The Three Scrolls

Fang breathed in deeply. A thrum of energy ran through his body.

[Ahhh.... finally I may awake... those were some tasty morsels you provided, young man...]

A voice rang out in his head. Startled, Fang prepared to devour this intruder. Drawing his hands into a circular pattern, he injected Qi into the vacuum creating a densely swirling orb of energy. Years of fighting in the mountains had taught him many skills and uses of unrefined Qi. Although he could not execute any proper techniques and could not harm cultivators, this was more than enough to create a void that would suck the very systems out of any protagonist!

[Relax young man...]

Fang frowned. This voice...seemed different. Experience in devouring systems had taught him to be cautious however. They were all a very shifty and clever bunch... although he had only just devoured three systems so far.

[No need for that...I am the being that you have awakened...those were excellent sacrifices... as a result I shall bestow upon you a way to utilize all this stored energy...]

Fang frowned.

'What exactly is this "system" talking about' he wondered.

There was a massive rumbling as his entire body vibrated, every tendon strumming as if he were a harp being played by the celestials. His bones snapped and remolded, forming a firmer structure.

[There...it is done. I have bestowed upon you three skills based on the systems that you have given me...each one of them is powerful in their own right so use them carefully...]

Fang stepped back, shocked at this turn of events. He... had a system!?!?

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" he screamed.

Systems were notoriously troublesome. They forced you to be a protagonist and to fight monsters and kill thousands of people and lose all your friends and family as some sort of horrific test of mental and emotional fortitude. Even worse, his current bank account couldn't support a protagonist's lifestyle!

Grinding his teeth, Fang muttered bitterly. There was a flash before his eyes and his brain immediately filled with pure knowledge. Screaming, he fell to the ground, clutching his aching head. Manuals and recipes floated around in his head. They convalesced into three scrolls.

The first scroll was dark purple in color, adorned with silver script and dark blue lining. It was soft and formless, fading in and out of reality as if it was representing the very essence of the void. electricity crackled around the edges of the scroll and it gave off a dangerous aura.

The second scroll was red and gold in color with silver script as well. It was fiery and domineering, with flames burning all around it. The script on the scroll seemed to be burned on and the multicolored flames orbited around the scroll.

The third scroll was the strangest of all. It looked completely normal as if it had no distinguishing characteristics. It was written on normal parchment, with black ink. However, it gave off a pressuring aura, as if the whole world was on his shoulders.

[Enjoy these three gifts. From now I shall enter seclusion. If you have any more systems to feed me, I shall reward you with the very essence of those systems and powerful techniques derived from these essences. Train well.]

And with this, the system was gone.

"Wait...who...no what are you? HEY!?!? How am I going to afford an MC lifestyle???" Fang yelled.

Hearing no answer, he sighed. Sitting down, he reentered a state of tranquility. The three scrolls appeared before him again. Fang drove his mind forward, creating an impulse. This impulse reached forward and seized the scrolls.

[Scroll of Thunderclouds of Darkness Acquired]

[Scroll of Seven Origin Flames Acquired]

[Scroll of Deity's Presence Acquired]

There was another burst of pain as these three scrolls were assimilated into Fang's brain. He suddenly sat up energetically. Leaping forward, he turned into a cloud of darkness. With a flash of purple lightning, he moved from his current position to a position 10 meters away in less than 5 seconds.

"So this is a transportation technique, hmm?" he questioned.

Smiling, he assimilated the second scroll. Pain filled his brain as if it was on fire. Waves of lava assaulted his mind. Crying out, he collapsed to the floor. After a few minutes, the pain subsided. Getting up slowly, he gritted his teeth.

Circulating Qi, he executed the technique. Flames appeared around his body in seven different points. They orbited him as if he was the Sun. The first flame was reddish-orange and glowed fiercely, as if it could never be quenched. The second flame was green and it glowed with a sinister light. The blue flame gave off a cold aura and seemed to freeze the air around it. The fourth flame was yellow and it burnt spitefully, flickering rapidly and fouling the air around it. The fifth flame was purple and it crackled with a devilish intensity. The white flame burned with a heavenly glow. The black flame, conversely, glowed as it it was a dark void emitting no aura.

With a twitch of his hands, Fang manipulated each of these flames to fly around the courtyard in random patterns. They swirled and swerved, a fiery dance of color. As soon as they hit each other, they crackled as if repulsed and flew in the opposite directions. Smiling, Fang played around with the flames for a while.

Extinguishing the flames, he sat down once more. Determination lay in his eyes and he stared in to the space in front of him.

"Right. Time to learn that third technique," he spoke.

Closing his eyes he began to meditate.