...
Next thing Will knew, he was in a beautiful garden. It was decorated with beautiful flowers of all kinds. There was a big pond near where he was standing, and next to it was a table with two chairs. On the tables were delicacies, food like sandwiches, pigs in a blanket, cheese, and many other things.
"This is..." Will was stunned by the sight. Normally he wasn't much for aesthetic beauty, but he couldn't help but marvel at the sight, especially the food. Will was a serious glutton. He loved any food, so long as it had starch, cheese and meat, especially meat.
Will was once taught an African word by his best friend. It was nyama. It meant meat. Will noticed that his friend would always shout this when he saw a girl with an ass. At first he found it odd, but eventually, he was doing it too!
"Please join me." Modus was standing right next to Will. He pointed towards the table and sat down on one end.
Will sat down very quickly and started wolfing down everything in sight. He didn't even ask if he could eat. Frankly, he was too hungry to care. It was almost as if he hadn't even noticed that he was hungry this whole time. He ate much more than he usually did, and he usually ate a lot. He thought that at some point he would be able to satiate his hunger, but he couldn't stop!
The issue wasn't just that his appetite was voracious. Another thing was that the delicacies that were on the table, all just happened to be some of Will's favorites!
For example, there was pork lasagna on the table. That was Will's most favorite dish, a combination of his three favorite components, including his most favorite meat.
It was almost as if the person who had prepared this food knew what Will liked. Will only realized this after he had cleared the entire table. He looked up at Modus and eyed him suspiciously.
"Marvelous! Not even a bread crumb is left on the plates! One could even say that the plates are cleaner than they were before the food was put on them, splendid hahaha!"
Will didn't find the joke funny. Modus laughed by himself but he didn't mind. Will's expression made it all the more amusing. Will knew he was a messy eater, but he didn't care. He was still thinking about how Modus knew his favorite foods.
"Exactly how much do you know about me?" This was the best thing to say, that Will could think of. These people made earth into a video game, so if they could read minds Will wouldn't be surprised. What he cared about was how much they knew about him.
"Let's just say even if you deleted your online history, I would know everything. I have met people who loved women's bodies before but you, my friend take the cake, especially your obsession with women's behinds. Tell me why do you like them so big?" Modus asked Will this very strange question with a serious tone. It was clear that he wasn't joking.
"Taste has no reason. You don't need to know why you like something. You just do. Anyone who thinks they can explain their taste is lying to themselves." Said Will with gusto.
Modus clapped to Will's answer. "Excellent! I knew I had made the right choice! You are clearly a wise young man indeed." Modus was clearly pleased.
This was the first time he had been complimented by someone for his fetish. It felt rather odd, yet refreshing at the same time.
"Ehem, would you mind telling me why I am here?" Will finally got to the main agenda. He could no longer hold back his curiosity.
Modus: "Ah yes, it's quite simple. Do you remember what I request of you?"
Will: "You want me to become immortal."
Modus: "Right! Do you know how to do that?"
Will: "I assume it has something to do with cultivation."
Modus: "Exactly! And the best way to achieve that is through increasing your stats and level. And the best way for you to do that is to enter a dungeon."
Will had had a foreboding feeling when he had arrived here. At first, he had put it at the back of his mind. Now he knew he was right.
Will knew about dungeons. In games, they were maps where monsters would gather and you had to fight your way through them. The system had something similar. The monsters in the system were called demonic beasts. Inside dungeons, you would find them on the floors, the higher the floor, the stronger the beasts.
"So you want me to enter a dungeon?" Will was hoping Modus would say no. Unfortunately, this wasn't his moment.
"As you say, Will, 'exactamundo'." Modus nodded.
"I see..." Will was very unhappy. He didn't want to do this for one very simple reason, Death. Although dungeons were the best places to gain experience, they were also the easiest places to die. That's when an idea hit Will.
"And if I die? Do I have spare lives?"
"No. This might look like a game but it isn't. As you mentioned earlier, this is a form of cultivation. In the road of cultivation, there are no second lives. Well, most of the time anyway." Modus said these words as if they were the most natural thing in the world.
It really wasn't a game. This fact never really occurred to Will until now. This wasn't as casual as Modus delivered it.
People could die from this.
Will started to really think. What would happen if at least a quarter of the human race got superpowers? Not to mention demonic beasts escaping from dungeons. The world would be in chaos. Many people would die. This thought frightened Will.
'What about my family.'
Will started worrying. His family was in danger. He had no idea what he could do. Even if he went back home, that didn't guarantee their safety. He wasn't the only person who would be given incredible abilities.
There was only one way to guarantee their safety. Will steeled his resolve and looked straight at Modus.
"As long as you can guarantee the safety of my family, I will do anything you say." Will's face looked grave as he said this. Modus could tell that this was a difficult decision to make. He essentially gave up his free will. Although Will already belonged to Modus, now he had a real reason to work hard. So Modus was more than happy to oblige.
"Of course, Adelda is already on it. She is looking over your family as we speak. She is even making sure that they get great classes." Will breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. Now he could put all his effort into grinding in the dungeon. He was about to continue talking when he suddenly had an idea.
"I only have one more request."
...
A few hours later Modus was looking at Will, who was stretching his arms lazily. Since he had a mask, Will couldn't see Modus' facial expression. If he could, he would see the astonishment on his face.
"Young man, I have to say I'm impressed." Modus sighed.
"Hhmm?" Will looked at Modus, not really sure what he meant.
"When you asked me for a favor, I wasn't really expecting that. I am impressed you have so much foresight." Modus really was impressed. He wasn't joking like earlier.
Will could tell this, so he was surprised. He wasn't used to Modus being so...sincere. To be honest, it creeped Will out.
"Alright, to show how pleased I am with what you just did, I will give you a gift."
Suddenly, in Modus' right hand appeared a sword, or to be more precise a katana. Modus threw the katana to Will; he caught it by the handle and immediately tightened his grip, holding it felt natural. The katana looked old and rusty. It was even chipped in some places. The first one Modus had given him had been clean and seemed new, but this looked like it could break at any second.
Wait, where did the first sword go? I'm pretty sure just before I was teleported here; I was holding it in my hand.
The same sensation that occurred to Will before occurred again. The sword felt like an extension of his arm. He felt like he had been using swords for years. The katana had a natural feel to it, with an air of familiarity that, ordinarily, shouldn't have been there for an introverted nerdy gamer-kid.
"Boy! Think fast!"
As soon as Will heard this, his body felt strange. All of the hairs on his skin stood on end, his senses heightened, his heart rate quickened, his mind suddenly felt like it was in danger. Only one word resonated in his mind. Death!
Something dangerous was approaching Will at lightning speed. Will looked up to see what it was and saw that Modus had another sword in his hand. He was a few steps away from Will. Modus took a large stride forward and swung his long katana down. The sheer force of this swing caused the wind around them to become violent, killing intent spilled from Modus' body like lava from an active volcano.
Will was scared. He didn't want to die. The killing intent spilling from Modus was like a mountain; so heavy it made Will unable to move. Will panicked. His brain started going into overdrive.
Why does he want to kill me?
There was no doubt that if Will didn't move, Modus would kill him. Will's instinct told him this.
Damn it! If I don't move I'll die!
Will's blood started pumping, his yuan rapidly moved through his spiritual veins, giving him strength. The little bit of knowledge he had gleaned from the Solitary Sword Sovereign suddenly came into his mind. These words were something he had ignored, but now he for some reason they were entering his mind
His senses went into overdrive, so much that time seemed to slow down. The sword that was moving towards his head seemed to stand still, Modus as well.
That's when Will fully recollected the words.
'The path of the sword is the path of death. The sword is not a toy, neither is it merely a tool. It is a weapon designed to kill. The best way to master such a weapon is to master its aspects. In other words, to master the sword is to master death. You must understand death; let it permeate your very soul.
Death must become even more important than your brother, you should focus on it more than you do your sister, you should love it more than you do your mother and you should learn from it more than you do from your father.
Understand death.
Use it.
Master it.
Become a Sovereign of death, and the Dao of the sword shall become your slave!'
Will had read these words, but he hadn't fully understood them. He knew that there was some profound message, so he had been processing it subconsciously the entire time but to no avail.
It was only in this situation, where his life was in danger, that Will finally understood the meaning behind those words.
Will gained enlightenment!