Delimma

'Hao Meng!?'

Young master Gao almost shit on his pants. 

'That's the name of the protagonist! And I had a conflict with him!?'

Young master Gao's eyes furrowed.

His face became serious as sweat was trickling down his forehead.

'Wait, I remember now.'

'Since I am here, Hao Meng already had his hands on a legendary cultivation technique and would train.'

'After he trained and faced a lot of weak savage beasts in the mountain, he reached the 3rd Qi gathering realm as a cultivator. He would come to town and sell all his stuff.

'Hao Meng and a random bandit young master, which is me, would conflict.'

'Since I'm here, it means that any of my underlings with me are all crippled. I am also the same.

'By this time, I should be crippled already. Then Hao Meng would leave to go back to his village after he was done.

'After three days, Hao Meng should've already noticed that one of his friends, who was jealous of him and his village girl lover, would come to us and tell me, the young master, where Hao Meng and the village were located.

'I would surely be infuriated and probably I already killed that jealous traitor friend of Hao Meng.

'Then I would ask bandits to confirm if there is a village in that area.'

'After confirming, I would ask my men to come and take my revenge, which I ended up here.'

Gao Lao felt like there was a splitting pain in his head while thinking of this. 

'As a valid fan, I would welcome anything that would happen to me as a player because I wouldn't die for real.'

'However, the NPC/Player in my standing was something I shouldn't carelessly put aside to the back of my head.'

'Most NPC dies if necessary or just an innocent bystander who didn't have that much impact on the game.'

'I didn't spawn in a beginner spawning area, which makes my statement prove my point.'

Gao Lao remembered how he ended up here. A creature on the gaming pod, for some unknown reason, put him in this game that he remembered.

If he carelessly died inside, there's a chance that he would die for real in the real world.

'Those bastards!'

Gao Lao was about to blame the marquis but he knew that anger won't solve his problems. 

'What comes next? I'm glad I still remember every single part of it as I read it all over again whenever I have time on earth.'

'According to my memories of that novel I'm addicted to, Hao Meng would be prepared.'

'He would scatter something in the wind and make the savage beasts in the surrounding area come together.'

'Shooting two birds with one stone, but it won't work as my people already knew it.'

Gao Lao looked in the direction where the duo had left, as if he could see through the hut and clenched his fist.

'Tsk... Even if I try to voice out my complaint, I know it's useless.'

'I will know later if my conjecture is true about being supposed to be an uncle and my bandit group. First, I need to cultivate to widen my chances of survival.'

Gao Lao suddenly looked around him. He knew that he saw a normal cultivation book earlier and he was right.

At the corner of his bed, he saw a cultivation book.

'Fortunately, the past owner of this body or the young master planned to cultivate it as he refuses to believe that he is also crippled like others.'

Gao Lao flipped the book to its first page. 

'Muscle Boar Cultivation technique.'

Gao Lao saw the pattern of how to breathe, how to direct spiritual energy.

Also, how to extract the world aura or something from any object to be used as a cultivation material.

After checking it out, Gao Lao concluded that this cultivation technique is quite easy.

Ding!

「 Tier A cultivation technique discovered, Muscle Boar Cultivation technique. Will the user use it for cultivation? 」

Gao Lao nodded. 

'A tier A huh?'

Gao Lao checked the back of the book for some nonsense.

'Even though a tier A cultivation technique can only amount to make me reach the 5th Qi Gathering realm, it's better than nothing. Especially right now.

'However, I'm not sure if I could cultivate it since the main character crippled me like in the novel.'

Gao Lao stared at the player screen and the cultivation technique for a long time.

Finally, after a few moments of contemplation, Gao Lao convinced himself.

'Nothing is going to happen to me, right? After I took this body. Maybe as a player, the crippled state won't affect me since it's a new young master, which is me inside this body... God damn it!'

'I hope nothing happened!'

Taking a deep breath. Gao Lao opened his mouth.

"Use Tier A Muscle Boar Cultivation technique."

Ding!

「 Cultivation will start. The user is advised to relax or sit in the most relaxed manner. 」

Gao Lao sits in a cross-legged position.

He can internally feel a massive amount of spiritual energy coming into his stomach and his forehead. 

'Finally, it seems I am not crippled.'

Gao Lao tried to console himself, but inside he was hoping that he would make it easy like a cliche thing that was supposed to happen.

However, he suddenly stopped as electric-like pain began to spread around his forehead first and also from his stomach.

"Argh!!!"

Ding!

「 The user suffered cultivation inadequacy for the second time, turning into cultivation Infirmity... 」

「 Spiritual root: 1/1. Destroyed. 」

「 Spiritual root repairing veins: 0/11. Annihilated. 」

「 The user shouldn't have cultivated. 」

「 Health and spirit were deteriorating... 」

「 Estimated time of death: 40 minutes. 」

Gao Lao felt his body and mind crumbling. Along with the pain and notification, that's making him more excruciating.

'Am I going to die again?'

Gao Lao thought, as he is familiar with the feeling of death.

He felt tired all of a sudden. He knew he shouldn't act like this.

He knew that should do something about it, but what should be done? In his state?

It's comparable to a feeling of waking up in the morning while extremely sick as he goes to work in the office. 

'Life, huh?'

'Dying again without anything special about my two lives. I understand that every world is a harsh place...

'However, deep inside my heart, I just want something to do. Even without anyone's recognition...'

'I want to do something while I'm alive... I hope I did something I believe in... Something like... being great...'

Words come out of Gao Lao's mouth.

"Origin Player."

Ding!

「 Name: Gao Lao. 」

「 Title: Young master of Beastly Bandits! 」

「 Status: Badly drained. 」

「 Estimated time of death: 37 minutes. 」

「 Age: 15. 」

「 Items: 2/10. 」

「 Cultivation: Mortal. 」

「 Standing: NPC/ Player. 」

Before he died, at least he wanted to know that he was inside his dream novel.

However, soon he looked at the item...

'Item? There are 2 items?'

Curious, and since he had nothing to do but wait until his end, he said.

"Origin Player, Items."

Ding!

「 1: Broom of cleansing. 」

「 2: Leyhart Wizardry: Water Devil magic practice. 」

Gao Lao was a little surprised by this magic practice. 

'I never thought it was here.'

Gao Lao stole this secret practice from his family before he left his father's dukedom territory.

Hoping to sell at a very high price if he did not get accepted to the marquis territory for a job. 

"Origin Player, items: number 2."

Ding!

「 User discovered the unknown technique. Leyhart Wizardry, Water Devil magic practice. 」

At first, Gao Lao had nothing to do. Now, it feels like something is not right.

Hope was clinging to his life at the end of it all.

Ding!

「 Status: Compatible, try using it. 」

"Yes."

Gao Lao answered, hoping to somehow make it work.

However, shortly after, he forgot that a wizard's practice needs at least something with a high concentration of Mana to create a Mana core. 

'No! I will die faster if this continues!'

Just like without having spiritual roots, he would suffer consequences if he didn't have tools with a high concentration of Mana if he tried to practice.

Ding!

「 The user is advised not to move or to relax. 」

Before Gao Lao could stop it.

He became entranced!