Exactly five minutes left until it's done. That's enough, because from now on, things will be different… maybe even better?
…
I might've overhyped this shitty system…
Swear to God, it's like it's been loading for a billion years and still isn't done. At least the delay with this synchronization process has already eaten up over an hour.
Figures. Free trial junk can't compare to a full cracked version. Having something usable in a pinch is good enough, but if it keeps glitching, I'll lose my damn mind…
- System, can you scan the surroundings?
『Please wait a moment for the scan to complete.』
While waiting, I drag all the corpses into a small room I found while wandering this maze. After making sure everything's under control, I shut the door and wait for the system's report…
『Due to insufficient data and details, the scan cannot be completed.』
Are you fucking kidding me… Whatever, I'll just fumble around this hellhole myself. Not like I've got any reason to rush out of here.
This place is huge, designed like some dungeon I read about in manga - sprawling and disorienting. But instead of monsters, the rooms here either cage creatures I can't identify or serve as research labs or storage. Sure, there are people around, but with only torchlight, it's no surprise they get ambushed and eaten alive by me. Since I started exploring, I've probably… what, downed about fifty people? Time's hard to track here with nothing to measure it, so I'm counting by body count. Sigh…
The deeper I go, the more this dungeon feels off, like it's getting gloomier, with fewer and fewer torches. By the time I reach a massive iron door, the last torch I see is about ten steps away. Something's definitely behind this door, but whether it's insanely good or utterly awful, I can't tell…
Despite its size, the door's surprisingly easy to open, at least for me. A bit of strength, and it creaks wide enough for me to slip through with this freakish body.
The space inside is oddly spacious and brighter than the tunnel outside, but that's not the main issue. What matters is the thing in the center - a crystal crown on a stone pedestal, lit up unnaturally like it's begging me to come over and put it on…
The moment I touch it, something feels… wrong.
The room vanishes, replaced by a dreamy field of flowers under a starry night sky, with a hazy moon, fireflies, and crickets creating a scene that's both enchanting and poetic…
And standing before me is the person I most want to see but also the one I want to avoid most in this exhausting, painful life…
She's as beautiful as the first day I met her, same simple outfit, same gentle eyes behind those glasses, same dark hair with a chestnut sheen, pulling me back to the moment we first noticed each other…
When she sees me, she turns and gives me that warm, sincere smile she always saved just for me…
- ▉▉▉▉[1], you're here?
- Yeah… It's been a while…
I want to run to her, hold her like I used to, tell her how much I miss her, confess my love again… But after everything, I'm clear-headed enough to see this is just an illusion for me. She broke up with me long ago, and I'm not the person she loved anymore…
I'm sorry… I don't deserve anyone's love anymore…
Holding the crystal crown, I want to stay in this fantasy a bit longer, to keep gazing at the girl I'm still hung up on, but I have no choice but to crush it. Everything fades, taking my longing with it…
As if sensing my intent, she, or rather, the illusion, looks at me tenderly, waves goodbye, and dissolves into nothingness.
- Maybe my last promise to you will come true…
…
Looking at the crown's shattered pieces on the floor, my heart aches with each beat, but the feeling fades like the time that's passed on this long journey…
It's like my heart at its most desperate, broken, shattered, yet still faintly glimmering, fragile enough to crumble into dust at any moment…
『Detected substance containing unidentified energy. Proceed with synchronization?』
- Go ahead, I don't care anymore…
『Initiating energy absorption… Synchronization complete. Unlocked Advanced Evolution function. Unlocked composite skill: Cell Manipulation. Unlocked sub-skills: Rapid Regeneration, Parasitic Cell Division, Shapeshifting, Tissue Hardening, Weapon Synthesis. Unlocked magic skills: Black Flame, Dark Barrier. Initiating user appearance transformation to Complete form.』
As the notification pings, the crown's fragments turn to dust before my vacant eyes. My body starts changing noticeably, although my senses not fully back to normal but still improved. At least I don't have to worry about my mind twisting into a literal monster anymore.
My body's slightly bulkier, but not much else has changed. New additions include sharp bone claws on my fingertips and six symmetrical, bone-tipped tendrils on my back. The exterior's still blood-red, all muscle, no skin, but now the muscle's surprisingly tough, with hidden bone armor under vital areas. I probably don't need to worry much in a fight…
Despite the obvious physical changes, the first thing I notice isn't my body—it's my mind.
Something's there, hard to describe, like a surge of corruption mixed with some kind of "enlightenment" all at once…
The painful, horrific memories of my first life, seen through my current lens, are unforgettable. They flood my mind, unstoppable…
Trampled literally, humiliated, beaten, treated as entertainment or a disposable tool…
Followed by cold stares, insults, and fake pity from everyone, no exceptions…
Looking back, I don't blame myself for being weak, as everyone has their own strengths and flaws. What pisses me off is those bastards: the bullies who tormented me as a kid, the people who used me and ditched me when I needed help most. They're all a reflection of the injustices that shouldn't exist…
What infuriates me most is that no matter how many crimes they committed, I was the one who took the fall, even though I was the victim, while they got off scot-free…
That's enough...
I've lived one wasted life, followed by a short one, and now I finally have a chance to start over…
I'm pretty sure this life will have people like me and things representing the same injustices that should never exist…
The idea of erasing all injustice sounds noble, but I'm not here for pointless heroics. Being a good guy, a hero, a legend—what's the point? Giving happiness just to get disgust and exploitation in return…
Instead, I'll use my own way to make everyone come together…
As President Ho Chi Minh once said: "Our people have a passionate love for the nation. That is our precious tradition. From ancient times to now, whenever the homeland is invaded, that spirit surges, forming a mighty, unstoppable wave, overcoming all dangers and hardships, drowning all traitors and invaders…"[2]
No, I'm not here to fulfill that grand mission in this world. I'll be the *reason* they unite to do it, no matter who they are…
If this world's worthy, its people will prove it. If not, I'll drag them all down with me, even in death…
No pain, no loss, no death, no sadness, no negativity when everything's gone… No, not quite—there's still a quiet, gentle peace left behind, an "eternal" peace that never fades. I don't know what happiness really means, but if this endless "serenity" and "emptiness" is happiness for me, then that's what I want most…
- System, open status panel.
『Opening status panel…』
「[Name]:
[Race]: Unidentified (Unique)
[Level]: 57
[Mana]: 10,000 / 10,000
[Stamina]: 8,500 / 8,500
[Skills]: Appraisal (EX)/Language Comprehension (EX)/Voice Mimicry (A+)/Swordsmanship (D)/Cell Manipulation (EX)/Tissue Hardening (B-)/Weapon Synthesis (B-)
[Magic Type]: Shadow Magic {Special}
[Magic Skills]: Shadow Explosion (A+); Shadow Enhancement (B+); Dark Sun Form (D); Shadow Weaponry (C); Shadow Step (D); Black Flame (D)」
The panel and the Shadow Step skill seem… off. Wasn't it called Shadow Blink before? Whatever, doesn't matter. First, I need to figure out what's essential and get out of this place…
- How much time has passed?
『Calculating time counter… Time elapsed since the last backup: 7 years, 4 months, 20 days, 18 hours…』
- System, point me to the exit.
『Processing… Due to incomplete data, precise location cannot be determined.』
- Fine, so what can we do now?
『Geological analysis indicates the user can dig a tunnel to the surface.』
- I have to dig it by hand or…?
『Correct. The system cannot assist the user in this process.』
Goddamn this useless system… Whatever, digging a tunnel's just a matter of time…
- Shadow Enhancement.
Alright, dig it is. No need to make this harder than it has to be…
Looking at the room's wall, I start digging like an ant. My claws aren't built for this, but they get the job done easily. Looks like this'll take a while…
[1] Due to the system's "power", no one can know the MC's name.
At least for now...
[2] Patriotism Of Our People (Tinh thần yêu nước của nhân dân ta), 1951