Is this what death feels like?
"Strange... comfortable even, is this the first thing I've done right?"
The pain, the screams, the weight of everything I had endured had vanished. I couldn't see anything; I felt as if I was drifting through eternal blackness.
Sound and time no longer took effect on me, the only thing awaiting was the infinite stillness.
If I had ever felt a mother's embrace,
perhaps it would feel like this, warm, endless, yet cruelly late. Still, a pressing unease lingered, subtle but insistent.
My body, or whatever remained, felt as if I had dissolved into particles within a vast, dark ocean. This feeling was new to me.
Freedom.
And yet… the unease lingered, a cold reminder that something was amiss. As if the darkness remembered my struggles, my hardships. Something wasn't right, the peace felt borrowed.
My memories, faces, names. All sank like stones in water, swept aside by a force I could not grasp.
"Do you have any regrets?"
The voice was gentle yet unknown to me, sounding neither male nor female.
'Regrets?'
The question echoed in my mind. I tried to answer, but the words dissolved before they could form.
"Think carefully."
The voice drew closer, softer somehow, sending a chill down my spine.
Then the realisation hit me.
"Ah... I wanted another chance."
"If I gave you another chance, would you make the most of it?"
'Another... chance.' The word tasted bitter, a delusional truth, yet my pulse quickened anyway.
"Yes…" I whispered, the word tasting even worse. "Give it to me."
The void around me shuddered as it spoke once more.
"Very well. As you wish."
"The void shuddered. Light and darkness collided, and my senses fractured into chaos."
And everything shattered.
-----------
"Finally awake." A casual voice said. I squinted and saw a figure standing before me, tall, with an uneasy calmness.
The man's short white hair stuck out in a way that made his face look almost too perfect. His skin glowed faintly, and the smile masked on his face felt like a mirror, my gut tightening. I felt he knew more about me than I did myself.
"Where am I... no, the better question is, who are you?" My head throbbed as I spoke.
Each step he took sent a ripple through the clear white beneath me. His smile never reached his eyes; instead, he was constantly probing and judging.
"Weaver," he said.
Looking up, the sky stretched endlessly around us. Yet there was no wind, just stillness. A fallacy of what I would call peaceful, it made him feel like a speck of dust.
"A laugh slipped out, hoarse and hollow. "What a dream this is," I whispered, pressing my forehead to the cold ground."
Thud.
Pain shot through me, reminding me that this was real, and that I was still… here.
Are you some kind of god?" Vergil rasped.
"Something along those lines." His grin slanted. "You're quite calm, if I must say" Weaver stated.
"To your first question, this is the land beyond heaven and earth," he said, waving vaguely upward. "But that's not your concern."
He stepped forward, arms spreading like a performer on stage.
"You wished for another chance. I can give it to you. Not clean, nothing ever is, but new along with one gift. Choose carefully."
"I'll let you choose one ability. The world you will go to is one full of monsters, angels, and demons. So choose wisely."
My knees wobbled as I stood, one wrong choice, and I'd lose everything. What could I even pick?
A whisper, deep and primal, screamed inside my mind. I froze, unsure if I could wield what it promised.
Predation.
"Predation," I whispered. The word thrummed in my chest. Dangerous, hungry… yet irresistible, choosing it may lead to significant consequences. However, a part of me that had always longed to dominate, and never be looked down on again.
But now wasn't the time to hesitate.
Meeting Weaver's eyes once more, I spoke.
"I've decided. Predation."
Once more, he widened his smile in delight.
"Ah... interesting choice."
"Can you make it grow?" I asked, curious.
"It can grow," he said, eyes unreadable. "But not without a cost. One day, you'll understand."
He chuckled pleasantly, but it felt off. Then he lifted his hand.
"When you arrive, speak Status window."
Light surged, swallowing me.
I glanced back, hesitant as to whether this was true, yet Weaver only gave a smile.
Then there was nothing but blinding white.
However, just before I vanished completely, Weaver's lips moved.
He said something.
Something I couldn't hear.
Then he turned and walked away.
"The pull tugged at me, gentle but insistent, dragging me from darkness into a world that felt impossibly alive. Crooked houses leaned into the sky, smoke twisting above them. The air smelled clean, strange. My chest tightened, then eased, as if I had forgotten how to breathe.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
The breeze against my skin and the smoke drifting. All of it felt alive and real, and I couldn't take my eyes off it.
"...Status window," I whispered. The panel blinked into existence, cold and impersonal. Each number weighed on me like a reminder that I was still nothing.
Name: Vergil
Tier: 0
Level: 1
Title: Commoner
Lifespan: 65 years
Spouses: None
Race: Human
Equipment:
Basic Clothing (+2 Defence)
Skills:
Passive: None
Active: Authority of Predation (???)
Special Traits:
Special Constitution: None
Arts: None
Special Eyes: None
Confidants: None
Available Stat Points: 0
"Commoner," I muttered.
Suddenly, a calm mechanical voice hummed inside my head.
[Welcome, user. I am the system that was sent to guide you by my god. I will explain everything.]
It showed my basic stats, the numbers tallying my current self, each sitting around either five or six points, except the magic stats.
[Strength:6]
[Constitution:8]
[Dexterity:7]
[Intuition:6]
[Magic Power: 3]
[Mana Capacity]
The numbers were as simple as they were cruel. Strength 6, Magic Power 3… Only measuring his worth with a different means. 'Seems like the world hasn't changed even a bit.'
[For your information, other energy types exist. Yuan Qi, Demonic Energy, Divine Energy, and more. However, you must obtain them yourself.]
"Slow down," I muttered, trying to slow down the so-called tutorial by tapping the screen.
[Currently, you possess one active skill, the Authority of Predation. And no passives.]
My gaze flicked to the Confidants section.
[Confidants are relationships. By deepening your bond, you can unlock effects, skills, and more. However, please be aware that false relationships are not advised and will not give you anything.]
After taking it in, a lifespan of sixty-five years. My throat tightened. Could I extend it?
[Yes. Cultivation extends your lifespan and requires Yuan Qi or rare treasures.]
"Right… Yuan Qi. How do I get it?"
[There are two methods. Diligent cultivation, requiring talent, or consuming Yuan Qi with Predation. The latter is extremely painful.
[By progressing, you can live up to hundreds or even thousands of years.]
Vergil gulped. 'I could live for centuries.'
The screen blinked, showing my only active skill: Authority of Predation (???). My mind raced, what could evolve it, and at what cost?
[Skills rank from F– to EX. Your authority exceeds the normal standards. It can evolve under special conditions.]
"And what are these so-called conditions?" Vergil taunted.
[That I cannot disclose. You will be notified when eligible.]
I smirked softly. 'So even the system had limits'.
[Arts define technique. Mastery determines the effectiveness.]
"Noted."
All that was left were my stats; currently, they were usable. After all, I had Predation.
[Absorbed stats depend on the target. The stronger the opponent, the more you gain.]
"…Makes sense. No weaklings." The thought of it made him taste blood and iron. He would never have to feel that emotion again.
[Finally, to look at other people's stats, say 'Analysis']
[Good luck. May the blessing of the most loved world, Eternia, be with you.]
"The most loved world, huh? I wonder what that really means."