"Some say there's only one life—so live it well.
Well guess what? I fucking wasted mine chasing a worthless college degree that couldn't even land me a decent job. All that effort, all that time, and for what? But to all the disappointed souls and envious bastards out there—surprise. I was given another chance.
Far away from skyscrapers, cars, games, and computers…
But this world has something far more interesting—Magic."
He smirked faintly, brushing dust off his ragged sleeve.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure that's not what they call it here," he continued, gazing at the empty horizon. "For them, it's something like spiritual power or spirit energy or whatever weird name they gave it. But for me—yeah, it's magic."
A voice, smooth and deceptively gentle, interrupted his thoughts.
"Can I ask what you're thinking about?"
He turned, his pupils shrinking. A woman—no, not quite—stood there. From the waist up, she was beautiful, almost hypnotic, but below that shimmered glistening scales and a massive serpentine tail that coiled lazily in the sand.
And around them stretched nothing but endless dunes. The desert was vast, oppressive, and silent, save for the whisper of the dry wind.
Well that thing was always there, it was out Azeir who was daydreaming in the middle of a death scene.
Azeir's mind screamed.
Why the hell is there a Vorr in my first mission?!
The reply echoed instantly within his head.
[This is not your mission whatsoever. It's you who stumbled into a Vorr instead of completing your task.]
The system's tone turned slightly skeptical.
[Just to make things clear—I can offer you a reward for killing this monster, but beyond that, your death will have nothing to do with me.]
Azeir's face twisted in anger and disbelief. "You want me to kill that thing? Can you even see her size? SHE COULD EAT ME LIKE A DAMN SANDWICH!"
[Well, yelling at me achieves nothing. Focus on the threat in front of you.]
[Also—she's getting irritated.]
Azeir's gaze flicked to the Vorr again. Her once-playful eyes had hardened; she was done toying with him.
His throat went dry. "H-hey, system! Maybe a sword? A magic spear? Anything! Please—just give me a weapon!"
[There's nothing like that in your inventory.]
"Why don't you just tell me to die directly?"
[That's basically what I've been telling you for quite a while now.]
He didn't even realize when his body was sent crashing into the ground, the impact hard enough to make his skull ring. Dust exploded around him. When the world stopped spinning, he found himself dangling upside down, the Vorr gripping his ankle with bone-crushing force.
Her forked tongue flickered close to his face. Her pupils—slit and reptilian—narrowed into thin blades as she hissed, "Are you mocking me? I don't enjoy playing with my food. You were lucky I spared you long enough to talk, but…" her lips curled, "now I'm bored—and hungry."
The next impact drove him into the sand, tearing open the flesh at his forehead. Hot blood trickled down, hissing as it evaporated against the sun-scorched dunes.
Azeir's vision blurred. He managed to mutter, "You're already bored? How about… I tell you a story?"
The Vorr's eyes narrowed. "Not interested."
"Well, I'm going to die anyway, and it's not like anyone else is coming to this godforsaken desert. If you listen, at least you'll have something to think about till you find your next victim."
Her tail coiled slightly. She scanned him from head to toe, evaluating. His condition was miserable—broken, bleeding, barely alive. Even if she left him there, he wouldn't last long. He was no threat.
"Fine," she hissed. "I'll wait until you're finished."
"Thank you! So the story goes like this…" Azeir's voice dropped to a whisper. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Thomas. He lived a miserable life in an orphanage. Depressing, right? But you know what—" he Screamed "he was fucking awesome. He lived life on his own terms. And anyone who tried to stop him?"
A grin, crooked and bloody, crept across his lips. "I crushed their balls."
Before the Vorr could react, his fist shot forward like lightning. The punch landed squarely on her face, the crack echoing through the desert. A line of blue blood trickled from her nose.
Azeir didn't wait—he bolted. His legs pumped through the sand, heart hammering—
—and then the world went dark.
A massive shadow loomed behind him. In an instant, a gaping maw swallowed him whole.
The Vorr hissed triumphantly, slithering away at blinding speed, her long tail slicing through the dunes like a blade.
Inside her stomach, it was eerily silent.
Oh well, someone might've said. Take two seconds of silence for our one-chapter male lead.
The Vorr eventually reached her nest—a massive pit lined with shredded cloth, rotting flesh, and feathers, all woven together into something grotesque. Two large eggs rested at the center.
She curled around them protectively. "My children… Mother's here."
The desert wind howled softly, carrying the scent of death. She began to rest—
Until agony seized her body.
Her eyes bulged. Her claws dug into the sand as a scream ripped through her throat.
"ARRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOO!"
Her abdomen split open. Blue blood spilled out in steaming torrents as her stomach tore vertically.
Her screams echoed through the desert… until only silence remained.
Then, from the gory wound, a hand burst free—slick with blue liquid.
Azeir crawled out, coughing violently, vomiting the nauseating slime. He gagged and spat, gasping for air.
"Ughhh—so bitter! ARRGHHH! My tongue!" He scrubbed it with both hands, grimacing.
[Congratulations on completing your first quest!]
[Quest Completed: "First Step on the Path"
Rewards Obtained:
+90 EXP
+100 Spirit Stones
+Skill: Poison Resistance (Lv. 1)
+Item: ??? Eggs
+Title: Path Initiate]
[Bonus Reward Triggered!]
Because of exceptional performance, System Upgrade (Tier 1) has been unlocked.
[Wow. I didn't actually think you'd manage to kill it.]
Azeir collapsed onto the sand, still panting. "Yeah, well, the only way to win was to strike the weakest spot. Lucky for me, she gave me a one-way ticket right to it."
He stared at the enormous corpse of the Vorr, the heat shimmering over her lifeless body.
"What a waste," he muttered. "Can't we eat snake meat? I mean, I've got venom resistance now, right?"
[Now that I'm upgraded to Tier 1, you'll gain access to personal storage. You can preserve the body there for later use.]
"Oh."
Azeir tilted his head, thinking for a while before muttering "Status."
A soft beep echoed in his mind, and a translucent screen materialized before his eyes.
[STATUS INTERFACE]
Name: Azeir Dark
Race: Human
Age: 11 (Soul Age: 32)
Realm: Fragment Realm (Stage 1 / Breakthrough at Stage 10)
EXP: 90 / 1000
Health: 116 / 1200
Stamina: 300 / 780
Spiritual Energy: 0 / 1450
Cultivation Base: Lower Mortal Tier
Qi Type: ???
Attributes:
Strength: 9
Agility: 8
Vitality: 8
Willpower: 100
Luck: 0
Skills:
Poison Resistance (Lv. 1)
Azeir's jaw fell open. "What the fuck…"
[I don't understand why you're so shocked.]
He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the glowing panel with wide eyes. "It's just… kind of fascinating."
[Don't tell me you still thought this was a dream.]
He raised three fingers. "I swear I stopped thinking that after I crawled out of that thing's stomach."
The wind howled again, carrying sand over the Vorr's corpse. The desert was quiet—but for the first time, Azeir smiled.
A new life had begun.