Jim was confused as to what was going on, and being alone, there was no one present who could clarify what was happening. The only thing he could do was hope that a plausible explanation would present itself eventually.
Staring at the message, it said he had awakened his 'attribute', whatever that was. Searching through his memories, he tried to remember if he had heard that name from one of the online novels he had read in the past, but nothing seemed familiar to him.
'I guess I never bothered reading novels that had to do with attributes,' Jim thought, giving it a rest and trying to figure out something else.
'What does it attribute 'Child Of Death,' mean exactly?' he thought.
[Host wishes to know more about his attribute]
[Give me a moment to gather data]
At this point Jim didn't want to stress himself too much as to what was going on as he simply let the words form themselves before him.
[Would you like the written explanation or the visual explanation?]
There wasn't really anything Jim thought he could do in death. So, he chose the visual explanation. Not long after, his surroundings started to change. The thick darkness was replaced by light, and a more recognizable terrain began to appear. Large green trees, the sound of birds chirping, and that of flowing water, could be heard. Judging by his environment, Jim could guess where he was, app that was left was to fully believe it.
The sound of horse footsteps could be heard as a carriage moved past him. His first instinct was to run and hide, but some more words appeared, making him change his mind.
[You have been transported to the medival era to understand your attribute more.]
[Since you are a spirit, no one can see you.]
The system also relayed further instructions.
[Walk towards the entrance into the city and wait five minutes.]
Although Jim didn't know where the entrance was, an image of a well-detailed map suddenly appeared in his head. Following its directions, he eventually reached his destination. Just as the system had said, no one seemed to pay attention to him. At one point, he thought he was about to bump right into someone, only to realize the person fazed through him.
Once the five minutes were up, a loud horn could be heard as a squad of knights charged into the settlement. It was clear what their intention was as the started killing every civilian in sight. No one was spared as the settlement was quickly wiped out and the invaders moved towards the next settlement.
Due to his current state, Jim couldn't feel concern for the lives that were lost, and instead focused on something else. For every person killed, there was a slight feeling in his body. It felt like something was added to him, which he could not explain.
[Do you feel that?]
[That is the power of your attribute]
Jim still didn't understand, but waited for the system to explain further.
[As a Child Of Death, you have the ability to syphon the energy of the those killed who are near you. Now, you have not only come to understand your attribute, but you have also aquired a considerable amount of energy. Wise choice.]
Jim didn't plan on telling the system his true reason for picking the visual explanation instead of the written, but he could guess the system was already aware of it since the messages seemed to be linked to his mind somehow.
[Let me teleport you back to Limbo]
[Just give me a moment]
His surroundings suddenly changed once again. Darkness shrouded his vision as he found himself unmoving once again.
[Energy 60/100]
[Next LVL: 60/100]
'So this must be a representation of the energy I gained back there,' Jim thought.
[Correct]
This response had only confirmed his fears.
[With this amount of energy, you now have enough to gain entrance back into the realm of the living]
Reading the system message, Jim felt like he could finally encounter something more interesting than this realm of Limbo. Wasting no time, Jim wished he could travel back to the living world and see his friends and family once again.
[I would like to clear a few things up first] the system declared.
[Travelling back to the living world, you will do so as an undead, meaning you will not be able to enjoy the pleasures you once did back there]
Considering his current disposition, Jim didn't really care too much about that and responded that he was okay with the stipulated rules.
[Also, there is a limited time during which you can remain on that plane, after the time is up, you will return back to the world of Limbo]
'What determines the time I can spend on the living plane?' Jim asked.
[Each energy point represents one minute, meaning you can roam on the living plane for one hour only]
Although Jim found the time restraints a tad irritating, he imagined there was a way he could extend the time frame, so he asked the system if it was possible to do so while in the living world.
[There is only one way you can do so, and that is by taking lives. Considering a set of factors, you can obtain more or less energy from killing someone]
Jim had no qualms about the rules. As long as it wasn't someone dear to him he had to kill, he would become the grim reaper himself if it meant more time in the other plane.
[New feature unlocked: Gateway To Earth]
[This features allows you to travel to Earth provided you have the energy. To activate it, all you have to do is say the words]
Following the instructions, a bright flash of light suddenly engulfed Jim's being, making it hard for him to see what was happening as the intensity of the light made him slam his eyelids shut. Once the bright glow began to fade, his eyelids slowly opened, and looking around, he realized he had appeared in the garage of the club.
Amongst other things, he noticed the garage still looked quite dimly lit, which only confirmed that it was still dark outside. Searching for his limousine, he noticed it was still parked where the driver had left it. Once they had arrived at the club, Jim had told the man to take a cab back home because he and his friends weren't sure how long they would be staying at the club and they didn't want the man to wait unnecessarily for them.
They planned on calling him to pick them up once they had decided to head back home so they had gotten his phone number. Fishing his phone from his pocket, Jim was at least glad that his murderer didn't steal any of his belongings, something he found quite strange, but decided to not bother himself with for now.
Dialling the man's number, he picked up on the first ring. Jim explained that he needed a ride, and the man said he would be there in about thirty minutes.
'Thirty?! That half the time I have left...' deciding otherwise against waiting for the driver, he said he would simply walk home, before ending the call, not bothering for a reply from the other person.
Jim had no intention of walking home. He had other ideas in mind. Taking the key out of his pocket, he got it the driver's seat, and started the car. Of course, Jim knew how to drive. He had been taking driving lessons from his sister ever since he was fifteen. The only problem was that he didn't have a driver's license. Hopefully, that wouldn't be a problem at the current time, as the streets were mostly devoid of people during these early hours of the day.
Parking right in front of his house, Jim got up to his front door, using a spare key he always kept with him, he snuck his way into the house, and got into his room without being noticed by Amanda.
Despite having no problems with making it seem like he hadn't been murdered back there, as a matter of fact, there were no blood stains where his body laid and his clothes were clear and free from damage. There was still the issue that his time would be up long before it was morning.
[Take this as an opportunity. Most are at home at the moment, sleeping or doing whatever. Surely, there are those still out by this time. Sending them to the world of the dead, your time will be further extended]
Heaving a sigh, Jim would just have to do as the system said if he wishes this second chance of his to last a little bit longer, at least until something more interesting presented itself.