A dry, scorching wind howled through the empty parlour as blood-red grains of sand swirled in the air. Slowly, Arin's body began to reconstruct, starting from the fragmented pieces of his feet. Piece by piece, his form materialized, glowing faintly before the process completed, leaving him standing in the center of the room.
"Well, that was refreshing," Arin muttered, shaking his body vigorously like a drenched rat. Instead of water, however, fine particles of crimson sand cascaded off him in clumps, scattering across the floor.
-[Notice: Host has successfully returned from the Blood Dimension. Survival probability: 18%. Outcome: Exceeded expectations.]-
Arin let out a breath, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, well, tell that to my nerves. I didn't think I'd make it back at all." His voice carried a mix of exhaustion and relief.
As he flexed his fingers, his gaze fell to the two objects clutched tightly in his hands. His heart skipped a beat.
'Still here,' he thought, relief washing over him.
He turned his focus to the dull, unassuming pill nestled in his palm. At his mental command, the system's interface flared to life, the transparent display glowing faintly in the dimly lit room.
{Item Status}
-[Name: Pill Tier: 1 Info: A Tier 1 low-grade pill. Possesses a 50% chance of increasing one's probability of entering the first level of cultivation (Body Refining Stage).]-
Arin's lips twitched into a grin. "I didn't need you to explain that. Who doesn't know about the legendary Body Refining Pill?"
-[Correction: Host was uncertain. Query initiated by subconscious curiosity. Clarification provided to alleviate ignorance.]-
"Yeah, yeah," Arin muttered, shaking his head. The system's deadpan delivery always left him feeling half-amused, half-annoyed.
Still, he couldn't suppress the excitement bubbling within him. For years, stories of cultivation and wuxia adventures had fascinated him. His late grandfather's tales of warriors ascending to greater heights had been his favorite bedtime stories.
Now, holding this pill in his hand, those stories didn't feel so distant anymore.
"This is it," Arin murmured, clenching his fist around the pill. His voice carried a quiet resolve. "Grandpa, I hope you're watching. Little Arin's about to step onto the path of legends."
Without hesitation, he tossed the pill into his mouth.
The moment the pill touched his tongue, Arin's confidence evaporated. His taste buds recoiled violently as if he had bitten into the sourest, most bitter fruit imaginable.
"Ugh! What the hell—!" Arin gagged, his face twisting in disgust.
-[Observation: Host exhibits excessive sensitivity. Pill bitterness is negligible by standard metrics.]-
"Negligible?" Arin snapped, trying not to spit it out. "Feels like I'm chewing on despair!"
-[Suggestion: Swallow immediately. Prolonged exposure decreases ingestion efficiency by 12%.]-
Grimacing, Arin forced himself to swallow. The pill slid down his throat, leaving a lingering bitterness that made him shudder.
"Okay, done. What now?" he asked, brushing his tongue against his teeth as though that would erase the taste.
For a moment, there was no response. Then it began.
A sudden heat erupted in his stomach, spreading rapidly like wildfire. Arin doubled over, clutching his abdomen as his breathing quickened.
"What the—AGHHH!" His scream tore through the room as the fiery sensation grew unbearable, spreading from his core to his veins, muscles, and bones.
-[Notice: Body Refinement process initiated. Host is advised to endure.]
"Endure?" Arin yelled, veins bulging on his neck. "You call this refining? Feels like I'm being boiled alive!"
-[Clarification: Refinement entails the systematic breakdown and reconstruction of physical tissues. Pain is a byproduct of inefficiency within Host's current state.]-
"Oh, great! So it's my fault I feel like dying?"
-[Affirmative.]-
Arin let out another strangled scream as his body began to visibly change. His skin flushed bright red, as if he'd been submerged in molten lava. Sweat poured from his pores in torrents, but it wasn't just sweat. A thick, black ooze seeped out, carrying with it a stench so vile that Arin gagged.
"What...is that?" he choked out, his vision blurring from the pain.
-[Explanation: Impurities accumulated over years. Expulsion necessary for optimal performance. Current odor intensity: 97% higher than acceptable social standards.]-
"Gee, thanks for that," Arin grunted, his limbs trembling as the fiery sensation reached its peak.
Arin's entire body convulsed as the inferno within his abdomen raged like a wildfire, the heat spreading mercilessly through his veins. His screams echoed in the small parlour, each one carrying the anguish of a body undergoing violent transformation.
The black liquid seeping from his pores grew thicker and more pungent, forming an inky pool around him that reeked of decay. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the vile substance, his cries of agony unrelenting.
Every five minutes, the torment intensified.
-[Notice: Host's internal structure is undergoing recalibration. Pain levels are within expected thresholds.]-
"Expected thresholds?" Arin growled through clenched teeth, his voice cracking. "What part of this feels expected to you?"
-[Clarification: Host is experiencing the natural byproducts of Body Refinement. Current stage: Detoxification of latent impurities. Pain will now increase to 10%. Estimated time to completion: Unknown.]-
"Unknown?" Arin's voice broke into a sob as the realization hit him. "You could've warned me! I wouldn't have swallowed the dammed pill!!" His words turned into a strangled cry as another wave of blistering pain surged through him, forcing his body to arch off the floor. He clawed at his chest, his nails scraping the skin as if to dig out the unbearable heat.
The black ooze didn't stop. Every pore in his body seemed to release the liquid at an alarming rate, its vile stench growing more unbearable by the second. Smoke billowed from his lips with every ragged exhale, leaving his throat raw and burning.
-[Notice: Host's impurities exceed average levels. Detoxification will extend longer than initially predicted. Pain will now increase to 20%.]-
"Oh, gods, please!" Arin begged, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Make it stop. I'll do anything—just stop!"
His plea was met with silence save for the cold, clinical voice of the system.
-[Suggestion: Focus on breathing to mitigate the sensation of pain.]-
"How about you feel this and tell me to focus on breathing?" Arin hissed, his body jerking violently as the heat in his chest flared again. His skin glowed an ominous red, veins standing out as if molten lava coursed beneath them.
Every few minutes, the cycle repeated: more black liquid poured out of his body, smoke hissed from his mouth, and the pain surged to unbearable heights. His screams grew hoarser, his cries of agony echoing through the empty room.
-[Notice: Pain will now increase to 30%. Detoxification progressing at accelerated levels.]-
His throat was raw from screaming, yet the pain showed no sign of waning. His muscles cramped, his fingers clawing at the ground in desperation, and more smoke erupted from his mouth as he coughed violently, each hacking sound laced with black droplets of liquid.
"I... I can't—" Arin gasped, the words barely audible through his tears. His entire body convulsed, and his vision dimmed.
-[Encouragement: Host's threshold for endurance has increased by 12%. Pain will now increase to 40%. Continue. The process is vital for survival.]-
"Survival?" Arin croaked. "This... feels like... death."
-[Observation: Host's resilience exceeds prior projections. Probability of success has increased to 43%.]-
"Forty-three percent?" He managed a bitter laugh before another wave of agony wracked his body. It felt as if his insides were being shredded and rebuilt simultaneously. Smoke hissed from his nostrils like steam from a forge, and tears poured freely down his face, cutting streaks through the grime on his cheeks.
The black liquid began bubbling as it oozed out of him now, the heat in the room growing oppressive. The air itself felt heavy, as though the parlour had transformed into a furnace. Arin's clothes were soaked, sticking to his skin, only adding to his discomfort.
-[Notice: Pain will now increase to 50%. Host's impurities remain substantial.]-
Minutes turned to hours—or so it seemed to him. His sense of time blurred, lost in the unending torment. The system continued its cold, clinical observations, adding to his frustration.
-[Observation: Pain will now increase to 60%. Detoxification entering critical phase.]-
"How much more... can there be?" Arin muttered weakly, his body trembling uncontrollably. Fresh tears sprang to his eyes, the salty drops mixing with the acrid black fluid as his cries turned to broken sobs.
-[Answer: Impurities measure 43.7%. Duration to completion remains indeterminate.]-
With each passing moment, Arin felt himself losing the strength to resist. His limbs grew heavy, his mind foggy. The black liquid now formed a thick, viscous layer on the floor, the stench nauseating enough to make his stomach churn violently.
Another spike of heat coursed through his body, and Arin screamed—a guttural, raw sound that echoed with pure anguish. His lungs burned as he coughed again, thick plumes of smoke and splatters of black liquid spilling from his mouth.
-[Observation: Pain will now increase to 70%. Impurities nearing exhaustion point.]-
Arin's response was incoherent, a mix of groans, coughs, and choked sobs. He clawed at the floor, nails digging into the carpet as if anchoring himself against the relentless waves of pain.
-[Reassurance: Pain indicates progress. Transformation is nearing pivotal stages. Pain will now increase to 80%.]-
"Pivotal... my ass..." Arin wheezed. His entire body trembled as if he were on the verge of collapsing into himself. Smoke curled from his body now, swirling like ghostly tendrils in the oppressive heat. His cries grew quieter, his strength waning, though his agony remained as sharp as ever.
And then, the black ooze began to froth violently. It hissed and bubbled as if it, too, was being burned away. The air grew thicker, each breath a struggle.
Arin's skin glistened with sweat and liquid impurities, his clothes clinging like a second, suffocating skin. He had long since given up trying to move, lying sprawled in the filth, his eyes half-lidded. His consciousness flickered like a dimming flame.
-[Final notice: Pain will now increase to 90%. Detoxification nearing completion.]-
Those words, though clinical, struck a chord in him. Ninety percent. Was it almost over? He couldn't even muster the strength to celebrate. His mouth opened in a silent scream as his body jerked violently one last time.
A final surge of unbearable heat ripped through him, so intense that it forced his body into a violent arch. His screams turned silent as his throat gave out. Every muscle in his body tensed, and his vision turned white.
The black liquid exploded from his pores in one final, grotesque wave, drenching him completely before dissipating into smoke. The air cleared, and the oppressive heat began to fade.
And then, Arin fell.
His body hit the floor with a dull thud, lifeless and unmoving. The parlour was silent save for the faint, rhythmic sound of his breathing.
-[Process complete. Host's Body Refinement successful. Current stage: Body Refining Stage 1.]-
-[Observation: Host displayed remarkable endurance. Probability of failure: 56%. Outcome: Surpassed projections.]-
Arin lay motionless, his chest rising and falling shallowly. His mind was too clouded to register the system's words, his body too drained to move. The only thing he knew was that, for now, the pain was gone.