"Brother Ghost is back!!!!" the moment he landed on the outskirts of the Sunrise sect, a group led by Jack let out a thunderous roar. They bounced, cheered, and screamed his name making Michael smile a bit. Among the crowd of disciples, he also noticed a group of new faces who had musical instruments such as drums, berimbau, atabaque drum, and pandeiro.
Previously when he first came to the sect, the outskirts were occupied with overgrown shrubs, thorns and one could definitely tell this place was not very much looked after. However, at the present moment, nothing was overgrown, thorns had completely disappeared from his sight, the shrubs were replaced with seedlings of flower plants.
"Brother Ghost" Jack came running bearing a face full of excitement and joy.
"Jack, you've leveled up" Jack moved on from Foundation stage level 4 to level 8, Michael patted him on the back making Jack grin even more.
"I gave that bastard enough pills to reach the Body Refining stage!"
Plop!
As usual, Gaya slapped Jack as everyone began to laugh out loud.
"What are you waiting for, beat it!" Jack ordered, looking at the group with musical instruments.
Instantly the festive music reverberated the foothills of the sunrise sect, showing every single living being of Michael's triumph return. The beats, the dance, and the festive mood that could be seen on everyone's face slightly reminded him of the carnival of Rio de Janeiro back on earth. Unlike back on earth, he was not here to assassinate someone but to enjoy his life. The male and female disciples forgot about their gender and rocked their bodies, swaying with the beats.
"You know about this?" while making his way to the top, he asked Gaya
"Who do you think is paying for this?" she said waving her hands. Inside his pocket, the beats awaken the baby dragon. It began to scratch his chest asking him to let it out.
For the next few minutes, Michael kept patting his chest calming the baby dragon. He did not want to reveal the existence of the baby dragon just yet. Eventually, the sight of the newly renovated buildings fell in his eyes. His brows arched in surprise, the buildings were nowhere near finished but they were already looking better, much better than the previous ruins.
"Now we are talking," he thought, feeling the excitement stirring up in his heart.
"Thank you guys" Looking at the Elders and Claire waiting for him in front of the teachers' quarters, Michael said to the musicians with a short smile.
"Ghost, welcome back"
"Welcome back to the world of the living, young man" Claire stepped forward, giving him a loving embrace, an embrace of a big sister.
Even though his full focus was on getting stronger to rule this world, people like Claire added flavors to his life. In his previous life, he had no people to share his happiness or sadness, now thanks to this mysterious system, he got a friend like Gaya, loving people like Elders and Claire.
"You have something in your pocket?" Claire asked, feeling something wiggling inside Michael's chest.
The very next moment, everyone's gaze landed on Michael's chest. Indeed there was something wiggling, "I knew you were hiding something!" she turned him to face her pulling his shoulders, "take it out!"
"You asked for it" with a chuckle, Michael gently grabbed the baby dragon and pulled it out. A moment of stillness occupied the scene before Gaya jumped back letting out a squeal.
"HUHHUUU!" like it met a lifelong enemy, the baby dragon hissed at Gaya.
The Dragons and the Nagas were two foes in nature's order. Like a cat doesn't need a reason to hate a mouse, these two were just like that, only in larger, bloodthirsty creatures.
"A dragon!"
"Holy fuck!"
"My god!"
None noticed the change in Gaya's face as all their eyes were locked onto the baby dragon. The cute crimson-colored scaly created had attracted all the eyes instantly from Michael himself.
"Can… I?" Claire's hands trembled approaching the baby dragon, her voice stuttered.
"Huhuhu"
"It's okay" Michael reassured the baby dragon. For a few seconds, the baby dragon hesitated, sniffing Claire's hands before finally letting her take it into her arms.
"Brother Ghost, that's a...dragon" Jack stuttered while everyone except him crowding around Claire to see the baby dragon.
"Where did you-" he couldn't even finish his question, shock overwhelmed his ability to speak
"Where else? Nether Realm" Michael said, he then turned around to see Gaya's face show a mix of anger and fear. He could tell she was fracking out despite her power.
"I don't want that lizard here" she kicked the ground beneath her,
"Surprise Sucker!"
**************************
At the present moment, Michael was lying on the royal sofa. The baby dragon and Gaya were having a staring contest in front of him.
If he wanted to break through peacefully, he had to resolve this petty hostility between her and this little dragon. In the future, these two may have to fight beside each other, how could they do that if they dont trust each other?
He must root out the hate for each other from their hearts before the baby dragon grows up to be a big dragon. For Gaya, he decided to give her some tough love to realize how stupid it is to fight with this baby dragon.
"Gaya"
"What?" she asked without taking her eyes off the baby dragon.
"Doesn't this seem childish to you?" he stepped in, giving a quick slap to both on the head.
"You" Michael aimed his eyes at Gaya, "you are grown ass girl, yet, you are fighting with this baby dragon" she tried to open her lips, only to get yelled at again, " I dont give a damn about what the dragons did to Nagas or Nagas to dragons. I want you two to trust each other, no food for you two until you find a way to get along" a horrified expression could be seen on their faces, the baby dragon let out a crying 'huhu'.
He was deadly serious about starving them, she could tell that much. Now she had two choices, the first choice, trying to steal food from the restaurant but she didn't believe she could achieve that feat with him around, the second choice, find a way to get along with the baby dragon as he said.
"Huhu"
"This is not my fault, you little asshole" she wanted to strangle the baby dragon when she heard it blame her for his anger.
The baby dragon hissed ready to scratch her pretty face, it didn't feel a bit afraid of his natural enemy, Naga. After Michael's departure, they continued the staring contest, trying to figure out a way to get along.
*************************
Since he had to break through to the Body Strengthening stage, he ordered Gaya not to renovate the house when he was in the Nether Realm. So this worn out home remained the same, he sat on his bed, eyes closed
"System, let's begin"
System version 2.0
Host: Michael
Cultivation Level: Body Refining stage, level 10
Experience Points: 180000/200000 (1,110,000 Experience points remaining to be consumed)
Badass Points: 70000
Skills & Spells:
Wind Blast - LVL 2
Responsive Shield - LVL 3
Environment Scanning - LVL 2
Ignitia - LVL 2
Lightning Dash - LVL 2
Energy Devouver - LVL 1
Death Range - LVL 2
Techniques: Swords of Destiny - 88% Mastery
Occupation: Core Disciple of Sunrise Sect
The Guardian of Sunrise Sect
Lord Lucifer of the Abyssal
Status: Healthy
Goals: Control the world
Rebuild the Order of Death
Utility Function: Banker - LVL 2 (Ratio - 1000 gold coins: 5 badass point(s))
Wealth: 685,000 Gold
Special Trait: 5-Star Alchemist
Subordinates: Gaya (loyalty level 95%)
Base of Operation: Sunrise Sect
The Abyssal
He willed his status to come forward,staring at all the unconsumed Experience points, he began the process of breaking through,
[Does the host wish to break through to the Body Strengthening stage?]
"Yes"
[The system requires host three days to reach the next stage]
[Warning, the system will be offline for three days]
"Upgrade yourself to version 3 and then begin the breakthrough process" Michael ordered the system telepathically, the next moment, the interface in front of him faded away and darkness surrounded his mind.
In the pitch-black darkness, Michael's consciousness brought him the memories of earth. The way he grew up in an orphanage, an orphanage that was a front to an arms and drugs dealing operation. He was bullied and beaten by those things despite his little age every day, as a little kid, he wanted to be a teacher. Every time the thugs would ask the kids in the orphanage to smuggle drugs, Michael resisted them, in return he would be beaten to a pulp, beaten until his little heart finally gave up resisting them.
He learned to adapt, learn, bend the situation to his favor. In this life, the circumstances changed but odds against him remained the same.
(After three days)
[Congratulations to the host for reaching the next stage, the Body Strengthening stage!]
[Congratulations to the host for leveling up. The current level is Body Strengthening stage Level 1!]
[Congratulations to the host for leveling up. The current level is Body Strengthening stage Level 2!]
[Congratulations to the host for leveling up. The current level is Body Strengthening stage Level 3!]
[Congratulations to the host for leveling up. The current level is Body Strengthening stage Level 4!]
[The System has been successfully upgraded to version 3!]
[OMEGA LEVEL WARNING!]
[ACTIVATING COUNTERMEASURES!]
[SYSTEM SAFE MODE ACTIVATED!]