you. You can also contact the two other stations around the desert.]

"But?"

[There are at least 500 elves here. More than one-third are combatants.]

[Calculating chances of survival, based on your skills and current ability...]

[32%]

[Error.]

[31.9%]

’That is still pretty high.’

"Oh, yeah. Recalculate without Hell Rain."

[0.001%]

"Ah." Benign sighed, rubbing his hands together. "I should speak as diplomatically as possible then," he hastened to catch up to the elf girl.

The elf girl stood in front of a cottage surrounded by bright red roses and hibiscus. "Can I come in, father?"

There was no response.

"Father?" She went inside, leaving Benign out. "No! NO!"

Benign rushed inside. His eyes took in the place in a second before dropping on the figure convulsing on the ground.

[Warning.]

[Glitch progression detected.]

He took a step back when he saw a body morph into a figure with a thin body and longer ears before shifting to a dragon-like creature. The figure shifted back to an old elf with straight ears.

"He’s... he’s really glitching."

The old man stretched a hand to his daughter, but Benign pulled her away before they touched.

The elf girl fell to the ground. "No... It got to him... What will... happen to Kiron now? Do I have to kill... my own?" Her breathing became ragged.

He saw the elf girl’s hair, the blond streaks scattered on the pink, slowly dim down to a dark shade, as she held her father crying. Benign pulled her further back, contemplating. If the glitching has already infected the place, shouldn’t he be looking for a way out?

"Lego. Any help here? We need this man alive."

[Glitches don’t affect Systemists, but they will affect her.]

"Wha—" His mind went back to the injured man from earlier. "Why didn’t you say so immediately?"

[I did. But you ordered ’Stop doing that!’ afterwards.]

Benign pulled the girl back from touching her father again.

At least he should save one of them.

[Have contact with the elf chief to stop the glitches, else he’d be transported to another realm with his biology infected permanently.]

As Lego provided the information, Benign rushed to the chief and held his shoulders. "Breathe in, sir. Breathe in and try to relax. I got you, breathe in."

The older elf tried to do as instructed while clenching Benign’s hand. His reddened body and neck slowly returned to their normal color and size.

His fingers unfurled and became straight. He still breathed heavily with fear-struck eyes that began dancing about in panic. He dropped those eyes on Benign.

"You... one of them."

Benign nodded. If he meant the protectors of the realm, then he would claim to be one. "I am, sir. Breathe in."

The old elf’s eyes became sharp and hateful. "You... You returned with these cursed glitches! Your body is stained with the wars of many realms!"

Benign let go of the elf, and his daughter rushed to him, wrapping him in a hug and calming him down.

The old man pointed at him with shaky hands. "Murderer!"

The soldier stared at the old elf in disbelief. He couldn’t understand what ’stained by wars of many realms’ meant.

"No, father. He saved you." The girl yelled over her father. "This man is a protect—"

"Lies!" the old elf barked, his eyes glowing. "He’s one of them! They don’t belong here! They are infecting us."

Benign turned his back as he heard other elves banging on the door to know why their chief yelled.

’Am I in trouble? Has the situation gone south already?’

He looked back at the shaking old man. This was his first time transmigrating into this place.

’Isn’t it?’