After reviewing all the available options, Alaric took a moment to consider how to proceed. No matter how he analyzed it, there was only one suitable option that he could consider - The Aurion Empire. All the other continents or regions were either under the grip of subjugation, tyranny, or war.
He definitely didn’t want to start his new life living in constant fear or competing for resources, just to survive, let alone progress in his cultivation journey. Although, if he selected one of the bad starting regions to be reborn, he would secure a better reward on the following selections. And, if he could survive in one of those lands, he would definitely grow stronger.
Still, he already had a good option and it made no sense to wait for something better when he couldn’t be certain it even existed. On second thought, Alaric judged the system was doing him a favor by feeding him information about some of the major powerhouses in the new planet. This would definitely help him get some context and prepare more effectively in the future.
[Only ‘The Aurion Empire’ can be considered a powerhouse among the list. Don’t worry. You will learn all about the major powerhouses of your new world in time. Now, decide your option.]
No matter, my mind is set. As he mentally made the choice, the system accepted his response.
Would you like to select the option - The Aurion Empire?
“Yes”.
The system screen cleared and another message appeared.
Available identity and status options are as follows:
1. Noble-born options -
* Legitimate child of a noble house - You will be reborn as a full-fledged member of a noble house with access to the house’s wealth, elite education, private tutors, noble connections, and rights to inheritance. This role comes with the prestige of noble status but also with significant oversight from the family.
* The bastard child of a noble - You will be acknowledged but have lower status than a full-fledged member of a noble family. Gain moderate access to resources, connections, and education. Inheritance can only be claimed if explicitly granted. You will have access to limited noble perks but more autonomy and significantly less scrutiny from family members.
Orphaned ward of a noble house - You will be treated as a ‘guest’ rather than a family member, under the guardianship of a noble family due to loyalty, family debts, or politics. Gain access to basic education and protection under the influence of the family. No access to noble perks or the house wealth.
2. Tradesman’s family options -
* Child of a blacksmith - Be reborn as the child of a skilled artisan with respectable social standing. Access to weapons, smithing knowledge, and armor. Opportunity to learn forging techniques. Wealth is stable but dependent on the family’s trade income.
* Child of an Alchemist - Be reborn as the child of a skilled alchemist with moderate influence in local communities. Gain access to basic alchemical knowledge, potions, and alchemical ingredients. Enjoy moderate financial security.
* Child of a merchant - Be reborn as the child of a successful merchant with a focus on trade, negotiation, and wealth. Gain access to business knowledge, rare items, and connections. Successful merchants can become very wealthy, some rivaling or even eclipsing the wealth of minor noble houses.
3. Religious background options -
* Child of an Orthodox Church member of the Radiant Flame - Try your luck as the child of a priest, deacon, acolyte, or other church official. Gain early access to spiritual training, divine teachings, and church blessings. The Church’s wealth belongs to the institution. Unless you are reborn into the family of a high-ranking official, you will not gain access to much wealth.
* An orphan raised by a religious organization - You will be reborn as an orphan under the care of a monastery, temple, cult, sect, clan, or church, expected to join its service and absolute loyalty. Gain access to basic divine or demonic blessings, special cultivation techniques, education, and sacred knowledge. Limited access to wealth and influence unless you rise up the ranks.
4. Other Influential Family Options -
* Child of an adventurer - Be reborn as the child of an active adventurer or a former adventurer who has settled down after years of exploration. Gain access to survival training, knowledge about rifts, dungeons, and monsters, adventuring gear, and connections with adventurers at an early age. Access to wealth depends on the reputation and rank of the adventurer.
* Child of a soldier or an officer in the Imperial Army - Try your luck as the child of a soldier or an officer serving the Imperial Army. Gain access to military connections, martial training, and possible entry into the army. Access to wealth could be steady and immense depending on rank and military pay.
* Child of a sworn that serves a noble house - Be reborn as the child of a sworn personal guard of a noble house. Gain access to special resources, support from a noble house, and prestige associated with a noble house. Access to wealth depends on the rank and power of the sword guard.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Alaric reviewed all the identity and status options one by one. Hmm…interesting. He immediately ignored all the religious background options and tradesman’s family options. He was from a different world, and it was unlikely he would find it appealing to follow the ideals and doctrines of some religious organization. He also didn’t fit the mold of a tradesman. No, he respected them but first and foremost, he was a cultivator at heart.
After doing some more thinking, he decided to choose the ‘bastard child of a noble option’. Alaric was convinced that if this new world was anything like his homeworld, status and peerage carried immense weight. He would need some amount of status to build good connections, get access to valuable resources, and avoid unnecessary trouble. Being a ‘bastard’ instead of a full-fledged noble offered him the best compromise between freedom, responsibility, and status.
Would you like to select the option - Bastard child of a noble?
He mentality selected that option.
The letters on the system screen cleared and another line appeared.
Available cultivation resources options are as follows:
Alaric reviewed the options and raised his non-existent eyebrows.
Available cultivation resources options are as follows:
1. Evolving Dimensional Storage (Soul-bound) - A special pocket dimensional storage tied to your soul and the system. It will grow in size and functionality as your cultivation advances. All items stored within the personal dimensional storage space will be kept in a state of stasis. Thus, consumable items such as food and potions will remain fresh.
2. Soul-bound weapon (Growth-type) - Try your luck and get a unique soul-bound weapon (sword, bow, spear, gauntlet, etc.). The weapon will evolve in power, form, and abilities based on your cultivation path and achievements. It can ‘absorb’ defeated enemies to gain new traits, techniques, or elemental affinities.
3. Temporal Training Chamber (Time Dilation Space) - A private space bound to your soul and the system where time moves slower inside compared to the outside world. Suitable for extended training sessions. The time dilation ratio improves as you grow in cultivation. Some restrictions apply.
4. Cultivation Sanctuary (Personal Cave / Mystic Retreat) - A portable pocket dimension cultivation cave with an ideal environment uniquely suited for your cultivation path. It features elemental fields, dense spiritual energy, meditation spots, and more. The sanctuary will evolve as your cultivation advances and if you offer it the correct resource.
5. Spirit Companion / Familiar (Evolving Guide) - Try your luck and obtain a sentient, shape-shifting spirit bound to your soul. It can fight alongside you, offer advice, and evolve as it absorbs ambient energy. It can serve as a combat companion, trainer, or even a scout. Its power and form can change as it absorbs your karmic energy.
6. Ancestral Relic (Living Artifact) - Test your luck and get a fragment of an ancient living artifact that grants you access to ancient knowledge, skills, and rare cultivation techniques. Beware, living artifacts possess a will of their own and may challenge your authority unless you prove your worth.
All the cultivation resource options were truly extraordinary. They were not one-time upgrades. Instead, they would remain useful to him throughout his cultivation journey. It was not difficult for him at all to choose his selection. First of all, he eliminated options two, five, and six because they included an element of luck. Who knew what kind of weapon, spirit companion, or relic I would receive? And, they might not be immediately useful to me. Besides, I am not used to fighting with any type of fancy weapon or artifacts.
Alaric felt a tingling of mirth in his awareness. He became one of the strongest cultivators of his homeworld by forging his own path. New world or not, he was not ready to forsake his old cultivation practices in favor of untested ‘ancient’ knowledge.
He also eliminated option three. To be clear, a temporal training chamber would be immensely useful…for any other cultivator. Fortunately, he was a ‘Chakra’ cultivator and he had his own methods to extract the most out of the available hours of the day for training. That left options one and four. Although option one was not bad, he believed it was the least valuable option out of all the options presented.
There must be spatial storage devices in the new world. Perhaps they would be very expensive, but I can get one of them later.
A personal cultivation sanctuary, on the other hand, sounded immediately useful. Since it was a pocket dimension, he would be able to meditate in peace and boost the growth of his cultivation from day one. But what really attracted his attention was that it would be uniquely suited for his cultivation path. As a ‘Chakra’ cultivator, finding the resources to awaken the chakras of his new body and blooming them would be incredibly hard without the proper resources.
Would you like to select the option - Cultivation Sanctuary (Personal Cave / Mystic Retreat)?
Alaric approved and the screen cleared.
[Congratulations Alaric. You are almost done. Just a reminder, you cannot disclose the process of your rebirth or any information about the Anomaly you witnessed in your homeworld with anybody, except under special circumstances which the system will determine.]
Alaric mentally acknowledged and gave his assent.
[Now, since you are currently not in your mortal form, your system status screen is not active. You can view your title and gain access to your experience points after you settle down into your new mortal body. Now, prepare for transit.]
Faster than Alaric could mentally prepare, the void flashed white and shifted through all the shades of the rainbow before he lost consciousness once again.