Chapter 2: A Blessing in Disguise
This is… the System!!!
Kael's mind was in turmoil.
He could face death with a calm heart—after all, he'd already died once—but activating a System in his final moments sent a jolt of shock through him, his expression twisting with a wild mix of emotions.
Time was running out. He had no choice but to grab onto this life-saving straw.
"Hurry! Hurry! Come on!"
He mentally screamed at the prompt that was still stuck on [Activating Synthesis Interface, please wait...].
His face was already turning blue, a clear sign of severe oxygen deprivation. If nothing changed, he'd suffocate to death in less than twenty seconds. Even with this body's natural swimming ability, he couldn't hold his breath for minutes on end.
As if hearing his desperate plea, the System finally responded. A Synthesis interface appeared on the panel, and an information box popped up—a user manual filled with dense text.
With no time to spare, Kael speed-read through it, absorbing the basics as fast as he could.
He quickly gathered the gist: the System could fuse inanimate objects with living creatures. The resulting being would become his personal Summoning Beast, possessing incredible abilities and absolute loyalty.
"No time to study the details!"
Kael's eyes darted down to the synthesis formula at the bottom of the panel.
[Material]+[Creature]=[Summoning Beast]
All he needed were the right items, and he could get a Summoning Beast with special powers.
But in his current situation, going out meant death, and staying here also meant death. It was just a matter of dying sooner or later. He had zero experience with synthesis and was completely lost. Where was he supposed to start? Where could he possibly find materials?
"Screw it, I'll just grab whatever I can!"
Another moment passed. Kael's vision was going black, and veins bulged on his face. He looked like a ferocious water demon.
His hands flailed wildly in the murky water, and he quickly managed to grab two things. A final thought flashed through his suffocating mind.
[Confirm Synthesis]
What he didn't know was that every synthesis consumed a significant amount of chakra. If the host had no chakra, the System would consume their life force instead.
The moment he confirmed the synthesis, Kael passed out. Even now, if he didn't get air in the next few seconds, he would still drown.
As he fell unconscious, the System received its command and began to operate at high speed, displaying a series of notifications.
[Stone]+[Earthworm]= ???
[Compatibility]70%
[Material: Stone, Quality (Common)]
[Creature: Earthworm, Rank (E)]
[Synthesis Success Rate]90%
[Warning! You are about to consume 100 points of Chakra.]
[System has detected no Chakra in your body. The synthesis will now consume an equivalent amount of Life Force. Please be advised.]
[Synthesizing, please wait...]
[Synthesis Successful! You have obtained the E-Rank Summoning Beast—Earth Dragon!]
About twenty miles from Clearwater Village, on the bank of the river.
Blub, blub, blub...
The Jashinist saw a flurry of ping-pong ball-sized bubbles erupt on the water's surface, and the expectant look on his face froze.
"Nani??? W-Won't he choke sucking in that much water?"
Next, he saw a violent tremor from beneath the water, as if a large fish was thrashing about on the riverbed. The surrounding water quickly turned murky and brown.
"Interesting! Let's see how much longer this brat can last!"
The cultist stabbed his scythe into the ground, crossed his arms, and waited with amusement.
Three minutes later.
The cultist's expression had turned ugly. Staring at the now completely still patch of water, a terrible thought crept into his mind.
Don't tell me... the brat actually escaped...
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. No one could stay underwater for a full five minutes without coming up for air, unless he was a shinobi. And that malnourished kid? There was no way he could be a shinobi.
SPLASH!
He dove into the river. His narrowed eyes scanned the area and immediately spotted it: at the base of the riverbank, about a meter down, was a pitch-black, bottomless hole as wide as a bucket.
"N-Nani?"
When Kael woke up again, he was in complete darkness. The air was cold, damp, and filled with the thick, metallic scent of soil.
He frowned. Something wasn't right.
"So dark... Did I die again? Am I back in the womb this time?"
Suddenly, the "ground" beneath his chest seemed to shift, sending a shiver of fear through him.
"What the hell? Is this... a fetal kick?"
Startled, he quickly came to his senses.
"No, that's not right. I can hear my own voice, so I'm definitely not in a womb. Where am I?"
Puzzled and still surrounded by darkness, Kael slowly reached his hands out to feel his surroundings. After a moment, his fingers touched something cold and slimy.
He snatched his hand back in fright, not daring to move again.
Just then, the System panel automatically appeared in his mind.
[Summoning Beast: Earth Dragon]
Rank: E
Species: Annelid
Element: Earth
Abilities:
Earth Glide: The Earth Dragon has a natural affinity for earth and stone, allowing it to move through both environments without obstruction.
Stone-Hard Body (Passive): The Earth Dragon's body is infused with rock components, giving it a defensive strength equal to stone.
System Evaluation: A fusion of a common earthworm and a stone, the Earth Dragon possesses exceptional abilities for an E-Rank Summon. Its Earth Glide makes its survival capabilities first-class in the Shinobi World.
Kael's eyes lit up as understanding dawned on him.
This was the creature that had saved his life.
Looking around at the inky-black subterranean world, he hesitated for a moment before patting the surface beneath him and speaking softly.
"Get me out of here, Earth Dragon..."
Instantly, the massive creature beneath him began to move.
Dirt and pebbles sprayed onto Kael's face, and he quickly pressed himself flat again, feeling the environment around him rapidly changing.
A minute later, bright light flooded his vision.
The light was so blinding that Kael instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't resist cracking them open just a sliver to look at what he was riding on.
The sight gave him another shock.
He was sitting on a three-meter-long prehistoric earthworm, as thick as a grown man's thigh. Its brown body was covered in gray, segmented rings that seemed to be slowly writhing. It was a terrifying sight.
Any normal person would have likely fainted on the spot. If Kael didn't feel a faint sense of affection and attachment coming from the Earth Dragon, he probably would have scrambled off in terror.
But this ugly thing... it saved my life, he thought.
With that, his fear was replaced by a look of sincere gratitude and warmth.
"Thank you," he said softly.
The Earth Dragon seemed to "hear" him and sent a wave of joy and excitement back. The thick mouthpart at one end of its body moved toward his face.
Feeling the creature's simple intention, Kael's expression suddenly turned a little strange.
"You want to… snuggle?"