When Tyler opened his eyes again, he found himself in a grayish-white space, devoid of anything, floating weightlessly and unable to move.
“Strange dream,” he thought, about to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but what happened next left him wide awake.𝑂𝒱𝗅xt.𝑐𝓞𝓜
“Mortal, it is not time for sleeping now.”
The sudden voice made Tyler’s body tremble uncontrollably. He immediately opened his eyes and looked towards the sound. A strange humanoid luminescent figure was floating just five meters away from him.
Tyler could see clearly that the figure had facial features similar to a human’s, but without any tangible entity. There were only two black holes where the eyes should have been, with eerie golden eyeballs hidden in them, staring menacingly at Tyler.
While others might have had many questions at this point, Tyler was different. After a moment’s thought, he said to the humanoid figure, “My lord, as long as you can save me from death, I am willing to do anything.”
The humanoid figure paused visibly at the words of this freshly-drawn “Deathbound.”
Typically, when the “Deathbound” woke up, they would ask questions like “Where am I?” “Who are you?” “What happened to me?” The humanoid figure would then patiently explain that it was the “Benevolent Deity” who had come to give them a second chance at life, and so on and so forth, with a beginner’s guide of a million words.
Even if encountering knowledgeable individuals, they would at least ask a few questions like “Was I hit by a truck?” “Am I going to be reincarnated into another world?” “Can I choose my own cheat codes?” and so on.
This kid, on the other hand, was unique. Not only did he seem to know everything, but he also took the initiative to make demands of the “Benevolent Deity.”
However, what the Benevolent Deity was most concerned about was the content of the boy’s words. With a little thought, one could notice that the boy’s words, at first listen, sounded like a submissive statement of obedience, but the underlying meaning was “If you can’t save me from death, then I won’t obey you blindly.”
“Interesting. He dares to negotiate with me like this,” thought the Benevolent Deity, feeling that They might have drawn a Deathbound with good potential this time, and They was in a great mood.
“It seems that you, lad, have indulged in online novels quite a bit?” The Benevolent Deity inquired.
“I have dabbled,” Tyler replied.
“I bet you frequent WuxiaWorld as well?”
“I have visited on occasion.”
“What about Reddit?”
“I am a seasoned user.”
Well, the deity could now understand why this young man could quickly adapt to the situation.
However, knowledge alone does not always translate to wisdom. Why was Tyler able to remain calm and composed even after knowing he had died? How was he able to converse with the deity efficiently, calmly, and with dignity? The deity believed that this young man was far more complex than he appeared.
“Very well, let me get straight to the point.”
Strangely, the deity didn’t ask any further questions but went straight to the point.
The deity informed Tyler that he had died due to overwork and that hitting his head on the floor was also one of the causes of his death. Considering Tyler’s filial piety towards his parents, he would be sent to ‘a parallel world.’ As long as he could complete the task assigned to him, the deity would use divine power to rewrite the outcome of his sudden death in the current world.
“During the task execution, time in your world will be suspended. Once you have completed the task, your death will be as if it never happened. Alright, do you have any questions, or shall we proceed with the teleportation process?”
Tyler stared at the deity’s golden eyes throughout the humanoid luminous body’s explanation. Through observation, Tyler made two deductions:
First, the humanoid luminous body was satisfied with him(Tyler) as the task executor.
Second, the humanoid luminous body was eager for him to begin the task.
Based on these two assumptions, Tyler did not answer the humanoid luminous body’s question but said, “I have no questions, but I do have a suggestion.”
“…What suggestion?”
(This lad doesn’t even ask about the task content, yet he has a suggestion?)
The surprised deity even considered using ‘divine authority’ to see what this young man was thinking. Did he have no emotions at all?
As a result, the young man stunned the deity once again.
“My suggestion is: invest all your resources in me. I will definitely bring you returns that exceed your expectations.”
Investment? Returns?
The Benevolent Deity paused for a second, then burst out laughing uncontrollably. This must be the most amusing Deathbound that They had encountered since playing the “game” with the Malevolent Deities. How could a mere pawn dare to demand “resources” from Them? It was ridiculous to use precious resources on a disposable pawn.
(However, it’s somewhat interesting that this person understands the relationship between deities and pawns at this level. Oh well…)
“Fine, I will make an exception and give you a small favor. Perform well.”
The Benevolent Deity pointed Their finger, and a cherry-sized glass bead with the words “Universal Stone” engraved on it appeared in Tyler’s hand out of nowhere.
“As for the details of the task, since you didn’t ask, you will have to find out for yourself after the teleportation is complete. Now, I will send you to a ‘parallel world’.”
With that said, the deity clasped Their hands together and murmured something under Their breath. Then, a semi-transparent sphere enveloped Tyler’s body, and a sheepskin scroll fell into his hand. At the same time, a pitch-black spacetime tunnel leading to a “certain parallel world” was constructed nearby. The only thing left was the final highlight: “bestowal of abilities.”
“Good luck, Tyler.”
The deity smiled and waved Their finger, and the sphere enveloping Tyler flew into the spacetime tunnel. As the sphere entered the tunnel, it began to spin rapidly, and various ability names flashed on its surface: “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception,” “The Shadow Technique,” “Death Returnal,” “Crimson King,” “Vector Manipulation,” “Great Sage,” and so on. After a few seconds, the speed of the ability names rotating and alternating gradually slowed down until they stopped. The ability that was bestowed on Tyler’s soul was called “Pseudo-Eye of Transcendence.” At the same time, as the price for obtaining an “ability,” the curse known as the “Thorn of the Heartless” also attached itself to Tyler’s soul.
After both the “ability” and the “curse” were determined, the name of the parallel world that Tyler was about to enter was displayed on the spacetime tunnel:
“Parallel World No. 37: Scarlet Star”
“Difficulty: Trial Level”
[Note: Heaven Level < Beginner Level < Normal Level < Hard Level < Expert Level < Trial Level < Nightmare Level < Hell Level < Impossible Level.]
The Benevolent Deity was not surprised by this result that was within the realm of expectation until the sphere surrounding Tyler suddenly lit up with red light.
“Warning! Anomaly detected–Warning! Anomaly detected–!”
The piercing alarm echoed throughout the entire space.