Nick found himself in a blank, white space. He checked quickly about him and realized that although his mental condition was fully intact, his limbs and torso were bound by invisible forces that restricted him from moving even one iota. Humans are not creatures built for extended complete stillness, and so in less than ten seconds, Nick was already attempting to flap about, trying with all of his might to move.
Is this punishment?
Nick remembered that in many religions, committing suicide was a sin and frowned upon by many. If this truly were to be his eternal punishment, he'd be in for a hell of a ride. He began internally panicking, his eyes bugging out and his mouth wide open, trying to scream profanities that would never make it out of his vocal cords. He did all of this while wholly immobile and tense, making his panic almost comical from the outside. Nick's imagination had always run rampant, and so immediately his mind jumped to Hell.
I'm going to suffer here eterna-
|
Loading Sequence Initiated Determined Host is in Immortal Entertainment World #7924. Loaded Scenario: [Modern Cultivation Variant Thirty-Four] Determined Host has a [#&#$#*$ Fragment]. System provided with innate sentience. System Loading... 1%. Host, please wait patiently. The host has survived without complete mental destabilization in _____ space. Mental strength is judged to have surpassed the bottom line of the Immortal Entertainment System. Modules downloading.... error. The host does not possess enough Universal Authority to unlock all System modules. Current Universal Authority: 0. Cultivation module downloading... Cultivation Arts module downloading.. [#&#$#*$ Fragment] bonus: Self-assessment module upgraded into Identify module (Tier-II) Identify module downloading... System load complete. The host will be put into an unconscious state. |
Nick awoke in an alley with a start. The air around him was cold and damp, and the wet paved sidewalk was slick with rain. Strangely enough, there were no passers-by. The world around him was empty and dark, looking like the set of a pandemic movie. He was supposed to be dead, right? Hadn't he jumped? He tried to get up and look around to make sense of the situation when he heard a low growling noise beside him and jumped up in fright.
"What," exclaimed Nick, "the holy fucking shit is that?"
| That creature is a Mutated Qi Boar. It's Physical Strength is at the Lower Essence Condensation stage. |
A voice spoke into his head, and he recoiled in fear. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU? What's essence condensation? What's a Qi Boar?"
| I... this might take a while. I'd recommend you fight your way out of this one first. |
Nick weighed the options in his mind and quickly came out with the understanding that while his curiosity wouldn't kill him, this magical attack-boar really might. He could feel a strange energy emanating from its being. Nick felt like a mouse facing an apex predator. It was like there was an innate difference in the hierarchy of life between them. The boar growled more fiercely this time, and some of its compatriots emerged from the walls, their slick black fur able to mesh into the colours of the night when it was raining.
Gathering up his wits and clenching his fists into little balls, he weighed his options and prepared to take the most heroic action he could... and ran like hell away from the boars. Legs pumping and pumping, he ran out of the alley and down the street in the pouring rain, not hesitating to fling a middle finger at the boar behind him.
When he had reached the relative safety of a restaurant overhang, Nick started asking for information. It was like playing Twenty Questions with an insufferable bastard, except that if he didn't win in time he'd not only be dead, but soaked. "Now," Nick said in a light but firm tone, panting and wheezing, "you've got to tell me what the hell is going on. What's Qi, and, most importantly, why am I still alive?"
|
There's some information I just can't tell you, although I'm fighting to give you as much information as possible. In precisely one hour, every single human being on your planet will be granted the privilege of Qi Cultivation, a method of drawing and condensing the Qi, the "essence" and energy of the universe, into oneself to strengthen your physical and mental strength. With the human condition being as it is, that could already be seen as an apocalypse. However, on top of that, animals will undergo intense mutation due to the extra Qi and become monsters in their own right, like the boar you just saw. Guess how many humans would stand up to one of those? In order for them to receive a system, everyone was pulled into that blank space. Four milliseconds before you hit the ground, the $#%%#@ watching you decided to pull you in early. That's why you're alive, and that's why you were gifted a sentient system. Somewhat less than six hundred people worldwide were considered interesting enough to receive one. Congratulations! |
A thousand thoughts ran through Nick's head. Cultivation? System? From the basics of it, it seemed like the Universe had innate energy. If he had to take a guess, it would be the type of energy emanating from the boar. That was likely what frightened him so much. He prepared a response. "That's... a lot of information to take in. I've read a fair few Wuxia novels in my day, so I know the basics of cultivation and Qi and Systems. What functions do I have with this System?"
| You can view your own cultivation, store items and, as a result of the bonus, you can identify people and things within a certain range of your own power. As you grow in achievement and fame, you will unlock more functions. You may also ask questions, and you will pay in Information Points, awarded to you by the system for special actions.
That's all for the Newbie Help! Just call "Help" when you need me. Mentally visualize clicking on the different tabs and you'll open them automatically. Seeya! |
When he was absolutely sure that no one was around, Nick screamed in celebration. Growing up, Wuxia novels had been one of his greatest joys in life, and he'd always marvel at the different powers of the Main Character. Now, Earth was being transformed into a cultivation world, and it seemed like he was one of the "main characters" of this world. With so much to explore and do on his second chance at life, how could he not be excited? Even though he didn't know all that much about how and why he was reincarnated, he decided to treasure and appreciate it.
Taking things step by step in order to better understand his surroundings, he first took the natural action of figuring out how to open the system tabs. He mentally visualized a cursor in his mind, and then visualized three blue boxes with [Identify], [Cultivation], and [Storage] on them, like so.
| Identify | Cultivation | Storage |
He dragged the "cursor" over the "interface", and with much difficulty, imagined the cursor clicking the Identify button. What surprised him, though, was that another, "real", blue box appeared in his vision.
| Please visualize target. |
He thought for a little bit and decided to Identify himself. After all, his parents had made him read the Art of War early on in his childhood, and one quote that always stuck with him was, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." He wasn't too sure about the enemy for now, but at least he could get himself down pat.
| Name: Nick Jingxin | Realm | Stage |
| Mental Cultivation | Mortal | High |
| Physical Cultivation | Mortal | Low |
| Gathered Qi: | 0 | Race: Human |
| Universal Authority: | 0 | Gender: Male |
Looking over his statistics, he was feeling quite pleased with himself until he found the Mental Cultivation statistic.
"System! Answer me! I demand a recount! Nineteen long years of study and hardship for a Mental Cultivation of Mortal Peak? Recount it right now!"
| Errrrr... System not currently in service? |
"I know you're in there, you son of a bitch! Recount it!"
| *whistles innocently while running away* |
"Hey! Answer me!"
