"Who am I?"
In the silence of the secret room, the man sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat stared at his calloused hands and asked the soul-searching question.
For a struggling writer like Adrian Black, the concept of reincarnation was commonplace. In this day and age, writers who hadn't transmigrated were rarer than pink pandas! Moreover, he had been bound to a system upon his arrival, so logically, he shouldn't be asking such foolish questions.
The system he carried was called the Multiverse Evil System. As the name suggested, its purpose was to mold him into a thoroughly wicked villain across myriad worlds. He wasn't meant to be a misunderstood anti-hero, but a genuine demon—the kind of character destined to be brutally killed in any film or television adaptation.
The system's track record was grim: all previous hosts had been slaughtered by the protagonists of various dimensions. Adrian was the ninth.
It was a terrible system, but for a broke writer facing down debt collectors, did he really have a choice? He had agreed immediately, and the damned system had teleported him straight to his first dungeon world.
The Multiverse Evil System offered no host-strengthening functions—if it did, the previous hosts might have survived. Instead, it only allowed him to randomly descend and possess a character within the dungeon. Furthermore, the available vessels were typically marginalized nobodies. The protagonists and their inner circles were blessed with the world's destiny, making them untouchable to this crappy system. Similarly, the top-tier villains were out of reach; at most, it could snag a third-rate minor antagonist.
After grasping the mechanics of this pirate ship he'd boarded, Adrian felt a headache coming on. With the strength of a third-rate extra, how was he supposed to wreak havoc? Even knowing the plot wouldn't help much with such limited power.
But as the saying goes, it's easier to climb a mountain than to get down. Once bound, the system was for life. He could only grudgingly accept his fate.
He was currently in his novice instance, a common "welfare" world in the multiverse infinite flow genre: Highschool of the Dead.
Also known as the "Boob-Shaking Apocalypse," Highschool of the Dead is a classic Japanese ecchi anime. It tells the story of a group of well-endowed students struggling to survive in a zombie-infested Tokyo. The zombie apocalypse trope is overused, but adding high school girls with an average cup size of E or above transformed the terrifying story into fan-service-filled late-night entertainment.
As a struggling writer, Adrian was intimately familiar with the cast—he even knew their heights and measurements. He couldn't help it; back when he was broke, he had written a few erotic fanfics to make ends meet. Nothing to be ashamed of!
Because this was the first novice instance, the system had put in some effort to prevent its new host from dying immediately. The character he possessed was reportedly one of the top martial experts in this world. As long as he didn't actively seek death, he could safely complete the mission. The system had warned him repeatedly that this was a one-time novice benefit. In future instances, he would be stuck with third-rate fodder, so he had to accumulate enough "Sin Points" here, or the next world would be his grave.
(The above is pure nonsense—just a brief explanation of the setting. On to the story!)
Adrian Black stood up from the tatami mat and began to search the room for clues about his identity.
Logically, this world would soon devolve into a post-apocalyptic wasteland where social status meant nothing, but knowing who he was right now was still advantageous.
Two calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls. Although he couldn't read them, the majestic, flowing brushstrokes suggested they were incredibly expensive. Directly opposite the door, a Japanese sword with a dark red scabbard sat enshrined on a rack. Aside from these items, the room was empty.
Adrian walked over and grasped the sword.
Although he had no memories of this character, he had perfectly inherited the body's muscle memory. The moment his hand touched the hilt, he felt a surge of power.
Without hesitation, Adrian gripped the scabbard with his left hand and the hilt with his right. With a loud shout, he drew the blade.
A silver light flashed like lightning, slicing the expensive painting on the opposite wall in half.
'Sword energy?'
The power unleashed by that single Iaijutsu strike astonished him. He knew Highschool of the Dead was a low-level dungeon. The zombies were slow and weak; any functioning human could survive them. Even the protagonists, despite their amazing survival skills, were effectively just professional-level athletes. They were still within the realm of ordinary humans.
But this? He had just unleashed tangible sword energy.
The distance to the wall was at least three meters. Even accounting for his arm and the blade, the energy had traveled nearly a meter through the air to cut the painting. No wonder the system claimed this character was a top expert; with this technique, he could thrive even in a martial arts world.
However, the move was draining. After just one strike, he felt completely exhausted. It seemed this was a trump card to be used only as a last resort. If he tried this against a horde of zombies, he'd be too tired to run and would end up as zombie chow.
"Father, haven't you rested yet?"
Just as Adrian was about to head out to check the time, a pleasant, clear voice came from the hallway.
'Father?'
Adrian was slightly confused. It seemed the girl outside was the daughter of his host body, but he had no idea how to respond. According to the timeline, the outbreak hadn't started yet. He had a few days to prepare, but he needed to avoid suspicion.
"Father, do you have any instructions?" the girl asked again when he didn't reply.
"Come in and clean up!"
Adrian decided to play it cool. He was her father now; even if she noticed something odd, she wouldn't jump to 'demonic possession.' In a traditional Japanese family, the father held immense authority. Neither a daughter nor a wife would dare casually question the head of the household.
"I understand!"
Hearing his command, the girl showed no suspicion. She immediately slid the door open and walked in.
'I...'
The moment Adrian saw the girl's face clearly, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
....
.....
.....
Support my patreon
patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter