'Mmh…hhhh..'
When Lin Ming opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness.
"So I really am dead, huh.." He whispered to himself before letting out a helpless sigh. He seemed a bit too calm and collected for someone who just lost his life.
"Oh well. At least I didn't die a coward like last time.." Lin Ming decided to be a bit more positive since he was already dead and there was nothing he could do to change the past.
Crank!
"What the-" All of a sudden, Lin Ming felt his body shaking, followed by a loud noise that was unfamiliar to him.
'What on earth is happening?' Lin Ming was confused, but just then-
Clank!
He heard the sound of something opening, and the darkness that he was surrounded with was instantly replaced by the bright sunlight that shot down from the sky and onto his face.
"What the hell? There's a kid here!" A man's face popped into view, blocking the bright light of the sun, and Lin Ming raised his eyebrows, surprise evident in his gaze.
"What are you doing in a dumpster, kid?" The man asked as he stretched out his hand towards Lin Ming, who continued staring at the man's face with a confused expression on his face.
"Yoo-hoo.. hey kid! Hello?" The man clicked his tongue at the lack of response from the strange kid before forcefully grabbing the boy's hand, causing Lin Ming to snap back to reality, and he let out a short exclamation. "Ah!"
The man pulled Lin Ming out of the dumpster, who although confused, complied with the man's request without complaining or showing any resistance.
"What in god's name.." Lin Ming's eyes widened once he exited the dumpster, and he stared at the countless buildings, the structures of which did not seem to bear any resemblance to the architecture of the world that he had been inhabiting just a few moments ago.
"Don't tell me…" Lin Ming murmured under his breath before he turned to the side and stared at his own reflection in the broken mirror that was placed next to the brick wall a few meters away from him, and his eyes suddenly became misty. "... Am I back?"
-------------------
Before his life as a 'dark sorcerer', Lin Ming had another life in another world. He was Lin Chen, a young man who was studying to get accepted into Grand Central University, which was situated in Sky City. Grand Central University was considered to be one of the best universities in the world for cultivators, and getting accepted into the university meant that you were bound to be scouted by the S-Grade Guilds.
However, Lin Chen was deemed to possess only an E-Grade talent in his third and final test, which was one of the worst grade talents you could ever receive as a student. This resulted in him being shunned by those whom he considered close friends. He even got dumped by his girlfriend, Jia Sterling, who left him for another man.
Humiliated by almost everyone in his life, he chose to leave his hometown forever, adopting the life of a vagrant, and did whatever job that he could find in order to make a living.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck once again, as an S-Grade monster appeared in the Nexus mines where Lin Chen was working, and he was killed by the monster alongside countless others.
It was the end. Or at least, it should've been the end for him. But for some reason, Lin Chen woke up once again, except this time, he was in a different body, in a different city, and in a different world than the one he remembered.
This world was different. It was a different time period compared to the one Lin Chen was used to. It reminded him of the medieval times that they had studied in history classes. Except this world did not know the concept of cultivation, but practiced something similar to it; Magic Arts.
Lin Chen, who was known as Lin Ming in this world, felt like he had been given a second chance to live life without any regrets, which made him feel hopeful again.
But this hope wouldn't last long, as he soon realized that this new world was cruel and ruthless for a weak person such as himself. He was deemed as a C-Grade talent, which would've been considered a good score in his previous world. But unfortunately for Lin, this new world was not so kind. A C-Grade talent meant that he was considered worthless by the major factions; someone who was expendable.
But the worst part was that these factions acted similarly to cults. They wouldn't let you leave the faction even though you were considered trash, and the members of the faction who were deemed worthless were removed from the Main Sector and moved to the Secret Subjects Sector, where they would be forced to train every single second, and were experimented on by the demonic arts instructors. They were taught the dark arts, and were forced to sign a contract with a demon spirit, which would give a boost to their power and abilities.
The subjects of this sector were utilized similarly to mercenaries. They were in charge of completing missions that were considered too complicated for the faction to interfere. Dirty jobs.
Of course, deaths were common, be it during a mission or even during experiments. It didn't matter to the higher-ups nor the instructors, as for them, they were merely worthless slaves. Lin, who didn't wish to die in such a pathetic way for a second time, did his best to keep himself safe. He worked harder than anyone, making major improvements in both his physical strength as well as his magical abilities.
The Secret Subjects Sector, which involved the usage of demonic arts, was kept a secret by the major factions so as to not sully their reputation. And when Lin was finally able to free himself from these crazy and inhuman bastards, he was labelled as a crazy demon worshipper by the faction, and was hunted down.
Lin had thought that was it. That it was the end for him. He wouldn't receive a third chance, would he? Surely not.
"I can't believe I'm back!" Lin Ming, who was now Lin Chen once again, was crying tears of joy as he stared at the billboard in front of him, which was advertising the Grand Central University entrance exams!
Not only was he back, but he was sent back to when the Final Talent Grades were being decided.
Lin Chen Clenched his fist as he declared, "Now that I'm back, I'll make sure that I'll change my fate!"