Chapter 2
2843words
Radiant and brimming with energy, Xin called out:
— System, I’ve done everything I could. I’m sick of this cave, can I leave already?
[Please accept my sincere praise. You’ve truly achieved a lot in such a short time, especially considering that you were previously unfamiliar with qi. One small task remains here, and while it is loading, you may proceed toward the cave’s exit.]
Xin dusted himself off and left the damp underground hall. The tunnels were winding and confusing, branching endlessly into similar chambers. A breeze blew softly; a quiet hum came from the direction of the entrance. Xin headed that way and immediately raised the pressing questions that had previously felt inappropriate.
— System, tell me what exactly is required of me? You spoke of saving the world but isn’t that a bit much? Am I even capable of something like that?
[In the scriptures of the Gods, the complete destruction of this world was foretold. To prevent this, they summon beings like you messengers of the Gods, executing their will.]
— Gods interfering with the fate of the world? That’s new. — Xin spoke without emotion. His new voice echoed faintly in the cave, slightly distorted, preventing him from fully assessing it which only fueled his curiosity about his new body. He often found himself distracted, remembering that by merely existing, he was desecrating the body of the dead. — What do those scriptures say?
[That knowledge is forbidden to you!] — the System said, louder than usual.
— So what do I have to do? Kill a dragon, a demon, or stop the spread of a magical plague? — Xin snapped. This wretched AI never gave him a straight answer!
[I can’t tell you exactly what will happen, but I can speak of the main events: in the future, a Cultivator will appear whose strength will surpass even the will of the Gods. His path will become a threat to this world. You won’t be able to stop him alone, so alongside you will walk the “protagonist” — the one with the greatest potential to defeat evil. But there is a catch — the future of this protagonist is shrouded in mist. His powers are hidden. He might die or even fall to darkness. Your primary task is to guide the protagonist!] — the System declared solemnly.
— Let’s take it one step at a time. Who’s the villain planning to destroy the world?
[The System has no information on that. I am merely a tool in the hands of the Gods and do not have access to all knowledge.]
— Fine… — Xin squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples. This was ridiculous. He didn’t even know what questions the System would bother answering. — Do I have any tasks besides fighting evil?
[Yes! Support the protagonist in everything! Help bring about the downfall of the main villain!]
— “Protagonist,” “villain”... Why are you using such terms for people? It’s like we’re talking about a book, not a real world.
[You’re partially right. The prophecy was rewritten in the form of a book and sent to other worlds in search of messengers of the Gods. This System is based on that book. You must have read it otherwise, you wouldn’t have been chosen for this mission. I’m even a little saddened that you don’t remember.]
— How am I supposed to know what book you mean when you won’t explain anything? No title, no names of characters. Do you know how many books I’ve read? Thousands! And how many of those mentioned qi? Hundreds!
[༼ つ ಥ_ಥ ༽つ]
[I’ll send you the file. Read it at your leisure.]
[File loading: “The Plateau of Silver Tears”]
Xin barely had time to react to the AI’s use of ridiculous emoji when a deafening rumble shook the cave’s walls. His heart seized in terror the thought of being buried again, just like before, froze his blood.
Forgetting how to breathe, losing all composure, Xin Yijie ran forward, stumbling over his own feet. Cursing his “luck,” he suddenly realized the rumble wasn’t coming from within, but ahead from the blinding light at the end of the tunnel.
A sharp notification sound rang in his mind. Blinded by the light, Xin shielded his eyes, only then noticing the System window before him.
[Mission: Save the Protagonist]
[Description: What were you expecting to find here? Stop wasting time — save the protagonist now!]
[Reward: +40 points]
[Penalty for failure: Death]
Xin froze for a moment, only managing to read the first few lines, but fear of death and pain proved stronger, his legs carried him forward on instinct. The rumbling in his ears drowned out the AI’s commentary.
Through the halo of light appeared a black blot: a figure rose and cast its shadow across Xin Yue Xiaoying’s face. Before him stood a humanoid monster covered in thick fur. It resembled a wolf, with a long, narrow snout framed by sharp teeth dripping blood. Its red eyes were fixed on a point somewhere askew it didn’t even seem to notice Xin. A choking, dark aura pulsed around the beast, stealing the breath from his lungs.
Where was the protagonist?
Due to the cave’s many twists and turns, folds, and narrow passages, Xin couldn’t see the full scene ahead. But the protagonist had to be just beyond this creature.
His heart pounded so loudly it drowned out thought. His hands were ice. His body felt leaden. It was as if all strength had left him. Only when small rocks began to rain down from the walls, loosened by the beast’s residual roar, did the System’s charge finally awaken from his fear.
— System! System, help me! What do I do?! — Xin screamed internally, not even realizing his mouth wasn’t moving. Silence answered him like a slap.
— You said you’d help me! Why won’t you answer?! Do something, damn it! — he begged in despair.
[Malicious Spirit: Gyota]
[Age: 89 years*]
[Status: Engaged in consumption]
*Since time of death.
— You’ve got to be kidding me! — The pop-up felt like the final straw. He couldn’t count on this AI for anything. Why had he even trusted her?
The spirit-wolf moved slowly toward the wall, as if herding something into a trap. Fighting the paralysis and trembling overtaking his body, Xin forced himself forward. Through the rustling and whispers of stone, he began to hear sobbing-broken, gasping sobs.
Drawing on his spiritual senses, he extended his awareness. There, in a small partially-collapsed chamber, sat a child. And the malicious spirit twice his size was heading straight for him.
Focusing his senses further, Xin finally heard the desperate cries.
— Go away! Don’t come any closer! Stay away!
His heart skipped a beat. A child. There was a child!
Without another thought, Xin darted forward. He raised his arm, gathering qi into his fingers, and slashed toward the beast. The strike missed-but it carved a harsh, long line into the ground by the spirit’s paw. A more precise aim would’ve severed its head.
The wolf recoiled, licking its lips. It crouched, watching Xin from under heavy brows, studying him.
Not wasting a second, Xin leapt to the child. The boy lay on the ground, eyes shut tight, arms covering his face, sobbing something unintelligible. His shoulder was torn open, deep scratches covered his small body, and fresh blood stained the floor.
— Hey, can you move? Can you stand? — Xin asked. But the child only whimpered in reply.
Glancing over his shoulder, Xin saw the spirit sitting still, back turned. Strangely, it hadn’t attacked. It stared intently at the Cultivator’s amber eyes, as if waiting.
Xin grabbed the child’s shoulder, trying to pull him up. But the boy recoiled violently, flailing in panic. Forced to act, Xin tightened his grip, hauled the boy up, he couldn’t stand and finally picked him up by the waist like a disobedient pup.
Now standing face-to-face with the spirit, Xin had no idea what to do. Yet hearing the child’s soft crying, seeing his shaking limbs, Xin realized something: the boy feared this monster far more than he himself did. And that gave him strength.
Taking control of his emotions, Xin stepped forward, confident. A new life was just as valuable as the old one. He had no intention of dying.
Without hesitation, he condensed qi into his right hand, shaping it into a thin blade as before. He slashed again.
The wolf dodged with ease and appeared at the cave’s entrance. Blood still dripped from its chin. Lazily, it wiped its face. Its glowing red eyes had dimmed-now tinged with violet. On its feral face was a look of genuine surprise.
— You! Why doesn’t my curse affect you?! — the wolf snarled, ears flattening. — Speak your name!
Xin blinked in shock. It speaks? Unexpected. Maybe he could reason with it? Interest overtook fear for a brief moment.
Holding up his qi-infused palm, Xin spoke in a deliberately stern tone.
— Let us go, and I won’t hurt you.
— Hah! That’s laughable. I set the terms here. Hand over the child, and I’ll forgive your rudeness. — The spirit’s smile was all teeth.
Xin wasn’t frightened. In fact, there was a flicker of delight in his eyes. This was it — real proof that he was in another world. The lighthearted wonder distracted him, but the weight in his left arm snapped him back to reality.
— Not now! — he growled at himself.
He sent two more parallel strikes forward, preventing the spirit from closing in. Suddenly, pain shot through his fingers like a jolt of electricity. Improper use of qi. It burned.
The spirit retreated lazily, still underestimating him. But the next strike clipped its fur, leaving shallow cuts along its limbs. With a grimace, the wolf turned and fled toward the exit, abandoning its prey.
Xin launched a few more strikes in pursuit, hoping to drive the creature off. One of them struck true.
The spirit turned, reacting on instinct. He hadn’t expected that last blast to hit but it sliced clean through the air, severing the wolf’s tail.
The creature shrieked, howled in pain. Humiliated, bleeding, the wolf turned its gaze toward Xin’s shadow.
— I won’t forgive this so easily! — it growled, glancing at the still trembling boy as if at a lost opportunity. — You’ll regret who you saved today. Remember this name: Gyota. I am the forest spirit of the Bashibo Mountains! Name yourself!
Emerging from the darkness into the light, Xin Yijie squinted. He paused.
Should he give his real name? Or his new one?
He wasn’t yet fully used to the new body—but it suited him more than the old. He decided to postpone the moral debate and said simply:
— Xin… Xinyue Xiaoying.
— Mark my words, Xinyue, we will meet again. — the spirit howled from afar, limping and clutching its wound.
It had been his first serious mission, and it had gone… surprisingly well. Unusually lucky, for him. Still, Xin hoped he’d never see that creature again. He’d acted recklessly—next time, that might get him killed.
— A farewell worthy of a mighty spirit of the Bashibo Mountains. — Xin bent down, picked up the severed tail, and waved it like a souvenir. — Thanks for the welcoming gift.
Only then did it dawn on him what felt so strange - his new voice. Without the cave’s echo, it sounded clear, foreign. He cleared his throat, muttered a few words, and was about to continue the odd experiment, when a sudden gust of wind hit his face.
Lifting his gaze, he saw a small, noisy bird flitting above him. That’s when Xin finally realized where he was: on a narrow cliff ledge, near the peak of Mount Yashibo.
No other paths existed. Holding the child tighter, the newly minted Cultivator followed the road.
The path was narrow and perilous. Stones crumbled beneath Xin’s feet and vanished into the abyss. At times his shoulder scraped the sheer cliffside, the wind tugged at his hair and clothes, making it hard to focus.
He held his breath, refusing to think about what would happen if he slipped. Only when the road curved into a denser forest and the wind finally died down did Xin slow his pace.The burden in his arms stirred.
— U-um… Y-young master?
The unfamiliar address startled him. Was the child talking to him?
Xin lifted the boy a little higher, inspecting him like one might inspect a stray pup. He looked to be around ten, maybe twelve. Thin, small boned, with dark crimson hair curling at the ends, long strands falling across his face in a way that was both irritating and strangely delicate. His robe once gray blue was torn, soaked with blood, hanging off him in tatters.
— Can you walk? — Xin’s voice came out cold, even indifferent.
The boy flinched and nodded frantically, afraid to speak. With a grunt, Xin dropped him onto a patch of moss.
The boy struggled to his feet, legs shaking. One hand clutched his injured shoulder. Xin glanced back toward the path.
— The spirit is gone. It won’t hurt you again. — He said it almost absentmindedly, unsure if the child was trembling from pain or fear.
But the boy didn’t seem to want comfort especially not from someone so rough. If anything, he looked even more miserable than before. He’d suffered not just from the spirit, but from the Cultivator who had carried him like a sack of grain.
Despite his bruised pride, the boy clenched his jaw against the pain, bowed low, and brought his hands together in a formal gesture.
— Thank you, sir… For saving me from the malicious spirit. I wouldn’t have made it alone.
The stranger ignored the polite gesture entirely. He was scanning the forest, alert and focused.
— What’s your name? And what the hell are you doing out here?
— R-Rui. My name is Rui. I… I was carrying out my teacher’s orders, and…
— What? Was your teacher trying to get you killed?
The boy recoiled as if struck. Xin’s sharp, cold gaze pierced right through him. Rui shivered under the weight of it, reaffirming what he’d already suspected about this man, he was definitely not friendly.
But then, the stranger fell silent. No more questions. Rui almost sighed in relief. And yet… that grim, annoyed face still terrified him. It didn’t seem like this Cultivator saw him as a person at all.
[Congratulations! You’ve met the Main Protagonist - Rui!] — the System chirped cheerfully.
Xin froze. The memory hit him like a punch to the chest. Right. This… this had all started with the spirit.
«What? This kid is the protagonist? You didn’t tell me that! You’re trying to make me a babysitter now?! Don’t even joke like that!» — he exploded internally.
[Of course he’s still a child! Otherwise, influencing him and earning his trust would be nearly impossible. Your main task is to help him grow stronger and make sure he doesn’t stray from the righteous path!]
«Are you fucking kidding me!?»
«I’m rejecting the mission. I’m not playing nanny to a child!» — Xin’s mental voice was hard as iron.
He would save the world, fine. He’d do the impossible, fine. But raising a kid? Tying his fate to one?
Absolutely not.
He had too many reasons to dislike people and children most of all. They were too fragile, physically and emotionally. They demanded constant attention, patience, affection. Xin had never even kept pets because they required more than he could give. And children?
Even worse.
Before he ever lived alone, he’d been forced to care for his younger siblings, dumped on him by negligent parents. That alone had been enough. No, no, and again, no. He valued solitude for a reason, it saved him the energy it took to maintain relationships.
[Then you’ll have to accept the punishment. Prolonged or repeated exposure will result in complete soul annihilation.]
«What punishment?! You never said anything about that! This wasn’t my choice! I couldn’t even handle my own life, how the hell am I supposed to raise a kid?!»
Rage surged through him. A crushing, overwhelming aura began to ripple from his body. For the first time, it hit him fully: he’d never really grasped what he’d been pulled into. He’d tried to treat this like a dream. A game. Something vivid but unreal. But this? This was real.
[Warning!] — the System chimed, her tone now mocking, almost smug.
[Punishment: initiated.]
