Life 1 - Age 15

My consciousness floated in an empty void.

Everything was nothingness.

I could not see, or everything was black.

I could not feel.

There was nothing to feel.

It was quite peaceful actually, and I allowed myself to relax. This was probably some kind of sleep paralysis. Fighting against it would just wake me up and ruin my sleep. Since the final physiology exam would be in a few days, I couldn't afford such a thing happening.

Time passed, but it was impossible to know how long I stayed there.

What is your desire?

I had no ears, but the question echoed through my mind. The voice was commanding, as if all things should listen when it spoke. It was also quite uncanny, like a robot pretending to be human.

My thoughts were sluggish as they echoed through my mind, just like they always were when I was dreaming.

I wanted to live and to grow. To learn and improve myself until my inevitable death. I wanted to study oncology and understand how genetic engineering could be used to...

That is compatible. I can grant you a new life. You will have the chance to grow and study as much as you like.

Do you accept this Blessing?

"Uhhh...Sure? I've had coherent dreams before but this degree of awareness is unexpected..."

Agreement noted.

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Sensation crashed into me.I was sitting, slumped against a wall...The ground beneath me was packed dirt. A faint breeze stirred the stagnant air, carrying with it the sour tang of decay and neglect.I opened my eyes to see that I was in a narrow alley flanked by buildings that seemed to lean inwards, casting long shadows over the litter-strewn ground.

My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. How had I ended up here? The last thing I remembered was going to bed last night and having that strange dream...no way.

Absolutely no freaking way that dream was real, the chances were way too small...but as I raised my hand in front of my eyes, I realized that no amount of arguing or disbelief would help in my situation.

I had been isekaid, the hands that were definitely not my original ones stood as proof.

*Sigh...*

I didn't allow panic to creep in, nor did I entertain the existential questions that attempted to burrow into my brain. I remained sitting on the ground, slumped against the cold brick wall, and just...breathed...for a few minutes.

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After I felt that my mental state was stable enough, only then did I ponder on the implications of my -very real- discussion with the being that brought me here. It said that it would grant me a ,,new life,, which clearly implied that my old one ended.

For the record, I didn't remember it ending, and I didn't really expect it to end so soon. I was only twenty years old after all.I didn't speak though, nor did I dwell too much on my apparent death. I doubted that I could undo what happened, and even if I could, I first had to decide if I even wanted to.

After all, the voice also promised me ,,a chance to grow and study as much as I'd like,, which sounded pretty damn good in my humble opinion. Of course, it could be lying, and it most likely had its own agenda, but why would one bother lying to a being so much weaker than itself?I took another deep breath, pushing down the inevitable happiness that arose from realizing that fact that there was indeed something akin to an afterlife.

This had so many implications that I could think and theorize for days on end...but I could do that later.I glanced towards the sky, seeing the sun hanging directly overhead, its blazing orb indifferent to the struggles of those below.As I slowly rose to my feet, I felt a stab of pain in my abdomen.

It was hunger. It seemed the previous owner of this body hadn't eaten in quite some time...and now I was the one who had to deal with it...

*Sigh...*

I didn't allow that to stop me as I turned right, walking towards the end of the alleyway.I didn't know if I had gotten some kind of golden finger, but the being that put me here could most likely monitor my thoughts if it wanted to, so I didn't bother asking. I would do it if it didn't say anything on its own, and if it responded it would mean that it was either petty as fuck or that it couldn't/wouldn't monitor my thoughts.

This kind of information was always useful to know...

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The area I was in was definitely what I would consider the slums. Houses were in terrible disrepair everywhere, old women had laid out blankets to set up make-shift vegetable stands, and men could be seen butchering livestock on the street.

"中文单词"

"草泥马"

I sighed again as I made my way through the busy streets, ignoring the people talking around me. For all I knew, they could be discussing critical information for my survival or cursing my ancestors, since whoever dragged me in this world didn't bother giving me the ability to understand the local language.

At least this city seemed to be decently developed. Right now, I wasn't even sure if I was in a different world at all. I never went to China in my old life, but if someone asked me to describe what I think a medieval Chinese city would have looked like, my guess would have been close to this one.I was glad that I did not stand out from the crowd as I walked the streets.

The fraying robes I had been wearing ever since coming to this world fit right in with everyone else in this part of town. It was clear that the previous owner of my body wasn't wealthy by any means of the word. At least, I found no money on my person, and the hunger I felt was steadily becoming stronger as I continued to consume energy by walking.

I would have to find a middle-class district and try begging for a bit. Going to a high-class district carried the risk of being shooed away by passing guards, at least I thought so. If this didn't work, I would have to try my hand at stealing from someone weaker looking in the slums. This would be hard to do though, since the hunger was making me feel lightheaded. At least I managed to quench my thirst from a public well, so there was that.

The terrain the town was built on was somewhat hilly, which worked to my advantage. I found a relatively open hilltop and surveyed what I could see.It was larger than I had expected. I was honestly expecting a small medieval village with a population in the low tens of thousands. Instead, what I saw was significantly larger and more advanced in both size and scope.Most of the buildings were cramped two-story affairs, with the occasional three-story dotted around.

From what I could tell, there seemed to be two major centers of affluence. One was centered around a palace complex of dozens of buildings surrounded by towering walls. The other was centered around a massive, towering, steeped pagoda that had to be at least eight stories tall.

I took another look around, to see if I could find any other landmarks, and indeed, behind the palace, up in the forested hills, was what looked from here to be another large building complex.At least I know which places to avoid..."Blessing..."

"Status"

"Stat sheet"

"Inventory "

"Link Starto"

"AVADA KADAVRA"

I continued my walk through the city, softly chanting any cliche words I remembered from any novels I read during my previous life, but nothing seemed to do the trick. I kept my annoyance in check as I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the next.The "stealing" plan would have to be scrapped for now, it seemed, as I could feel my mind becoming more and more sluggish.

I dropped to my knees in what I hoped was dramatic fashion, and brought my forehead to the ground in prostration by the side of the street, smelling the faint traces of manure as I did so.Even though I was still in the slums, I felt the chances were high that at least somebody would feel pity for a destitute youth. I had even torn the sleeve of my robe and put it in front of me for people to place their money on, all to make me seem as pitiful as possible.I stood there unmoving for a while, waiting for some charitable person to pass by me.

How long I waited, I didn't know as darkness slowly started encroaching my mind. I knew I would faint sooner rather than later, but there was unfortunately nothing I could do right now.

My choice had been wrong. I had too much faith in a presumed golden finger and in my ability to acquire food, therefore I prioritized gaining information. For a person who never went more than a day without eating in his previous life, my assumptions were too reliant on my ability to function without food...I hoped I would have the opportunity to correct my mistake, even as my consciousness slipped away from me.

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I woke up to the sound of laughter echoing around me. The voices were young and distinctively male. I could count at least five of them hollering around me. Just as I was pondering whether I should run or remain unmoving, a kick slammed into my abdomen, knocking the wind out of me.Pain erupted across my midsection and my body instinctively recoiled, muscles contracting in agony as my senses were overwhelmed by the shock.

It was a level of pain I'd never felt before... which coming from someone who lived in a first-world country and was never in a serious fight, didn't mean all that much.Thoughts swirled in my mind even as I forced myself to not curl up into a ball.

I tried to react as little as possible. I didn't scream, nor did I try to push myself off the ground. Instead, I kept my eyes shut and tried to remain as still as possible.I didn't know what the fuck these guys wanted and I couldn't even find out since I did not understand what they were saying. Relying on luck wasn't something I enjoyed doing, but maybe if I didn't react and slowed my breathing enough, they would think I died and move on.

At least, if I was a random bully, I would probably want my target to be alive so I could see their suffering, boosting my nonexistent self-esteem...but as another kick hit my torso, I realized that this particular guy had other concerns.

"你个王八蛋,现在这么厉害了吗"

He was clearly speaking to me, and yet again I cursed whatever brought me here for not giving me the ability to understand the local language. If I understood what the fuck he wanted from me, maybe I could have avoided this.I kept my mouth shut even as I felt a coppery taste in my mouth. Internal bleeding huh? Absolutely fantastic...

The laughter got louder and now I was being kicked by more than one person. As the hits landed all over my body I finally couldn't hold my voice anymore and attempted to scream, only for somebody to kick my mouth, shattering some of my teeth.

Thankfully, the pain was great enough that I fainted once more, and I knew in the depths of my mind that I wouldn't wake up from this. My body was already starved and with this kind of beating, even if I didn't die instantly, I wouldn't last long.I didn't really mind though.

Surviving in ancient China without being able to communicate and without any speck of knowledge was a stretch in the first place. I wouldn't have committed suicide, of course, but I wouldn't have rated my life expectancy above a few weeks. This random encounter only hastened the process.My only regret was being unable to find what my Blessing was, or understanding what that random omnipotent being wanted from me in the first place.

As for Death itself? I wasn't afraid anymore. Even the Christian Hell was a better alternative to simply disappearing, in my opinion at least.So as my vision faded to black once again, I embraced the darkness...

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Sensation crashed into me.I was sitting, slumped against a wall...The ground beneath me was packed dirt. A faint breeze stirred the stagnant air, carrying with it the sour tang of decay and neglect.I opened my eyes to see that I was in a narrow alley flanked by buildings that seemed to lean inwards, casting long shadows over the litter-strewn ground.

My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings...was this the same alley I first woke up in?

Yes, it clearly was, I could recognize as much...but the implications of such a thing...I glanced upwards and impossibly, the sun was in the exact same spot as it was the first time around.I sat in silence staring at the sky above, breathing in and out as I tried to figure out what I should do next.

That's when I heard the same semi-robotic voice again.

System initialization complete.

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