CHAPTER 4: REACTIVE FATE
Thud... clack... creak.
The carriage was rattling over the muddy road and the wheels sounded like exhausted animals. Rain beat softly above in a patter, patter, pat-pat, intermingling with the grunt of horses pulling the wooden prison along. Yin Zhe, with his dripping messy hair, sat, cross-legged, in a cramped cell. His eyes were blazing with disbelief and curiosity, but his face was calm.
There was a shimmer in front of him, ding, then a clear screen hung, bound up in blue white light.
[Congratulations, Yin Zhe. You now have satisfied the requirements to unlock the System.
His voice was deep and a murmur, and he snapped on and off. "Hmph… finally." His lips contracted into the slightest smile. It was the first and the most sensible thing as he woke up in that strange forest of broken glass and pink slime with no piece of clothing on him. The forest, the mist, the sword strike, this slave cart, all, was a fever dream. This glowing panel, however, was rational.
[Beginner Package Ready.]
H mm... he said to himself, and looked at the spinning gift box animation before him. It was artificially childish, sparkling pixels and jagged graphics, like an old game. Nevertheless, he touched it. Ting!
The box snapped open in mid-air--woosh--and threw a swirl of light out of itself, that was turning itself into a spinning lottery-wheel. Its rings were slow, and each space was stencilled in a queer word: Reflective, Adaptive, Recursive, Resonant, Active, Reactive.
The hand of the wheel was a broken clock arm, twitching a little. A slit appeared at the base, as in front of an ATM card.
He tilted his head. "A wheel? Really?" A fatigued amusement was in his voice. Even systems love gambling.
But then the message flashed:
> [A Golden Ticket is required to continue.]
"Ahhh... great," he muttered under his breath.
Across from him, Bao Zi l, a round-faced boy with bright eyes and too much curiosity leaned closer, squinting at Yin Zhe waving at thin air. "Uh… you good, bro?" he asked in the local tongue.
Yin Zhe didn't answer. He was busy poking the hologram like a cat testing water.
Bao Zi frowned, whispering, "Maybe the traffickers hit his head too hard. Poor guy."
In their world, people like Yin Zhe those who acted broken from trauma were called Mind-Shaken. They were pitied, sometimes feared. A Mind-Shaken man was said to have his soul cracked from seeing too much death or magic.
A deep, gravelly voice came from the corner of the cell next to them. "Leave that fool alone," it rumbled. "Some of us are trying to cultivate."
That was Ren Tie, tall, thin, and sharp-eyed even in the dim light. He sat cross-legged, eyes closed, his body steaming faintly as spirit energy circled him like fog. The air around him shimmered and crackled.
Bao Zi lowered his voice instantly. "Sorry, Brother Ren…"
Ren Tie exhaled through his nose. Hmmm. "I'm on the verge of breaking through to Level Four of Root Awakening. You make another sound, and I'll silence you myself." His tone was cold, but the tiny tremor in it revealed tension, breaking through inside a moving slave cart wasn't exactly ideal.
Yin Zhe barely heard them. His mind was racing through the options on the glowing wheel.
Reflective… sounds defensive.
Adaptive… maybe passive?
Recursive… no clue.
Resonant… that one felt right.
Active… controlled.
Reactive… triggered.
He hummed softly, tapping his chin. "Active's always better in games. Reactive sounds like a downgrade."
Then again, what did he even know about this system? It just appeared in a world that made zero sense. But for once, he wanted to believe. He pressed the screen again, click, and a slot opened.
A message blinked:
> [Golden Ticket Detected in Inventory.]
He found it floating beside the wheel, small, golden, glimmering with faint runes. Without thinking, he dragged it into the slot. The machine ate it with a soft shrrrp.
"Alright, you digital demon. Don't screw me," he whispered.
> [Spin in progress.]
Whrrr... whrrr... whrrr...
The wheel spun fast, the colored lights blurring into a single streak. Yin Zhe held his breath as the ticking slowed, tick… tick… tick… auntil it landed near Active. His lips curved up. "Nice…"
THUD! The carriage shook as the wheels were in a deep hole. There was neighing of the horses, and the groan of the wood, and the clang of chains.
The needle vibrated, and with a snap moved one space down.
[Reactive Mode Acquired.]
Yin Zhe screamed, "WHAT?!" His scream was mixed with a second bang in the carriage. "No, no, no! Come on!"
Bam! He struck his forehead against the wooden bars. Thud. Thud. Thud. Why has it always been me that draws the worst?
Bao Zi shouted back, "Bro! Stop banging yourself or you will crack your skull!
Ren Tie growled, yet his eyes still were closed. "He's gone. Completely gone."
The other five or so crowded in the cell moved restlessly. You can mind-oshake, poor girl, said one of the women.
Thud… bang… clunk. Yin Zhe groaned as he slumped down. "Reactive…?" He touched a finger on the panel. Nothing changed.
But prior to his next censure, Ren Tie uttered a guttural, much like a groan--Hhhrrraaa!--his eyes opening, bright blue. An explosion of spiritual dynamo rocked the cart, shaking it with all chains. Crack!
"Haah… haah…" A wild smile came to Ren Tie gasp. "I did it. Level Four… Root Awakening!"
Bao Zi was cheering, banging his fists on the bars. "Brother Ren did it!"
Even the rest smiled feebly. When it was a cage and everyone was waiting to be killed it was the hope that one of the people could break through.
Everyone except Yin Zhe. He merely sat there, rubbing his sore forehead and musing, You get enlightenment... I got a cursed slot machine. Great."
The drip of rain pimpled his hand through a hole in the roof, plink... plink... plink. His gaze remained fixed on the dim light of the system screen, the one word flashing in the middle:
[Reactive.]