[Immortal System]
---- Two men approach with killing intent. How will you choose to handle this situation? ----
---- You will be graded S, A, B, C, D, or F based on your performance. Difficulty levels are ranked Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. ----
Difficulty: Silver
Rewards:
S = TBD
A = Recover Memory + B
B = Full Heal
C = N/A
D = N/A
F = Death
---- Good luck :) ----
The translucent screen faded into the corner of his vision.
Moments later, Zeke spotted the two approaching figures.
Both men wore black clothing with their lower faces concealed beneath thin cloth masks. One carried a torch while the other followed close behind.
Neither looked particularly strong.
That didn't matter.
They were here to kill him.
Remaining hidden atop the narrow ledge, Zeke quietly adjusted his grip on the stone he had taken earlier.
The pair eventually reached the spot where he was supposed to be waiting.
"Where the hell did that brat go?"
The torchbearer frowned.
"How should I know?" his companion replied. "Think somebody else got to him first?"
"Don't be stupid. Master Lee personally ordered us to handle this."
The second man nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe—"
Crack!
A sudden noise echoed from the cave entrance.
Both men immediately turned toward the sound.
"What was that?"
The torchlight shifted.
"You think he's trying to make a run for it?"
The first man waited for a response.
Instead, he heard a wet gargling sound.
Followed by a dull thud.
His body stiffened.
Slowly turning around, the torch illuminated a gruesome sight.
His companion lay dead on the ground.
A sharpened torch stake protruded from the back of his skull.
Kneeling beside the corpse was a young boy.
"I don't think so."
Zeke's voice was calm.
The man froze.
Instinctively reaching for his sword, he never saw the dagger coming.
Thunk!
The blade buried itself directly into his eye.
A scream echoed through the cave.
Dropping the torch, the man clawed desperately at his ruined face.
Zeke moved instantly.
Drawing the fallen guard's short sword, he swept the blade low.
Two clean cuts.
Two severed Achilles tendons.
The man collapsed.
His screams became even louder.
"Please!"
He crawled backward.
"Please spare me!"
Zeke raised a finger to his lips.
"Shhhh."
His tone was surprisingly gentle.
"It'll be alright."
The injured man immediately quieted.
"I know you're only following orders."
A warm smile appeared on Zeke's face.
Unfortunately, beneath the current circumstances, it looked more sinister than reassuring.
"So let's make a deal."
The sword lowered.
"You tell me everything you know, and we can pretend this whole incident never happened."
Hope returned to the man's expression.
Desperate to survive, he immediately began talking.
Everything.
Names.
Orders.
Rumors.
Locations.
Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly important.
Most of the information proved useless.
Still, Zeke listened patiently.
Eventually, the man finished.
"There."
He swallowed nervously.
"I told you everything."
His remaining eye widened hopefully.
"You'll let me go now... right?"
"Sure."
Zeke smiled.
"A promise is a promise."
Relief flooded the man's face.
For the first time since losing his eye, he could finally breathe.
'This little monster.'
Hatred burned within him.
'Once I recover, I'll make him pay for this.'
Unfortunately for him, Zeke spoke again.
"Oh."
The sword slowly rose.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding."
The man's expression froze.
"I don't remember promising to let you live."
"Wha—"
The blade flashed.
His head separated cleanly from his shoulders.
Silence returned to the cave.
Zeke casually flicked the blood from his sword.
"Hmph."
He glanced at the corpse.
"I said we'd pretend this never happened."
His smile returned.
"I'm simply making sure you do the same."
[Immortal System]
---- Calculating Results ----
Pros:
1x Stealth Kill
1x Kill Under One Minute
1x Executioner
1x Kill Under Ten Minutes
1x Master Interrogator
1x Untouched
Cons:
(Blood Centipede)
Failed to obtain information regarding antidote.
Final Grade: A
Reward:
Recover Memory
Full Heal
Claim Reward?
[Y/N]
Zeke ignored almost everything.
His attention locked onto the single negative result.
Blood Centipede.
The name was familiar.
According to the information he'd just gathered, every subordinate and trainee within this organization was forced to consume one.
"Tsk."
He frowned.
"I could've sworn he told me everything."
The realization irritated him.
The antidote likely wasn't known by the survivor at all.
The dead man may have been the one carrying that information instead.
How annoying.
Still, the concept itself wasn't new.
The Blood Centipede was a notorious creation of the Demonic Path.
Raised within specially prepared jars, these creatures established a master-slave connection with their hosts.
Disobedience was punished instantly.
A single command could trigger death.
After a moment, Zeke sighed.
"No point crying over spilled milk."
The rewards weren't bad.
His finger hovered over the acceptance button.
Then he paused.
His eyes narrowed.
"That's strange."
Why allow someone to refuse a reward?
The question lingered.
Slowly, realization dawned.
"...I see."
Rather than accepting immediately, Zeke sat down cross-legged in the middle of the blood-soaked cave.
Closing his eyes, he directed his awareness inward.
His consciousness traveled through his body.
Past the meridians.
Past the dantian.
Toward his dormant spiritual root.
Soon, he discovered it.
A tiny spiritual root nestled around an unfamiliar core.
The information he'd gathered earlier finally clicked into place.
Without hesitation, Zeke activated a cultivation technique.
Demon's Breath.
A legendary method publicly condemned by the Orthodox Factions and revered by Demonic Cultivators.
Years ago, he had discovered the inheritance of an unnamed Stage 5 Grandmaster.
From that inheritance came Demon's Breath.
Because of its nature, Zeke rarely dared use it openly.
Now, however, there was no reason to hold back.
Crimson threads emerged from his body.
Like hungry serpents, they wrapped around the two corpses.
The bodies rapidly shriveled.
Skin tightened.
Flesh disappeared.
Blood was converted into pure Qi before flowing into the waiting threads.
Several moments later, only skeletons remained.
The crimson energy returned to Zeke.
His spiritual root awakened.
His meridians opened.
Qi surged throughout his body once again.
Stage 1 Master.
Skipped entirely past Disciple Rank.
Yet Zeke wasn't satisfied.
His attention shifted toward the strange dormant core.
Despite his efforts, he failed to form a magical circle around it.
"I suppose that's to be expected."
He opened his eyes.
"I never had experience with magic."
The memories he'd gathered painted a clear picture.
This world belonged to Mages and Knights.
Martial Cultivators occupied the bottom rung of society.
A path reserved for commoners and those abandoned by fate.
The realization was unpleasant.
Still, there would be time to address that later.
For now, he had something more important to test.
Reopening the System window, a grin slowly formed.
[Immortal System]
---- Recalculating Results ----
Pros:
1x Stealth Kill
1x Kill Under One Minute
1x Executioner
1x Kill Under Ten Minutes
1x Master Interrogator
1x Untouched
1x Discovered the Antidote
1x Cured of Blood Centipede
Cons:
None
Final Grade: S
Reward:
Recover Memory
Full Heal
The Great Immortal Ito's Fragment (1/3)
Claim Reward?
[Y/N]