Luck

'The system is linked…?' Bryan diminished his surprise, thought for a second and asked, "Are there multiple of you in us or…?"

[To answer your question, I am an individual system that is intricately and equally shared amongst the three of you. The status of your profile will only be displayed to you three individually. Contrarily, other matters will be displayed to all three of you at the same time.]

"System, where are we?" Ray was dying to know where exactly they were.

[We are currently in the northern section of the Wandering Forest, near the Kingdom of Iwernia on a celestial body called Planet Verna.]

Hearing a bunch of random names, Ray continued asking, "How far is Planet Earth from here?"

[…]

[Unable to measure the distance.]

"Fuck…" Ray cursed softly. He then felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, comforting him.

"It's not the end of the road yet." Bryan comforted.

"Bryan's right, we have the system to slowly help us." Ash smiled.

"What if I or we start to like this world?" Ray asked back.

"Eh, then so be it. Us liking this world won't stop us from trying to find a way to visit our parents." Bryan shrugged.

"And who knows, maybe we'll find one of those sexy beauties whose description is always overblown in preposterous ways." Ash teased, making the other two chuckle in silliness.

"What exactly is your purpose here, system?" Bryan carefully asked.

[The system is here to help you three achieve the necessary strength to become strong. I will only be an auxiliary system, providing the necessary information and items. Everything else will be solely experienced by you three and your luck.]

"I see."

"Then I'll be asking the important question, how do we cultivate?" Ash asked in slight excitement.

[Your current cultivation realm will be specified in the cultivation section. As of right now, since you three have not started cultivating, it is simply specified as 'None'. For every cultivation stage, the required energy points must be met to proceed further. After reaching a certain cultivation realm, energy points are not the only decisive requirement.]

They understood the concept and so, Ray asked, "How do we gain or collect these energy points?"

[The most basic form of collecting energy points is by meditating and cultivating the natural energy around you. Other forms include consuming or using items that contain natural energy. The blue fruit, also known as the Spiritual Beryl, that you three consumed contained some natural energy.]

"Oh shit!" Ash exclaimed.

"That makes sense why we felt something enter our bodies." Ray flexed his fingers.

"So, that's what natural energy feels like…" Bryan muttered.

[Your Energy Points are filled and can be used to officially enter the cultivation world. Simply, think of using your energy points and the system will automatically help you.]

"That was pretty easy to understand." Ash gave the system a thumbs up.

"So guys, shall we?" Bryan smiled in excitement.

Ray smiled back and said, "Let's do it."

The three projected their thoughts and they immediately saw the consumption of their energy points. They felt the natural energy in their body dissipate.

"OH FUCK!!" Ray suddenly fell to the ground and clenched his fists tightly.

As soon as the natural energy dissipated from their bodies, they felt an agonizing pain tormenting their nerves.

"AARGH!" Ash tightly held his own body to tense his nerves.

"…" Bryan was on his knees and silently withstood the pain, clear from the sweat exuding from his forehead.

After several minutes of excruciating pain, the three laid down on the ground with exhausted faces and sweat drenched clothes.

[A restructure of your bodies was necessary to accommodate the harsh conditions of the cultivation world. Congratulations on entering the cultivation world and achieving the first stage of the Mortal Cleansing Realm.]

*Huff huff*

"That was fucking painful…" Ash sighed and was glad that was over.

"Our bodies needed to be restructured huh." Ray felt powerful, at least powerful than a normal human being.

"As the saying goes, no pain no gain." Bryan chuckled.

"I hate that phrase!" Ash grumbled.

"Well, I do feel something powerful coursing through my body." Bryan said while inspecting his body.

"So, we're in the first stage of the Mortal Cleansing Realm? Sounds fancy." Ash mused.

"System, what are the different cultivation realms?" Ray questioned.

[The initial six cultivation realms commonly practiced are as follows:

Mortal Cleansing Realm, Natal Realm, Shattering Sea Realm, Elemental Fusion Realm, Nucleus Realm and the Prime Obelisk Realm.

These are the foundational realms in the long path to reaching Godhood.]

"What about the titles, system? What do they do?" Ash inquired.

[A title is a distinctive name that can be earned through doing deeds or actions that seem worthy in the system's eyes. Once you acquire a title, you gain a passive ability in correspondence with the title.]

"That is kind of…cool." Ray slowly nodded.

"Hell yeah, it is. Imagine having a title called 'The God's Sword' and your cultivation speed increases by 10 times." Ash rubbed his hand.

"Yeah, imagine…" Bryan looked at him weirdly.

"The God's Sword…" Ray pursed his lips and held in his laughter.

Ash wondered why they were judging him but soon understood why, "Really guys?"

"Hahahaha!" Ray stopped holding it in.

"Ha…ha…" Ash scoffed.

Bryan smiled and continued asking the system, "I'm sure Element Affinity is pretty self-explanatory. System, what about the Bloodline and Physique?"

[Bloodlines are unique innate abilities that are passed down by the older generations and acquired during birth. Apart from the innate skills, your cultivation speed and elemental affinity will be affected depending on the type of bloodline.]

[Physique is a special type of body bestowed by the The Great Beyond. When a cultivator acquires a physique, an extraordinary phenomenon appears in celebration of the physique's birth. Depending on the type of physique, it can affect either a cultivator's lifespan, physical strength, mental strength or cultivation speed. Along with that, powerful passive skills are granted to the owner of the physique. Physiques cannot be passed down and are only determined by one's fate and luck.]

"Damn, that's actually insane." Ray exclaimed.

"Yeah, having either one of them gives a major advantage in our cultivation." Bryan agreed.

"Too bad, we ain't no part of this world and shit to somehow magically get a bloodline or a physique." Ash shrugged.

Bryan scratched his stubble, deep in thought when his eyes suddenly lit up, "Unless…"

"Hey system, is there anything else apart from the status screen that you haven't told or shown us yet?" Ray prodded with eyes filled with anticipation.

'Seems like Ray figured it out.' Bryan smiled and looked forward to the system's response.

Ash instantly understood and facepalmed, 'I'm stupid. Of course, we have the system to help us.'

[Other functions of the system will be unlocked as you three reach certain cultivation realms. The current functions available to the three of you are the Status and the Inventory. As hosts of the system, there is a 'Welcome Gift Pack' in your inventory. Simply say 'Inventory' in your minds and three partitions will appear in the screen. One partition is occupied with your gift pack and the rest is empty. Use your mind to send a command to open the gift pack.]

Upon hearing the words 'Welcome Gift Pack', their eyes metaphorically shone with immense brilliance.

Ash gulped slowly and asked the system, "What's in the 'Welcome Gift Pack'?"

[The system doesn't choose the items for you. Your luck is the deciding factor in the items that you receive from the 'Welcome Gift Pack'.]

"So, it's based entirely on random luck." Ash grumbled.

"Maybe our luck is insane?" Ray chuckled.

"Who cares? Might as well open it." Bryan beamed in excitement.

The three sent out a mental request to the system. The 'Welcome Gift Pack' slowly floated out of the partition and burst open, sending out a blinding light.

[Congratulations Bryan! You have received the Divine Infernal Physique and 1 top-grade energy pill.]

[Congratulations Ash! You have received the Heavenly Frost Physique and 1 top-grade energy pill.]

[Congratulations Ray! You have received the Eternal Lightning Bloodline and 1 top-grade energy pill.]

Ray looked at the items he received and was beyond speechless. He looked at the other two who were in a daze and said, "Um, did we just hit the fucking jackpot?"

"I think…we just did…" Ash uttered, with his eyes glued to the items or more importantly, the physique.

"System, how lucky are we…?" Bryan questioned with amazement.

[According to my calculations, there is a high probability that you three have been blessed by luck itself. Keep in mind, luck cannot be controlled nor be influenced in any way possible.]

"Blessed by luck? What the fuck did we do to deserve that?" Ash was confused.

"I don't know." Bryan shrugged.

"So, System, is the bloodline in me or…?" Ray curiously asked.

[Negative. You have to assimilate the bloodline into your body and the same goes for Bryan and Ash in regards to their physiques. Keep in mind, the assimilation process is painful but quick. Whenever you are ready, please relay the request.]

"Oh great, of course it isn't that easy." Ash groaned with a gloomy sigh.

"At least it's quick." Bryan had no complaints.

"Do we do it one by one or all at once?" Ray asked the other two.

"Let's do it one by one. I'm sure this will cause a commotion and fuck knows who will come." Ash opted for the former choice.

"I agree with Ash. At least we can keep an eye and watch out for any intruders…that is if we don't die first." Bryan smirked.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

"I'll do it." Bryan walked a few feet away and sat cross-legged on the ground. Ray and Ash gave him a thumbs up, bringing out a small smile.

*Phoo*

'Here we go! System, start the assimilation process.'

[Request received. Starting the Divine Infernal Physique assimilation process…]

[In 3, 2, 1…]

Ray and Ash saw a small black orb float out of from Bryan's head. The black orb trembled violently before rapidly sending out long paper-like structures covering Bryan from head to toe in what seemed to be a cocoon.

The cocoon seemed to pulsate from within, sending out vibrations in the air.

Inside the cocoon, Bryan was in the fetal position, letting out screams of pain. His body was being reconstructed in the molecular level to accommodate the Divine Infernal Physique. Such pain is necessary if one wants to transform from a mortal into a divine being.

Bryan had never experienced anything like this before. The pain was unimaginably unbearable and he was always close to passing out. But the system did not allow that as he had to be conscious for the assimilation process to be successfully completed. Bryan didn't have the leisure to think of anything else as the pain kept reigning on his senses.

From the way things are going, it would seem a magical transformation would soon emerge from the cocoon.

Outside the cocoon, the two suddenly saw the cocoon shine brilliantly with red-coloured ancient and mystical runes floating around it.

A heavy pressure suddenly appeared, pressing the two to the ground, and a formless crimson mist invaded the area. The clouds parted to welcome the arrival of a fiery aurora, circling in the sky around the vicinity of the cocoon.

Rays of red, fiery light descended onto the cocoon. As soon as this happened, a crimson shockwave marched outwards, endlessly through the sky with no signs of it stopping.

"W-What the fuck…" Ash gritted his teeth as he struggled to fight against the pressure.

*Cough Cough*

Ray spat out a bit of blood as he tried his hardest to stay conscious. The nearby ancient trees struggled to stand straight as the pressure threatened to destroy it, not much to say the intense heat wafting out from the cocoon.

-Exactly 754 kilometres away on top of a mountain-

The commotion created from Bryan did not go unnoticed. A cross-legged old man wearing a golden robe marked with black accents opened his aged eyes and noticed the incredible phenomenon.

"Ho~"