The System

Erik positioned himself against a wall as he sat up. He cursed himself for being a victim. It was indeed his fault more than that of those bullies. Only if he were stronger, they wouldn't have dared to do such a thing.

He should have paid better attention to his surroundings. He tried an alternate path to his room but to no avail because while he was buying spirit stones, his attention to his surroundings wavered, and he paid for it.

He looked at the sky and shouted in despair, "If anyone is up there, show mercy and kill me at once. At least then he could see my mother again".

He is crying, looking at his pathetic state. A sound broke his despair.

Ding

<Ethereal Divine System Activation in process…>

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…

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<Ethereal Divine System Activated>

"What the hell?" Erik shouted without thinking. He has no idea what's happening. He thought what he was seeing was either an illusion of some sort or he had lost his mind. He tried to wipe away whatever it was with his hands.

If anyone saw him, they would think he had lost his marbles. Luckily there was no one around now.

'What's happening to me?'

[Welcome Host to Ethereal Divine System.]

"Who said that?" he shouted again in panic.

[Host, I am an AI of the Ethereal System]

"You are what of the what?" he shouted.

[Host, you don't need to shout. I can hear when you think.]

"You can hear me?"

[Yes, loud and clear.]

"How?" he asked.

[Host, I said not to shout. If you do that again, people will think you are some lunatic.]

"Sorry," Erik felt as if he had done something wrong.

[Good, now listen with 100% concentration as I won't repeat after myself.], said the voice in an assertive tone.

Erik, like a child, nodded, "Yes, Master."

[Now, you were born with something called Ethereal System. It stands at the top if I say so. This system helps you achieve your goal of becoming the strongest. You will be given a 'Quest'; if you complete it, you get a reward. Completing a quest helps you grow, but you shouldn't blindly do every quest given to you, even if the prize is eye-catching. Think before you do anything; I don't mean just the quests but everything in your life.]

[I'll help you whenever I can, but you shouldn't just depend on the system or me; it creates your greatest weakness.]

[You can see that there are tabs, each representing some feature. Some of them are blank, which get unlocked when you progress; some are available after completing unique quests. For now, you have Basic info about yourself and Inventory tabs. Think of the Basic Info tab to open.]

---

Name: Erik

Age: 16

Body physique: None

Bloodline: None

Cultivation: Novice Realm Level-1

Cultivation technique: Basic cultivation

Skills: None

Spiritual Source Points: 8/10

---

[That's your basic info. Now check your Inventory.]

As soon as Erik thought, a new tab opened.

---

Inventory Size: 30x30

Items in Store:

Ethereal Divine Cultivation technique (1x1)

Ethereal Divine Body pill (1x1)

Ethereal Divine Monarch bloodline pill (1x1)

---

"What are those?"

[These are the freebies you got when Ethereal Divine System is activated. Ethereal Divine implies the topmost in existence. Now find an isolated place, then consume the body pill first and absorb it. Later, do the same with the bloodline pill. Only after that can you use the technique. Follow this order, or you won't gain maximum benefits. The process may take a lot of time, so eat before you begin.]

"Okay"

Hearing that, Erik went back to his room and locked it. He patched himself up before doing anything. He then ate wholeheartedly for the first time since he came to the sect.

As the AI instructed, he consumed the body pill. Erik didn't feel anything at first. A few hours went by, but nothing happened. Erik even started to think that he may have gone insane, but suddenly he felt pain.

His body started convulsing with pain. He groaned in pain. The pain increased little by little. He tried to endure it at first, but the pain only increased as time flew. He couldn't hold anymore and started to shout and cry.

The shouts would have brought the whole outer court to him, but the rooms are made soundproof with formations so that cultivators are not disturbed.

He even lost consciousness after bearing the pain for two hours.

If one saw Erik, one would think he had some death experience. He woke up three hours later, clearly tired from his look. His breathing is fast, puffing with his tongue out.

"What was that?"

[Look for yourself in a mirror.]

Erik looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn't believe his own eyes. 'Am I looking at myself,' he thought.

His physique changed a lot. He can see muscles on his body, and they look as if a famous sculptor sculpts them.

[Stop gawking and take the bloodline pill]

He immediately sat and took the bloodline pill. This time the effect was different. He fell into a dream state while the world saw hell outside.

A few hours in, he opened his eyes. When he saw the surroundings, he felt something different but couldn't determine what.

[Hmm, you sure are different. Now stop wasting time, and you should try to comprehend the technique.]

Erik sat in Lotus's position and started to meditate.

One day later

"Finally," gasped Erik opening his eyes. It felt like an eternity before he opened his eyes.

[Wow, you comprehended even before my estimation. Now check your stats.]

---

Name: Erik

Age: 16

Body physique: Ethereal Divine Body Level-1

Bloodline: Ethereal Divine Monarch Bloodline(Awakened 0.1%)

Cultivation: Novice Realm Level-1

Cultivation technique: Ethereal Divine Cultivation (Comprehension 0.1%)

Skills: None

Spiritual Source Points: 8/10

Mana Source Points: 0/10

Chaos Source Points: 0/10

Primordial Source Points: 0/10

Void Source Points: 0/10

Ethereal Source Points: 0/10

---

"What in the World? What are those? I never heard them before."

[Those are different energies available to you since you already comprehended 0.1% of the Ethereal Divine Cultivation technique, you can cultivate and absorb every type of energy. For now, you should concentrate solely on Spiritual points.]

Even hearing that he may have advantages over others, Erik looked dejected.

[Why do you look sad?]

"Even though I got a treasure here, it won't be useful without spirit stones. Normal cultivation takes a long time, and I need spirit stones. I used all my points for them. The exam is getting near, and even if I work twenty fours a day for a month, I won't get enough points to buy the stones required to reach the third level by the end of the remaining two months".

[If that is what you are worried about, it's a small matter. With Ethereal Divine body and technique, you can directly cultivate better than before. Your cultivation speed is much better than before, and did you check the comprehension percentage? The more you do, the more quickly you can cultivate.]

"Is that true?"

[Yes indeed. It would have better results if you try to comprehend some more, say at least 0.5% before cultivating.]

"You think so?"

[I know so. The more comprehension, the better, but since you do not have much time with your assessment, I calculate it's better to reach 0.5%. If not for that, I would have said 100%]

"Wait, what? A 100%."

[Yes, with higher comprehension of technique, the foundation of some will be better. Since you are only Novice Realm, there won't be much difference. For now, reach 0.5% and cultivate until you reach the third level. Once you reach, stop cultivating and continue comprehending the technique.]

"Okay."

[Now meditate and comprehend while I take a rest. I'll check after a month or so.]

After hearing from the AI, he sat down and meditated on the technique, trying to comprehend it more.