05 - Death Herald System
After that mysterious screen appeared before him, even before he could take a good look or fully read the text it contained, within three seconds, Long Shen suddenly collapsed to the ground. After that, unable to differentiate between reality and imagination, he awoke in an unexpected situation.
With his eyes still closed, seemingly unconscious wherever he was, a peculiar sound emerged, waking him up. The sound of burning embers, a strong current crashing against rocks, and moans and groans resembling the cries of thousands of people simultaneously surrounded him.
Waking up slowly, with his head still aching and quite dazed, the young man opened his eyes gradually, confronted by these overwhelming sounds invading his mind, and the sight before him was, at the very least, bizarre.
Floating in midair without control over his body, as if he were a mere observer adrift in a dense ocean, Long Shen could hardly believe the scene before him.
A dark and melancholic place, formed by sharp, gray stones, with many areas seemingly burning endlessly with powerful, grand flames, yet failing to provide enough light to make the place less ominous.
Stretching along an extremely long path toward the top of a gigantic mountain, surrounded by strange, violent green water, thousands or perhaps even millions of beings formed by lights of different colors could be seen, with no physical features other than their constant glow.
Huh... What is this place? Wasn't I at the Blood Lake Pit?
Strangely, despite all the melancholic wailing and the dark, distorted energy radiating from all around, Long Shen still managed to keep his mind calm and composed, merely confused by where he was and the situation he found himself in.
Then, suddenly, a theory popped into his head. It was strange that he had passed out right after possibly absorbing that strange orb, and though he hadn't fully read the text, he clearly remembered something related to death in it, leading him to think of only one explanation for what was happening...
Damn... Could this be the afterlife? But... I didn't die... Right?
A sense of worry rose in the young man's heart, but before it could grow further, followed by the soft, subtle sound of a bell echoing in his mind, that screen appeared before him once again.
Ding!
[Inheritance process successfully completed! Does the user wish to proceed with assimilation?]
Huh? This screen again? Assimilation? Inheritance? What are you trying to say? Was that orb an inheritance or something like that? Damn, I can't believe I was forced into accepting an unknown inheritance right after all this crap happened in my life... Sigh...
The screen before him was purple, with a peculiar appearance, its borders made of bones and skulls, making it hard to trust from the start however, given his worrisome and scarce situation, Long Shen didn't have many choices.
Yeah, it looks like nothing will change if I wait... Well, since there's no other option, I might as well move forward and hope for the best... I accept.
At that moment, the surroundings around Long Shen began to warp, as if the entire space around him was compressing into a single point of origin, leaving nothing but complete darkness behind.
The cries of what he believed to be the dead in this afterlife slowly faded, as did the other loud noises that had stood out in that environment. Instead, total and absolute silence began to reign, especially since he couldn't speak even if he wanted to, no matter how hard he tried.
It was both a terrifying and incredible sight, and after a few minutes, all reality around him compressed into a single, small, dark purple star, the only source of light amidst that dense darkness.
Is this... really real? Am I really not dreaming all of this... Or am I?
Everything happening was pure madness. Even though it all felt real, the smells, the sounds, it was still hard to believe that none of it was a lie or simply a dream, especially given that all of this occurred right after he'd fainted.
But even though it's strange and insane, for some reason, my heart can't stop racing with excitement... Assimilating an inheritance right after entering the afterlife? As crazy as it sounds, if this is like the legends I've heard about the martial world, couldn't this be the thing that finally gives me the power I've always dreamed of to change my fate!?
Long Shen's rational mind no longer fully controlled his thoughts. Instead, his emotions took over during these brief moments. He wanted to seize this situation as his last shred of hope—no! He had to grasp it as his last hope! He had never had the luxury of choosing what to believe in to change his future. So, no matter how risky or suspicious this all was, how stupid or regretful would he be to throw away this opportunity and die like any other in the depths of that pit?
Long Shen had already made his decision.
Even though it was entirely cloaked in darkness, the mysterious star that stood out in front of him seemed to distort even the darkness surrounding it, acting like some sort of black hole or even a gateway to another dimension, sucking everything in with its strange and oppressive energy.
Following only his instincts, not thinking further to avoid being overcome by fear and backing out at this crucial moment, Long Shen, swallowing hard, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest from how fast it was beating, and with a thrilling and never-before-felt rush of adrenaline coursing through his body, moved his hand toward that star, somehow sensing it was the right thing to do.
Slowly, his hand inched closer, and the closer it got, the more intense the energy it emanated became, to the point that, after getting halfway there, its energy was so strong that it began to affect Long Shen's body, not just hurting him or anything, but with his own hand beginning to be torn apart.
Fuck... I need to... hold on...
Crunch... Crack...
His fingers started to break, from the tips to the base, shattering in different directions so that the bone was exposed, yet somehow no blood spilled out. His skin began to disintegrate, leaving his hand raw, worsening the closer he got to touching it.
Was this a test to prove his determination? That was the only explanation that crossed Long Shen's mind. After all, he had already been accepted as the heir, so why go through all of this? But, in the end, it didn't matter. He was already determined to continue and would not stop until the very end, even with the excruciating pain that seemed to pierce directly into his soul.
Damn... Just a few... more... centimeters...
Half of his body was shredded by that powerful energy, to the point where most of him had become nothing but a cracked skeleton, and the rest a heap of flesh and bone, with his organs exposed. His bones were destroyed, his flesh burned, and his organs crushed.
Fi...nally...
Boom!!!
A massive explosion of purple energy enveloped his surroundings. The moment he touched that star of light, however, just after achieving his goal, his body was nearly obliterated by the explosion, not only his skin and flesh but even his bones were reduced to nothing but ashes, destined to wander forever in that immense darkness, temporarily illuminated by the explosion... or at least, that's what seemed like would happen.
Suddenly, all the energy that had spread from the explosion began to gather and was absorbed by the ashes of Long Shen's body, and in the blink of an eye, his body was not only restored but fully healed, so perfectly that it seemed as if he had never been obliterated at all.
Huff... Huff... Did I... do it!?
As he looked at his hands, desperate to see if anything was still wrong, slowly and subtly, his face of desperation and surprise began to shift as a genuine smile of joy appeared.
Haha... I can't believe it... This power is mine!?
Even though he couldn't freely control or project it externally, Long Shen could feel an energy, eerily similar to what he had just touched, coursing through his entire body.
His expression was no longer just one of joy, no! He had risked his life, but in the end, his wish had come true, he had successfully inherited that unknown power, and even though he didn't know exactly what it was, he was sure it was something powerful due to its origin and energy. Therefore, it wasn't just pure joy he felt, the best word to describe his current emotion was: megalomania.
Someone who feels invincible, above all others, destined for greatness, and who, regardless of the situation or person they face, believes they will always come out victorious. This was exactly how Long Shen felt, something he had never experienced in his previously miserable life.
The innocent smile on his face twisted into one filled with malice as, inwardly, the young man began to laugh at the strange situation he found himself in. Anyone watching from the outside might even think he had gone mad, finally succumbing to insanity after all the bizarre events.
...Ha... If this really isn't a dream, it's the most absurdly funny thing I've ever seen or heard of in my life. Wang Ming hated me so much that he even tried to get rid of me by throwing me into this forgotten, dark pit, but, in the end, who would have thought that he ended up throwing me into this incredible opportunity!
However, breaking his train of thought and catching his attention, that bell sound rang once more inside his head, and in front of him, a new screen appeared.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have successfully assimilated and unlocked the Death Herald System, Level 0!]
Hmm? Death Herald System, Level 0? So that's the inheritance I got? What a peculiar name... Well, anyway, better to understand more before drawing any conclusions.
[Do you wish to assimilate all information regarding the unlocked functions?]
His response was immediate, and in that moment, an endless flood of information rushed into Long Shen's mind. Despite having felt invincible just moments earlier, the sudden and intense pain in his head made him wish he could tear it off, as the data download lasted for what felt like an eternity.
The seconds dragged on, but finally, the pain passed as if it had never been there. Gasping for breath, with his eyes glazed over and sweat dripping down his face, Long Shen realized that his risky decision had paid off, as all the information he needed about the system now filled his mind.
Heavens... If I told anyone about this, I'd be called crazy, even by the most conspiracy-minded cultivators! How could anyone take advantage of death in such a way? Even the most infamous and dark demonic cultivators can't fully refine someone's spirit this quickly, as far as I know... And this is only level 0? Hahaha... How... how incredible!
Long Shen felt foolish for having celebrated so much earlier, before even discovering the unbelievable things he had just inherited. This inheritance's benefits far surpassed anything he could have imagined. Things like special bloodlines, celestial physiques, or even unique artifacts couldn't compare to what he now possessed.
Ding!
[Warning: Since the assimilation process is now complete, the user will begin to wake up in their physical body once again!]
Heh... I was so amazed by all of this that I hadn't even thought about returning to my world. Well, anyway, I can't lie, I'm excited about what the future holds, especially in a world where death is as common as it is in the martial world... Revenge is just the starting point. With this power, I could even desire the whole world, and it wouldn't be madness! Yeah, I think I already have a slight idea of what to do with this inheritance...