Chapter 02 (Patreon)

The elderly woman departed, and I stared. Questions lingered in my mind, but I shoved them into the corner.

Getting back into my daily routine of sleeping came naturally and easily, as it was the only thing I did aside from eating and shitting. I must have set some kind of world sleep record, given how much I slept, but who cared about that? That's not the kind of fame I'm aiming for anyway, thank you very much. This much sleep is nice though, for my sleep-deprived self.

So, I shoved that thought aside as well. Heck, I’d been shoving any and every thought aside from the day I woke up with a start. Not thinking was peaceful, and sleeping was a balm to my already-healed wounds—or, simply put, a distraction at best from all the thoughts, worries, looming threats, and fear that waited eagerly for the time I let my guard down so they could pounce, and crush me.

My cowardice could not be trifled with, however, for I had persevered through all this horseshit just so I could run away from those impending thoughts, questions, and the cold reality of no answers. Incredible indeed, such was deserving of my Demonic self! Moreover, I’d grown a bit crazy; could Ryujin’s memory be affecting me? All that third-rate xianxia dialog bullshit.

Not that it mattered—I’d officially mastered the art of not thinking, and it had been surprisingly peaceful. Well, except for the occasional pulses of pain from my heart. My Eclipse Heart, I mean. The one that holds onto all the Gu in my body.

I let myself drift asleep, exhausted without any work. Sleep was essential for my recovery, or so she told me; thus, I’d been sleeping a lot. Also, quite sus that the Elders didn't come early that day. To be honest, I smell a plot brewing, though, the Sect Leader is dead, so I wonder what they’re planning.

Hmm, maybe I should also—

S̶̡̛̪̲̟͚̞̍̇͆̈̌͠ỵ̸͗̽̔́̔́̕͘ͅs̷̢̢͙̻̯͚̮̥͓̆͆̓̔̔̃̌̆t̸̡̗̱͎͝e̶̡̖̜̝͇͖̯̥͒̾́̾̽m̴̩̜͚͖̪͋̅̈́ ̷̜̣̳̈́̍̃̌͘̚a̷̧̤̪̗̹̔̑̂̎̾̇̽͘͜w̶̥̄̓̏̓̐͌̚͝ą̷̹̙̠̩̖͇̬̇͒̾̐̋͘͝ͅḱ̸̨̰͉̤͙̱̪̿͠͝ê̴̩͈̹͙̪͎̤̎͜n̵̡̧̻͚͉̮͙̱̠͐̅ę̴̙͓̜͔̝̞̻̗͒͊̒̾̐̌̽͘̕d̸̨̧̨̢͙͎̹̬͔̓̈͊̚͘͝

I bolted up, and my back hit the headboard. What the fuck.

I felt surprised more than anything. However, even that remained there for a few seconds at best. I looked at the screen, a thought rising—one that I couldn’t ignore.

Is this a system? Why the fuck is it unreadable.

Whatever this was, I called it horseshit. Total. Fucking. Horseshit.

A strange sensation coursed through me, and I could feel a peculiar sensation of change inside my very being as if my being in and of itself shifted.

S̴͙̺̲͌͠͝y̸̠͌̌̾͜s̸̜̼̣̉͒t̷͓͔͛è̵̲̳̲͒͘m̸̱̀́ ̸͈̙̯̄Ā̴̙̞̬w̷̥̱̫̏̕á̵͇͇̊ͅk̷̞͖̬̈́͛͝ḙ̷̼̰̏̇n̶̯͓̣̐͆e̷̢̱͑̑d̴͎͂̋͝
E̶r̵r̶o̷r̴
Ș̴̉ŷ̴̤s̶̮̉t̷̝͂e̷̪͒m̸̱͠ ̴͖͛B̸̀ͅọ̶͗n̸͉̑d̴̻͛ ̸̧͋C̸̎͜a̴̟͐l̸̘̑ĭ̴̻b̸̎͜r̵̖͂a̶͖̕t̵̖̿e̶̛͍d̸̺̓

As my heart raced, an intense curiosity washed over me, and I found myself licking my dry lips in anticipation. What on earth was happening?

P̷r̶o̴c̴e̵s̵s̵i̶n̴g̴

I stared at the screen, it was like trying to decipher alien hieroglyphics that I'd never seen.

Incomprehensible lines of jargon seemed to dance and rearrange themselves, forming patterns I could barely comprehend before getting settled into a language I could recognize.

Processed

Establishing Connection

Connection Established

Hello! Welcome to !SE! ERROR System!

Seriously? What kind of system?

Confusion washed over me, but I knew what this was. This appeared to be beyond anything I'd ever encountered before, and that coming from me was something. I'd seen some weird stuff.

Alert! System access granted but limited due to being Crippled.

Assigned Template: Demonic Sect Elder, Type A.

No detected Constitution or Bloodline.

Affinity Calibration pending... Error encountered, unable to Force Calibrate. Calibration rejected due to Shattered Eclipse Heart. Affinity Calibration suspended until Eclipse Heart recovery.

Current Path: Demonic Path destroyed due to Shattered Eclipse Heart and insufficient Cultivation. New Path assignment halted until Eclipse Heart is Recovered and minimum Cultivation Realm (3rd Realm) is achieved.

Previous Martial Arts Scriptures and Techniques erased; new ones assigned.

Perks granted.

Quest System activated. Calibration complete. System Panel opening...

I couldn't believe my eyes as the notifications flooded in—seriously, I didn't even have time to comprehend the voice that blabbered the notifications before a screen unceremoniously thrust in front of my face. Staring at the translucent screen, I remained still, my mind wandering in thoughts.

Name: Wu Ryujin
Race: Human
Template: Demonic Sect Elder, Type A (No Effects because of Shattered Eclipse Heart.)
Cultivation: N/A (Eclipse Heart — Shattered.)
Constitution: None
Bloodline: None
Roots: None (Suspended Calibration)
Path: None

Disciples: None

- Cultivation Scriptures -

[Demonic Eclipse Heart Sutra (Middle-Grade Cultivation Scripture)] - [Power: None]
Comprehension: None
Progress: None

- Martial Arts Scriptures & Techniques -

[Demonic Sovereign Fist (High-Grade Martial Art Scripture)] - [Power: None]
Comprehension: None
Progress: None
Techniques: None
-
[Demon Shadow Blade Dance (Middle-Grade Martial Art Scripture)] - [Power: None]
Comprehension: None
Progress: None
Techniques: [Soulreaper's Malevolent Slash (Middle-Grade Martial Technique)]

- System Perks -
[Herald of Flags]
[Identify]
[Inventory]
[Quest System]
[???]

I stared at the screen and called it horseshit. Man, this whole thing is getting weirder and weirder, first, I transmigrated, and now this system…

I let out a big, exasperated sigh and decided to scan through the system details, If it were mine, fair to say I would be using the heck out of it. I had no clue how to handle any of this. I mean, I’d been having a totally normal day in the Before, minding my own business. And then, next thing I knew, I found myself stuck in this guy’s body, some-fucking-how, only to end up getting myself pierced by some sword-wielding motherfucker. And just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, this freaking system decided to wake up and flood my vision with words like an out-of-control teleprompter and bombard my poor brain with notifications in a voice that sounds like Next-Gen Text-To-Speech on steroids.

So, it's really a System, huh? Systems aren’t bad, but they could also hide important shit like some kind of cheap-ass plot device until some critical “moment” in the fucking “story,” and I’ll prefer not to have that kinda motherfucking system. Well, fuck it. May as well lean into it headfirst.

I had a habit of internally unleashing a symphony of colorful words, my favorite go-to stress relief strategy, and it worked spectacularly most of the time.

I couldn't help but wonder if this system might surprise me one day by sprouting a body and transforming into a cute Loli girl or a Yandere milf, ready to go all “stabby-stabby” on me.

Moving on, I went through the details of the system more carefully. Of course, the glaring [???] seemed most interesting to my monkey brain, so I clicked on that mentally. No hand movement is needed, just a mental command.

[???]
Locked
Unlock Requirement: Recover your Eclipse Heart.

I had no clue what it was, but I brushed it off and checked out the other items. They seemed pretty straightforward until I stumbled upon the Martial Art Scriptures and Techniques. Of course, it remained locked too, with the same unlock requirement. I couldn't help but mutter a frustrated curse. Locked again? Seriously, what's up with all these damn locks and unlock requirements? What's the point of showing it to me if I can't use it? Dangling a carrot on a stick, is it?

If so, it definitely worked. His memories proved this world undoubtedly dangerous, so I would need all the help I could get. I went ahead and decided to go through the Perks.

[Herald of Flags]
You have been granted a Unique Perk, Herald of Flags. As the chosen Herald of Flags, you possess an extraordinary ability to perceive and interpret the hidden language of flags within the narrative enforced on the world by the Will of the Heavens.

Hmmm, that’s interesting. If this works the way I think it does, it’ll help a ton. Also, Heaven's Will, that bullshit is real…

I sighed and pushed that thought aside. This Perk could basically be considered a danger sense of sorts, with Death Flags and the like. However, I do wonder what kinds of flags, or how many flags there are. Shrugging, I moved on to another Perk.

[Identify]
You have been granted the ability to discern and recognize various objects, items, entities, or anything accurately.

I had only one word for this Perk in mind: Noice. It’s a typical skill you’d expect from any isekai or the like, but still, now that I actually find myself in such a situation, it’s a very appreciated Perk. With that out of the way, I moved on to the next one.

[Inventory]
The Inventory grants you the ability to efficiently manage and store stuff in dimensional storage. The Inventory has limits.

To say I was pleased would be an understatement, this Perk could not only store stuff, but it could also be used in a lot of ways. I could already imagine a few ways this could be a cheat in this world and how it could help me even though I have no Cultivation.

[Quest System]
As you’re Crippled, you have only been given the limited System: Quest System. It provides goals and rewards in a format you are intimately familiar with.

A Quest system? Hmm… It’s fine, I guess. Rewards do sound nice, so I’ll do them if I can.

Familiarizing myself with the system, I sighed and slumped back into the bed. Actually, let’s see what I can do with my Perks. I got to work. [Herald of Flags] couldn't be tested for now as I had no clue how it worked or triggered. Testing [Identify] proved easy enough, I had to stare at something and just think about using it.

[Wall]
Strong, silent. People lean on it for support.

“...”

Speechless as I was, I used [Identify] on a few more things and discovered that the detail of the information depended on the subject I used it on. Using it on a cat gave a lot more information than it did on the wall. Yes, there was a cat here. It could be a stray, I didn’t know, I just used [Identify] on it and was done with it.

[Inventory] proved easy enough. Same as any other typical Inventories.

A knock fell on the door, and I straightened up. Who could it be, at this time no less? It should easily be nearing midnight.

“Come in,” I said as I tidied myself, although there was no need, the changes in my demeanor screamed at me to do so, lest I lose face… I sighed, how much are the memories going to affect me? Only time will tell.

A man, with lean and sharp facial features, stepped inside. He appeared to be in his 20s, and he wore the sect’s Inner Disciple garments. A quick [Identify] told me who he was.

Jin Ruo. Disciple of  Xianlong—an Elder. This body’s previous owner had some beef with Xianlong.

Jin Ruo bowed, his black hair swaying slightly, “This disciple pays his respect, Elder Wu.”

Maintaining my stoic facade, I said in a relaxed tone, “Why are you here, Disciple Jin Ruo?”

“This disciple has come to inform you that the Disciple Selection Ceremony has been pushed early this year due to the Sect's circumstances and that the Elders have decided to make an announcement about something.”

The moment he said that, a string of notifications and alerts flashed in my vision and my heart started thundering against my chest.

A Quest Has Been Generated.

Get First Disciples.
Status: Issued
You are an elder of the Crimson Mist Sect. As you are a Cripple due to unfortunate circumstances, you are fated to die a dog’s death, your only hope is to foster strong disciples. Good luck; you need that.
Success: A Special Reward.
Failure: Eventual Death, not by the system, but by your fate.

Along with the quest, a Red Flag—a literal Red Flag—flashed through my whole vision as my [Herald of Flags] got triggered. As I read it, my chest tightened.

Alert, alert! A wild flag has appeared.
Red Flag, the flag of Death.
Danger ahead. Caution Advised.

…Fuck.