When he woke up, face down amidst the undergrowth with a fresh collection of scratches on his skin, the leaf bed inches away from his face buried against the ground, he immediately noticed the deepened darkness around him.
The Ether usually thick in the air, had thinned significantly, becoming barely visible in the air and the plants. This scarcity rendered him almost blind. Faint lines of Ether still traced through his surroundings, but they were so fine and delicate that they only became apparent when he was inches away from the plants.
In the near total darkness, Giuliano could make out a soft blue glow a few meters ahead – Myst, his first bonded spirit, serving as a beacon. Beside her shimmered another form, its blue light fainter, yet still brighter than Myst had been at the beginning of their bond. This second spirit was noticeably losing its form, its light dimming gradually, just by the mere act of existing.
Giuliano moved cautiously, doing his best to sneak towards what he hoped was another one of his cat spirits. His attempts at stealth, however, were hampered by the dense underbrush and the disorienting darkness. Wincing as unseen branches scratched at his skin and he narrowly avoided several near-collisions with trees.
Despite Giuliano's noisy approach, the second spirit remained oblivious, engrossed in a silent exchange with Myst. He paused for a moment to channel his Ether in the way told by [Spirit Harmony]. It took several seconds of concentration, but he eventually felt a portion of his Ether deplete, coinciding with a subtle increase in Myst's glow.
Once again, the feedback from the ability was frustratingly vague, amounting to little more than a 'here.' Given the spirit's apparent lack of awareness, Giuliano questioned the need for this stealth approach, but he persisted with it anyway.
Soon, he was within pouncing range of the second spirit, which he recognized as Pounce. Its ethereal form lacked color but was distinguished by markings reminiscent of stripes, a ghostly echo of its physical appearance.
Giuliano paused memories of Pounce flooding his mind – her playful antics, her habit of clawing at his legs, and her peculiar fondness for the milk from his morning cereal. With these thoughts, he steeled himself for what he needed to do next. "I really hope The System heals this," he muttered anxiously, unsure how much more his hand could endure.
Do it... There was a pause in his thoughts, Pussy.
"I thought I was better than this," Giuliano muttered while reluctantly bringing his wounded hand to his mouth once more, biting down.
His blood stood out vividly in the surrounding darkness, a drop of shiny crimson against a black canvas. This action immediately drew Pounce's attention. Her nose twitched before her head snapped towards him, showing her awareness of his presence for the first time.
Giuliano watched with a mix of fascination and unease as Pounce, true to her nature, leaped onto his hand, drawn irresistibly by the scent of blood. Leaving a blur,. she tried to wrap herself around his hand, failing as her new form passed through it, unable to make physical contact.
Spirited as always, Pounce turned around before jumping again at his hand.
As Pounce continued to consume the blood, her spectral form began to stabilize, the slow trickling of her form into non-existence stopping.
"You're safe," Giuliano said to an oblivious Pounce.
With the excess Ether no longer clouding his vision, Giuliano could observe more clearly what was happening with absorbed blood. The Ether within Pounce's form interacted with the blood, gradually breaking down its physical properties to liberate the Ether it held, the then Ether was infused in her form, leaving behind traces of Giuliano’s own essence.
Quest Progression
Tether all Spirits
2/3
2 days
Dismissing the window, Giuliano kept his attention on Pounce. She appeared content, lounging on the ground in a state of satisfaction from her recent 'meal.' His gaze then turned to Myst, probing deeper into her form where he expected his blood was being similarly processed. Indeed, he could see it there, though it was a mere few drops rapidly disintegrating, their breakdown noticeably quicker than in Pounce.
Kneeling to meet Myst at eye level, he prepared to use [Spirit Harmony] again. "I won't be feeding you while we're here. We need to find Whisker," he spoke aloud, his voice carrying his resolve. As he directed his Ether into the familiar pattern of the skill, he felt a portion of his Ether transfer into Myst.
Myst paused, her form quivering momentarily as if digesting Giuliano's command. Then, a small portion of her Ether vanished, and he sensed her irritation.
Nonetheless, she began to move, sniffing the air and weaving through the underbrush.
Encouraged, Giuliano relayed a similar message to Pounce, depleting the last of his available Ether. Unlike Myst, Pounce didn’t convey any annoyance; instead, she sprang up energetically and darted off in what appeared to be a random direction.
"Does she know?"
Better than us for sure.
Giuliano hesitated briefly before following her, only to immediately collide with a tree that Pounce had effortlessly passed through. "One day, I’ll turn this place into salt and ash," he grumbled, half in frustration, half as a defiant challenge to the uncaring wilderness.
He resumed his pursuit, trying to keep pace with Pounce's enthusiastic charge. Myst, in contrast, moved with a ghostly grace, her path almost a straight line, unimpeded by physical obstacles.
Giuliano, however, found the journey far less graceful. He stumbled and tripped repeatedly, his path marked by a series of falls and collisions with trees.
Despite the growing bruises and the constant struggle, his desire to escape the oppressive forest drove him forward, determined to keep pace with Pounce's spirited lead and Myst's unerring trail.
After what seemed an endless, dizzying chase through the shadowy forest, Pounce finally halted. Giuliano staggered to a stop and took a moment to steady himself. His head throbbed painfully, the world around him swaying unnaturally. "Definitely a concussion," he wheezed between breaths.
Be careful, I don't want any other voices in here. Ours is already crowding this place.
Giuliano's gaze then fell upon what he had been seeking – a faint blue blur darting across the forest floor, leaping at trees in a futile attempt to climb them. A pang of worry shot through Giuliano as he realized the blur was not just Whisker's rapid movement, but also a trail of his spirit form dissipating rapidly. Whisker's form was barely visible, his spectral body almost entirely faded.
In a rush to help Whisker, Giuliano instinctively moved his hand to his mouth, but a sudden wave of worry washed over him as he realized he could barely feel it. He attempted to flex his fingers, yet felt nothing in response. The surrounding darkness offered no visual clues and the Ether tracing his veins revealing nothing about the physical condition of his hand.
"System, you better heal me after this," he muttered, half-pleading, half-demanding. Time was slipping away, and with Whisker's form fading fast, he couldn't afford to hesitate.
Giuliano bit down, but the familiar coppery taste of blood was fainter this time. A worrying sign that his condition was deteriorating.
Pushing his concerns to the back of his mind, Giuliano cautiously approached Whisker. To his surprise, as soon as the scent of his blood wafted through the air, Whisker ceased his frantic movements and turned towards him. Instead of the skittish behavior Giuliano had anticipated, Whisker calmly approached and began to gently lick the blood from his hand.
In response to this contact, Whisker's form momentarily brightened. The blood was rapidly absorbed, and instantly there was a visible change in his spectral appearance. Whisker's form gained a semblance of stability; it was still not as luminous as Giuliano would have hoped, but it was no longer on the brink of vanishing.
Quest Completion
Initiating Transport…
Calculating Rewards…
In an instant, the forest around Giuliano became a blur, as if an unseen force had whisked him away at an unimaginable speed. Before he could even register the disappearance of the trees, he found himself abruptly deposited onto a surface of cold, hard stone.
The stark contrast between the forest's silence to his new surroundings was jarring. A cacophony of sounds engulfed him – the thuds of others landing nearby, a chorus of confused and overlapping voices each trying to outdo the other in volume and bewilderment.
A warning wouldn't hurt.
As Giuliano looked around, he noted a faint haze of Ether permeating this new environment. It was a relief that it wasn't as overwhelming as the intense Ether saturation he experienced upon receiving [Etheric Blood].
Welcome to HUB-487
The hub is equipped with everything you need for the beginning of your journey to Immortality. Resources, companions, relics, and more are available. All can be acquired at System or Cultivator-run shops in exchange for universal Survivor Points.
Initial Rewards
Difficulty
1x Points
Kills
3 Points
Time left
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
2 Points
Total
5 points
As this message materialized, the cacophony around Giuliano gradually subsided. Glancing around, he noticed the change in the crowd's demeanor. People were no longer gesticulating wildly or speaking loudly; instead, they stood still, their gazes fixed on empty space.
Earning Survivor Points
Survivor Points are the lifeblood of your journey, earned through various achievements and feats. These include but are not limited to:
Crafting a pill or formation.
Defeating a beast or fellow cultivator of equal or higher level.
Successfully completing quests issued by the System.
***
Initial Rewards
Difficulty
4x Points
Kills
20 Points
Time left
2 Points
Total
88 points
Milly gazed at the screen, her mind still processing the recent events. The sensation of Ether coursing through her body was vivid, each pathway it traveled marked by a sharp, almost burning sensation. It felt as though it was purging her weaknesses, leaving behind something more resilient, more potent.
"Eighty-eight points," she murmured to herself, wondering if that was a good tally for all she had endured. She had risked her life, faced darkness and isolation, and devoted days to meditation.
All of it had to count for something significant, surely. Despite the buzzing in her ears and the burgeoning headache from the prolonged focus, she felt a sense of achievement.
Looking around, Milly saw others in similar states. Some looked around with expressions of confusion, still coming to terms with their sudden return. Others, like Milly, wore looks of expectation, their faces reflecting a mixture of relief and anticipation.
Milly found herself in an area reminiscent of a bustling city square, yet it bore an uncanny, almost surreal quality. Surrounding them were structures as tall as skyscrapers, but they appeared hollow and artificial, like large, featureless rectangles standing stark against the sky. The scene had an air of being constructed or simulated, lacking the organic feel of a real city.
The attire of the people around her varied wildly. Some, like Milly, wore clothing that was torn or disheveled, bearing the marks of their recent trials. Others appeared as if they had just woken up, their clothes neat and undisturbed. A noticeable few were entirely naked, adding to the disarray of the scene.
They all stood within what Milly mentally dubbed a 'summoning circle'—a vast runic formation with a diameter of several hundred meters. Beyond the boundaries of this circle, she noticed people moving with a sense of purpose and urgency. They navigated the space with an urgency that suggested they were searching for specific individuals amidst the newly arrived.
As Milly steadied herself, she began to navigate her way out of the summoning circle. The area was teeming with new arrivals, each person materializing seemingly out of nowhere. "If there are people here already, they must know something," she reasoned internally, making her way toward the perimeter of the increasingly crowded space.
Stepping out of the circle seemed to make things clearer. Not everything was as uniformly artificial as the towering buildings. Amongst them, smaller structures with actual storefronts dotted the landscape. These shops, while exceptionally sterile and clean in appearance, broke the monotony of the monolithic buildings. They resembled something out of an alpha version of a video game - rudimentary and basic, yet functional.
One such store caught Milly's attention. It had no door, but a clear window showcased a floating screen within. Above the window, in bold letters, the word "Pills" glowed softly.
Interesting.
Driven by curiosity and the potential for valuable information, Milly approached the storefront. The area was momentarily deserted, offering her a chance to investigate without interruption. As she reached the window, the floating screen vanished, only to be replaced by the window turning into an opaque black screen.
A message materialized on the darkened glass, greeting her in a sterile, digital font:
Welcome to Pills Shop
Please, select a form of service
System Interface
Construct
Milly paused, considering her options.
The 'System Interface' likely meant interacting directly with the mysterious System that had been guiding her experiences so far. The 'Construct', on the other hand, might involve dealing with some sort of artificial intelligence or digital assistant.
After a moment of deliberation, she decided to choose the option that might offer a more personal interaction. "Construct," she said aloud, her voice steady despite the uncertainty of what would come next.
Milly watched the once opaque window regain its transparency, revealing the space beyond. From seemingly nowhere, a figure began to materialize. Initially, it resembled a featureless mannequin, stark white and devoid of any distinguishing characteristics.
Suddenly, the figure's surface erupted into a dizzying cascade of colors, shifting rapidly through the spectrum in a blur of hues. It was a mesmerizing display, reminiscent of a chameleon's skin, but far more rapid and vibrant.
Then, as swiftly as it had begun, the flurry of colors burst outward in a blinding flash, momentarily obscuring Milly's vision. When she could see again, the transformation was complete.
Before her stood a humanoid, its skin still shimmering in a constantly shifting array of neon-bright colors. The fluctuating tones were almost painful to look at, straining her eyes with their intensity. Most strikingly, the construct's head was adorned with an excess of eyes – three sets symmetrically arranged on the front and an additional pair on each side of its head. These eyes mirrored the skin's vibrant, ever-changing palette.
The construct's hair presented a stark contrast to the rest of its appearance. Unlike the skin's frenetic dance of neon colors, the hair was a serene silver metallic shade that seemed to defy gravity, floating as if caught in an unseen breeze.
Milly noticed that the construct mirrored her own height, creating a sense of parity between them. After a brief moment, the eyes of the construct sharpened, focusing intently on her, and a simple, somewhat naïve smile spread across its face. The smile perhaps meant to be reassuring, combined with the focused gaze of its numerous eyes, sent a shiver down Milly's spine.
“Welcome to Pills Shop,” The voice that emerged from the construct was jarring, an odd mixture that grated against Milly's ears. It carried the bright, uninhibited joy of a child's laughter, yet simultaneously held the sharp, slicing quality of a blade cutting through the air.
"What is this place?" Milly asked.
“This is a System-operated facility designed to assist you on your journey through the Mortal Realm.”
The longer Milly stared at it, the more its behavior seemed oddly human-like, despite its alien appearance. Its chest rose and fell rhythmically as if it were breathing, and it shifted its weight from one foot to the other in a manner that conveyed a sense of restlessness or anticipation.
While one set of its many eyes maintained a steady, intense gaze on Milly, the other pairs darted around, exploring their surroundings with a childlike wonder.
Milly's initial apprehension began to give way to intrigue. The construct, for all its strangeness, didn't seem threatening. It was as if it were experiencing the world around it with the same curiosity and uncertainty that she felt.
“What are you?” Milly asked, unable to suppress her curiosity about this bizarre yet fascinating being before her.
The construct continued to survey its surroundings, its child-like smile unwavering. “I am a construct created by the System, based on its understanding of Blade and Joyous Laws. My purpose is to assist and guide patrons in their purchases at this shop,” it explained in its peculiar vibrant voice.
Milly, intrigued by this explanation, pressed further. “So, are you like energy? Are you actually alive? Or are you similar to an advanced A.I.?”
“I possess individual thought and am a manifestation of a portion of the System's knowledge. By most standards, I am alive and powered by Ether," The construct responded with an air of calm certainty. "However, my existence is temporary and solely for this interaction. Once our engagement concludes, I will cease to exist.”
Its tone remained steady, even as it described its transient nature. The idea that this seemingly sentient being was temporary and would vanish after their interaction gave Milly pause.
Milly's brows furrowed with concern. "Aren't you scared? Don't you want to live?" she asked, troubled by the thought of an entity created only to be discarded.
The construct's multitude of eyes twinkled with an array of colors as it replied, its tone undulating between playful cheer and piercing sharpness. "I am an embodiment of the System's intricate understanding of the Divine Laws, particularly those of Joy and Blade. Fear, despair, the desire for self-preservation—these are not within my realm of experience. I exist solely to fulfill my purpose in accordance with these Laws. My existence, while fleeting, is complete within its designated function."
Milly listened, trying to process this concept. The idea of a being created with such a specific and limited purpose, devoid of the usual fears and desires that defined human existence, was both fascinating and unsettling.
She thought about probing it further, but based on its answers, it didn’t seem like questioning its life would get any other answers. “So… How do these pills work."
The construct's multitude of eyes sparkled as it addressed her query. "Here at 'Pills Shop', we offer a wide range of pills suitable for various stages and paths of cultivation, from the first to the second realms. Each pill is purchasable with Survivor points." As it spoke, an array of digital screens materialized in front of it, each displaying a different category of pills.
The construct continued, its tone resonating with a blend of enthusiasm and precision. "Given your current accumulation of points, I would recommend the 'Basic Joy Pills'. These pills are infused with pure Joyful Ether, which aligns with your chosen path and will significantly enhance your cultivation speed."
Milly’s eyes widened slightly as she scanned the myriad screens floating before her, each listing a different type of pill categorized under various aspects of cultivation. The extensive array seemed almost endless, covering everything from healing and boosting abilities to specific paths of cultivation like Fire and Death.
“So, these pills... they're designed to aid in the cultivation?” Milly asked, trying to grasp the concept.
“Precisely,” the construct replied, its multitude of eyes briefly aligning in unison. “Each pill is crafted to enhance certain aspects of a cultivator's journey. The 'Basic Joy pills', for instance, are infused with pure Joyful Ether, aligning perfectly with your chosen path. They will accelerate your cultivation progress, making the journey smoother and more efficient.”
Milly considered the recommendation. The idea of using pills to enhance her abilities felt like a shortcut, but she was not above those, such tools seemed necessary for survival and progress.
Milly pondered her Survivor Points, wondering if investing them in these pills was the best course of action at the moment. “How does one use these pills, and are there any risks involved?”
“The use is straightforward. You simply ingest the pill, and its properties will integrate with your body's Ether. As for risks, each pill is designed to be safe within its specified realm and purpose. However, it's advisable to use them in accordance with your current level of cultivation to avoid overwhelming your system,” the construct explained, its voice maintaining its odd, fluctuating tone.
The 'Basic Joy Pills' pricing followed a clear progression. In the first step of the first realm, each pill costs a mere 5 points, a reasonable price considering her current point accumulation. As she moved down the list, she noted the incremental price increase: 10 points for the second step, 15 for the third, and so on.
However, a significant jump occurred as she shifted her attention to the second realm. The price for each pill skyrocketed to 400 points for the first step.
She started looking at the other options, being taken aback by everything. "Why is everything so expensive?" Milly asked, her tone laced with a mix of incredulity and concern.
The construct's multitude of eyes shimmered as it provided an explanation, "The pricing reflects the rarity and value of these items. Many of the products available in System-run shops like this one are not easily found elsewhere in the HUB or the broader cosmos. They offer unique benefits and opportunities for cultivators, enhancing their journey and aiding in their progress in ways that are not readily achievable through other means."
Milly considered this explanation, realizing the strategic advantage these pills could provide. While the cost was indeed steep, the benefits they offered—such as enhanced vitality, attuned constitution, and improved Ether handling—could significantly accelerate her cultivation progress and provide her with a considerable edge in this new world.
As she pondered her options Milly decided to explore the other shops available in the HUB before committing her points to any purchases. The 'Relic Shop' and 'General Resources' caught her eye, promising a broader understanding of the resources at her disposal.
However, as she prepared to leave the 'Pills Shop,' Milly hesitated, turning back to the construct. Aware of its impending death, she offered a tentative farewell, "I don’t know what to say… Goodbye?"
The construct responded with a nod and a broad, cheerful smile as if understanding her sentiment. Then, in a moment, it faded away. Its form dissolved into the air, leaving behind a darkened window.
As she stepped away from the shop, Milly carried with her not just the knowledge imparted by the construct but also a deeper contemplation of the world—a place where entities were created and unmade by the System's whims, each serving a purpose within the grander scheme of cultivation and survival. With these thoughts in mind, she moved on to explore the other shops, keen on gaining a comprehensive understanding of the resources available to aid her in her journey.