SK 2

(2: The Game World)

It is the third day since Dai Jin was recovered from the mountain beside Tianlong town. His condition was still critical causing his grandfather Dai Mo to never stop worrying.

Medicine is not working. Actually, Spiritual Medicine and Spirit Qi treatments do not work on people like Dai Jin who have crippled meridians. He can't Cultivate, he can't become stronger, he can't even be treated except by natural medicine.

Patched up and fixed to his bed, Dai Jin was struggling between life and death.

Meanwhile, old man Dai Mo was standing with two women in Dai Jin's room looking as if he aged a hundred years all of a sudden.

"This is… it is my fault. It is all my fault." The old man feebly mumbled covering his darkening face.

"Grandpa Mo, it is alright. Sister Xi Ming here will take care of him. Little Jin is strong and will come back to us."

In a green-colored robe, the youngest of the two women spoke to the old man trying to soothe him. She was very beautiful with a young face indicating her 18 years of age with brown hair and green eyes.

"Doctor Xi… I beg you, save Jin'er. He's all I have left." Dai Mo almost knelt in front of the other woman.

"Grand Elder, rest assured. I will do my best." Xi Ming said.

Just like the younger lady, Xi Ming was extremely beautiful yet she hid that beauty behind a veil creating an air of mystery. She was way over 30 years old but as a Spirit practitioner, age is just a meaningless number.

"Grandpa, Jin'er will wake up soon but you need to look after yourself as well. Please, have some sleep."

"Miss Xiao… this old man is truly indebted to you. There is nothing in the world that means anything to this old man other than Jin'er. I am truly indebted." Dai Mo said.

"Don't say that. Jin'er is a little brother to me, I am glad you called for me right away."

The one called Miss Xiao was known as Xiao Yuyan. She is a righteous young lady who is charitable enough to answer the plea of help from a mere clan elder from the countryside like Dai Mo. It has been a long time in the past since she befriended the Dai Clan after she came across Dai Jin when they were little. With an identity of a member of a noble house from the Yu Capital, the Dai Clan was blessed to have her friendship.

Either way, Xiao Yuyan insisted that Dai Mo would be escorted by a servant to rest while Xi Ming treats Dai Jin. Xiao Yuyan turned to Xi Ming and looked hopeful.

"What?" Xi Ming asked indifferently.

"Sister Xi, will you please?" Xiao Yuyan asked.

"It's impossible." Xi Ming bluntly replied.

"But…"

"Forget about it. Treating the young boy is akin to resurrecting the dead. I can only give him a swift end…"

"NO!"

The two women tensed against one another, in the end, Xi Ming retreated in front of the unrelenting Xiao Yuyan.

"There is no point. This child is a Half-Demon, I assume you already know that." Xi Ming said.

Xiao Yuyan didn't say anything but nodded at the end.

"Half Demons… sigh! I pity those children. They are too unfortunate to be born with neither the ability to Cultivate like humans or even use Demonic Arts. Humans and Demons were too greedy during the last war trying to acquire the Arts of one another resulting in a Half Demonic generation as the result of interbreeding. If they don't die young, they would live the rest of their lives crippled." Xi Ming spoke.

"Then do you know of any way to treat him?" Xiao Yuyan asked.

"I'm not sure about the Demonic Arts so you have to look for an actual Demon for that. On the other hand, the Spirit Arts rely on one's healthy meridians to stimulate recovery and fortify Vitality. As I said, I can only give him something to ease the pain until he passes away."

The cold words of Xi Ming were by no means bringing any comfort to the heartbroken Xiao Yuyan. She had a sad look on her face hoping things would go better for Dai Jin.

"Hmmm… I'm intrigued. How can a nameless half demon boy make someone like you show such a face? You even stopped the expedition to the Houshan Tomb." Xi Ming asked.

"The tomb is not open until a month from now and what do you mean by such a face? Jin'er is a good friend of mine." Xiao Yuyan said.

"A crippled idiot? A good friend?" Xi Ming mumbled the words a few times, unable to find a rhyme.

"Sister Xi, each person has their reasons. I beseech you to just take care of him."

"I understand. Still, don't blame me if I can't fix him, the boy's condition is beyond my skill."

"It's alright. Hey, thank you again for agreeing to come with me here, Sister Xi." Xiao Yuyan said, appreciating Xi Ming's help.

"I don't mind. Master's instruction is to keep your company. Other than that, you are the one who was supposed to be in front of the Tomb right now. You are missing on your training time."

"I get it. Once we are done here and make sure Jin'er survives, we will go back to the Tomb before it opens." Xiao Yuyan said and left the room for Xi Ming to focus on Dai Jin's treatment.

Outside his room in the courtyard, Xiao Yuyan sighed as she remembered all the times she had to come here and speak with the little boy who would brightly listen to her. He was just a poor little idiot who can't do much on his own but he was a good listener. For Xiao Yuyan who had loads of sadness, only he could listen to and not mind the details or the secrets. He always comforted her with his innocent smile that was never stained by the darkness of the world.

Little did she know that naive child is far since gone.

***

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

"This is crazy! I can't… everything… everything is trying to kill me!"

So far, Dai Jin died three times in this mysterious forest.

The first time he was struck down from a tree by a monster called the Shadow Friend, it was as if the dark shade of an Ape-like monster came to life with one cyan eye like a cyclops. That ape was riding another Shadow Friend which resembled a terrible morph between a wolf and a hyena which was shadow-like with cyan eyes as well.

This horror caused Dai Jin to almost lose his sanity when he was revived once again. He hid in a bush and kept trying to calm himself as much as he could. Sadly, he knew very well that this pain he felt is not something from a dream.

The second death was ungraceful as the first when he was chased by a pack of Hyena Fiends. He was caught and experienced the pain of his flesh being torn apart from his body until a large one decided to end it and break his neck.

The third death was even faster since he respawned in the middle of a monster pack.

Recovering from the second and third deaths wasn't easy. The phantom pain was so vivid that it turned his stomach upside down.

From that point on, running was not an option as he didn't want to experience death even though he knows he will (or may) revive. He hid in the bushes, the grass, the lush trees. He masked his scent in the mud and did everything he could think of to avoid direct confrontation with those monsters.

It was too scary!

The thought of death almost made him wet himself if he hasn't already done it every time he dies.

Why is this happening to him? He squeezed his brain for an answer but there was nothing. One minute, he was confronting the fiancée that cuckolded him then was pushed out of a window and the next, he is fighting in some forest for his damn life.

He knew he was nothing special or some courageous individual but the fact that he was reduced to crawl like an insect just by fear humbled him well. He didn't dare to shiver even with the fear conquering his heart. Hell, he barely even took a breath.

Coward? Craven? He didn't care for any of such things, Alive was his highest priority adjective right now and dying once again is just impossible. Death is the worst thing one can ever experience and he was all determined to never go through such a thing again.

At first, he mastered how to crawl. He crawled very well to the point where he no longer made a sound. He realized that the Shadow Fiends are not that much when it comes to searching around. Their senses seemed keen but they were not the type to sit around and wait but rather search and sneak so as long as he is not found, he is safe for at least pain lingered after his revival as he kept crying and begging for it to stop even though his body.

As long as there is a fiend and a hyena nearby, he would just lie still without letting out a single breath. As long as he is outside their zone 2of perception, he would start moving slowly to the other bush or tree. He sometimes came as close as hiding in the shadows of these monsters themselves. After who knows how long, he was almost the master of crawling above the age of 16.

After the crawling came the walking for one would only learn to walk after learning how to crawl and as much of a great crawler he was, Dai Jin proved to be good at walking as well. The area he is in was getting more stoney and he soon ran out of places to hide so he kept still in the shades of the large trees and hid from the larger fiends which seemed to inhabit this particular area. It goes without saying that if he got discovered, he won't even survive a single attack.

After his graduation to walking, his feet became lighter and he endured stepping on the sharp branches and stones without even a groan, it was then when he found the first glimmer of hope. A small sculpture taking the shape of an animal that stands on a short stone pillar. It had a pointy face, four nimble legs and a large tail. It goes without saying that this is a fox statue similar to those ones from the temples back on Earth.

"Temples… it should be…"

If the fox statue is here in the middle of the wilderness, then the Temple he is tasked to find must be nearby. He wasn't sure if it is a good idea to go to a place that may end up being more of a headache than this whole damn forest but what are his options to begin with?

And by taking the fox statue as a clue, Dai Jin decided to walk to the area behind the fox. This kind of statue is normally erected for a guardian deity of some sort and by taking its position in consideration, what it protects must be behind it. It was a basic principle, many temples on Earth had it this way, even the Pyramids and Sphinx follow the same rule.

After walking around and hiding for one hour, he soon found another Fox Statue. At first, Dai Jin thought he got lost and returned to where he started but what made this one different was the traces of a trail ending near it. Such a trail would form naturally through the constant coming and going in this area. It was simply good news.

Yet the moment he let his guard down and walked out of the shade towards the road, the cycle of terror started happening all over again.

A projectile he didn't even have the chance to see passed by his face making a bloody scratch along his cheek to his ear.

"Fuck!"

There was no time to even curse as the second projectile was accurately going for his head. Luck was on his side yet again as he already was a few meters away from his position running along the trail.

With fear fueling his lousy escape, he spotted three fiends riding their Hyenas and chasing after him. Not sure how, his speed exceeded his normal as he was refusing to die for the fourth time. He may revive but that feeling of death scared the living shit out of him.

He kept avoiding each projectile thrown at him not sure how but he would hear the sound of the air changing every time the fiends shot something at him.

The lousy escape continued for almost 30 seconds which was a record compared to before but just like then, his luck ran out yet again.

He ran into another Fox Statue which was incredibly sturdy and caused him to lie down in pain. There was no time to rest though, the moment he caught a glimpse of his pursuers, he sprung up instantly but before he could even run, one of the Hyenas leaped up opening its mows wide ready to take a bite of Dai Jin. All the poor boy could do is to fall back, cover his head with his hands and hope for a miracle; and a miracle he found.

Just as the Hyena and its Fiend rider were about to take on Dai Jin, a blinding light struck them out of nowhere. Dai Jin could barely see around him but when he noticed the light, he looked up to see the other two pairs of fiend and hyena were closing in on him yet before they could reach him, the light struck them once again.

There was no trace left. It was as if the Fiends and the Hyenas vanished like the shadows they are… or were… whatever true.

Either way, Dai Jin didn't really care how those monsters vanished as what lied in front of him was something that felt of even greater danger. No matter how he looked at it, the fine Sculpture of the Fox he was beside emitted some sort of energy he didn't understand. To make it even clearer, there was a glow in the eyes of the statue which faded in a few seconds but Dai Jin was positive he wasn't hallucinating.

He didn't really want to do anything to such a powerful sculpture and would love to stay around it to stay clear from the beasts but he knew that he can't keep being a coward and camp around some statue for protection. He needs to get out of here as soon as he can.

Looking back at the road, it was clear that this temple or whatever is nearby. Not only was there more Fox Statues but there was a hill and stairway carved on it. Looking up the hill, he felt that there is a silhouette standing on its top yet looked very distant and unclear.

He no longer needed to be afraid for if this is not his way out then he will revive somewhere else anyway. And the long climb began. With each step he took, many ideas came and went. Why does he revive each time he is killed? Is he even alive at this rate? What is this place and where in the world can such a secluded place be? What kind of monsters did he just run into? Why would these messages keep coming to him? What will come after this?

Too many questions and not a single answer. Whatever the answer is, he can no longer go back for the life he used to have. Whether this is Hell or some sort of Afterlife, he just needs to survive it somehow.

And here it was, the moment of truth. He stood at the top of the stairway looking at a temple just a few steps ahead of him and an old man standing midway overlooking the stairs. Nothing much happened until these messages popped up.

< Tutorial Objective 1: Complete! >

< LEVEL UP! >

< Tutorial Objective 2: Pass the Exam! >

< Reward: Beginner Pack >

"Are you… fucking with me? What does any of this mean? I died three times! Almost four times! Hey, old man!" Dai Jin lost his reasoning as he no longer understood what's going on, "Hey, where is this place? What is going on?"

To his disappointment, the old man didn't even respond except for turning slowly towards him looking at Dai Jin up and down. He looked like some Scholar who has grown up well but his atmosphere was extremely sharp making the angry Dai Jin realize that he should have approached the old man in a bit friendlier manner.

Aside from that, the man had long hair and a beard that dressed in light green robes which looked very tidy and expensive if not a little bit outdated. Actually, they were very outdated as they looked more of some traditional nobleman robes. But the most important detail aside from the wrinkles and sharp face was the eye color. The old man's eyes were cyan, bright cyan on top of that which is a very unnatural color to have as an eye color. It almost reminded Dai Jin of the… no… it was the same thing… the same thing like those monsters that killed him a few times just now.

One step back wasn't enough and two didn't make him feel safe. He found just the Fox Statue beside the top of the stairs and stuck himself close to it. Meanwhile, the old man walked towards him.

He walked closer, closer and even more closer yet the Fox Statue didn't even react one bit.

"Holy shit! This statue is broken." Dai Jin wanted to run towards the other one on the other side but the old man finally spoke.

"A candidate arrives…" He said.

Dai Jin was in the middle of running away but the words caught his attention making him stop midway. The old man too stopped his speech and turned to Dai Jin before walking to him once again.

"A candidate arr…"

Dai Jin took one step back and the old man stopped his speech before approaching Dai Jin by one step.

"Huh?" Dai Jin felt something was amiss but…

"A can…" The old man started speaking but stopped because Dai Jin walked another step backward. The old man didn't seem to mind it as he took one step as well and spoke once again.

"A candidate arrives. For fate to bring you here in these dark times, I wonder what dangers you had to go through, young man." The old man started going down a strange dialogue.

On the other hand, Dai Jin was standing in front of the old man with a mouth wide open. He clearly understood that the one he is facing is something akin to an NPC who is reciting a pre-recorded message. It was almost like a plot from some games he used to play.

"… If you have what it takes to build up your strength and fight the Shadow Invasion, things may turn out better for the World. Would you go down that path, young man?"

< Yes / No >

Dai Jin looked between the old man and the message.

"Fight for the World you say? Obviously… NO!" He blurted out choosing no right away, "I just want out of this… whatever it is!"

Just before he chooses "No" on the message, this happened…

< No / Yes >

"The fuck!" Lucky for him, he noticed it before he chose Yes.

He looked at the NPC old man who was offering him the way towards the large red gate of the temple. He shook his head and moved his finger to choose no.

< Yes / No >

And it switched the answers once again. From frustration, Dai Jin shouted in rage before trying to race the message at No before it switches them yet he never made it. It was then until he decided to use two fingers to choose No and corner the message.

< Yes / Yes >

"…"

He could no longer act or react to how shamelessly this message was acting.

"You know what… I can just choose nothing at all. I'm going away."

In the end, he turned towards the stairway and decided to walk away but…

< You have been automatically enrolled in the Temple! >

"ARGH!" He no longer could stay put and turned to the old man "WHY THE FUCK WOULD I…"

The moment he reached that point was the moment when he grabbed the old man by the collar of his clothing and also the moment when he felt something really really terrible.

Let alone the horrible death he was restlessly running from, the moment he touched the old man he could see the old man staring coldly at him and as if his body was being torn apart.

His hands felt like they were cut from his arm, his knees from the rest of his leg, his head down to his nether area and then to every fiber of his being.

Dai Jin fell on his ass as if he had grown a hundred years in one go. He even soiled his pants but it disappeared as soon as it went out.

Nothing is natural!

No! He can't just act like himself any more.

He must obey… if he doesn't want to die, he must not offend this NPC… no… this monster.

"I… I…"

His tongue felt very heavy but he just wanted to apologize, his legs were shaking as if he had some disease but he simply wanted to stand, his body was shivering but he simply wanted to calm down.

His basic survival instincts told him that he is an insect compared to that old man with unusual eyes. Looking at him once again, the old man returned to his natural state offering Dai Jin the way to the temple.

< Lv.??? Sage >

Even the message was saying that if he knows what is best for him, he just should follow accordingly.

"Right… yes… I will…"

He finally managed to stand and took some steps forward bowing to the man each step he took. The old man walked beside him and once they reached the gate, he simply pushed it showing Dai Jin what lies beyond.

It was… beautiful… calming… and clearly nothing that would exist in the world he knows.

He saw a young man training in a yard in front of a wooden building of the temple and a young woman polishing a blade in a workplace near the yard.

In this place, the story of Dai Jin began.