by M. Q. Kajack
“System...?”
Nothing. The AI managing the System was not available. I could access the information and all the stuff since it was stored inside my soul, but I couldn’t interact with it. Was there nothing I could do to fix it?
In my previous life, I had this friend which was crazy with computers and technology, but I managed to learn nothing—who said I learned nothing? Every memory in me was so vivid that I could see all the details.
Instead of being my usual lazy self, I used my soul to search through all memories with him.
It took me some hours to process them. After all, I wanted details that could help me out fixing my system and after searching for so long, I finally had it.
My friend used to always talk about the ‘logs’, a register file where data movements were stored. The moment that thought crossed my mind, a huge amount of information became accessible to me. It was not very detailed, but it had my registers since I got my first EXP point. Rolling down the information, I accessed the last log line. The Death Core was the problem.
Death Core upgraded to Lv2.
Suppressing Death Core energy.
System overloading.
Overload.
Activate safety measures.
Failure.
System failure.
Shutting down.
Apparently, from the moment the Death Core leveled up, the System had been suppressing it all along. This confirmed my theory that the Death Core could affect the System and vice versa but, this time, the Death Core won. That would explain why my soul got invaded by that death energy. It truly came from the Death Core. The Death Core was trying to overwhelm my soul, trying to gain control over me... It seemed that we, indeed, were not truly fused yet.
Wait! Wouldn’t that mean... everything I just saw was real? That I truly came back to my previous world? Impossible…
Death Core: Lv 2 (0/100,000)
I remembered expanding my soul at my previous world and killing thousands of people. A pity mere mortals wouldn’t get me a single EXP point. If they could and if my EXP was shown to have increased, then that would indicate everything was real…
Just in case, I decided to check all the information I had. As expected, I learned a new skill when I killed those people, and it involved the use of my soul fused with Death Qi.
Death Domain (Evolvable): Unleashes field of death where every single being would face a thousand deaths. Their mind would be affected while Death Domain was active. Failing to survive a thousand deaths would break the being’s soul.
Purgatory (Sealed): Absorb souls.
Not that I was complaining, having a new skill to fight my enemies would be a good asset, but I didn’t exactly understand the skills and the System’s AI wasn’t here to run some simulations on it. I would have to test it later on someone as I didn’t exactly grasp how much of my soul would be used on the skill. Also, there was a new property—the skill could evolve but there were no EXP points mentioned or level indications on it...
It remained unknown and uncertain if I really travelled back to my previous world. The logs didn’t show anything about me killing those people. Perhaps it was an illusion?
My connection to Shu Yi and Shu Er was fine. They were alive. I was a bit worried about them. I tried to reach them through the seal but they wouldn’t answer at all, and as time passed by, neither of them showed signs of change. There was only one possibility: something had sealed them. Something stronger than my own seal.
Tsk... If something happens to them, I will annihilate whoever did it.
A portal appeared in front of me once again. The Ancient Ruins didn’t pressure me to cross the portal but there was nothing else to do, so without any further thoughts, I crossed the portal.
What greeted me were many new faces, and within those new faces, I recognized some of them.
Li Qi, Xiao Wu, Chu Xian and my pursuer, You Ye.
I could see weird expressions on their faces. Was there something wrong?
Ding!
System initializing…
While I was looking at the dumbfounded crowd in front of me, the System gave me a pleasant surprise.
Great! The System is back online! Scared me a little there.
Ding!
Accepting new features. Please wait…
Could it be that upgrading the Death Core brought new functions to the System? That was strange. The System almost got destroyed by it.
A sudden wave of death energy came from the Death Core, making all the pores on my body ache, causing all my senses to max out.
Suddenly, I felt something approach me. Danger! My Scythe appeared in front of me, protecting me from the biggest hit I ever faced. The impact didn’t do anything to my Scythe, but it pressed against me and sent me flying. I didn’t know how long I was sent flying, but the force destroyed my legs and one arm. If it weren’t for the other party not using his full force, my Scythe and my body would mostly be turned into a pulp.
The second that thought came to mind, I realized that a Nascent Soul stage made a move on me. Shit, my soul processed everything that happened yet my cultivation was not on par with my soul so it couldn’t follow it. I fucking needed a soul skill.
I couldn’t stand—both my legs were gone. Helping myself with my remaining arm, I leaned back against a massive rock. Damn it.
The old man who just hit me frowned. “You didn’t die? How?”
The same question resounded in everyone’s head. That was a strike from a Nascent Soul! That guy over there was not even a Core Foundation! What kind of monster was capable of withstanding a hit that was two entire layers above him?
A girl’s scream brought everyone to reality.
You Ye arrived next to me and grabbed my hand. She was crying, panicking, and trying to tend to my wounds all at the same time. “No, no, you can’t die, please don’t die.”
“Silly, who said I was going to die? You wouldn’t need to find a new boy to pursue,” I said, jokingly.
A small chuckle came from You Ye. It seemed my words comforted her a little bit. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, but what exactly is happening here? Why the hell did that old man hit me?”
You Ye started to recount the events that transpired ever since we separated.
I narrowed my eyes coldly at Xiao Wu. That stupid girl talked too much. She did nothing to help. I saved her and that was how she repaid her benefactor?
She was standing close to You Ye’s mother. You Ye really looked like her mother. Indeed, they were two beauties, but still below my dear Shu Yi and Shu Er—which reminded me that they were still missing. Not knowing where they were worsened my mood.
I truly desired to kill Xiao Wu, and I had to think of a way out because right now, I couldn’t face a Nascent Soul yet.
It didn’t take too long for the crowd to notice You Ye’s attitude towards me. She looked like a wife, crying for his injured husband. At the same time, Chu Xian and Li Qi moved in front of me.
“It was true, then. You three were lying,” said Old Yi. “What’s the meaning of this?!”
You Jin frowned, looking at You Ye for answers. “Ye’er what’s going on?”
“Mother... I... He’s the man I chose.”
“You chose a cripple? A man who is going to die? Are you an idiot? I didn’t raise you just to throw away your life,” You Jin shouted furiously.
“No matter what, I won’t abandon him like what you did with my father!” You Ye said. Her decision was firm. She was in love with Ye Bai and she was going to go until the end.
“Ye Bai protected us! So what if he killed the Dark Wood Sect? They deserved it,” Li Qi retorted. “They betrayed the South Country! They wanted to kill us. We didn’t start anything, it was all of them.”
Chu Xian didn’t say anything but the raised weapon in his hand expressed his choice.
Old Yi wanted to attack but was restrained by the two old men beside him.
“Are you goi
ng to kill my disciple? Do you want to start a war? Li Qi, come here.” One of the men revealed himself as Li Qi’s master.
While I watched them have a shouting match, I continue to rack my brain for a solution to their hostility against me. I didn’t know how to solve the situation and the System wasn’t of any help. The ancient ruins portal closed down... then, play dead!
I didn’t know if the sudden inspiration would work or not. I forced my own blood out of my body by coughing, and the whole of You Ye’s dress was covered in my blood.
Sorry, You Ye... if I only could warn you without Xiao Wu...
“You promised, you told me you wouldn’t die.” You Ye kept crying and hugging me.
“Xiao Wu, I shouldn’t have saved you! You ungrateful girl! You just couldn’t shut your mouth,” I growled at her. I wasn’t sure if my acting skills were good or not but I guess being only a torso with a head would help. No one in my situation would survive, I thought.
Indeed, I could see the crowd looking at me with pity in their eyes.
“It’s okay, guys... I will wait for you on the other side. No point in fighting over a dead guy, right?” I said while my arm fell to the ground. My blood was slowly flowing out of my mouth. I stopped all my body functions and retracted my soul.
A grieving shout pierced my soul. You Ye’s pain reached me. I had to stop myself from waking up and telling her everything was not true. But I just couldn’t. I needed to survive. I could not fight back. If I told them the truth, Xiao Wu would be able to discover it.
Power! Everything could be solved with power, but I was still weak. I needed to get stronger!
Li Qi and Chu Xian gritted their teeth, enduring it. I could see their expressions with my non-moving eyes. They wanted revenge. Their eyes told me that even though we only met for a short time, their loyalty was something incredible.
“Give me his body!” Old Yi shouted.
“What else do you want? You shameless old man! He is my husband! I won’t give you his body,” You Ye shouted fiercely, not caring if she was yelling at a Nascent Soul.
“What nonsense are you shouting? Since when did he become your husband?” You Ye’s mother shouted, enraged. She should have restrained her little girl more.
“Since the moment I decided. I will keep his body, I will resurrect him. I will go to the Rebirth Lake!” You Ye’s statement caused everyone to laugh.
“You think you can resurrect him? Those stories are fake! Even if they were true, do you think you would be able to escape?” Old Yi laughed.
A scroll appeared on You Ye’s hands. With a smile on her face, she muttered.
“Irgal tag mu ban.”
The scroll started to shine and slowly dissipate, the light moving from the scroll to You Ye and me, covering us.
“You will pay the price for killing my husband!”
Those were the last words You Ye left for the stunned crowd before we teleported.
This time, the travel throughout the void was just fine without any accidents at all. The bubble that covered You Ye and I was totally different than the one that brought me to the Ancient Ruins. It didn’t get crushed at all by the void pressure, and it didn’t fluctuate, as if it was indestructible. The System was still not working properly, so I doubted I could determine what type of scroll You Ye had activated. Whatever it was, it was clearly more amazing than that transfer array. At that thought, I couldn’t help myself and let my mind wonder about Shu Yi and Shu Er. I needed to find both girls. Hopefully, they would wake up soon.
Thanks to You Ye’s scroll, we managed to escape.
This girl is full of surprises.
I didn’t know how to explain to her that I was okay and I could heal myself. Immersed in my thoughts, I didn’t notice the beauty who was hugging me had a pale and bloody face until something sticky stuck into my skin. I was familiar with this kind of sensation. Blood.
Yet again, another woman suffered because of me. Her tender and slender body were replaced by a sack of bones, and only her beautiful face remained, looking a little older, paler, and with blood all over.
What happened?
I didn’t care, I needed to save her.
“You Ye, hang in there!” I shouted, full of concern for this woman who pledged to pursue me, to love me.
We had left the void. You Ye’s frail body was on the dirty ground. I was on top of her. I saw her eyes staring at me with a big smile.
“I knew… the man I chose will not die so easily…” You Ye coughed more blood.
I used Death End on her, and the result wasn’t to my liking. Her lifespan got severely damaged—half of her life was gone. After a few rounds of inspecting every part of her body with my soul, I was left speechless. Her body constitution was reduced to be as weak as a chicken, but luckily her Core Foundation was okay. Otherwise, she would face serious trouble. I sighed in relief. The body damage could be fixed with some food and pills... but as for the lifespan... there were some pills to extend them. They were rare, but not impossible to get.
“You will be okay, You Ye. Don’t worry...”
“I know, Brother Ye. We will find a way to heal your body.”
I could see the worried look on You Ye’s face. It was not exactly easy to fix my body for others, but for me, it was a piece of cake.
“I can heal myself. I will show it to you.” I wouldn’t mind showing all my abilities in front of You Ye. She sacrificed too much to help me. I tried to access my inventory but I couldn’t. Whatever the System was underdoing, it was blocking all the functions. I knew for sure I had an awkward face right now.
You Ye slowly patted my head. “Brother Ye, I promised myself I won’t leave you. I know what kind of condition you have right now, you don’t have to put a false pretense. We will figure out things slowly. For now, we should try to reset and see where we teleported to.”
“You Ye, it’s not like that. I really can...”
Before I could finish what I was about to say, I felt You Ye’s sweet lips pressing against my own. This time, she wasn’t in a hurry to disappear, and I lost myself in the kiss.
“Are you fine, You Ye? We have been going on for hours already.” I asked, full of concern. You Ye had wanted to carry me but I used my Qi to fly along with her, which greatly surprised her. She started to believe more in me when I told her again that I could heal myself. Still, our pace was too slow, and You Ye wasn’t doing well with her body’s state.
“We should be nearby. The scroll was given to me by some old man as a payment,” You Ye said, panting slowly.
“An old man?” I asked, raising my frown. This land was surely full of strange old men.
“Yes, the old man wanted to buy a stone I had in my possession, so he traded it with this scroll. To be honest, I thought I got a bargain at that time, if only the scroll did what he claimed to do. A few years ago, I tried to use the scroll but it didn’t do anything. I almost died back then. Only this time around did it work.”
“Perhaps it needed two persons to work? Or maybe your cultivation at that time was insufficient,” I stated some facts.
A life-saving scroll with no problem at all to cross through the void. Who would be willing to part with it? Trading it for a stone? I turned my head to look at this crazy and persevering young girl next to me.
‘You got cheated, You Ye,’ I uttered those words in my head. I didn’t want to openly call You Ye a fool, as right now, she is supposed to be my girlfriend.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at a big lake. I could see a temple in the middle of the lake. Half of it was submerged.
A Greek temple? What the hell is going on? I turned to look at You Ye who had a strange expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning. This place was getting more and more mysterious.
“The old man told the truth... He said that we will reach an ancient place if we walk north after using the scroll...” You Ye paused. She started to tremble.
I grabbed You Ye’s
skinny hands with my only hand.
“You Ye, did the old man say something else?”
She nodded her head. “Those who manage to attain it would own the world. Those were his last words before he disappeared before me.”
“Own the world? Is this even possible? What more did he say?” I asked, confused.
“Nothing more. But... since ancient times, no one understood the mysteries of the Seeking Continent. Who knows? Perhaps it’s possible. In any case, we have already arrived at this point, so we should check it out. Perhaps, there is a chance we could be normal again.”
I could see You Ye’s eyes glowing. They were filled with hope. I nodded to her.
I thought You Ye and I would be facing some troubles to reach the temple. On the contrary, everything went smooth and we reached the entrance of the temple without a problem. We just had to walk on the water to arrive. Walking on the water was a new feeling for me. Perhaps, I was still surprised by some things about this world. After all, I was not from this world.
You Ye stood at the entrance of the temple without moving. I could sort of understand what was going through her mind. There were too many what-ifs. To be honest, I didn’t have any high expectations. I knew I could heal myself once the System was working properly again.
I grabbed You Ye’s skinny hand with my only hand and watched as her head turned to focus on my face. A soft smile flourished on my face and her face softened.
“Don’t worry too much. We will make it,” I said, encouraging her. Somehow, I felt I was getting better at interacting with women.
“Silly, I’m more worried about you than myself,” You Ye replied with a radiant smile.
Both of us remained looking at each other, and moments later we both chuckled.
Her steps echoed through the empty temple. No matter where we walked, it was empty. The Greek temple looked old—it wasn’t ruined, but time did some minor damages to it. I still found it strange. Why was a Greek temple here? The culture of this world so far was similar to the Chinese culture back at my previous world. For sure there were some differences, but not so big that a Greek temple could be built.
