In a spacious and simple room, lit only by the soft morning light, a young man of about 15 years old was sleeping soundly. His body, which seemed peaceful, seemed immersed in a deep rest, oblivious to the world around him.
Suddenly, an abrupt scream cut through the silence of the room, making the young man jump out of bed, sweating coldly. His eyes widened as he held his head with his hands, as if trying to hold back the pain coming from his mind.
"AAAAAH!" He screamed, the sound of his voice echoing off the walls of the room. The pain was intense, almost unbearable.
In seconds, a whirlwind of memories invaded his mind. They were memories that did not belong to him, but that mixed with his own memories. He saw flashes of a different life — the life of a young man named Eric, an ordinary resident of the 21st century, on Earth. The images were vivid: he saw himself playing soccer with friends, feeling the joy and adrenaline of the game. But then, the memory would abruptly cut off, an out-of-control truck hitting him while he was distracted, leaving a feeling of pain and loss. The images faded like a broken screen, and the young man's mind became even more confused.
"My name is Eric... or Kaelen?"
The young man muttered to himself, trying to understand what was happening. His mind was overloaded with the two conflicting identities.
Before he could reflect further, a familiar voice called out to him, interrupting his thoughts.
"Kaelen, where are you?" The voice was calm, but carried an urgency that could not be ignored.
The young man blinked, his mind trying to adjust to the new reality.
"Ah, I found you! Elder Zhao is looking for you."
The voice continued, now with a faster tone, as if he was in a great hurry.
"He wants to see you, it seems to be something urgent."
Kaelen, now with more clarity, quickly replied
"Oh yes, I'm coming!"
"Don't delay!"
The voice sounded worried.
"The elder seemed to want something urgent from you."
Kaelen got up from the bed with unexpected speed, trying to organize the memories that now coexisted in his mind. He was Kaelen, a young herb picker within the Celestial Dragon Immortal Sect, a disciple of Zhao, a respected alchemist. But at the same time, he was also Eric, a young man from the 21st century. The two lives were merging and he didn't know how to deal with it.
Then, a sharp pain radiated from the depths of his soul, as if something was trying to force his mind to understand what was happening. A series of information appeared before his eyes, as if a holographic screen had appeared in the space in front of him. Beep! Beep! Beep! Conditions met, initializing...
[Host: Kaelen/Eric]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 15/42 (74)]
[Physical condition: Mild spiritual energy poisoning]
[Cultivation: Mortal]
[Techniques: None]
[Talent: Mortal (Alterable)]
[Constitution: Mortal (Alterable)]
[Luck: Brown (Common)(Alterable)]
[Do you wish to accept these settings?]
"What the hell is this?" Kaelen exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock and confusion. His mind still struggled to comprehend what was happening.
Heart racing, he tried to remember something young Eric had read before, in some transmigration novel he had consumed during his life in the 21st century. It was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with, but something didn't seem right. He wasn't "transmigrated." He had inherited Eric's memories, but his body… his body was still Kaelen's.
"Alterable talent… what is that?" Kaelen asked himself as he tried to explore the screen in front of him. His curiosity, mixed with a sense of panic, led him to click on the "Alterable" option.
Suddenly, another screen appeared before him, explaining:
[Alterable: Once a day, you can roll the dice and attempt to change the setting.]
"Excellent!" Kaelen exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Then change it right now!"
With a hurried gesture, he clicked on the highlighted die on the screen, hoping to see something advantageous appear.
The screen flickered and the letters changed, leaving Kaelen speechless. His face paled when he saw what was written.
[Host: Kaelen/Eric]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 15/42 (74)]
[Physical condition: Slight spiritual energy poisoning]
[Cultivation: Mortal]
[Techniques: None]
[Talent: Unable to cultivate (Changeable: On cooldown)]
[Constitution: Susceptible to disease (Changeable: On cooldown)]
[Luck: Green (Excellent for mortals) (Changeable: On cooldown)]
[Do you wish to accept these settings?]
"F*** off!" Kaelen shouted in despair. How could he have so little talent? And on top of that, his constitution was weak? He couldn't accept this.
At least his luck had improved, but the bitter taste in his mouth couldn't just go away.
Before he could think any further about what to do, the familiar voice called out to him again, interrupting his thoughts.
"Kaelen, come immediately, Elder Zhao won't call you again!"
The urgency in his voice was now more pronounced.
Kaelen then stood up and stood ready.
"Brother Leonard, don't worry, I'm coming."
-------------------------
In a room bathed in the soft light of spiritual lamps, the strong scent of herbs and medicine permeated the air, creating a unique atmosphere of tranquility and healing. In the center of the room, a middle-aged man, his face marked by years of experience and wisdom, watched a young man with a look of slight irritation.
Kaelen stood there, standing in front of Elder Zhao, his expression slightly downcast, as if the weight of something invisible was weighing him down.
"Kaelen..."
Elder Zhao's voice was deep, but there was a subtle softness in it, as if worry was taking over him.
"Where have you been?"
The young man, clearly uncomfortable, bit his lower lip.
"Sorry, Elder Zhao. I… I ended up sleeping a little longer today."
The elder frowned, noticing the young man's paleness, who looked sicker than usual. His eyes were slightly glazed, and the deep circles under his eyes betrayed a bad night's sleep, or perhaps more. The middle-aged man sighed with a hint of concern.
"Kaelen…"
Elder Zhao began, his voice softer now.
"Look at you. You're pale, and your eyes… are you sick?"
The elder took a step closer, his hand reaching out automatically.
"If you feel unwell, let me know. I can concoct a medicine to improve your condition and make you stronger."
Kaelen's face paled even more upon hearing the elder's words. He immediately remembered the screen that had appeared in his mind. The status of his constitution... this damn system.
[Constitution: Susceptible to Disease (Changeable: On cooldown)]
The thought made a pain grow in his head, and he quickly pulled his hands away from his face, trying to ignore the nagging sensation.
"Don't worry, elder, I'm fine. I just... need a good night's sleep and I'll be better soon."
Elder Zhao watched the young man for a few more moments. The expression on his face softened, and he nodded slightly, though still with a watchful gaze.
"If you say so, Kaelen..."
The elder muttered before taking a step back.
"But don't let this drag on. If the problem continues, let me know immediately."
Kaelen forced a smile, mentally thanking himself for avoiding any more questions. The conversation was moving on to another topic, and he needed to focus on that, at least for now.
"What do you have for me, elder?" the young man asked, trying to change the subject of the conversation.
Zhao straightened up, and his eyes shone with focused determination, as if he was ready to delegate an important task.
"I need you to go to the forests of the Misty Mountain and fetch the Starlight Ginseng. I'm about to refine a pill on behalf of an Inner Sect disciple, and we can't afford to fail. The order is urgent, and the delivery must be made with quality."
The elder then looked at the young man with a serious expression.
"I'll give you five gold coins in exchange for this herb."
Kaelen frowned for a moment. The price was good, but there was something more important at stake. He knew that in the world of alchemists and herb gatherers, exchanges were not always straightforward. What seemed like a good deal often hid the risks of a dangerous journey.
He didn't hesitate, and quickly analyzed the benefits and costs.
Five gold coins… for a herb that must be collected in the Misty Mountain Forest…
Kaelen knew how valuable Starlight Ginseng was. When harvested by a mortal and sold directly to the Herb Hall, it could fetch around nine silver coins. This represented a great advantage for the gatherer, since the value in the Herb Hall might be much lower, but when sold directly to the alchemist, the price multiplied several times over.
However, Kaelen also knew that the Misty Mountain Forest was dangerous, infested with spirit beasts. Many herb gatherers had perished. In these missions, they fall victim to beasts or are even poisoned by the energy of the herbs they gather.
Indeed, herb gatherers often accumulate a considerable amount of money compared to other mortal professions, but their life expectancy is significantly reduced due to poisoning by the spiritual energy emanating from the herbs they handle.
The constant exposure to this energy, which is vital for cultivation, ends up being lethal to those without cultivation, causing them physical and spiritual exhaustion that cruelly shortens their lives.
Kaelen took a deep breath and asked:
"Elder, how much time do I have to collect the herb?"
Elder Zhao stared at the young man, his voice firm and direct.
"The Inner Sect disciple wants the pill refined within ten days. So, you have up to five days to bring me the ginseng. Of course, the sooner you bring it, the better. I've already assigned this task to other gatherers, and whoever brings me the herb first will win."
Kaelen nodded, understanding the competition and what it meant. The elder didn't usually entrust the task to just one gatherer, as the risk of failure was too great. Therefore, the task was always assigned to multiple gatherers, but only the fastest one would win the reward.
As he pondered the task, an electronic voice rang out in his mind, interrupting his thoughts:
[Quest: Collect Starlight Ginseng for Elder Zhao]
[Time limit: 5 days]
[Failure penalty: Reduced Elder Zhao's favorability]
[Quest success reward: Next change will have a critical hit]
[Accept quest?] [yes] [no]
Kaelen didn't hesitate. He couldn't fail, not when there was so much at stake. Without a second thought, he clicked the [yes] option, accepting the quest with determination.
"Elder Zhao, don't worry! I'll bring you the Starlight Ginseng, even if it costs me my life! No, I'll bring you that ginseng even if it costs me ten lives!" he exclaimed fervently.
Elder Zhao looked at the young man, surprised by his sudden, intense determination. Then, he let out a low, genuine laugh.
"Hahaha! I didn't know you enjoyed collecting herbs so much, Kaelen!"
The elder's gaze changed slightly, now with veiled admiration. He wasn't used to this kind of enthusiasm, and this caught his attention.
[Elder Zhao's favorability rating of the host +1 star]
[Current favorability rating: 3 stars]