Remnants Of Yuan Ming’s Soul (2)

'What…what is this?! What's happening?!'

The atmosphere boiled as the boy's expression took a turn for the worse. Yet his movements didn't stop as he left the cramped shed through a hole. Xue'er, who was wearing a dirty dress, followed him and ruefully stared at his back.

Despite wanting to stop and think, Yuan Ming's mouth opened and closed by itself, "Its cruel, but it's our fate. We should thank God that…we weren't the ones that died. "

The consciousness of Yuan Ming blankly listened, his anger over seeing Xue'er was lost after he learned it was a dream.

Despite normally being meek and demure, anger couldn't help but flare up on Xue'er's face, "Is that how you really think, Yuan'gege?! My father is dead; he wasn't some enemy that died trying to save me! So tell me, why should I thank God for this?! For ruining my life? For making me live my entire life in this hellish, pathetic, disgusting slum? "

In anger, she changed her style of addressing him, "You should know how it feels, Brother Yuan! We wear filthy clothes, aren't educated and simple mortals. Who do you think is responsible for this?! It's that G-god of yours… "

Xue'er's tears filled her face, her erratic and abnormal behavior told him she had a breakdown. Yuan Ming seeing this hastily shook his head, and tried to calm her, "I-I might have been a bit insensitive, I'm sorry. "

She was right, Yuan Ming was in fact, being too insensitive. But how would he know, he was an orphan, thus he didn't know the feelings of losing a father.

"I-insensitive?! It took you that long to figure it out, huh? I'll tell you something, you've always been like this…! "

She dashed away from Yuan Ming, who called out to her and ran after her. The houses and sheds around the slum were empty; only a few children were playing here and there. The trash lying on the ground was stepped on by Yuan Ming as he tried to follow Xue'er.

"Xue'er, wait!! Don't go, that forest is dangerous, " called out Yuan Ming as he saw her run to nearby hills outside the city. His legs fastened as he began to worry about her safety.

Of course, the Yuan Ming from the future was watching with boredom. If he could control his body he would turn around and bash his head against a wall to wake himself up. Dramatic memories like these embarrass him.

A few minutes later, Yuan Ming caught up to Xue'er, who stopped in front of a small lake surrounded by rocks. It was far from the slums, and just outside the city, but very desolate.

"Stop, Xue'er, stop! Don't run anymore! Haah, haah, " Yuan Ming tightened his fists and started exhaling. Xue'er's tears had stopped dripping from her chin a long time ago, but her bitter anger hadn't subsided yet.

"Brother Yuan, leave me alone. " Her voice hadn't fully reached her own ears before he came and sat beside her. As if provoked, she weakly tried to push him away but failed.

The koi fish swimming under the water energetically played with each other. Seeing such a scene calmed Xue'er.

"Xue'er, I'm dumb. I hadn't noticed your…intense suffering. But what I said back then was all for you good. You don't have the rights to feel sad. You can't feel sad, because you have to live. If we miss today's work, we'll die due to starvation, " Yuan Ming shook his head and rubbed Xue'er's head. Pain was thinly spread throughout his face, but it wasn't as intense as Xue'er's sorrow.

Xue'er gagged on her tears, "Yuan'gege, do you think my father's fate would've been better if I wasn't born? After all, he died trying to save me… "

Just then, the true Yuan Ming regained control of his body and stood up. Instantly, the water in the river started to boil and it was replaced with burning oil that housed writhing snakes.

He cautiously moved back as the heat from the river flew to his face. Xue'er's back started to twist as she transformed into a ten-legged writhing maggot.

"But his efforts were wasted by you, Yuan'gege. You were my only support, I never even thought you'd kill me, but, sometimes, the unthinkable happens. "

Yuan Ming slowly watched the horrendous maggot wiggle towards him, and voiced out his nonchalance, "You think I care? This is a dream, you can't hurt me! "

Yuan Ming tried to shake his head repeatedly and even bit his fingers, but couldn't break his dream. He even felt pain, thus he believed that dying in his dream would prove fatal. So he tried to bluff his way out.

"Why did you kill me?! Why?! " The maggot ignored Yuan Ming and screamed in Xue'er's voice. At the end of the sentence her voice warped into a deep demonic voice.

"Because I wanted to; have a problem, bi**ch?"

The ten-legged maggot's body started to be tremble as it jumped on Yuan Ming's body. Two of its front legs wrapped themselves around neck and tried to strangle him, while the other legs tied themselves around his body.

"Why…why?! Why did you kill me?! "

"Because you were unfaithful. My hands would've trembled otherwise, " suddenly, an unknown voice shattered the silence.

It was surprisingly child-like and resembled Yuan Ming's voice. The scenery evaporated along with the monster as Yuan Ming woke up in his bed.

The cold night sky above the transparent ceiling greeted him as he opened his eyes. Yuan Ming's erratic breathing slowed down once he saw himself unharmed.

'That was weird. I never have dreams; especially dreams where dead people try to kill me…hm, I should ask that voice about this,' Yuan Ming thought as he left his bed.

Weirdly enough, the rotten flesh on his body didn't stain or ruin the covers on the bed as they stayed clean. But that wasn't something he was interested in.

His thoughts about his dream quickly faded away after he went down the stairs; and went up the stairs on the right. He didn't have the chance to see what was inside previously.

After he entered the right side of the second-floor, only silence and darkness greeted him. Unlike the entire Necropolis, which was well-illuminated, it was a room that didn't have any lighting.

The faint outline of a blue pedestal could be seen in the dark. After walking a few steps toward it, he could see a green crown laid on top of it. He extended his hand to touch it, but couldn't as an invisible barrier obstructed him. However, unlike the barrier on top of the mountain, it disappeared the second time he tried to touch the crown.

The green crown felt cool to the touch. Strangely, he could feel mystical vibrations emanating from it as he got more closer to it….

Yuan Ming began to blank out as the crown started to float in the air. He cautiously stood back but before he could even blink, the crown landed on his head. The pedestal imploded to pieces a moment later.

Essence similar, but in another way, different than the one he absorbed in the marsh flew down his skull, and into his core. He looked at his chest and saw that familiar orb inside, rotating in its own axis.

The black orb was spinning at such speeds that his eyes perceived it as still; even though he was sure his senses and sight was superior to Rank 2. Something was happening with the orb; a lighter gray essence was merging with it. A few wisps of blue essence were also coming out from the orb.

In a few moments, the green crown on his head had melted into nothing. His core on the other hand increased in size. Although the increase wasn't big, it did increase Yuan Ming's strength.

Peak Rank 2!

Yuan Ming descended the stairs in excitement and teleported himself out of the Necropolis. Once he opened his eyes again he found himself a rotten ground filled with undead beasts.

Upon seeing him, the beasts howled and bowed towards him. Their speed was slightly sluggish unlike when they were alive, but that didn't matter.

Yuan Ming ordered them to rise and swiftly ran out of the area covered by the blue dome. The familiar mountain range filled with mist appeared in front of him, a scenery that directly contrasted the area under the dome, which lacked trees and mist.

He quickly ran towards one of the mountains in the valley and as expected, found a cave filled with stones. He had seen the cave earlier but didn't find any use for it. But now, it had its use.

Running towards one of the bigger rocks, he sighed and measured it: it looked to be four-meter tall and one-meter wide. Perfect for target practice.

Yuan Ming drew a small amount of life-essence from his core and infused it into the muscles on his right arm; the arm that he took from a monkey.

The flexible tendons and muscles all teemed with strength as he leaped towards the stone and hit it with his palm. The immense force from the hit split it in half and cracked it. But it wasn't that powerful to entirely destroy the stone.

Yuan Ming was satisfied with his strength, as he knew that it probably wasn't the thing he excelled in.