《Yes, young master.》 Chapter 1 He had always been fascinated with the idea of death, or rather, the idea of ends. Things needed to end for new things to begin. He had also never feared death, he felt no need to, if there was an afterlife of some kind, as many religions assured, why would one? If one would be reincarnated after death, there was no need to fear it as well, sure, some argue that you could lose your memories and maybe even who you are, and should therefore fear it, but if that was the case, then you would not exist anymore, parts of you, maybe, but not you, so you would be unable to care, so why care to begin with? The last option, the one he had always found the most likely, was that you simply stopped existing upon dying. As Steven Hawking said, ¡®There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.¡¯ There was just one problem, he could think, and he was reasonably sure that he was dead, a bullet in the head would do that to you. He continued ignoring the screen that had popped up sometime while he had been thinking, there was no countdown on it, so it wasn¡¯t relevant yet. He didn¡¯t blame them, his death had been fast, it had stung for a moment, but that was it. Had they tortured him, then he would probably have been annoyed and gotten revenge if he could without unreasonable amounts of effort, but as it stood, there was no reason to. Ok, so the screen was now electrocuting his mind, that was annoying. Pain was annoying, just as stupid people often were, or people who couldn¡¯t accept that you didn¡¯t believe what they believe, or doing something, ok, not always the last thing. Reading could be fun, and gaming could as well, so long as you could see progress, and if that meant grinding for a few weeks for a single upgrade on an armor then so be it. That reminded him, if his family went against his wishes and did bury him instead of selling his organs on the black market and then donating his body to science, no need to waste resources and money, he hoped they at least wrote ¡®Praise the grind¡¯ on his tombstone. The pain had finally stopped, that was nice. Where was he anyway? A form of time existed since there was a form of ¡®before¡¯ and ¡®after¡¯, but space, that he didn¡¯t know, he had no body, which meant he couldn¡¯t perceive anything. Except for the pain the screen had caused earlier. Maybe he should read it, he didn¡¯t have anything better to do after all, and he didn¡¯t know how long he could stay sane enough without any outside input at all.
Mortal, You are probably wondering what is going on, that is easy to answer, you died. And no, I don¡¯t care if you are having a mental breakdown, this is a prerecorded message, and I¡¯m only doing this because I lost a bet anyway.
Once he had finished reading, the message simply vanished, only to be replaced by a second only moments later.
Welcome, I am the System. I will guide you through your character creation, ask me anything concerning the creation of your character, or don¡¯t, I don¡¯t care either way. [Please write your own custom welcoming message here.] [All further responses will be automatically generated according to your parameters.]
Then a much smaller screen popped up above the old one.
What is your name?
The creator of this system clearly had absolutely no interest in designing it, the messages were of low quality, and they hadn¡¯t even bothered to remove the creation notes. But that was nothing he could change, and hey, he got a system, he wouldn¡¯t complain so long as it wouldn¡¯t hold him back. As for a name, he didn¡¯t plan on using one he had already used, there was no fun in that, so he needed to think of a new one. The first options he discarded were names of worlds of fictions, while that would have been cool, other possible reincarnators would possibly recognize the name, and anonymity would likely come in useful. But if he wasn¡¯t going to use a name of a character he liked, what name would he use? It took him quite a while, but at least he didn¡¯t have to come up with new names, he had taken literal hours to search for names in the past, either because he wanted the perfect name for his character, or because literally every name seemed to have been used already and he didn¡¯t want to add numbers or misspell a name. At first, he had wanted to use ¡®Delaine¡¯, but then he remembered that he may end up in a medieval world, and having no family name could be a sign of low status there, and he didn¡¯t know if they had some way to access the system. But instead of trying to think of a family name, he went a completely different route. Sometimes names had power, especially when Fey or empathetic magic were involved, and he was reincarnating with a system, so he wasn¡¯t about to discount their existence. So instead of choosing something that would normally qualify as a name, he went with something more like a title. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. From now on he was ¡®Nylarthog, the Lord of Unholy Entropy and Languor¡¯. If he had a body Nylarthog, the Lord of Unholy Entropy and Languor would be holding his stomach from laughing, this name was so edgy and reeked of eight-grader syndrome, it was great, he should have tried using eldritch names earlier, they were hilarious. After he confirmed his choice, both screens went away and a new one replaced them.
Calculating User traits... Calculating User boons... User traits found: 6 User boons found: 0 Loading User traits... User traits:
  • Slothful: The user exhibits a tendency towards laziness and a lack of motivation. They may prefer to take shortcuts or avoid difficult tasks altogether.
  • Amoral: The user does not adhere to any particular moral code or ethical standards. They may be more focused on personal gain or self-interest, rather than considering the impact of their actions on others.
  • Socially retarded: The user struggles to understand and engage in social interactions with others. They may have difficulty reading social cues, expressing emotions, or maintaining relationships.
  • Strange mind: The user has a unique and unconventional way of thinking, which may be difficult for others to understand or relate to. They may have unusual beliefs, interests, or behaviors.
  • Lover of Quotes: The user enjoys collecting and sharing quotes from various sources, such as books, movies, or famous people. They may use quotes as a way to express their thoughts or feelings, or to inspire others.
  • Fiction Lover: The user is an avid fan of fiction, whether it be books, movies, or games. They may spend a lot of their free time immersed in fictional worlds, and have a deep appreciation for well-crafted characters and storytelling. They may also enjoy discussing and analyzing their favorite works of fiction with others.
No boons, that wasn¡¯t unexpected, boons were something granted after all. The traits also seemed fairly accurate, even if their description was quite off most of the time, but they were likely general anyway, and not for him personally.
Loading Character Creation Menu... Character Creation Menu loaded successfully.
Next, he got a so simple character creation menu that it wasn¡¯t even funny anymore, well, except for the fact that he could choose any color as skin or hair color. Next to the menu, there also was a 3-D representation of the character which he had created, and it was fully customizable so long as it was still within acceptable ranges for the selected race, and he could also only alter the outward appearance, so no changing where nerves went for higher efficiency, or even changing where the nerve connected the eye to the brain to remove the blind spot. But one could not have everything. He still took his sweet time though, while the race was an easy choice, human, even if the humans were one of the physically weakest, he didn¡¯t know how being of another race could maybe influence his mind, or if there was maybe discrimination going on, sure, there could also be discrimination against humans, but he thought that reasonably unlikely, humans bred like weed, but not only that, even if humans tended to fight among themselves, if there was a larger enemy, they would target them. The ¡®us against them¡¯ mentality was something to behold. Not that he thought that such discrimination was too likely to be extreme, it seemed somewhat pointless to reincarnate someone, just for them to die almost instantly. Then there was that he at least somewhat understood humans, having to try and understand a completely different culture, yeah, he noped right out of that. In the end he decided upon a human of average height, black hair, lithe body-build, optimal for running away and hiding, and average and easily forgettable face. Sure, he could have made himself a beauty, but that would only grab attention, and he had no desire to be raped. Next up was a bio creation, something which he had to be careful about because if he gave himself too many advantages in it, it would not be accepted and he would be assigned a random one, and since one could include likes, dislikes, social standing and many other factors in it, that was not something he planned on risking. As such, he went with a very simple backstory that went about so: He was a random, reasonably talented, healthy citizen, he could read and write, had a job that made him enough money to get by if he didn¡¯t waste it. His family was dead, killed in a robbery gone wrong. He was not quite outgoing, and was neither particularly liked, nor particularly disliked in the community. This should cover most important things and since he formulated it generally, it should also fit into probably any world. There was also a reason he hadn¡¯t included mathematics into the bio, he was way above average in it, math also wasn¡¯t exactly limited to one place so long as the beings were humans, or close enough to it, they would have a form of it, even if maybe called differently. And since he could read, he would also know numbers, and converting them in case of a non-decimal system wouldn¡¯t be a problem.
6 Use traits detected... The User may roll for 3 boons.
That was nice, now he only had to hope for some good ones.
Rolling... Boons have been decided:
  • Fast Travel: You may travel to any significant location you have been to instantly so long as you are not in combat.
  • Personalized Soundtrack: You have your own personalized music player in your head. Listen to any music you want wherever and whenever you want. You may make it audible to others as well.
  • Multilingualism: You can instantly learn and fluently speak any language you come across, including magical or mystical languages.
That was, he wasn''t sure, the first could certainly become extremely useful, the second one maybe not so much, but he wouldn''t complain, it was a system that so far seemed to only bring advantegous.
Name: Nylarthog, the Lord of Unholy Entropy and Languor Level: 0 EXP: 0/100 Abilities: None Boons: Fast Travel, Personalized Soundtrack, Multilingualism Traits: Slothful, Amoral, Socially Retarded, Strange Mind, Lover of Quotes, Shop: Null Inventory: Null Bio: A country bumpkin with a strange name.
Chapter 2 Maybe he should have added a job to his backstory, and before anyone could wonder, no, he did not end up working as plumber, no, he ended up as tavern owner. As to why that was a problem, he was socially clueless, even the system had said so, and now he was supposed to be a tavern owner, someone whose job it was to talk to people. But not just any people, no, drunk people. That should already be enough to bring the point across, but in case it didn¡¯t, imagine this. A man drinks too much, the man is an angry drunk, the man gets even angrier, he hits someone with a bottle on the head, now there is a barfight. But luckily not everything was bad, the tavern was running well, and he, as the owner, therefore made decent money. The tavern was also located in a rather important city, so there were guards positioned to keep the peace and arrest troublemakers. Something invaluable for a mortal such as Nylarthog, the Lord of Unholy Entropy and Languor. According to his backstory, his parents had been rather intoxicated when they named him, the next morning they were so embarrassed that they only ever said that his name was Nylarthog, still strange, but by far not as cringy. But back to the present, despite his original struggle at the first day, he had slowly developed a simple routine, he would go to sleep in the morning when the last patrons left, wake up a few hours later, sit down for a breathing session, clean up the mess from the last night and then open again. Now, normally he wouldn¡¯t have the motivation to keep that up- while this world was modern in some aspects, praise be flushing toilets, it was quite old-fashioned in other aspects such as taxes ¨Cthe visible progression kept him motivated, at the end of each day, he had a bit more money, even if he had to restock, since he did not need to pay for someone to transport his wares he was able to save up quite some coin. Enough that he would be able to buy a few Wind Stones soon. If you were wondering what wind stones were, think of Spirit Stones in xianxia novels and you would basically know what wind stones are. And what a surprise, they were helpful in accelerating your cultivation. But this was where most of the similarities with your run-of-the-mill xianxia novel stopped. The first level of cultivation wasn¡¯t Qi-Gathering or Qi-Condensation, no, it was Breath Cultivation. Instead of simply gathering and refining qi, practitioners of this system focused on cultivating their breath. By regulating and controlling one¡¯s breathing, one can refine one¡¯s internal energy and improve one''s physical and spiritual health. Breath Cultivation was then further broken down into three stages, Body of Wind, where practitioners learned to regulate their breathing and cultivate their internal energy. Gale Form, where practitioners refined their breathing techniques and gained greater control over their internal energy. And lastly Tempest Soul, where practitioners developed the ability to store and release their internal energy at will and could use it to enhance their physical and mental abilities. But contrary to what you have in regular cultivation systems, one could move from one stage to the next and back as one pleased, so long as one had some talent for cultivation, everyone could theoretically start out with storing and releasing internal energy, the only problem was that you would probably die or simply fail because of a lack of energy. On the other end of the spectrum, you had people in the Tempest Soul realm who went back to regulating their breathing to cultivate internal energy because they realized they didn¡¯t have enough, and this didn¡¯t change if one broke through to the next major realm, Elemental Attunement, if one so desired, one could theoretically start with that, it was only way more difficult and one would be weaker than others at the same level. This was also why Nylarthog did not try to advance faster, he was still young, so it was easier to cultivate internal energy than it would be later in his life while also slowing down aging. So far, he was still focusing on Body of Wind, the previous owner of his body had not cultivated far, as he was lazy and cultivation wasn¡¯t the mystical thing it was for Nylarthog now. He would be able to do fucking magic if he could advance far enough, not to mention that he could cultivate while lying in bed. He may not be talented enough for a sect, but he didn¡¯t need to be, so long as he cultivated enough internal energy he could always prolong his life further, if others got to the second major realm within ten years, or maybe even only a year, and he took a hundred, then so be it, at least he wouldn¡¯t be running around chasing after artifacts or whatever and risking his life. But enough of the reminiscing, it was time for Nylarthog to open the tavern. The day started as slow as always, the sun was still high in the sky, so most people hadn¡¯t yet even come from work, but there was the occasional early arrival, and there was no need to pass up on some easy money. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Same as always?¡± As tavern owner he sadly had to talk to customers, but that was fine. So long as the other party wasn¡¯t yet drunk, or just stupid, the standard for intelligence seemed to be even lower in this world than it had been in his old one. Probably related to the lack of available schooling. But it wasn¡¯t all bad, there were way fewer commoners that were self-righteous assholes, no, that was reserved for young masters, luckily he hadn¡¯t yet had to deal with one. ¡°No, give me a pint of your strongest ale.¡± The customer was a middle-aged man, dressed in simple clothes, with a tired look on his face. ¡°What ales you this time?¡± Nylarthog asked, pouring the man a mug of Firefly Liquor. The man chuckled at the pun. It was crude, but without easy access to entertainment, the standards were much lower. "Just a long day at work, my friend," he said, taking a sip of the ale. "It''s good to be able to come here and forget about all the troubles for a little while." Nylarthog nodded sympathetically, "Well, you''re always welcome here, just be sure to take it easy on the ale, or you might forget where you''re going when you leave." Not that he cared much about that, but if a customer was robbed on the way home, they wouldn¡¯t have as much money to give him. The man laughed and raised his mug in a toast. "To forgetting our troubles, even if it''s only for a little while." Nylarthog smiled and raised his own mug, clinking it against the man''s. "To forgetting our troubles," he echoed, taking a sip of his water, he wouldn¡¯t be able to work if he was drunk, and this wouldn¡¯t be the last time he toasted to something with someone. As Nylarthog tended to the bar, he observed the early customers with disinterest. It was still quite empty, as usual, but he didn''t mind. At least he had time to focus on cultivating his internal energy. Suddenly, the door opened, and a group of young men walked in, chatting and laughing loudly. Nylarthog couldn''t help but roll his eyes as he braced himself for another long and tiring night. The group of men sat down at the bar and ordered drinks. Nylarthog served them with a blank expression, trying to ignore their behavior. However, as they drank more, their behavior became increasingly obnoxious. They started hitting on the female customers, making lewd comments and harassing them. This wouldn¡¯t have been a problem in itself, had they just picked out one girl, but they just had to pick on the daughter of a local merchant, who happened to be in the tavern at the time. And if she had a bad impression of the tavern, then her father would probably talk bad about it, which would be bad for business. Fucking adventurers, always causing problems because they wouldn¡¯t stay long anyway. Nylarthog sighed, knowing that he had to step in before things got out of hand. He approached the group of men, his expression stern. "Gentlemen, I''m going to have to ask you to stop harassing the customers. This is a place of business, not a brothel." One of the men scoffed and turned to face Nylarthog. "Who the hell are you to tell us what to do? We''re just having some fun." Nylarthog didn''t back down. "I''m the owner of this establishment, and I won''t tolerate this kind of behavior. Either you stop harassing the customers or you leave." The men exchanged glances and then burst out laughing. "You''re the owner? That''s rich," one of them said, smirking. Nylarthog''s jaw tightened. He didn''t appreciate being mocked, especially not in his own tavern. "I assure you, I am the owner. And if you don''t stop your behavior, I''ll have to ask you to leave." The men continued to laugh and make crude comments, ignoring Nylarthog''s warning. One of them even threw a glass at a nearby wall, shattering it into pieces. The other customers in the tavern began to murmur and shuffle nervously, clearly uncomfortable with the escalating situation. Nylarthog gritted his teeth, feeling his anger rising. These adventurers were causing chaos and endangering his livelihood. He had to take action before things got even worse. "I''m going to give you one last chance to leave peacefully," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Otherwise, I''ll be forced to call the guards." Well, nobody could say he hadn¡¯t tried to solve it peacefully, as such, he opened a latch on the bar, below it was a small mechanism, that if activated, would result in a wooden sign being raised outside, which would tell the guards that there was someone causing a ruckus inside, while at the same time also raising one on the bar, telling the customers that guards were on the way. Nylarthog didn''t hesitate to activate the mechanism, and within seconds, a wooden sign raised outside, signaling for the guards. ¡°The guards will be here any minute now.¡± The group of adventurers finally seemed to realize that Nylarthog meant business, and they quickly got up from their seats and headed for the door. "Fine, we''ll leave," one of them said, sneering at Nylarthog as they walked out. "But don''t think you''ve seen the last of us." Nylarthog didn''t respond, instead watching as the group of men left the tavern, their loud and obnoxious laughter fading into the distance. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension in the room dissipate as the other customers relaxed. It didn¡¯t take long for the guards to arrive. He was sure they normally may have not come at all, but he made sure to always give them a tip when he called them, it was a small price to pay for not having to deal with such idiots. The guards arrived at the tavern and saw that the group of adventurers had already left. They turned to Nylarthog and asked him what had happened. Nylarthog explained the situation and showed the guards the broken glass and the wooden sign he had raised. The guards nodded and said they would keep an eye out for the group of adventurers in case they caused trouble elsewhere in the city. Nylarthog thanked the guards and then turned to the other customers in the tavern. "I apologize for the disturbance," he said. "As a gesture of goodwill, I¡¯d like to offer everyone present a free drink to make up for the inconvenience caused by these adventurers." The customers broke out into smiles and cheers, grateful for Nylarthog''s generosity. Short-term he may have made a loss with that, but it made sure that everyone would come back. After the group of adventurers left, Nylarthog breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that he had been able to defuse the situation before it got any worse. However, he knew that this wouldn''t be the last time he had to deal with rowdy customers. The rest of the night was relatively calm, there were some that drank a bit too much, but nobody caused serious trouble. Chapter 3 Months passed by, then a year, and he continued running his tavern, cultivating, and overall just living his life. It wasn¡¯t particularly interesting, but that was what he wanted for now, he could always have an interesting life once he had become strong enough. He had also managed to buy some Wind Stones and finally progressed sufficiently to start with Gale Form, which was lucky, because winters were fucking cold, and while he could not yet actively assist his body with it yet, it still passively increased his resistance to temperature and other outside influences to some degree. Over time his tavern had also become more and more popular, his comparatively low prices because of lacking transportation costs for his beverages went a long way with that. He had even had to buy the neighboring house to accommodate all the customers, that had cost quite some coin, but almost doubled his income, so it had been worth it. As his tavern had grown more popular there had been other problems cropping up though, namely people who did not like him impeding their business, but some hired guards took care of that, mostly. He also needed to grant some favors to an official or two to also make sure no legal troubles came up, but that was in the end still cheaper than having to deal with the actual troubles. There was something else interesting, he had managed to get one exp point. He originally didn¡¯t know for what, only that there was suddenly a notification telling him:
Congratulations! You have gained 1 Experience Point (EXP)
Which meant that he had now 1% of the Exp needed to get to level one. Not really useful, but that happened. This had made him look further into the system though, to see if there was a settings menu, and luckily there was, even if it was not mentioned anywhere.
SETTINGS: HUD Visibility: 30% HUD Color: #333AFF Subtitles: ON Log: ON Automatic Updates: OFF Interface Control:
  • Voice: OFF
  • Touch: OFF
  • Thought: ON
  • Eye Tracking: OFF
Quests:
  • Auto-Accept: OFF
  • Quest-Log: ON
  • Quest Types: ALL
Experience:
  • EXP Alert Threshold: 1
  • EXP Tracking Interval: OFF
  • EXP Log: ON
  • Exact Values: OFF
  • EXP Source Display: ON
This was what the options looked like after he had played around with it some, originally he had tried setting the Alert Threshold to zero, but then he was constantly bombarded by notifications that he had gotten 3e-14 EXP. Luckily, the Exact Values option had been turned off, he didn¡¯t even want to imagine how difficult it would have been then, to turn the option to one again. There were some other options that he had changed, for one he had set the HUD Visibility from 50% to 30%, other changes were turning on the subtitles and different logs, and of course the EXP source display. Rather than turning some options on, he had also turned some OFF, such as automatically accepting quests, and all control options but thought control, he could always turn on the other control options should he ever need them, but he would rather not choose something by accidentally looking at it the wrong way. The last thing he had turned OFF were Automatic Updates, he would rather not risk an update nerving him, if an update was useful he could still just accept it after all. An interesting discovery he had made was that the general Log logged everything, even things that were said, which basically gave him a nearly perfect memory for conversations, something quite useful if you had to remember all the people and whatever they told you last week. But that wasn¡¯t the important discovery yet, no, that was reserved for the Quests tab. Apparently he had quests, ones that had already been automatically accepted, luckily the punishments field was empty for all of them. But for those interested as to what quests he had:
Quests: Main Quests:
  • Join a Sect or similar organisation:
    • Reward: 100 EXP
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Ongoing
  • Reach Level 1:
    • Reward: Unlock Inventory; Unlock Shop; Unlock Help Feature
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Optional Objectives:
      • Reach Level 1 within 1 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 1 within 7 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 1 within 30 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 1 within 365 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
    • Status: Ongoing
Side Quests:
  • Survive your first year:
    • Reward: 10 EXP
    • Failure Condition: Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Complete
    • Claim: [Yes/No]
  • Reach the Elemental Attunement Realm:
    • Reward: 20 EXP
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Optional Objectives:
      • Reach the Elemental Attunement Realm within 1 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach the Elemental Attunement Realm within 7 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach the Elemental Attunement Realm within 30 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach the Elemental Attunement Realm within 365 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
    • Status: Ongoing
  • Create your first Soul Elixier:
    • Reward: 100 EXP
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Ongoing
  • Create your first Artefact:
    • Reward: 100 EXP
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Ongoing
That was a wall of text, but it seemed like one could also just call on one specific mission, so he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this all the time. He also immediately collected the 10 EXP quest, he did not see many reasons not to, and unnecessary speculations would do him no good. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. As such, he now had 11 EXP and would only need 89 EXP more to level up. If he didn¡¯t complete any quests he would probably need another 90 or so years, assuming he kept constantly earning 1 EXP every year and a bit. Well, he would have hopefully reached the Elemental Attunement realm by then, so maybe he could reduce this to about seventy years. He was then interrupted though by a group of customers ordering drinks. Just as he was then about to go back to thinking, he was interrupted by another order, he should probably really get someone help, lodging, food and drink and a bit of coin should do as payment and would free him up more, maybe he could even finally get around selling Soul Elixiers, which were what could be considered the equivalent of qi-infused food, just that it wasn¡¯t qi-infused and was probably more difficult to create than qi-infused food would be. He had no clue how to create any himself, but what he did know was that it was somehow infused with an element or concept using internal energy. They sold for what many considered ridiculous prices, with even the cheapest being a few Elemental Stones, the term referring to not only Wind Stones, but all stones that had similar properties, just were of a different element or concept. But he had quite a bit money still, and if he traveled a bit, he could probably find some places where he could buy them relatively cheep and then sell them for a way higher price here. But for that to be viable without annoyingly much effort, he would have to find someone to do at least the cleaning up. As such, he put up a notice that he would be hiring, the payment he put on was ridiculously low, but there would always be people who were desperate enough, and since he added lodging he should also find someone who wouldn¡¯t just wreck everything. The applications he got over the following days were shit, one was a really hot mortal girl, which by itself already disqualified her, he didn¡¯t want even more trouble, he had enough as it was. Then there were some homeless people who just wanted somewhere to sleep, some of them had no clue how to even count beyond twenty without messing up, no surprise they were homeless. But one was actually somewhat decent, not good enough to take care of the tavern or anything, but he would clean up the messes left behind, he was also free to eat any food that hadn¡¯t been eaten by customers. Nylarthog had originally planned on rejecting him as well, but the guy was quite good at talking and knew basic hygiene, so he would possibly even be useful to get some more customers. After two months, Nylarthog also finally asked for the guy¡¯s name, he had done quite a good hob so far, and Nylarthog was therefore considering letting him try and man the bar, instead of only cleaning up afterward. That would mean he would have to pay Ignatius, the name of the guy, but finding someone willing to sell Soul Elixiers had turned out to be more difficult than expected. Outside of sects or high-profile restaurants it was nearly impossible to find anyone capable of creating them, and those that could were either way too expensive or simply not interested. So he mostly gave up, sure, it would have brought in profits beyond anything he was earning at the moment, but he was just too lazy to keep up the search, he still sometimes gave it a try when an opportunity presented itself, but he had no luck. ¡°Sir, there is a group of cultivators that wants to speak to the owner.¡± ¡°What do they want?¡± Nylarthog hoped they were only moving through, if they had anything to do in the city, then there would likely be quite a few dead people, the highest ranking cultivator of the city was, to his knowledge someone in the Elemental Attunement realm, which was quite low in Nylarthog¡¯s opinion, he may have been lower, but this was a cultivation dimension, and the second major realm was nothing uncommon in a sect, outside it may have seemed high, but that was because most rogue cultivators joined a sect in that realm latest, because resources became more difficult to get. Not that he knew much about that, he wasn¡¯t even aware what the minor realms of the Elemental Attunement realm were called. ¡°Send them in.¡± At least they hadn¡¯t just barged in as if they owned the place, that gave him hope. As the cultivators entered the tavern, Nylarthog couldn''t help but notice the sheer power radiating from them, more than anything he had come across before, not that that said anything, the strongest he had met so far had been a few rogue cultivators at the Tempest Soul realm. "I am Feng Xiaolong, disciple of the White Lotus Sect, you may address me as Young Master Feng," the tallest cultivator said, stepping forward. "We have come to request your assistance in finding a certain item." Nylarthog raised an eyebrow. Not because of the name though, you could believe him. It was because he had heard of the White Lotus Sect, one of the more prominent sects in the region. Their reputation for being ruthless and uncompromising preceded them. "What is it that you''re looking for?" Nylarthog asked, trying to keep his tone neutral. "It''s a Soul Elixir," Guan Yi said, his voice low and steady. "We have reason to believe that one of our disciples has stolen it and is planning to use it for personal gain. We cannot allow that to happen." Nylarthog felt a twinge of unease in his gut. He had no idea who the thief could be, but he knew he couldn''t risk getting involved in this, but he also couldn''t just refuse the request outright. "I''m sorry, but I''m not sure how I can help you," Nylarthog said carefully. "I don''t deal in Soul Elixirs, and I don''t know anyone who does." Guan Yi''s eyes narrowed. "We have reason to believe that the thief is in this city, and that they have been frequenting this establishment." Nylarthog felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. He had no idea how the White Lotus Sect could have come to that conclusion, but he knew that they weren''t going to leave without answers. Which wouldn¡¯t have been too much a problem, if they had truly been only after a simple Soul Elixier, but he was sure that it wasn¡¯t just that, a simple Soul Elixier wouldn¡¯t have warranted a search outside the sect, that would be like hiring a private detective to find a fifty dollar note one lost, simply not worth it. But even if it were only a simple Soul Elixier, the fact that one sect thought something important enough to send someone meant that some other sect would likely think it worth the effort as well. ¡°If you were to show me a picture of the thief, maybe I could tell you if I have seen him. Feel free to also pin his picture somewhere on the notice board, I have one right next to the entrance.¡± Feng Xiaolong nodded, pulling out a scroll from his robes and unrolling it to reveal a detailed portrait of the suspected thief. Nylarthog took a good look at it. "I''ll keep an eye out, but I can''t guarantee anything. This is a big city, and there are plenty of places to hide." "We understand," Guan Yi said, folding his arms across his chest. "But we won''t give up until we find our missing Soul Elixir and bring the thief to justice." Nylarthog nodded, watching as the cultivators made their way out of the tavern. He knew he had to be careful from now on, especially since the White Lotus Sect was involved. They were not known for their mercy, and if they suspected he was hiding something, he could be in serious trouble. His tavern was running well, so he did not want to have to run away and start all over again. Hours passed, and as the night grew darker, the crowd began to thin out. Nylarthog breathed a small sigh of relief as he started to close up for the night. But just as he was about to lock the door, a hooded figure walked in. Nylarthog''s heart skipped a beat as he recognized the thief from the portrait that had been shown to him earlier. He tried to keep his cool and walked over to the figure. "Can I help you with something?" he asked, trying to sound casual. The figure looked up at him, and Nylarthog could see the fear in their eyes. "Please, you have to help me," the thief said. "I didn''t mean to steal the Soul Elixir, but I had no choice. My sister is sick, and I needed the elixir to save her." Nylarthog was stumped, did that guy really just bring that excuse? And why the actual fuck would he ever come to him of all people? But not only that, the other party felt like a fucking mortal who had never even heard of cultivation, so he was either way stronger than him, and there was no way Nylarthog could help him, or he was truly a mortal which brought to question how he had even managed to steal the Soul Elixier. Which meant that either the other party wasn¡¯t a thief and the ''rightful¡¯ owner of whatever the cultivators were actually looking for, or he wasn¡¯t the thief. But before he could wonder further, he was interrupted:
QUEST ALERT You have been approached by a mysterious figure seeking your assistance. They require your help to leave the city.
  • Help the unknown figure leave the city without being caught:
    • Reward: 5 EXP
    • Failure Condition: The unknown figure gets caught or dies.
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Not Accepted
  • Surrender unknown figure to Young Master Feng
    • Reward: 5 EXP
    • Failure Condition: The unknown figure escapes the city.
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Not Accepted
Accept: [Y/N]
Chapter 4
QUEST ALERT You have been approached by a mysterious figure seeking your assistance. They require your help to leave the city.
  • Help the unknown figure leave the city without being caught:
    • Reward: 5 EXP
    • Failure Condition: The unknown figure gets caught or dies.
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Not Accepted
  • Surrender unknown figure to Young Master Feng
    • Reward: 5 EXP
    • Failure Condition: The unknown figure escapes the city.
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Not Accepted
Accept: [Y/N]
So, he would get 5 EXP for the quest either way, that was not helping in telling him which option would be easier. He could easily help the ¡®thief¡¯ out of the city, but he would risk offending the White Lotus Sect, but if he didn¡¯t, he was running risk of the ¡®thief¡¯ killing him if he was hiding his cultivation. But that risk even still existed if he helped, as the ¡®thief¡¯ may do that to hide his tracks. Then again, if he gave the ¡®thief¡¯ to the White Lotus Sect he may also be killed to silence him, why did it have to be him. He had made sure that everyone knew that his boon only allowed him and not to bring anyone else along with him, he hadn¡¯t actually tested that, but he didn¡¯t plan on being forced into an organization because of his boon, or for any reason, really. The best was probably to kill the guy and deposit his body somewhere the cultivators would find it, that should hopefully net him the EXP while also hiding his involvement, he just hoped that he would be fast enough to end it in one hit. He put his hand into his pocket, closing his hand around one of the two knives he always had with him. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone you are¡­¡± The place behind the ¡®thief¡¯s¡¯ back was significant, significant for killing him, and therefore he was able to fast travel there. A moment later the knife was buried in the thief¡¯s neck. He almost ripped it out again, but luckily remembered the mess that would make, so he instead held the twitching body, to make sure it didn¡¯t fall to the ground, and fast traveled into a sewer close to the city center. It was significant to place the body where it could be found while it would be unlikely for him to be seen placing the body there. Nylarthog vanished again before the body could even fall to the ground, only removing the knife. The next place he appeared was a random place in a random forest, significant because it was so random and the knife was unlikely to be found there any time soon if he buried it. He wasn¡¯t about to take more risks than necessary. But for now he simple let the knife fall to the ground, he would bury it in a minute after he had locked the tavern. While locking the door, he was also pleasantly surprised by a system notification.
Killed Mortal (Breath Cultivation Stage):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.2 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 12 EXP
So the guy had died, though he wondered how that was determined, if the brain stopped working? Or heart failure, or both? None of these seemed to be viable, at least if he went with conventional cultivation, there were beings that could survive completely without a body. Well, something to find out later, for now he had a knife to bury.
The next days were calm, everything went as it always did, people gossiped about this or that, but he heard nothing about the body having been found until almost a week later when the wanted poster was taken down. ¡°So he was caught?¡± Nylarthog asked, he wasn¡¯t supposed the guy was dead after all. ¡°Yeah, found dead in a ditch somewhere apparently, robbed blind as well. And nobody has a clue who did it, got the higher ups in a right frenzy to find anything at all. Nobody wants to be the one to take the blame.¡± Wait, so the quest should be either complete or failed, right? He could check that later, for now, he was going to plan on how to deal with this fucking situation. The fact that the White Lotus Sect probably didn¡¯t have whatever they had been searching for meant that the search would likely continue, which meant more risk of an escalation of the situation. Well, he would just have to hope that the escalation didn¡¯t happen. After finishing the conversation he told Ignatius that he would be responsible for the tavern for now, as he had something to do. He would get himself some actual weapons, something he should have done ages ago already. They probably wouldn¡¯t be of much use against cultivators on the Elemental Attunement realm, but they could go a long way against idiots trying to prevent him from leaving the city if his fast travel boon was somehow blocked. He would also need to build countermeasures in case the system started causing problems, but it was way too early for that. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
QUEST ALERT You have been approached by a mysterious figure seeking your assistance. They require your help to leave the city.
  • Help the unknown figure leave the city without being caught:
    • Reward: 5 EXP
    • Failure Condition: The unknown figure gets caught or dies.
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: [Failed]
  • Surrender unknown figure to Young Master Feng
    • Reward: 5 EXP
    • Failure Condition: The unknown figure escapes the city.
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Status: Complete
    • Claim: [Yes/No]
Upon seeing that the quest was counted as complete, Nylarthog claimed the reward, bringing his total EXP to 28 EXP. And life marched on, no calamity hitting the city, instead things calmed down after a few weeks. He had probably just read too many xianxia novels where every city the MC went to, a calamity of some kind hit. But he didn¡¯t let his guard down, even after months passed and similar instances happened again, just without the target running into Nylarthog. More years passed by peacefully, business was going well, and Nylarthog even advanced to Tempest Soul. That was until nine years later. Word had it that a secret realm would be opening somewhere nearby soon. This couldn¡¯t possibly mean anything good in Nylarthog¡¯s opinion, sure, it was good for business, but what good would that be if he was dead? He didn¡¯t fear death, but he was finally getting somewhere with his cultivation, he estimated that in maybe another decade he could attempt Elemental Attunement. Bur for now, he had to deal with the group of cultivators that he could sense approaching the tavern. ¡°Clean out the tavern, this young master will use it.¡± Nylarthog decided one thing right then, once he broke advanced enough to reasonably advance in the elemental attunement stage, he would be out of this city, it was exciting in all the wrong ways, or maybe it was just that he was getting bored with his job, but that wasn¡¯t important, it was his life after all. Outwardly he showed no signs of any displease though, instead he put on his best smile, ¡°Of course, young master, it will be done. Would you like to order anything while I clean out the establishment?¡± The group of cultivators looked at Nylarthog with a mixture of surprise and disdain. It was clear that they didn''t expect him to be so compliant. One of them, a young man with a haughty expression, stepped forward and sneered, "What kind of tavern owner are you? Bowing down so easily to our demands. You must not have any spine." What, did they want him to resist? He wasn¡¯t about to court death, especially not over something as trivial as his tavern. Nylarthog kept his smile in place and replied calmly, "I''m just a humble tavern owner, sir. My priority is to provide good service to my customers. If clearing out the tavern is what you require, I will do so without hesitation." The young man''s expression turned even more contemptuous at Nylarthog''s response. "Hmph, how boring. We expected some entertainment, but it seems like you''re just a cowardly rabbit hiding in your hole." ¡°If you want to start a fight, I would recommend the tavern two streets south, they have been making trouble for me recently.¡± They hadn¡¯t, at least not more than what could be expected from a business competitor, but it could be fun to watch if nothing else. The young man''s sneer deepened. "Don''t try to deflect our attention. We came here for a reason, and we will use this establishment for our purposes. You will clear it out, or suffer the consequences." ¡°Then I will immediately do so, as I already said earlier, but you seemed dissatisfied by my lack of resistance, so I thought I would send you to someone who would probably deny you, even if you look like someone who will pay more than technically required, which is not something I see reason to reject.¡± The young man''s eyes narrowed, clearly not pleased with Nylarthog''s response. "Don''t play games with us, tavern owner. We have no interest in your petty business rivalries. Clear out this tavern, or we will do it ourselves." Nylarthog sighed inwardly, but maintained his calm exterior. "As you wish, sir. I will ask my customers to leave and clear out the establishment for your use. Please give me a moment." With that, Nylarthog went around the tavern, politely asking his customers to leave as quickly as possible. Most of them were regulars who knew better than to get involved in any conflicts with cultivators. They quickly finished their drinks and left without protest. Once the tavern was cleared out, Nylarthog stepped outside to watch as the group of cultivators filed into the establishment. They were dressed in expensive robes and carried themselves with an air of superiority. Nylarthog couldn''t help but feel amused, they were only making a target of themselves by showing off their power like that. It was way safer to just cultivate for a few hundred years and then travel the world two major realms below once actual realm, but some people just couldn''t resist the temptation of flaunting their strength. That in itself wasn¡¯t a problem, showing off could be nice at times, but it was way more satisfying if people thought you were showing off while you were actually holding back. He was going to do that one day, but with his talent it would probably take at least two millennia before he even reached a level where he was satisfied with his progress in the Elemental Attunement Realm, not to mention anything after that. Nylarthog watched as the cultivators settled into the tavern, their arrogance and sense of entitlement evident in their every move. He wondered what their purpose was in taking over his establishment, but he knew better than to ask. They were probably on some kind of power trip or trying to impress someone, but it didn''t really matter to him. As long as they paid him for the use of his tavern, he was content to let them do as they pleased. He returned to his small office in the back of the tavern and sat down at his desk, idly flipping through a ledger of his accounts. He had always been good with numbers, ok, no, that was wrong, he had always been horrible with numbers, but he was great with logic systems, and breaking down large numbers into small ones was easy, and even he managed calculating something like 7*6, even if he still often broke that down to 3*7*2, because he could then break down 21*2 in 2*2=4 and 1*2=2. Lost in thought, Nylarthog didn''t notice when one of the cultivators entered his office, until the man cleared his throat loudly. Nylarthog looked up, startled, and quickly composed himself. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" he asked politely. The cultivator sneered at him. "We require more drinks, and we''re not getting any younger. You''d better hurry up and get them for us, or else." Nylarthog sighed inwardly, his patience wearing thin. He didn''t appreciate the cultivator''s tone, but he knew better than to show any disrespect to such a well paying customer. "Of course, sir. I''ll bring them out to you right away." He got up from his desk and made his way to the bar, where he quickly prepared a round of drinks for the cultivators. He had to admit, their taste in alcohol was expensive, and he was glad they were willing to pay the exorbitant prices he charged for them. As he carried the tray of drinks to the group, he couldn''t help but notice that one of them was eyeing him suspiciously. The man was dressed in a black robe, and his face was partially obscured by a hood. Nylarthog had seen his type before, the type that thought they were above everyone else and could do whatever they wanted. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him. The cultivators took their drinks without a word of thanks, and Nylarthog retreated back to his office. He wasn''t sure how long they were planning to stay, but he hoped they wouldn''t cause any trouble. He had no interest in having to rebuild the tavern, but then again, it would be an excuse to leave before reaching the Elemental Attunement realm, so... When the cultivators finally left two months later as the secret realm finally opened, he was almost sad to see them leave, they had paid well, and even if they had destroyed some furniture while drunk, the fact that the repayment always ended up being some kind of Elemetal Stone, even if not necessarily Wind Stones, made more than up with it. Chapter 5 37 EXP, that was how many he had managed to gather since coming into this world, this was seriously pathetic, but that was about to change, the secret realm had been open for a few months now, and things were heating up, it wouldn¡¯t be uncommon to find someone cultivators fighting over whatever they had found, and it also wasn¡¯t rare for some dead body to be left behind. Or, if not dead, then close to it, and while Nylarthog had originally been reluctant to kill them for possible EXP in case he was implicated, things had started escalating so far that even the guards would just kill the person and then move the body somewhere else. Almost nobody seemed to mind though, as if it was normal, which it was, as Nylarthog found out, even after living in this new dimension for probably a decade there were still common cultural things that he hadn¡¯t even realized existed before. As a result, he had decided that he may as well kill some of these already half-dead bodies for EXP. But before going through with that, he still had some preparations to do. First, he organized himself a disguise in a town about three weeks travel time away, he had visited it while searching for a supplier of Soul Elixiers, wearing the disguise he bought there, he then fast-traveled to a city in the opposite direction. There he bought another disguise. The one he would be wearing when killing people. Had he bought more, someone may have been able to infer that he was using some teleportation ability, but with only two, he may as well just have been a traveler that decided to take a bit of a detour. He then finally started going out to find some people whom he would relieve of their suffering. It wasn¡¯t difficult to find the first one, a knife through the throat, and he continued on his way, searching for another living being while waiting for the EXP notification. It didn¡¯t take long before he finally got the notification:
Killed Mortal (Breath Cultivation Stage):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.3 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 13 EXP
Now maybe another 4, and he would be able to level up. But it didn¡¯t seem like he was in luck, the sun was starting to set, so he started returning to his tavern, even if Ignatius was taking care of it, he was getting old, so he wasn¡¯t as fast anymore and if things got busy he would need some help. It always confused Nylarthog why people didn¡¯t simply invest some time and cultivate to live longer, offsetting aging wasn¡¯t exactly difficult, sure, it made advancing more difficult as one had to control more internal energy, but that also meant one had larger reserves, so really, it had more benefits than disadvantages. Taking a bit longer wouldn¡¯t kill you, literally in this case. While he was walking back, somewhat lost in thoughts, he nearly missed that one of the bodies he was about to walk by was still moving. Well, only barely, so not much later he got another notification that he had earned EXP.
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.5 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 15 EXP
Nylarthog almost stopped for a moment in surprise, he had just killed someone with no cultivation, but that person had given him the most EXP, that quite fit, he needed to find for what exactly he was getting EXP, and maybe also why he was constantly getting extremely small amounts, if he could make those more, then maybe he could someday get 1 EXP a day, or maybe every hour or so. Unlikely, but he could dream. For now, he would work in the Tavern for a while, after he had gotten rid of his disguise of course, but that wasn¡¯t difficult, he just dropped it in a random forest, and if someone found it, he would have to get a new one, but what were the chances? As Nylarthog walked into the Tavern, he saw Ignatius sitting behind the counter, cleaning a glass. "Welcome back, Nylarthog," he said with a smile. "How was your day?" Nylarthog shrugged. "Same old, same old. Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Ignatius shook his head. "No, not really. It''s been pretty quiet around here lately. But I did hear some rumors about a new secret realm opening up soon." ¡°Another one? What is this, some kind of secret realm gathering place? Most secret realms only open every century, if even that often, and that would be what, the 7th in the last 100 years?¡± This was ridiculous, he was sure he wasn¡¯t an MC, so why would he spawn somewhere that active? Ignatius chuckled. "Well, you never know what the world has in store for us. And who knows, maybe you''ll be the one to discover something new and exciting." Nylarthog raised an eyebrow. "Me? Discover something? I highly doubt it." Ignatius shrugged. "You never know. Sometimes the most unexpected people can make the biggest discoveries.¡± ¡°Well, I hope I won¡¯t be the one that will happen to, way too much attention, not to mention that I have absolutely no plans to enter one, the city has gotten risky enough already, no need to tempt fate.¡± Ignatius nodded understandingly. "That''s understandable. It''s important to prioritize your safety above all else. But who knows, maybe one day you''ll change your mind." Nylarthog gave a small smile. "Maybe, but for now, I think I''ll stick to working at the Tavern." He left the ¡®or leave the city¡¯ unspoken, and started tending the customers. As the night went on, the Tavern started to fill up with more people, and Nylarthog found himself getting busier by the minute. He served drinks and food, chatted with customers, and listened to their stories. As the night wore on, the customers slowly began to leave, until only a few regulars remained. Nylarthog wiped down the counter and took a deep breath, glad for the quiet moment. As he turned to head to the back room, he noticed a lone figure in the corner, hunched over a mug of ale. The figure wore a dark hood, obscuring their face, and Nylarthog couldn''t tell if they were male or female. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should approach the mysterious figure, but ultimately decided to leave them be. He could stick his nose into other people''s business once he was way stronger, for now he was going to entertain himself with what people shared without prompting. As he disappeared into the back room, he couldn''t help but wonder who the stranger was and what brought them to the Tavern. But he pushed the thoughts aside and focused on cleaning up for the night. The next day he started quite early, he had people to kill, and after a short fast travel to the place he had left the disguise, he was off. As always, the streets had a few more bodies in the morning as the guards didn¡¯t clean up at night when most fights were happening, they weren¡¯t suicidal, most probably weren¡¯t anyway. It didn¡¯t take long before he found the first bundle of EXP, it was a middle aged man who seemed quite wealthy, but that wouldn¡¯t stop Nylarthog, he was not only in disguise, merchants weren¡¯t exactly uncommon, and once they were dead, no one cared much about them anymore, why waste money on a dead person when you could use it to make even more money? Or that was at least the general consensus.
Killed Cultivator (Elemental Attunement Stage):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.4 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 2
  • Combat Multiplier: 1
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 28 EXP
That was... unexpected, he would kill one more person to level up, and then leave the city without looking back, only taking the time to take the elemental stones that he had stowed away in his tavern. He likely wasn¡¯t at risk, and running away may make him look more suspicious, but he was getting bored, and if he blew up his tavern nobody would be surprised if he left, probably. He would just need to get his hands on some explosives That gave him an idea, since things had already potentially gone wrong, and he was bored, it was mainly the second really, he would simply steal the explosive and kill the owner, that way he would solve two problems at once. Explosives themselves weren¡¯t rare, with cultivators running around, it was more likely to be blown up as casualty rather than dying in an explosion caused by combustibles. He knew five people of the top of his head that had enough lying around to blow up his tavern twice, and one of them just so happened to be another tavern owner, wasn¡¯t that just screaming ¡®choose me¡¯? This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. As it was quite early still, the tavern was still closed, so he didn¡¯t run risk being seen by customers, which wasn¡¯t actually that important as he was still disguised, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a disadvatage. First he went to where he knew the owner would be sleeping, and killed him with a well-aimed hit of a knife-handle behind the ear, it would probably take a few hours for the guy to die, but he had made sure to check that there was enough bleeding that his victim would die with a significant probability, and even if he didn¡¯t, that he wouldn¡¯t wake up again. The latter wasn¡¯t really important, but that way any changes that he may have made in the building would be more likely to go unnoticed, so it would still be useful. After that, he went into the cellar and took the sack of mostly wooden dust with a bit of gun-powder. Nylarthog had no idea why anyone would have that laying around, especially in one place, but he wouldn¡¯t complain. Then again, he only really complained about boredom and when he was annoyed, so no surprise there. Back in his own tavern, he set up everything so that he could blow it up, only to remember that Ignatius was still inside, and while he wasn¡¯t exactly a nice person, that guy had worked for him for probably a decade by now, so he took the minute to send him on a shopping trip before finally blowing his tavern to kingdom come. And him against the wall of the opposite building, he should have remembered about the blast area.
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 0.4 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 2
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Multikill: 3
  • Total EXP gain: 2.4 EXP
Yeah, he was going to ignore that, the fact that instead of missing 7 EXP he now needed 4.6 EXP, and it wasn¡¯t even a whole number, yes, that never happened and he still had nice numbers on his character-sheet and wasn¡¯t scratching even closer on level one without reaching it. And with that he vanished into the night, the sun shining down on him. Ok, maybe he should have prepared a better mental monologue for his exit. And also planned some more, and not just fast traveled as far as he could and then walked into a random direction. ¡°Paperwork.¡± A bored voice interrupted him in his self-pity. ¡°Huh?¡± Nylarthog replied intelligently, surprised that he had somehow ended up in front of city gates without any clue how, especially since there were people waiting behind him, which meant that he had to have been waiting in the queue for at least some time. ¡°Paperwork," the city guard, staring at the MC expectantly. Nylarthog took out an Elemental Stone, not having the mental capacity for dealing with whatever was going on right now. ¡°This should cover everything.¡± The guard''s eyes widened in surprise as he examined the Elemental Stone. "I''m not sure if this is enough to cover everything," he said, "but it''ll definitely get you through the gates for now." Well, that was all he wanted Nylarthog thought to himself, glad that he didn''t have to deal with any more paperwork or bureaucracy. He quickly made his way through the gates and into the city beyond. He would need to find somewhere to sleep, and maybe a way to get his hands on a house to live in, even if he were to use the 5 Wind Stones he had to cultivate, he would still have enough Elemental Stones to cover his expenses for a few decades of no other costs surprised him. And the house wasn¡¯t too expensive of course. As he pondered his options, a group of shady-looking individuals caught his attention. They were gathered around a back alley, exchanging hushed whispers and glances. Nylarthog''s curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to investigate. He would normally turn around, but he wasn¡¯t exactly at his highest right now. But as he drew closer, one of the individuals spotted him and shouted out a warning to the others. They turned towards him, and Nylarthog realized too late that he had stumbled into something he shouldn''t have. The group started to approach him, their eyes full of suspicion and hostility. Nylarthog took a step back, playing the terrified random civilian, the leader of the group was about the strength of a regular Body of Wind stage cultivator, the rest were basically base-line mortals, so he wasn¡¯t actually intimidated, but he didn¡¯t want any attention, especially while mentally tired. One of the individuals stepped forward, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek. "What do you want?" he growled. Nylarthog tried to back away further, but he found himself backed up against a wall. "I didn''t mean to intrude," he stammered, "I was just passing by and saw you all gathered here." The man with the scar narrowed his eyes. "You''re not from around here, are you?" he said. "You''re a traveler, and you stumbled upon our business." Nylarthog didn''t like where this was going. "I''ll just be on my way then," he said, trying to edge past the group. But the man with the scar grabbed him by the arm, his grip like a vice. "Not so fast," he said. "You''ve seen too much. You''re going to have to pay for that." "Please, I don''t want any trouble," he said, hoping to reason with the group. But the man with the scar wasn''t interested in reasoning. "We can''t let you go now," he said, "you''re a liability. But maybe we can come to an arrangement." He grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth. "You give us everything you''ve got, and we''ll let you live." Yeah, he wasn¡¯t going to do that, he should be able to disable all 7 of them within a few seconds, so he wasn¡¯t running too much risk at being caught, and even if he was, he could always fast travel again, his Elemental Stones were quite definitely worth that possible risk. Nylarthog took a deep breath, then with a sudden motion, he disappeared and reappeared behind the man with the scar. Before the group could react, Nylarthog plunged his knife into the man''s back, twisting it for good measure. The man let out a gasp of pain before slumping to the ground. The other members of the group looked at each other in shock before rushing towards Nylarthog with their fists raised. But Nylarthog was already gone, teleporting from one spot to another, dodging their attacks and striking with his knife whenever he could. Within moments, the group was in chaos, their members falling one by one to Nylarthog''s quick movements and deadly accuracy. He moved with the speed and precision of someone who didn¡¯t care about showing off, teleporting in and out of the group, striking with his knife and disappearing before they could react. In the end, all seven members of the group lay on the ground, their bodies lifeless and bleeding from their wounds. Nylarthog wiped his knife clean on one of their shirts, and then checked his system notifications.
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.2 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 14.4 EXP
Congratulations. You reached Level 1.
Reach Level 1 for your journey to truly begin.
  • Reach Level 1:
    • Reward: Unlock Inventory; Unlock Shop; Unlock Help Feature
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Optional Objectives:
      • Reach Level 1 within 1 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 1 within 7 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 1 within 30 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 1 within 365 days:
        • Status: [Failed]
    • Status: Complete
    • Claim: [Yes/No]
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.3 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 15.6 EXP
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 0.9 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 10.8 EXP
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.1 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 13.2 EXP
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.4 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 16.8 EXP
Killed Mortal (Breath Cultivation Stage):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.1 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 13.2 EXP
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1.2
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 12 EXP
He turned around, planning on claiming his rewards while wandering the city, but was interrupted again, though this time not by thugs. "You shall escort this Young Master back to his residence." Chapter 6 "You shall escort this Young Master back to his residence." A young voice called out to, cutting through Nylarthog''s exhausted haze. ¡°Wha...?¡± Nylarthog asked, half asleep, the adrenaline high from earlier already leaving him. ¡°I demand you to escort this Young Master to his residence!¡± The same voice said, probably belonging to the boy standing in the alley the thugs had been crowding in, his lips at least moved, so it should be that boy. ¡°I¡¯m too tired for this, find someone else to play with.¡± The young master''s face twisted in anger at Nylarthog''s refusal, even if it looked more like a pout, kinda cute, now that Nylarthog thought about it. ¡°This Young Master demands your compliance!¡± ¡°And this random person you are expecting to do anything is way too tired, you aren¡¯t even paying me.¡± Maybe he should just rest on the dead bodies on the ground, they looked comfortable. ¡°Serving this Young Master is a great honor and more remuneration than you could ever expect.¡± Where had this kid even learned words like remuneration anyway? ¡°But it won¡¯t buy me a place to sleep now, will it?¡± ¡°This Young Master will offer you a bed to rest in at his own residence, along with a warm meal and a bath if you so desire.¡± The young master declared, standing tall and proud as if he had just made a grand gesture of kindness. Nylarthog couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow at the offer. This kid was definitely over the top, but a bed did sound good right about now. He gave a shrug and replied, ¡°Sure, why not? Lead the way, Young Master.¡± The young master beamed with joy at Nylarthog''s acceptance, and gestured for him to follow. As they made their way through the city streets, Nylarthog was sure that as soon as he stopped walking he would fall asleep, even the constant talking of the Young Master wasn¡¯t helping any, it all became part of the background noise, lulling him even further. Nylarthog barely noticed when they finally arrived, which was followed by some talking, he wasn¡¯t addressed though, or at least he couldn¡¯t remember anyone talking to him, and then finally someone leading him into an opulent room with the most comfy couch he was sure he ever sat on. He didn¡¯t even notice the patriarch of the house entering, having already fallen deep asleep. The next thing Nylarthog knew, he was waking up to the smell of food. He groggily opened his eyes to see a servant bringing a tray of food over to him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, taking a moment to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. He vaguely recalled walking to the young master¡¯s residence with said boy, but the details were fuzzy. Looking around the room, he realized that he was in a luxurious guest room, with silk sheets and plush pillows. The room was tastefully decorated with expensive artwork and furniture, and the windows offered a breathtaking view of the city below. Nylarthog shook his head, trying to clear the sleep from his mind. He was in possibly hostile territory, it was bad enough that he had been that exhausted, though he didn¡¯t know why, he hadn¡¯t exactly done anything tiring. That was, until he felt dried blood in his hair. While it wasn¡¯t a definitive proof, he likely had gotten a concussion when he had been thrown against a wall by the explosion. For a moment he considered just leaving, but he may be able to get some kind of reward for probably saving some rich man¡¯s son, and they had served him food. He didn¡¯t immediately eat it of course, only after testing if it was poisoned or drugged. But it didn¡¯t seem that way, and if they had wanted to do anything they could have while he had been asleep. Nylarthog slowly sat up and began to eat the meal that had been brought to him. It was delicious, with a variety of fruits, bread, and meats. Whoever had cooked was good, as in ¡®give the guy a medal¡¯ good. As he ate, he noticed that the dried blood on his hair was flaking off onto the silk sheets, the bloody silk sheets, so it didn¡¯t make much a difference. But he didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily annoy someone who still had to pay him, so he looked around for a cloth to clean himself up with, and spotted a small towel hanging on a nearby rack. He reached for it and started to wipe the dried blood from his hair and face. As he did, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. He was surprised at what he saw. His hair was a mess, with clumps of dried blood sticking to it. There was also blood on his face and clothing, his head wound had to have bled more than he expected if he even got blood on his face, or it were some splatters he had been hit with in the fight against the thugs. Nylarthog sighed, realizing that he looked like a complete mess. He should probably ask for a shower to clean himself up, and a new set of clothes, no need to buy them himself if he could mooch them off someone. Nylarthog put down the towel and finished his meal. He was starting to feel better, and the food had given him some energy. He got up from the couch and walked towards the door, intending to find someone to ask for a shower and clothes, who knew how long he would have to wait otherwise. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. As he opened the door, he was unsurprised to see a servant already waiting there, one wouldn''t let a stranger unsupervised walk around in ones house after all. ¡°Master has ordered for a bath to be arranged for you once you are ready, sir,¡± the servant said, with a polite bow. Nylarthog nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°Is there a spare set of clothes I could borrow as well? I¡¯m afraid I had a bit of a scuffle earlier and my clothes are a bit¡­damaged.¡± ¡°Of course, sir. I will have some clothes prepared while you bathe,¡± the servant replied, gesturing for Nylarthog to follow him. Nylarthog followed the servant down a hallway and into a spacious room with a large pool, being rich did have his perks, he should probably try that in the future. Steam rose from the water, and the scent of lavender filled the air. The servant showed him where to find towels and soap before excusing himself to fetch the clothes. Nylarthog undressed and got into the tub, letting out a contented sigh as the warm water enveloped him. He scrubbed himself clean, taking care to wash the dried blood out of his hair. After a while, he got out and dried himself off with a fluffy towel before putting on the clothes the servant had left for him. The clothes were a bit large for him, but they were clean and comfortable. He looked at himself in the mirror and was relieved to see that he no longer looked like a complete mess. Outside he was once again greeted by a servant. ¡°Master Nevaeh expects you in his study,¡± the servant said. Assuming that it was the father of the ¡®Young Master¡¯ the servant was referring to, he followed the servant to the study. When they arrived at the study, the servant knocked on the door and announced Nylarthog¡¯s presence before opening the door for him. Nevaeh was seated at his desk, looking at some papers. He glanced up as Nylarthog entered, then gestured for him to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. ¡°Mr. Nylarthog, I trust you had a good meal and a refreshing bath?¡± Nevaeh asked, in a polite tone. One that didn¡¯t help calm him down, while he had missed it when entering, he had now noticed a butler staying next to a curtain, one whose cultivation was probably above the Elemental Attunement Realm. ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Nylarthog replied, not about to offend someone who had such a dangerous butler. Nevaeh nodded. ¡°Good to hear. Now, let¡¯s get down to business,¡± he said, leaning forward on his desk. ¡°It seems that you have a talent that could be useful to me.¡± That was not surprising for Nylarthog, teleportation boons weren¡¯t exactly common, and he had been seen using it in the fight. ¡°And I would like to hire you to escort my son wherever he goes. If you were to accept you would of course have to sign a binding contract, but I am sure that that won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°What would the payment look like, and what exactly would I be expected to do?¡± Nevaeh smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. The payment would be generous, I assure you. And as for your duties, you would be responsible for ensuring the safety of my son as he travels. You would accompany him on his journeys and use your teleportation to quickly move him out of danger if necessary. It¡¯s a simple job, really. And as I said, the compensation would be quite substantial.¡± ¡°Just to make sure, I won¡¯t be expected to fight. Only, to take him somewhere else if he is in serious danger.¡± ¡°Yes, that, and to always keep your anti-scrying boon active.¡± That made him freeze, he didn¡¯t know of any such boon, did the Level Up grant him any boons?
Name: Nylarthog, the Lord of Unholy Entropy and Languor Level: 1 EXP: 91.4/10,000 Abilities: None Boons: Fast Travel, Personalized Soundtrack, Multilingualism Traits: Slothful, Amoral, Socially Retarded, Strange Mind, Lover of Quotes, Fiction Lover Shop: Null Inventory: Null Bio: A homeless system host.
No, no changes so far, other than the Level Up, and he also didn¡¯t think that the system was shielding him. ¡°I am not aware that I have any such thing.¡± Nevaeh raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Really? None of my associates have been able to gather any information about you using such means. No matter, I will just change the contract so that it will automatically terminate should you become scryable again.¡± That sounded too good to be true, there had to be a catch, ¡°And why exactly me, I¡¯m sure a man of your abilities would find it easy to find someone who you know you can trust. And why is my cloaking from scrying relevant if people could simply target your son?¡± After Nylarthog asked that, he realized how stupid that question was, the son may be unscryable as well. An object that protected against scrying was unlikely, as if such a thing existed there would be no need to hire an outsider. ¡°Because if you can¡¯t scry someone, then you also can¡¯t scry on people who are close to that person, as they would be influenced by something that is hidden from the heavens, and therefore act differently from what the heavens expect. As for your other question, I need someone who is not known to my enemies, someone who can move swiftly and without attracting attention. And from what I have seen, you possess those qualities.¡± Nylarthog considered this for a moment before nodding. ¡°Then I¡¯m sure we can come to an agreement.¡± ¡°Then please read through the following contract and sign below if you are ok with these terms. Just know that you won¡¯t be able to break any of the clauses of the contract as it is binding.¡± That came as a surprise to Nylarthog, not the fact that it was a binding contract, even if he hadn¡¯t seen one of them, this was a cultivation world, contracts had to be enforceable somehow, but the fact that he was reminded of that fact. But after a moment of consideration, it wasn¡¯t too strange, if he were to be forced against his will, he would probably try to somehow get around the contract, which could pose a risk to Nevaeh¡¯s son. What then followed were, what felt like, a few hours going over the exact terms of the contract concerning what he would be provided as part of his job, what would be payment, how long the contract would last, what exactly he had to do, compensation for failing to fulfill the contract, compensation for injuries while fulfilling his job, and whatever else came up. ¡°The information you required will be compiled and given to you together with the phone within the day.¡± To Nylarthog¡¯s surprise phones did exist, but they were rare, just as any other somewhat advanced technological device as they had to be protected from various types of energy and radiation. ¡°Then I will go to your son, I would just need to know where he is at the moment.¡± ¡°Of course, a servant will guide you to him,¡± then he turned towards a servant standing at the side, ¡°He should be in his gaming room. Tell him to stop, his time is over anyway.¡± Chapter 7 While Nylarthog was being led towards the room of the Young Master, he finally took the time to collect his reward for levelling up.
Unlocked Shop, you can now gain SC, sometimes also referred to as Shop or System Currency. Unlocked Inventory, you can now buy inventory space and store mindless objects in it. Unlocked Help Feature, you can now ask for information concerning system functions.
QUEST ALERT Reach Level 2
  • Reach Level 2:
    • Reward: Unlock World Map (FoG==True); Unlock Further Shop Items; Enhanced Help Feature
    • Failure Condition: Permanent Death
    • Failure Punishment: None
    • Optional Objectives:
      • Reach Level 2 within 30 Days
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 2 within 365 Days
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 2 within 3,650 Days
        • Status: [Failed]
      • Reach Level 2 within 9,125 Days
        • Reward: 100 SC
        • Status: Error
    • Status: Not Accepted
Accept: [Y/N]
He accepted the quest without a second thought, there was no failure punishment, so there was no reason not to. At least none that came to his mind, other than maybe a maximum amount of quests. But before he could get lost in his thoughts they finally arrived. The servant knocked on the door, before entering, ¡°The Master said that your time is over, I also brought your new escort, the Master hopes that you won¡¯t try to run away again, as you were the one to demand him as your new protection detail.¡± While the servant was doing her spiel, Nylarthog entered the room behind her. It was like entering paradise. A whole wall was a screen, another wall was occupied by shelves full of various consoles, some looking like rip-offs from his original world, while others could only be called Sci-fi. There was even something that looked like a VR pod, and probably even was one. ¡°Ah, you are here, I demand you to play with me, you may even chose your character.¡± The Young Master, maybe Nylarthog should try to find out his name, completely ignored the servant, bringing Nylarthog out of his fugue. This time not being tired, he took the time to observe the young master. At just 12 years old, he possessed a head full of fluffy brown hair that cascaded down in waves, framing his youthful features. His sparkling brown eyes were set perfectly within his face, which boasted of near-perfect symmetry. High cheekbones, a straight nose, and a strong jawline gave him a handsome appearance that was both striking and charming. And yet, there was something undeniably cute about him - the way his nose crinkled when he laughed, the slight gap between his front teeth, the way he tilted his head. Not to forget the black cat-onesie he was wearing for some reason. Well, Nylarthog could think of a few, from being too lazy to take it off when coming out of his bed, to that one of the servants had prepared it for him because it looked cute. Having taken a moment to observe the Young Master, he didn¡¯t get a chance to reply, as the servant cleared her throat, catching the attention of the Young Master who had already started fiddling with his controller, ¡°Master, you were told to stop playing, and to meet with Mr. Nylarthog who is here to protect you.¡± The Young Master pouted, ¡°But I was just about to beat the final boss, can¡¯t he wait?¡± The servant scolded him gently, ¡°Master, you know better than to disobey your father¡¯s orders. Now, please turn off the game and come with us.¡± Reluctantly, the Young Master turned off his console and stood up, grabbing a black hoodie from a nearby chair and putting it on over his onesie. ¡°Fine,¡± he said, a pout on his face and the displeasure obvious in his voice. ¡°Then I will leave you alone for now, food will be served in two hours, please don¡¯t make the Master send someone for you again.¡± As soon as the servant had left the room the Young Masters demeanor did a 1-80, ¡°Can you teach me what you did yesterday?¡±, he asked, eyes sparkling, suddenly not seeming to care at all that he had to pause his game. There was just one problem, while Nylarthog had somewhat learned how to interact with adults, but children were still as much a mystery to him as they had been since he had been 10 years old in his first life. Well, he wasn¡¯t paid for entertaining the anyone, only as scrying shield and emergency exit. ¡°I am sorry to disappoint, but this is my boon. So if you don¡¯t have a way to teleport yourself then I won¡¯t be able to teach you.¡± And since he probably couldn¡¯t teleport, there wouldn¡¯t have been a need for an emergency exit otherwise, this would hopefully end that topic. ¡°But you were so cool, all whoosh and slash and ¡®here I am¡¯ and ¡®too slow¡¯, they couldn¡¯t even touch you, and then you were all ¡®Yawn, did someone wake me up?¡¯. I want to do be so cool as well.¡± ¡°Well, then I will tell you the secret to ¡®acting cool¡¯. Don¡¯t care. People mistake apathy for coolness quite often.¡± Well, that and overwhelming power, but one was supposed to keep it simply when interacting with children if Nylarthog wasn¡¯t mistaken. The Young Master looked at Nylarthog with a confused expression on his face, ¡°What do you mean, don¡¯t care?¡± Nylarthog paused for a moment, thinking about how to explain it in a way that a child could understand, ¡°When you act like you don¡¯t care, it makes you seem confident and in control. You¡¯re not worried about what other people think, you¡¯re just doing your own thing.¡± The Young Master thought, his face twisting as if it took physical effort, about this for a moment before nodding his head, ¡°Okay, I think I understand. But how do I do it?¡± Nylarthog smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be taught, but it¡¯s something that you can practice. Just try to focus on what you¡¯re doing and not worry about what other people are thinking or saying. And if someone tries to get a reaction out of you, just don¡¯t give them one. Stay calm and collected.¡± The Young Master listened intently, nodding his head as he tried to understand. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try,¡± he said, determination in his voice. Nylarthog chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. Remember, being cool isn¡¯t just about what you do, it¡¯s also about how you carry yourself. Walk with confidence, speak with conviction, and don¡¯t let anyone bring you down. Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don''t matter, and those who matter don''t mind. And by doing so, you will be ¡®cool¡¯.¡± That was probably a quote that he had heard somewhere, so thank you unknown bringer of wisdom. It also was probably somewhat wrong in this context, but life was about being happy, and you won¡¯t be happy if you didn¡¯t do what you liked. The Young Master nodded, absorbing the advice as if it was the most important thing he had ever heard. "Thank you," the Young Master said, a smile spreading across his face. "I''m going to go practice now." Nylarthog watched as the young boy left the room, amused by how serious he took this whole ¡®being cool¡¯ thing, before following not far behind.
His new job was both exhausting and relaxing at the same time. He didn¡¯t have to take care not to offend anyone, and could do whatever he wanted as long as he stayed close to the Young Master. But it was also exhausting, because said Young Master was constantly trying to gain his attention, much to his chagrin and the amusement of everyone else. And nothing helped to stop the Young Master, it didn¡¯t matter if he ignored him, was rude or dismissing or tried to be nice, he wasn¡¯t sure he succeeded with the last one. The pestering just didn¡¯t stop, he had even been forced to sit next to the Young Master on the lunch table, he had been planning to use that time to finally look into the new additions he had gotten from the Level-Up quest. But he finally got some time to himself once it was time for the daily training session of the Young Master, as he wasn¡¯t allowed to sit in on it yet. He had also been given the phone with all the information he requested. But he started with the system, that he could do with his eyes closed so they would at least get some rest. ¡®What does the help function do?¡¯
Help Feature: Allows the host to ask questions about system functions. Please upgrade for further information.
That could be quite useful, but if everything would be as barebones as this then it could be useless for now as well. ¡®What effect do level have?¡¯ They had to have some use other than finishing quests, otherwise the quests could just be kill this or that.
Level: A higher Level allows for access to more system functions. A higher level allows for faster cultivation. Level also influence the effectiveness of Abilities.
That sounded useful, now he just needed to know what abilities actually were. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Abilities: Also called skills or techniques. Will be listed once the Host has aquired any. Using them will level them up. Higher level means higher effectiveness or lower cost. The system will assist in their casting if the host so desires.
That sounded both useful and concerning. He had no abilities, so he didn¡¯t know if they were powerful or not. The fact that the system could assist in their use was also something to pay attention to, but he could mull over that more later. ¡®For what do I gain EXP?¡¯ For killing, sure, but he still didn¡¯t know for what he was getting the minimal EXP and why some humans gave more EXP than others.
EXP: Granted when the host kills something alive. Different multipliers may effect the final amount of EXP granted per kill. Host may also acquire EXP by completing quests or creating higher-tier objects.
What the fuck were higher tear objects now?
Insufficient authority.
Yeah, what else did he expect, he would only get information about system functions, and higher-tier objects did not sound like a system function. Well, onto the next. ¡®What are Boons?¡¯
Boons: A boon is the capacity of performing a true act.
That wasn¡¯t helpful at all. Not without knowing what a ¡®true act¡¯ was at least. ¡®What are traits then?¡¯
Traits: Also called character traits. They are unique qualities or attributes that define an individual''s personality, behavior, and attitudes. Traits are often considered to be relatively stable over time and consistent across different situations.
Why was he getting such a complete asnwer all of a sudden? ¡®What is the shop?¡¯
Shop: You can buy everything in the shop using SC, so long as you have sufficient authority.
¡®What is SC and how do I get it?¡¯
SC: Also called Shop Currency or System Currency. Is acquired through fights or by completing quests. SC is used to buy items in the Shop.
It said fighting, not killing, did that mean that he could gain money from sparring with someone? ¡®Is there a need for killing my opponent to get SC?¡¯
SC: Can be acquired through fighting, killing the opponent may grant bonus SC.
Now wasn¡¯t that good news? ¡®System, explain the inventory.¡¯
Inventory: A place of infinite entropy, also referred to as Void. The host may place mindless objects in it. To place more items please buy Inventory Space in the Shop.
Was it low-key advertising itself here? Well, only one thing to go. ¡®Explain all settings.¡¯
The settings do not exist.
Ok... he was not going to ask that again, he was getting a bad feeling and he did not want to test how far he could push the system. With that done, he opened his new phone. Nylarthog hadn¡¯t realized just how much he had missed being able to access any information he wanted at moments notice. And even if this phone wasn¡¯t connected to the internet, something about the internet only working in Lower Heaven, and the phone needing a personal dimensional door to it and that being extremely exensive. Since he was on that topic anyway, he would just begin with that, was as good a start as anything. As he began to read, he noticed something peculiar about Lower Heaven. It sounded almost like one of those ¡®Earth was normal, until the rifts opened and people awakened abilities¡¯ novels. Some people had abilities, commonly referred to as boons in the higher realms. They could also have what was referred to as abilities in the higher realms, which were actually techniques that helped exert ones will over the world using ones internal energy. Ability users were rare though, as using them required internal energy, and in Lower Heaven even extremely talented people would find it difficult to even advance within the Breath Cultivation stage. This was because the lower heavens lacked some form of radiation which was constantly stimulating the bodies of the people living in higher realms. But even if they managed to get into the Elemental Attunement realm by some great luck, one would be stuck because Elemental Energies were basically non-existent. And while they could gain understanding of the element, to use it one needs to be attuned to it, which is nearly impossible without the elemental energy of the element to know to what one is supposed to attune to. There also existed no sects in Lower Heaven, instead they had guilds, which were again basically as in the novels earlier referred to. The only difference being that the large ones were controlled by people from higher realms. These guilds would then organize raids into so called dungeons, which were the result of Lower Heaven colliding with small dimensions or pocket dimensions and the barriers being destroyed. This was possible because the dimensional barriers of Lower Heaven were extremely weak. Which was also one of the reasons for the nearly non-existent supernatural energies and radiation there. But back to the dungeons. They had to be cleraed because if they weren¡¯t a dungeon break would occure, which was basically the dimension completely falling into lower-heaven and merging with it and therefore giving all the beings within the option to walk wherever they pleased. Some larger dungeons, which were more already a dimension of their own, it was nearly impossible to clear them, so it wasn¡¯t uncommon for maps to change every other year or so. There was even more on Lower Heaven, such as economy, more accurate information on the technology, important people, countries and governments, and this list was by no means exhaustive, but going through every detail could easily fill multiple novels by itself, so it will be ommited for the convenience of the reader. Next he read on the Middle Heaven, the realm he was living in. And hadn¡¯t that been a surprise, he had expected this to be Lower Heaven, especially since most MCs started in the most remote Town of the most remote dimension of the lowest heaven of the weakets universe of the weakest multiverse, you get the idea. For the Middle Heaven there was again way too much to read, but a short summmary would be ¡®Cultivation is possible and it is realistic to break into the fifth realm of cultivation. Technology works, but everything working using a form of electricity for more than just getting some large-scale mechanism to move would need to be insulated. Runic technology can work, but needs many resources to be powered and is therefore quite expensive.¡¯ The Runic technology referred to here meant things like inscriptions, or formations, and mechanisms that use them. He had not been given information about Higher Heaven, but he didn¡¯t plan on going there anyway for now, so he wasn¡¯t upset about it, and such information was likely worth quite a bit, so he also hadn¡¯t been surprised when his request for information about it had been refused. Then the second to last document was about the cultivation realms in Middle Heaven. There was the already known Breath Cultivation realm and it¡¯s three sub-realms. Then the Elemental attunement realm, which had three sub-realms as well. All realms on the list had three sub-realms. Anyway, they were: Elemental Spark: Practitioners begin to attune themselves to an element or more, and learn basic techniques associated with these elements. Elemental Blaze: Practitioners deepen their attunement to the elements, and gain more advanced abilities and techniques. They will also start trying to understand the elements of their chosing. Elemental Inferno: Practitioners achieve complete mastery over their element or elements, and can manifest it in incredible ways, such as creating entire landscapes or controlling natural disasters. After the Elemental Attunement Realm was the Soul Alchemy Realm. Rather than simply cultivating their soul, practitioners in this system can engage in soul alchemy - the process of transforming and transmuting their spiritual essence. This was where the name got it¡¯s name from. Many simply opted to strengthen their soul some, and moved on to the next realm, sacrificing power, but saving time and effort. Soul Forging: Practitioners begin the process of soul alchemy, and learn to identify and overcome weaknesses in their spiritual makeup. Soul Refining: Practitioners either undergo intense rituals and challenges, which refine and purify their soul. Or they take the even slower route and refine and purify their soul manually, most practioners who decide to go the route of soul alchemy use a mixture of both. Soul Transcendence: Practitioners achieve mastery over their soul, and can use their spiritual power to heal and uplift others and can use their soul to influence reality to a degree. This mentioned uplifting often made it more difficult for the uplifted to advance further though, as they lacked the necessary control and understanding to use their abilities, some even die because of a lack of control. But anyway, after that is Void Integration. This is often said to be the highest level of cultivation in the Middle Heavens. At this ¡®highest level of cultivation¡¯, practitioners can achieve Void Integration - the merging of their physical and spiritual selves with the infinite emptiness of the void. This allows them to manipulate space and time, resist the influence of dimensions, and even travel between different planes of existence. Void Embrace: Practitioners begin to explore the mysteries of the void, and learn to enter deep states of meditation and introspection. Void Fusion: Practitioners merge their consciousness with the void, and gain the ability to perceive and manipulate space and time. Void Ascension: Practitioners achieve complete integration with the void, and can travel between different planes of existence and even create their own pocket dimensions, often also called secret realms. For the last step, there are two different ways of ascension. The first being as if requesting immortality from the heavens, while the second is more along the lines of demanding it from oneself. Celestial Ascension - the attainment of god-like power and immortality type 1. To achieve this, practitioners must overcome a series of cosmic trials and challenges, culminating in a final battle with the forces of chaos and entropy. Starlight Initiation: Practitioners begin the process of celestial ascension, and must overcome a series of trials and challenges to prove their worthiness. Celestial Radiance: Practitioners face even greater challenges, such as battling powerful demons and otherworldly beings. Divine Ascension: Practitioners achieve immortality and god-like power, and are entrusted with protecting the balance of the universe itself. And then the other option of Ascension. Demonic Ascension: In this new cultivation realm, the ultimate goal is still the attainment of god-like power and immortality, but the path to achieve it is different. The practitioners do not go through trials but instead must delve into the darker aspects of their own psyche and confront their deepest fears and insecurities. This process is painful and often involves facing inner demons, but it grants them immense power. Shadow Embrace: Practitioners begin their journey by confronting the darkest parts of themselves, facing their fears and insecurities. This is a painful process, but it grants them access to the power they denied themselves subconsciously. Void Mastery: The practitioners delve deeper into the void within themselves, honing their mastery over it. They face the danger of being consumed by the void but emerge with great power. Eclipse Awakening: Practitioners must face their ultimate fear, confronting the possibility of their own mortality. This is a dangerous and often deadly process, but those who survive emerge with god-like power, able to manipulate the very fabric of reality. As for the last document, that was about boons, he had requested (read:required) that because while he had so called ¡®common knowledge¡¯ about it, common knowledge was often inaccurate or even wrong. Boons, while from the general poluace seen as rare, were likely not rare at all, it was approximated that only 10% of humans had none. The percieved rarity came from the fact that some boons may be passive, or their effect percieved as normal by the person, or there was some condition for activation, or quite a few similar reasons. Boons also were immutable, their effect would always come true, so long as the conditions were met. Boons also didn¡¯t grow, in extremely rare cases they could mutate and become something different, but this mutation wasn¡¯t always something positive, as the boon didn¡¯t follow any human perceptions of what is useful and may mutate in a way that would ensure ones survival in the situation that caused the mutation, but may have consequences such as physical changes or a lack of control over the boon. Imagine a boon that allows to produce poison, but it is active and takes stamina. To survive a situation the boon mutates to accommodate for lacking stamina by becoming a passive boon. But now you have the problem that you are always producing poison. Interlude 1 (Between Chapter 7 and 8) Nevaeh PoV ¡°Are you sure about this? We don¡¯t know anything about this Nylarthog,¡± his butler asked, always looking out for him, even when it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not, even with the contract signed, we can never be absolutely sure if there isn¡¯t a loophole we didn¡¯t notice. But I have a good feeling here. We were the ones who sent the thugs to show Orion that his ability boon isn¡¯t a guarantee for survival, so this wasn¡¯t set up by someone. There is also the fact that Nylarthog didn¡¯t arrive last time, so it is extremely likely that he truly stumbled upon the scene on accident. He is also under observation for the coming two years, if nothing changes we will be forced to send Orion to Lower Heavens, and you know just as well as I that he will still be in considerable danger, so having someone who can get him out of danger at a moments notice would help me worry less.¡± Nevaeh¡¯s butler relaxed a bit at those words. This had been a rather sudden decision, so they hadn¡¯t had time to talk about it so far. ¡°I just always worry about the Young Master, he is my daughters son.¡± Nevaeh nodded in understanding. "I know you do, but we have to think about Orion''s safety in the long term. We can''t always be there to protect him ourselves, so we need to have other options in place. And Nylarthog could be just the ally we need." The butler sighed, still looking unsure. "I suppose you''re right. I just hope this doesn''t come back to bite us in the end." ¡°Me as well, me as well, my friend. How about this, instead of only having a shadow follow Nylarthog at all times, we follow Orion and him for the next few days?¡± ¡°Do we have the time for that?¡± ¡°He is my son, I have always time for him, and if I don¡¯t I will make it.¡± Nevaeh''s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. His butler nodded in agreement, knowing that for him, nothing was more important than Orion. Nevaeh then made sure that he would be free for the next few days, and if one of his associates had a problem with that, he didn¡¯t care, people would pay just to meet one of his subordinates, so if someone was unhappy, they could make room for someone else.
The next day was a sunny day, birds were chirping, flowers were blooming, when Nylarthog was awoken by the screaming of the Young Master. ¡°My name is Orion, don¡¯t forget that.¡± followed by a door being closed loudly. Nylarthog rubbed his bleary eyes and stretched his limbs, groggily awakening to the sound of the Young Master''s voice. "What''s going on?" he mumbled to the empty room. Mornings had never been his forte, and the fact that it wasn''t even 7am yet made it even harder for him to fully wake up. He still finally managed to get up and into the bathroom adjacent to his room. Yes, he had his own. After freshening up, there were hoodies as part of his wardrobe, honest to [insert whatever deity you would like to be referred to here] hoodies. He had missed them so much, why hadn¡¯t they been a thing? After that Nylarthog made his way to the kitchen, where he found the Young Master, or rather, Orion, sitting at the table with a scowl on his face. Nylarthog cleared his throat and cautiously approached him. "Good morning, Orion," he greeted him, trying to sound as cheerful as possible, though it probably sounded more like a sleepy cat''s meow. Orion grunted in response, clearly still upset about something. Nylarthog took the hint and quickly made himself a cup of cacao before retreating to the living room to give Orion some space. He had never been a fan of coffee, he would rather suffer tiredness. As he sat on the plush couch, sipping his cocoa and admiring the view of the garden, Nylarthog couldn''t help but wonder what had upset Orion so much. Maybe it was that name thing, though he had to wonder how that had even come up. But musing over that wouldn¡¯t help him, so he took the time to cultivate some more, he had neglected that the last few days, until he heard Orion leaving the kitchen. He followed behind, close enough for Orion to notice him, but far enough to still give him some space in case he wanted it. Once they reached the gaming room, Orion turned around, ¡°This Young Master will forgive you for your transgression if you play video games with him again!¡± Nylarthog was all too happy to oblige, so long as it wasn¡¯t a dress-up game, he had never seen their allure. But everything else. Well, he loved games. He only wondered what it was with the ¡®again¡¯, as far as he could remember they hadn¡¯t played any. "Of course, Orion. I''d be happy to play some video games with you," he said, glad that whatever had been bothering Orion seemed to have passed. Orion grinned back, and together they settled into the gaming chairs in front of the giant screen. Nylarthog could feel the excitement building as he picked up the controller, ready to take on any challenge Orion had in store for him. For the rest of the morning, they battled it out, taking turns winning and losing. Nylarthog couldn''t remember the last time he had so much fun. Games were life, well, fiction in all its forms was. The competition was intense, and both Nylarthog and Orion were fully invested in their respective strategies. Each move was calculated and executed with precision, and as the morning wore on, the score remained neck-and-neck. Nylarthog couldn''t remember the last time he had so much fun. Games had always been a source of joy for him, a way to escape the mundane reality of everyday life. And in that moment, as he sat there playing against Orion, he felt completely immersed in his own little world. For a few hours, the two of them battled it out, taking short breaks in between games to snack on some chips and soda. But as the sun started to set and the day came to a close, Nylarthog knew that their time together was coming to an end. They mostly played shooters, with Orion complaining that his father refused to install an internet connection into the house for him, limiting him to offline games. As they finished up their last game, Nylarthog turned to Orion and asked, "Do you always play video games alone?" Orion shrugged, "Mostly. My father is always busy with work and my mother is no longer with us. I guess I just got used to it." Nylarthog nodded in understanding. "You know what? You don''t have to be alone anymore. We can play games together anytime you want." Orion''s face lit up with a smile, ¡°I know. And I don¡¯t even care that you don¡¯t like guns in games.¡± ¡°How dare you? Guns are boring, they can in no way compare to any form of magic.¡± Nylarthog retorted in mock-hurt, hands above his heart. Orion laughed, "I know, I know. I''ll have to teach you the ways of the shooter games eventually, though." Nylarthog grinned, "There are plenty of shooters with way more options than just guns, it seems that I will have to educate you on that matter, rather than you me.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Says the one who only ever played like five different shooters and a collective playtime of 2,000 hours.¡± Nylarthog chuckled, "Okay, okay, you got me there. You really need to tell me your informant.¡± Orion grinned mischievously, "Sorry, can''t reveal my sources. It''s top secret information." Nylarthog raised an eyebrow, "Top secret? Are you a spy or something?" Orion laughed, "No, but my sources are very valuable to me." Nylarthog was surprised by how easy it was to get along with Orion, it couldn¡¯t be only that they were both gamers at heart. As the conversation died down, the two of them packed up the gaming room and headed to the kitchen to get some lunch. Nevaeh had said that he wouldn¡¯t be there for lunch, so Orion could eat whenever he wanted. And after that they went back to gaming, and if somebody told Nylarthog that he was too old for that, then they should be prepared to suffer an unimaginably gruesome fate at the mercy of Nylarthog''s insatiable appetite for destruction. He would tear them limb from limb, slowly and methodically, relishing every scream and whimper. Nylarthog''s power was absolute, his cruelty unmatched, and his wrath eternal. Those foolish enough to challenge him could only hope for a swift death, for anything else would be far too agonizing to bear. And so, if someone dared to tell Nylarthog that he was too old for something, they would soon realize that they had made the gravest mistake of their life. *Cough* He may have let his thoughts run away a bit with that, his wrath wasn¡¯t eternal, he had neither the patience nor the attention span for that. Torture was fucking boring, the only reason he would do it would be to get information, and even then it wouldn¡¯t be something as boring as physical torture, but he was getting lost in his mind again when he should be shooting things. With a bow.
The next day was spent differently. Orion had a limited to how much he was allowed to play, and since the previous day had been spent nearly entirely only in front of some screen, he wasn¡¯t allowed for the day, though after lunch, when there wasn¡¯t much else he could do, he was allowed again. But anyway, the next day was spent with Orion showing Nylarthog the city. Mostly the less hospitable parts, as they were ¡®more interesting¡¯ Orion claimed, and Nylarthog couldn¡¯t help but agree. And if there was any danger he could always fast travel them somewhere else. Not that the area was that dangerous, they stayed away from the slums as they smelled horribly. Ever smelled the putrid stench of rotting flesh mixed with excrement and urine? If you have, that¡¯s about what it smelled like there. Instead they went to the industrial district. Sure, the air was thick with the acrid smell of chemicals and rusted metal, but it wasn¡¯t anything unbearable. Now before anyone wonders why the industrial district would be less dangerous, well, for one, no human lived there, while it was technically not a restricted area, it was patrolled regularly, and if you happened to be there after sun-down you would be advised to leave the area, with force if necessary. But even if that wasn¡¯t the case, still nobody would live there. Long-term exposure to the fumes had mutated quite a few animals there. They weren¡¯t any kind of enhanced beast, beasts that had enough internal energy to result in physical changes. Unlike for humans, where it mostly just slowed down or stopped aging, animals didn¡¯t control it, so accumulation of internal energy resulted in growth beyond what would normally be considered realistic. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t enhanced beasts. It were just mutated animals. They weren¡¯t really dangerous, but if you were asleep and one of them found you, well, you would probably end up as a snack. In the outskirts of the area, they even saw some, but as they delved deeper, even hearing something other than what they themselves produced was rare. As they left the mutated animals behind and delved deeper into the industrial district, Nylarthog''s excitement grew. He had always had a rather morbid sense of humor, and generally liked dark things, there was a reason he had chosen Unholy Entropy as part of his name. Both concepts often associated with negative things, even if they weren¡¯t. So he couldn''t help but be fascinated by the decay and neglect that surrounded him. He had always had a rather morbid sense of humor, and generally liked dark things, there was a reason he had chosen Unholy Entropy as part of his name. Both concepts often associated with negative things, even if they weren¡¯t. The silence of the empty buildings was broken only by their footsteps echoing off the walls, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Orion, sensing Nylarthog''s excitement, urged him on, leading the way through the maze of abandoned factories and warehouses. Nylarthog reveled in the abandoned factories and warehouses, exploring the eerie silence of the empty buildings. He loved the feeling of decay and neglect, relishing in the sights and smells of the seemingly forgotten structures. But as they ventured deeper into the district, Nylarthog noticed a strange slime coating the walls and floors. It was a sickly green color, pulsing with an otherworldly glow. As they moved closer, the stench of decay and sulfur intensified, making Nylarthog''s stomach churn. Orion seemed unfazed, urging him on, a gleam in his eye. It wasn''t until they turned a corner that Nylarthog saw the source of the slime: a grotesque creature, with slimy tentacles writhing from its body. It was covered in pustules that oozed a viscous, black liquid, and its eyes glowed with a sinister intelligence. ¡°What is that?¡± Nylarthog whispered, barely able to take his eyes off the creature. It didn¡¯t seem hostile, but he didn¡¯t plan on losing his job so early because he had been careless, well, more careless than he allowed himself to be. Orion grinned, clearly pleased with Nylarthog''s reaction. ¡°That was my mother¡¯s pet.¡± Nylarthog stared at Orion in disbelief. "Your mother''s pet?" he repeated, trying to wrap his head around the idea. "What kind of creature is that?" Orion shrugged. "I''m not sure. My mother was always interested in exotic and dangerous creatures. She used to collect them and keep them as pets." ¡°Is that why you wanted to come here?¡± Orion nodded. "Partly. I knew this creature was down here, and I wanted to see it again. It''s been a while since I''ve been here, not since my mother''s... Dad never lets me come here anymore." "Well, it¡¯s definitely unique, and you don¡¯t need to feed it.¡± Nylarthog wasn¡¯t about to trust it, but he didn¡¯t trust anyone to behave in anything but self-interest. But he did have to say that, after the initial shock wore off, that it had something. Or maybe the half-melted arm that smelled like barbecue was just making him hungry. As they watched, the creature seemed to sense their presence and turned its glowing eyes towards them. Nylarthog took a step back, but Orion stepped forward, seemingly unafraid. "Hello there," he said, addressing the creature. "Do you remember me?" To Nylarthog''s surprise, the creature seemed to respond, emitting a low, guttural sound that Orion seemed to understand. "I see you do," Orion said with a grin. Nylarthog watched closely as Orion interacted with the creature. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The creature seemed to recognize Orion, and even responded to his voice. It was almost as if they were communicating somehow. ¡°You know, we should probably return soon, you don¡¯t want your father to know you have been too far from the estate, do you? Now that I have been here, I can always just teleport us both, no travel necessary. Maybe we can even bring some food for it next time.¡± It wasn¡¯t actually that, it was more that, he wasn¡¯t being paid to enforce any kind of rules, only to serve as shield against far-seeing abilities and to teleport Orion to safety, not to care about any rules Orion had been told to adhere to, but rather that he was getting hungry. But telling Orion that would have likely not been taken positively. "It''s just that...I miss my mother," Orion said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don''t even really remember her anymore, only snippets.¡± The creature let out a low, guttural growl, its tentacles writhing and twitching. Almost as if trying to comfort Orion. The creature emitted a low gurgling noise, almost like a purr, and reached out one of its slimy tentacles towards Orion. He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively reached out and touched the tentacle with one finger. The tentacle twitched and curled around his finger, but it didn''t seem aggressive. Whatever it was that had been corroding the arm, it wasn¡¯t on the tentacle, as Orion stayed completely unharmed. ¡°Yes,, I will come back, pinky promise.¡± Orion said, and the tentacle began to recede, leaving Orion to turn to Nylarthog, ¡°I¡¯m read, we can go back.¡±
Nevaeh sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and relief. ¡°See, nothing overly concerning happened. You should stop worrying so much.¡± The butler chuckled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. ¡°Says the one I had to hold back earlier to stop him from rushing in there and taking Young Master to his room and give him house arrest for at least a month.¡± Nevaeh scowled, ¡°I still think I should punish him, he knows he isn¡¯t allowed here. Especially two days in a row, he should know better. Also remind me to never again hire someone without having a clause that makes sure that they can¡¯t simply let Orion break the rules. They are there for a reason.¡± He paused, his tone softening as he looked down at his hands. ¡°I would almost be tempted to dispose of Nylarthog, contract be damned, if he hadn¡¯t made Orion so happy.¡± The butler laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°We live, and we learn. But at least you know that Nylarthog won¡¯t just run away at the first sign of danger and leave Orion behind and that he won¡¯t be smothering as well.¡± Nevaeh nodded slowly, her mind racing with thoughts of Orion''s safety. ¡°Orion will need some extent of danger, you know we won¡¯t be able to protect him much longer, wasn¡¯t that part of the reason for hiring those thugs?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I will stop observing them.¡± Nevaeh said firmly, he would not compromise on that. The butler smiled, his expression fond. ¡°Of course not, that¡¯s why you¡¯re a great father. And you won¡¯t be watching alone.¡± With that both vanished, arriving at the mansion so fast, that one may have thought they had teleported when they had just moved at speeds beyond what most humans could perceive. Chapter 8 Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 9 It didn¡¯t take long for the first dungeon delvers to arrive. Barely more than five hours. It was quite interesting to watch, they even had pop-corn, and since they were hidden behind a basic formation, for people without cultivation that was enough, and there was no need to waste resources to power a stronger one, nobody even bothered them about how they were already in the dungeon. Well, they probably wouldn¡¯t have anyway, as they were watching using a drone that was hovering in the sky and transmitting what it saw. It was quite fortunate that this splinter was too small for the skywhales that occupied the dimension this splinter belonged to. But anyway, what did the dungeon even look like? Well, it was mostly forest, just way larger with the trees reaching up to a height 500 meter. The people in lower heaven were probably going to be happy about that, plenty of trees they could cut down for resources, once the dungeon integration happened. The difference between dungeon break and dungeon integration you wonder? There wasn¡¯t really any, technically anyway. But they were still considered different, as a dungeon break was when the dungeon still had hostile creatures in it, which would then endanger infrastructure and people. While a dungeon integration was when a dungeon with no dangerous and hostile creatures finally became one with Lower Heaven. The whole process was also quite fascinating, as even if the dungeon integrated in the middle of a city, it wouldn¡¯t destroy anything, it was as if there was space added for the dungeon to occupy, but that wasn¡¯t what this was about, this was about watching some adventurers explore the dungeon to assess the threat level the creatures in it posed, and if it needed to be raided. Which meant killing the dangerous creatures in the dungeon. ¡°How long do you think they will last?¡± Orion asked. ¡°While they probably look weak because of their lacking cultivation, they probably have at least one team member with a scouting boon, and if that one doesn¡¯t die, they may just survive, otherwise, well, depends on how long it takes for something to find them.¡± Nylarthog replied, observing the adventurers with a curious expression. Orion nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the group of adventurers as they made their way deeper into the dungeon. They were clearly well trained, which was expected of first response groups, as they had to deal with unknown territory and dangers. ¡°How about a bet what animal they are going to come across first? Shadowcat or snaptail?¡± Nylarthog chuckled, ¡±I bet on webweavers, it¡¯s unlikely for a shadowcat to attack a group of people, and the same goes for snaptails, but webweavers are rather immobile because they use webs to catch their prey, and if multiple beings come at the same time, it wouldn¡¯t matter since the webweaver could just wait until the others left or got caught as well.¡± Orion raised an eyebrow, considering Nylarthog''s logic. "Hmm, that''s a good point. I''ll still say they''ll come across a Shadowcat first." After a while the adventurers sat down to put up camp, and both Orion and Nylarthog thought it unfortunate that they didn¡¯t have audio to listen in into the conversations, but they would have to live with that for now. As such, they could only wait for something interesting to happen, and, as there was nothing better to do, they both started meditating. ¡°I¡¯m bored, I want to go kill some animals.¡± Orion suddenly stated. So after notifying the guards that they would be going out, and the warning of a guard to ¡®be careful¡¯, they set of. As they wandered deeper into the dungeon, Orion''s eyes flicked around eagerly, searching for any signs of movement or life. Nylarthog walked calmly at his side, observing his excitement with amusement. "You really do have a bloodthirsty streak, don''t you?" Nylarthog commented, a hint of teasing in his tone. He wasn¡¯t one to talk after all. Orion grinned unabashedly. "What can I say? I just love the thrill of the hunt. It''s like a dance, you know? A dance of death and victory." Nylarthog shook his head, chuckling. "Just make sure whatever you hunt is actually dead at the end, don¡¯t want a nasty surprise, do we?" Orion simply shrugged, his eyes scanning the surrounding foliage. Suddenly, he froze in place, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "Over there," he whispered, pointing to a nearby cluster of bushes. "I think I saw something move." Nylarthog followed his gaze, his own senses on high alert. Together, they slowly made their way towards the bushes, their footsteps soft and cautious. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. As they drew closer, a low growl reached their ears. Orion''s grin widened even further, his body thrumming with excitement. "It''s a Shadowcat," he whispered, unsheathing his sword. "This is going to be fun." The Shadowcat leapt out of the bushes with a fierce roar, its claws glinting in the dim light. Orion met it head-on, his own sword flashing through the air. The clash of steel against claws echoed through the forest as Orion and the Shadowcat engaged in a deadly dance. Blood spattered the ground as the two combatants traded blows, each one trying to gain the upper hand. Orion''s movements were fluid and graceful, his sword a blur as he dodged and parried the Shadowcat''s attacks. Despite the cat''s size and strength, Orion was holding his own, his years of training evident in every move he made. The Shadowcat was fierce and relentless, its teeth bared as it lunged at Orion. But he was too quick for it, sidestepping the attack and striking back with his sword. The blade sliced through the cat''s flesh, drawing a deep gash along its side. The cat roared in pain and anger, its claws lashing out in a desperate attempt to land a hit on Orion. But he was too skilled, too fast, and he danced around the cat with ease. Finally, with a swift and deadly strike, Orion plunged his sword into the Shadowcat''s heart, ending the creature''s life with a final roar. Blood and gore covered the ground, the stench of death filling the air. Orion stood over the fallen Shadowcat, his sword dripping with blood, a triumphant grin on his face. ¡°You have gotten quite a bit better since I last saw you fighting.¡± Nylarthog was about to continue, when they suddenly heard a scream. One that sounded quite human. ¡°It seems like our bet is about to come to an end.¡± Orion nodded, clearly just as intrigued as Nylarthog as to who had won. "Let''s go see what''s happening," he said, and the two of them set off in the direction of the scream. While on the way, Nylarthog couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°This didn¡¯t happen last time?¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t leave the camp then, but there hadn¡¯t happened anything fun anyway. I¡¯m just as interested as to what happened as you.¡± When they were finally close enough to see what was going on, all they saw was one of the adventurers having a breakdown because he hadn¡¯t caught some rare monster in a game, and instead accidentally killed it. Almost inaudibly, Orion commented ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair.¡± And Nylarthog couldn¡¯t agree more, which was why he regularly saved games, and even had auto-save enabled if possible, he may not trust it, but there was a small chance of it coming in useful. ¡°Well, we should probably return, nothing interesting to see here.¡± But before they could leave one of the adventurers turned into their direction, ¡°I know you are there, there is no use hiding.¡± Well, busted. But not for long, as Nylarthog immediately fast traveled both of them in front of the screen that showed the scene. ¡°Let¡¯s see how they are going to react,¡± he commented. ¡°And now we are going to have audio as well. I dropped a small micro in the foliage.¡± Orion revealed with a mischievous grin on his face. The reaction of the adventurers was quite fun to watch. The scout was insisting that somebody had been there, but they couldn¡¯t find anyone. Meanwhile, Nylarthog and Orion were trying their best to stifle their laughter as they watched the scene play out on the screen. It was all just a bit too amusing for them. Orion couldn''t help but chuckle at the situation. "They''ll never suspect a thing," he said, grinning from ear to ear. Nylarthog nodded, his own amusement evident on his face. "We''ll have to do this more often," he said with a chuckle. "It''s quite entertaining. Once with each group, if others come. Maybe we can even create some kind of rumor that this dungeon is haunted.¡± Orion''s grin widened at the idea. "That''s brilliant! We could even rig up some simple traps to make it seem more convincing. I bet we could scare some of these adventurers right out of their boots!" ¡°Actually, let¡¯s do that, we don¡¯t have anything better to do anyway, right? Maybe the guards will be willing to lend a hand as well. Who are we going to kill in this group?¡± If nobody died, there would be nobody to haunt the dungeon after all. And sure, they had already been ¡®seen¡¯ once, but humans tended to explain away things that didn¡¯t fit what they believed. ¡°Me.¡± Orion stated. ¡°Obviously, but who among them is the easiest for you to impersonate? I would say the sword-user, but she is a woman, so the act would be quite difficult for you to pull off.¡± Orion thought for a moment, scanning the group of adventurers on the screen. "I think the archer would be the easiest for me to impersonate," he said finally. "We could have him disappear, and then I could show up as his ghost to haunt the dungeon. It would be quite effective, I think." Nylarthog nodded in agreement. "Yes, that should work. And traps would make that all the more believable.¡± Orion and Nylarthog spent the next few hours planning and setting up traps around the dungeon while waiting for the archer¡¯s turn to take watch. They also convinced the guards to help them by framing it as a training exercise. Once it was finally the archer¡¯s turn, Nylarthog teleported behind the archer, still a distance away, since he had never been closer behind him. But that wasn¡¯t a problem, while he wasn¡¯t yet at the Elemental Attunement Realm, he was getting ever closer to it. After he had leveled up his cultivation speed had increased quite significantly, so he estimated that he would finally reach the point where he would start with Elemental Attunement in the next few months. And with him being so close, enhancing his body beyond its natural limits was in no way difficult anymore. It took only a few seconds, then he was behind the still unknowing archer, and had stabbed a dagger through his throat. Only moments after fast traveling back to Orion, he already got the EXP notification. Well, that guy had died fast.
Killed Mortal (Mortal):
  • Base EXP gain: 1.3 EXP
  • Race Multiplier: 10
  • Cultivation Multiplier: 1
  • Combat Multiplier: 1
  • Boon Multiplier: 1
  • Total EXP gain: 13 EXP
And another step closer to level two. But that wasn¡¯t important now. It was that Orion could start playing ghost starting tomorrow.