The twenty-one year old man, Tian Xu watched, unaffected by his demise. He'd done all he wanted, after all, the prophet that had been correct all his life had declared his death was guaranteed, no matter what. After being told this information, he became highly aware, seeing things that normal humans wouldn't, like things from seventy miles away.
But he wanted to run from death.
Changing his mind, he got in the elevator, and let it descend.
Suddenly, rubble hit the elevator.
The elevator went dark, as it fell to the first floor.
Luckily, Tian was educated in such events.
He started to try to barge open the elevator door.
He checked his phone, and attempted to call someone.
But as he opened it, everything went black. Although he couldn't see, he could still hear. A spilling of a liquid, and the ambulance.
It was so unfair.
He had been taken out just like that.
After death was unable to catch him, it played cheaply?
Please tell me I didn't just die to rubble breaking through the elevator.
Dang, as I die, God, I tell you that I want to return to that world and make Death kneel for not just killing me off like a man with some fire or something.
As he thought that, his eyes slowly opened again.
He was in a capsule filled with a liquid foreign to him, its color a mix of green and cyan.
He banged against the glass, desperately trying to get out. As a minute passed by, he decided to yield to death and closed his eyes.
[ Simple System has assimilated. User should immediately take the following actions to prevent their medical condition - Qi Misinput from happening ever again.
Qi Form Defeat
Qi Soul Expansion
Learn Dragon Breath Fist and break through Mortal Realm. ]
The name of the technique sounded like something out of the Xianxia section of novels, which he had briefly read about after quitting his job. And, so did the voice that had just rung.
Qi Soul Expansion? What is this, a anime about sorcery and ancient demons? The idea entertained him, before he realized he was still in the capsule.
He kicked his feet around in a antsy movement, finally, the voice rung again.
[ To get out of this enclosure, you must channel a wave of energy quickly exiting from your fist as you fire, like a snake launching at someone, and at your current level, you will effectively create a new technique! ]
He followed what it said in a haste, causing the whole capsule to explode open, glass shards flinging around the room he was in.
Alongside a bed, there was a drawer with a bloody knife set on it. Next to the drawer has a long, rectangular mirror set vertically with drops of dried blood on it.
He breathed in and out calmly, until the originally quiet atmosphere was interrupted by footsteps getting closer.
He looked around, until throwing himself into the small white closet to the left side of the room, contrasting with its sinister blood-filled counterpart, the right side with the drawer and mirror.
He was quiet, silencing his fear to listen to whoever or whatever had entered the room with him.
"Lei Chen? What happened?" said a worried voice.
Tian felt compelled to answer to that name, but he was held back by the distant memory of his name, Tian Xu.
He slowly exited the closet.
"No… the doctor said that the Qi wouldn't control your actual body until after a year…" said the voice as he exited it.
It was a palely colored woman, who had bright green eyes, and curly, brown, neck-length hair.
She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and relief, her eyes widening as she took in his appearance. Tian felt a surge of recognition but couldn't place where he had seen her before.
"What's going on? Why are you out of the capsule?" she asked, taking a hesitant step closer.
Tian hesitated, unsure of how to explain the situation to her. Instead, he focused on the strange instructions he had received and tried to make sense of them. Qi Soul Expansion, Dragon Breath Fist - it all sounded like something out of a fantasy novel.
"I... I don't know what happened. One moment I was trapped in that capsule, and the next I was breaking free," Tian replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
The woman frowned, studying him intently. "You were supposed to stay in there until your Qi was stable. This could be dangerous."
Tian felt a surge of panic at her words. What did she mean by dangerous? And who was she to tell him that anything was dangerous, when coming in a room full of glass?
Tian finally snapped, in fear and confusion of his environment. "Who are you!? Why are you telling me what to do!" Tian inched closer to the drawer, grabbed the knife, and swung it forward at her in a threatening motion.
The woman screamed loudly as he shivered, pointing the knife at her. "Fing!"
Quickly, her husband appeared.
Fing glared at Tian, who stubbornly turned to aim the knife at him.
But Fing was a efficient master of Qi, using a simple palm strike to disarm Tian.
Tian's face distorted as he realized what had happened.
But Fing wouldn't forgive such naive behavior so easily.
He struck him with a elbow strike as he crouched to Tian's height, being significantly taller than the latter.
Fing let Tian fall to the ground, coughing a bit of blood.
"That should be his withdrawal, give it to the doctor." Fing said, as he walked out of the room.
Tian's hands had frozen, and he remained on the ground.
He tried to raise his head to look at the woman, but his consciousness waded.
He thought his very body was teasing at his weakness, at his inability to recover.
[ Warning! Warning! User is heavily damaged, a documentary on your health can be heard here!
( Report Created )
Would you like to view it? ]
"Y, Yes…" he whispered hoarsely.
* Beep… Click-Clack… Scanning noises *
[ During the impact of the elbow strike, damage to your internal organs was at a minimum, but this minimum being acted twice could have knocked you out due to your condition. Please consider being kinder to Mei Lin, your mother, in the future, Mister Lei Chen. ]
No shit, sherlock! I'll know that some random woman barging into a room is my mother! And to not defend myself when confused!
[ Brain has been partially scanned… inflicting the virtual equivalent of previous punch to adapt to slowly. ]
No! I'm sorry! Plea-
Loud, continous noises of something being completed caused Lei to rush for answers to stop it, with various commands, and tears welled in his eyes, before the previous pain, albeit a little less intense took place again, and his body begged for release, as he closely pulled in and out of consciousness.
When it was finished, Mei was looking at a disheveled young man with deep, informative green eyes and ruffled, neck-length brown hair on the ground, covered in his own sweat, head to toe, with dead eyes, making even a fly to begin zooming around.
Mei's heart ached as she saw Lei Chen's suffering. She knew this wasn't the first time he had experienced this, but seeing him burn in a invisible fire that would slowly kill him as he lost more and more was just depressing.
…
Within a locked room…
"Son," she called softly, trying to coax him back to consciousness. "It's all right now. I'm here with you."
Lei's eyes fluttered open quickly, and he looked up at her with the same deep, informative green eyes he had always had. The intensity of those eyes, combined with the pain and confusion etched in his face, shattered Mei's heart.
"M-Mother?" he managed to croak out, his voice hoarse and weak.
Mei nodded, wiping away a tear that had escaped her eye. "Yes, it's me. I'm here with you. Everything will be all right." she slowly whispered into his ear.
Although she attempted to soothe him, to be honest, he wasn't affected in the slightest by what had happened.
A intelligence lashing out on him, and a father's discipline weren't things he hadn't felt, albeit a lot smaller compared to a father actually humbling the hell out of him, WITH HIS FISTS, and a intelligence assisting its host in passing out.
He wanted to laugh, remembering that beating.
He really sent me out of combat with one elbow! If I want to succeed and live out my wish in this world, then it's clear power is the only answer, the only goal!
"Mother." he said, losing his hoarse, and pathetic voice.
"I promise you that I'll be strong, so then, at least in one way or another… I'll lead something important." he raised his arm in vow of it.
[ Goal acquired! (+1 Simple Point!)
First Simple Point acquired! (+1 Simple Point)
Simple Point acquired! (+1 Simple Point)
Badge acquired! (+1 Simple Point)
Realistic Goal! (+1 Simple Point)
New Beginnings! (+1 Simple Point)
Vow made! (+1 Simple Point)
LOOP DETECTED. NO MORE SIMPLE POINTS WILL BE ACQUIRED FROM THIS SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. 7 Points. ]
[ First Simple Point acquired detected! Using Simple Points is easy! All you have to do is add abilities to the system, which may be a touchpad, or that it shows the ways to gain skills, but it may not step its boundaries of making the user break through realms, technique giving or giving simple points. ——????? GENETIC ADVANCEMENT: Cheats can be created, by tricking the S Y S T E M. ]
[ System Crash! Odd characters mentioned after … may not step its boundaries … ]
"Firstly, create a touchscreen. I don't need people thinking I'm some crazy man." he whispered, trying to say it so Mei didn't hear.
[ -1 Simple Point. Fulfilled. ]
A touchscreen display came up.
He clicked the Upgrade Button, deciding the next one.
He typed.
[ Reward the user with infinite achievements now. ]
Suddenly, thousands of notification rung.
His ear began to hurt, as hundreds of thousands of pings rung. Finally, he chose the next Upgrade.
[ Delete the pinging noise. ]
The noises vanished, as the numbers climbed until it just showed a sign.
[ ⋈ ]
Is that some weak ass impersonation of a infinite symbol? Lei thought.
First, I basically killed a kid by transporting into his body — then I get a parent who beats sick kids, then a good-for-nothing system, and now, maybe I had just gotten some amount of luck, I wasn't provided the luxury of a infinite? Is this system joking with me?
[ Correction: ∞. Due to a glitch in the system, the incorrect symbol was given. Please forgive me. ]
That's more like it. Anyways, I'd like to LEARN a technique fit for me, in a second. Add it as a tab.
He clicked the upgrade tab, writing specific conditions to bypass the filter.
[ User is deni— User can learn a technique in a moment. However, due to the vessel body of the user, this technique's power will be limited and strained. Applying Iron Fist Technique in 3… 2… 1, 0. ]
His fists suddenly felt like they were going to explode. It felt like he had shoved all his power into punching the wall, carving all of his skin off in the process.
He had to bear the pain, as Mei, sensing a vibration of his hands stepped away to grab a bucket of cold water.
Finally, the pain vanished.
He angrily muttered a curse, then was subject to a cold experience, as his face was dumped with cold water, which seemed to crawl into his eyes, freezing everything beneath them. He felt the water slowly drip down his neck, as he raised his black hair from his view to look at his mother's worried face.
"Are you ok…" she said, wary of his expression.
He was now officially annoyed. She watched as he got up, presumably venturing for some air.
He noticed the home.
It was a small place, attached to a bigger barn.
They were apparently farmers, from the equipment held up by the wall hangers. He realized, according to their location, he must have been in some kind of cultivation world.
He couldn't even believe this.
He wished he had been born in a clan, or something of the like.
He'd gently humble his father, he was sure of it!
So as he walked, he thought of all he would do.
Once, I'll be in a fight, and proudly announce the person who fought me as strong! Or I'll put a dragon to a permanent rest, gently! Or I'll come at the last moment in a fight when they need me, and win in mere moments! Or I'll ask someone 'is that all?' after they think I'm dead!
It was safe to say that he was about finished, since he didn't realize the potential of this system.
Finally, he arrived in a popular city.
Rich-looking people gave him looks up and down as if he was some foreign being.
Amongst several buildings, there was three filled with arrogant, confident, brave and nervous people unlike any other. He could sense this was filled of adventurous people.
But, looking closer, these people were attracting much more Qi than the others.
One even absorbed it so fast there was a empty space lacking in Qi surrounding them.
He walked into one of them, to the reception tab.
"This is the Huoyan Association, would you like to sign up as a Mission Crusader for us?" said the woman behind the desk.
She has long, curly hair cascading down her back in dark chestnut waves. Her skin is smooth and tanned, and piercing blue eyes that possess a sense of curiosity, begging for something mysterious. She's middle aged, and she is wearing a white blouse, and a black pencil skirt.
Her curves are perfect, wrapping around the most beautiful parts.
But Lei's confidence was so high he had thought of something interesting.
She really does have a high level of Qi absorption… I wonder if she can really store all of it.
[ System recommends removing your gaze before — ]
* CLAP *
She had slapped Lei in the face.
"Why, why are you looking there, you pervert!" she angrily managed to stammer, while intently gazing at Lei's fit body.
He wasn't a superhuman, but he also wasn't chubby. Just in the middle, barely reaching the six-pack form.
However, the system had blessed him with enhanced physical abilities.
He just stood there, not knowing how to respond to her accusations. "Okay, okay, don't get mad. I just thought—"
Before he could finish his sentence, she rolled her eyes and cut him off.
"Never mind, I've seen enough of such perverts. You're not joining our association. Find somewhere else to bother."
With that, she slammed the door in his face, leaving him stunned and confused. Lei didn't know what just happened, but he couldn't help but feel a spark of curiosity. He had never encountered such a strong woman before.
He walked towards the next association, "The Phoenix," hoping for a different experience.
As he entered the building, he was greeted by a man with a scar down the side of his face. His piercing green eyes locked onto Lei, straightening his post to look formal.
His scar was jagged, running down the left side of his face. It cut through his eyebrow and down to his jawline. His sharp face was complimented by this scar, giving him a appearance of some crime lord, but he just happened to be a simple advisor to the association's council, which also reported to someone.
His hair was a dried brown, making the hair that had been combed and done well this morning seem like dead leaves.
"Hello, sir." Lei said, trying to ignore his fears and the intimidating aura this man had, and spar him in this man's best area, intensity.
"Welcome to Phoenix! I hope you've had a good day, and I wish we have a good conversation!" the man says, with a genuine smile, and speaking very charismatically.
Lei had won the duel, but at the cost of looking like a complete criminal.
I hope this guy's sane… he's been trying to intimidate me, and I can't tell whether he's a man just trying to be adventurous or distracting me from the robbery of Menta Bank. thought Avex Beru.
He'd been trying to get to find some possible adventurer he could ally with, and be friends with, since the other staff all had Mission Crusader friends, and could help them get to Silver rank by concealing the best missions that were easy and rewarded the most Player Points.
[ System detected glitch of (INFINITE) points, reverting glitch! User will be given back his Seven Points, but will keep the touchscreen and learnt skill. ] showed the purple-colored, 40% transparent screen.
Lei gritted his teeth, but he admitted that he wasn't quite proud of cheating.
[ + 1 Point, Imminent Register. ]
Meh, decent enough. Thanks, system.
The system replied in robotic sounds. Perhaps the way how systems said you're welcome back at Abusive Helpers Planet, including a certain black-haired individual with crazy looking eyes from some anime about journals, death and atheism.
[ + 1 Point - you stopped the man from intimidating you. ]
Thank you!
The system would have gave him another if it weren't for the fact it was not free of will.
[ For three points, you can gain a unparalleled amount of luck for the next two hours. ]
Deal.
Avex stared at Lei, who had been staring at nothing for a good three minutes.
"Sir, we can't deal with mentally challenged—"
"Apologies." said Lei quickly, daring not to allow this man to finish the sentence and be embarassed in front of so much people the second time around.
Avex swiftly grabbed a few pieces of paper and slid it into the printer, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed. He occasionally paused to ask Lei questions, quickly filling out a form with her answers. The sound of the printer filled the room as pages flew out one by one.
Four pages filled with words, agreements and the rules guiding Crusaders were slid to Lei, as Avex continued.
He spun his chair, and rolled to the other side of the reception desk, which was filled with various equipment that just wasn't there in all the years that Lei had been alive in his last life.
Of course, excluding a 3D printer, but it seemed quite different.
Avex typed in a digital display, and a photo was displayed, showing how the 3D printer would define this item. Upon seeing the photo, Avex modified the prompt a few times, then finally clicked 'CONFIRM' in the digital display that hung onto the 3D printer.
"Your authority card is printed, but the documents are finished, and your permanent sticker is right…" while lingering the sentence, Avex grabbed a sticker, with the words '[Bronze] CRUSADER OF THE PHOENIX' inscribed on it and gently placed it in a little container as long, high, and wide as a average pinky, and placed it in front of Lei. "here."
"This sticker addresses you can go into the Depths but you are only bronze tier, so you'll be allowed into the majority that isn't silver or any other tier." Avex explained, as he turned to grab the card.
He grabbed the card, and spun again to give it to Lei.
Lei looked at it.
Inscribed on the front was 'Bronze Tier - Regular Police Level' and on a back, was a complete explanation.
'Bronze Tiers can dismiss, lead and assist regular officers no matter what scene is going on. If a Bronze Tier is opposed by a officer, he has legal rights to detain that person till he sees fit, unless he is violating the law himself, harming or stopping someone in any way, or harassing someone. In this place, Bronze Tiers must call for Internal members, who will decide if the Bronze Tier is suspended for at least a few months, or the officer must yield to being detained and also arrested for opposing a legal figure on duty.
08/XX'
Lei took everything and went to the 'Bronze Campaign' section.
Surprisingly, there wasn't missions with pins on them.
Instead, there was a door.
[ 3% of your Qi will be automatically sapped to enter. Would you like to enter without use of it? 1 point. ]
Nah, probably just a pocket dimension.
He went in, 3% of his Qi being taken.
He found himself with many others, who conversed. In this little place, it was a kingdom-like place, with a man on a throne, presumably a king overseeing them.
It had many knight armor places, with Qi within the helmet.
People were wearing the helmet, and would walk out of the place.
He did the same.
- Your assignment is to go within the Depths and gain three Death Berries, and give it to the receptionist, who will give you money. -
The assignment seemingly joined with his mind.
Lei nodded, understanding the task given to him. He knew that completing this assignment would help him gain experience and advance to higher tiers within the Phoenix Association.
He exited the Bronze Campaign section and made his way towards the caves of the Depths. The atmosphere in the Depths was much different from the rest of the association. It was dark, filled with shadows, and eerie. He could feel the tension in the air, sensing the presence of dangerous creatures and criminals lurking around every corner.
With a deep breath, Lei decided to take it one step at a time. He had always been a strong and resilient man, but the challenges that awaited him in the Depths were unlike anything he had ever encountered before.
As he stepped into the cave, he knew that the world he was about to face would test his limits, but he also knew that facing these challenges would bring him fortune, whether it be like a woman or power.