In the vast expanse of pure whiteness, where direction and distance held no meaning, Chen Feng found himself standing alone. The white void stretched endlessly in all directions, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that made him question his own existence. Just moments ago, he had been at his desk, finishing up his project with that final push to the repository. Now, this surreal scenario unfolded before him.
At the center of his vision floated a translucent blue screen, its edges softly pulsing with an ethereal glow. The words "Invincible System" hovered in large, luminescent characters that seemed to float just inches from his face. Chen Feng's expression cycled through confusion, disbelief, and finally, cautious excitement as he studied the mysterious interface before him.
"I guess you don't have to be hit by a truck for this to happen," he mused aloud, his voice carrying a hint of ironic amusement. With tentative movements, he reached out and tapped the screen. The moment his finger made contact, the blue light intensified, rippling outward like waves on a digital ocean.
A voice materialized from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously.
[Welcome host to the Invincible System] it announced, its tone perfectly balanced between mechanical and artificial, devoid of any gender characteristics. The sound made Chen Feng startled, but his surprise quickly morphed into calculating interest.
His mind raced with possibilities. After all those endless overtime hours and crushing deadlines that had practically worked him to death, fate had handed him a new life and what appeared to be the ultimate cheat code. It was like reaching the heavens in one leap.
His lips curved into a knowing grin as visions of plundering powerful sects, winning the hearts of countless beauties, and ruling over the vast cosmos danced through his imagination.
With growing excitement, he began calling out commands. "Status Page!" Nothing. "Status window!" Still nothing. "Status!" "Stats!" "Properties!" Each attempt met with silence, his enthusiasm deflating slightly with each failed command.
The system's response came with what could only be described as artificial exasperation.
[I think you have the wrong script host,] it stated, before adding, [I can only grant you one wish.]
Chen Feng's eyes narrowed as he studied the screen more carefully, his software developer's instincts kicking in to analyze this unexpected limitation. After a moment's consideration, he tried the obvious exploit. "I wish for unlimited wishes."
[NO!] The system's rejection came swift and absolute.
"Well, at least I tried," he sighed, but his mind was already working on a better solution. A smile slowly spread across his face as he realized this could be even better than the typical system scenarios. No grinding, no tedious power-ups, no complicated cultivation paths – just one wish to rule them all.
With newfound confidence, he drew himself up and declared his wish with all the authority he could muster: "I wish to become the Immortal King!"
[As you wish,] the system responded. The blue screen began to pulse with increasing intensity, its light growing brighter and brighter until Chen Feng had to shield his eyes with his arm. The radiance built to a crescendo before exploding outward in a wave of pure blue energy, consuming the infinite white void in its expansion, transforming everything it touched with its mysterious power.
…
The village lay silent under the blood-red sunset, its eerie quietness broken only by the occasional scraping of cart wheels against dirt. Bare-chested men wielding crude swords stood guard, their muscled bodies marked with scars that told tales of countless battles. These weren't ordinary bandits – their eyes held a coldness that spoke of deeds far darker than simple theft.
Between them moved figures shrouded in dark cloaks, methodically pushing carts laden with their grim cargo toward a pit that seemed to defy nature itself. The hole was an absolute void, a perfect circle of darkness that appeared to consume even the fading daylight. As each cart reached the edge, its contents – lifeless bodies of villagers – were unceremoniously tipped into the abyss. What was most unsettling was the complete absence of sound; no thud, no impact, nothing to indicate the bodies had found bottom.
One of the cloaked figures, driven by morbid curiosity, leaned forward slightly to peer into the darkness.
"I told you not to look inside," a voice cut through the air like a blade. Before the man could process what was happening, his perspective shifted violently. He found himself suspended over the void, held by the collar of his robe by a figure in a crimson cloak. Panic seized him as his mind struggled to understand when he had moved from the edge to hanging over the abyss.
The red-cloaked figure pulled him back and threw him roughly to the ground. "If you're tired of living, don't involve us," the figure said, his voice carrying an otherworldly chill. He turned and strode toward one of the bandits, a mountain of a man whose muscles bulged as he gripped an enormous battle axe that would have been impossible for an ordinary person to wield.
"Have we got everyone?" the red-cloaked figure inquired.
"Yes, not even an ant is left," the bandit responded with a grotesque grin. The words had barely left his mouth when a brilliant blue light suddenly erupted before them. Everyone present shielded their eyes, weapons instantly raised in defensive positions as they surrounded the source of the light.
As the radiance faded, it revealed a confused-looking teenage boy – Chen Feng – standing in their midst. Before he could even comprehend his surroundings, the red-cloaked figure's command rang out: "Charge!"
What happened next was almost anticlimactic. The bandit leader, moving with unexpected speed, brought his massive axe down in a single, fluid motion. Chen Feng's head separated from his body before he could even register the danger. The charging crowd halted in their tracks, expressions of bewilderment replacing their battle-ready faces.
The bandit leader examined his axe with genuine confusion. "Have I become stronger?" he wondered aloud. The red-cloaked figure extended his spiritual sense, probing for any signs of cultivation or trickery, but found nothing remarkable about their victim. After a moment's contemplation, he dismissed the matter entirely. "Just throw him in with the rest, we're running out of time," he ordered.
…
Hours later, consciousness returned to Chen Feng in absolute darkness. He found himself unable to see even his own hands before his face. His mind raced, trying to process how his grand transmigration had ended in such an embarrassing defeat – spawn killed before his adventure could even begin.
[You're really unlucky], the system's voice echoed in his mind, its tone carrying a hint of what might have been amusement.
"Wait, you're still here? Where are we? What happened? You said you'd make me the Immortal King! How could I get one-shot by some random NPC in the first chapter?" Chen Feng demanded.
[Well, I did make you the Immortal King], the system replied as a translucent blue screen materialized before him, displaying his status:
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[Name: Chen Feng]
[Title: Immortal King (+∞ lifespan, -∞ luck, intrinsic skill [Limitless] & [Will of the Immortal King])]
[Realm: Mortal]
[Strength: 5]
[Stamina: 10]
[Qi: 0 years]
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INTRINSIC STATS
[Intelligence: 390]
[Wisdom: 252]
[Constitution: ???]
[Will: ∞]
[Charm: 50]
[Luck: -∞]
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SPECIAL STATS
[Lifespan: ∞]
[Soul: ???]
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Skills:
[Limitless] (INTRINSIC) :: Enters a berserk state that grants enhanced battle power and unlimited recovery, but results in death after use. Can only be activated once per life cycle.
[Will of The Immortal King] (INTRINSIC/Ego) :: Automatically negates all status effects and maintains the user's ideal behavior as the Immortal King. The skill possesses autonomous judgment and can forcibly take control to preserve the Immortal King's image. This skill is passive and always active.
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The screen's soft glow illuminated Chen Feng's face as he read through his bizarre stat distribution. Infinite will, yet the strength of a child. Weird skills and eternal life paired with the worst possible luck. As he processed the implications of these stats, he began to understand that his journey as the "Immortal King" might not be quite what he had imagined.
…
Chen Feng brought his palm to his face in exasperation after reading through his status window. This had to be what people meant when they talked about monkey's paw wishes or genies with their twisted interpretations.
[What do you mean? I did exactly as you asked,] the system responded to his unspoken thoughts, its mechanical voice somehow conveying innocence.
"Why is my luck negative infinity?" Chen Feng demanded. "I know I'm not exactly a fortune's favorite, but negative infinity? That doesn't even make sense!" He couldn't wrap his head around how his luck could be worse than simply having none at all.
[The heavens hate anomalies. Since you're an anomaly, it makes sense that the heavens don't favor you,] the system explained matter-of-factly. Chen Feng's eyes drifted back to his stats, noting his surprisingly high Intelligence and Wisdom scores. Yet, he didn't feel particularly brilliant or insightful.
[That's not how that works,] the system interjected, though it offered no further explanation, leaving Chen Feng to wonder about the true meaning of these statistics.
Sighing deeply, he decided to focus on his immediate situation. "Where are we exactly?"
[You're inside the sacrificial altar of the Demonic Sect,] the system replied, then added with what seemed like artificial cheerfulness, [And soon, you'll be in the demon general's stomach.]
Chen Feng couldn't help but marvel at his catastrophic misfortune. In a world presumably vast beyond measure, what were the odds of being transported directly into the midst of a demonic sect's sacrifice ritual? He tried to approach the situation analytically, pushing down his rising panic.
"With my luck, if I was walking around, what are the chances I'd find a coin on the ground?" he asked, trying to gauge just how bad his situation truly was. As he asked this, he noticed his unusual calmness despite having just been decapitated in a foreign world. Was this the effect of his [Will of the Immortal King] skill? The ability seemed capable of influencing even his emotional state, which warranted careful investigation.
[Well, luck doesn't work that way,] the system responded. [But if you just want a basic feel for your situation, you have a better chance of every atom in your body instantly combusting.] The flat delivery of this devastating comparison didn't even surprise Chen Feng anymore.
Remembering his recent decapitation, he asked, "How can I still feel my hands?"
[You revived!] the system explained. [If you die and your body is still there, you can revive in it and it will repair any damages. If your body is destroyed, you can still revive but you'll need at least 24 hours for a body to reconstruct, though you'll be sent to a random location.]
"And what if I have the body but want to revive in another location?" he inquired, exploring his options.
[You can do that too, you just have to wait the 24 hours. But with your luck, do you really want to try your chances at random transportation?] The system's question made Chen Feng's expression turn somber. Given that his first "lucky" transportation landed him in a demonic sect's sacrificial pit, he shuddered to think where random chance might send him next.
"With my infinite lifespan, can't I regenerate endlessly?" he asked, probing the limits of his immortality.
[Theoretically, it should be possible,] the system began, [but your body can't hold infinite lifespan. It holds a certain level of infinity but you can't use it freely for recovery. You can use it more freely as you get stronger. You can also use the [Limitless] skill to freely utilize the lifeforce you have, but your body will be instantly and completely destroyed after use. And with your current strength, you can use it for at most 30 seconds before your body is completely destroyed.]
Chen Feng held his chin thoughtfully, grateful for the system's detailed explanations. Then a terrifying thought struck him. "Wait! With my luck, what are the chances that the system just randomly disappears?" he asked, anxiety evident in his voice.
[No need to worry, there is no way the system would be affe-] The response cut off abruptly as cracks appeared across the blue interface. Before Chen Feng could even react, the system screen shattered like glass and vanished into nothingness, leaving him alone in the darkness with his thoughts and his apparently infinite bad luck.