His skin suddenly stretched, forced to reform over pores that refused to close.
'Damn it, this hurts so much!'
Yu Yun was interrupted by the pain of his very epidermis being stretched like rubber. He wanted to scream, to surrender to the agony, but thinking about the eighty percent chance of healing, he gritted his teeth and endured it all.
As his blood stagnation stopped, the risk of dying within minutes disappeared.
Enduring the torment for half an hour through sheer willpower, he finally felt the holes in his skin closing. For a moment, he wondered if he could finally live.
[100%]
"I did it! I fought for my life and won in the end!" he cried with joy. Going through that was anything but easy. Without his strong will to survive, he would have fainted the instant he got up from bed.
Smiling through tears, he closed his eyes, desiring nothing more than rest.
After an unknown amount of time, he woke up, rolling his shoulders that felt perfectly fine and flexible. "I can finally breathe again… but why was I in that state?"
Doubts filled Yu Yun's mind. He had no memories of anything. He didn't even know where to start. 'According to every cliché, shouldn't I recover my memories with a splitting headache or something?'
He was a web novel reader, and that was classic in every story he'd ever read. Yet nothing like that happened to him.
Rolling his eyes, he decided to wash his blood-stained body. Standing up, he walked to the basin, removed his torn pants, and stepped in.
The moment the water touched him, Yu Yun felt something strange. His body seemed to want to absorb it, his pores behaving completely abnormally.
'System, what's the success rate that my current pores are completely different from a normal human's?'
[100%]
'Is that a good thing?' Yu Yun wanted to know because it felt weird to have such wide pores.
[90%]
'Huh? So it's good! But that missing ten percent bothers me. Feels like bad luck is coming.' He grew uneasy. 'Am I right?' No answer. The system wasn't clairvoyant, so detecting danger was impossible.
'Still, there are signs—like that ten percent before. If I hadn't gotten up and found the box, I would've died. If I use this system wisely, maybe I can avoid trouble.'
Yu Yun reasoned, though it was difficult to act with absolutely no understanding of his situation. It seemed he'd have to leave the cabin to find answers, but first, he needed to finish his bath.
After washing himself, the water turned crimson red. Looking down, he froze in shock. His "younger brother" was absurdly large. "Stop thinking nonsense!"
He slapped his flushed face, a silly grin still tugging at his lips. Putting on a tattered blue robe, he touched his hair, which reached down to his knees.
'I'd like to see what I look like now. What's the success rate that I'm handsome?' he asked eagerly.
[100%]
"Hahaha! I don't know what kind of world this is, but for now, I can at least be happy—I started on premium mode!"
Yu Yun hummed cheerfully, but his tune was interrupted when a loud kick struck the door.
Before he could blink, the wood exploded into countless splinters, revealing an old drunkard in patched gray clothes, holding a gourd of wine.
Swallowing hard, Yu Yun widened his eyes. That thing wasn't human. The old man was a monster with supernatural strength. He didn't stand a chance against him.
Swallowing again, he looked at the elder with questioning eyes. "Who are you? Why did you destroy my door?"
He asked nervously, afraid he might be punched and sent flying like a ball.
The old man raised an eyebrow. "You forgot about me?"
Yu Yun nodded.
"Seems like you suffered memory loss. But tell me—did it work? Did your pores expand?"
The elder didn't care about anything else; that question clearly fascinated him. Yu Yun didn't respond immediately. 'System, what's the success rate of getting into trouble if I tell him the truth?'
[100%]
"If I refuse, will I regret it?"
[100%]
'Heeeh! So telling the truth will bring danger but also benefits,' Yu Yun thought. Since he knew nothing about this world, he decided to take the risk.
"Yes, my pores are all expanded," he admitted. It was a gamble, but it was his best option.
The old man nodded, grabbed Yu Yun's arms, and released a strange blue energy from his fingertips.
"My god!" Yu Yun was shocked for the second time. This world wasn't normal—it was supernatural. Judging by everything so far, it had to be a cultivation world. To confirm, he checked the system.
[100%]
It was true. Cultivators existed.
Putting all the pieces together, he went from shock to excitement. If cultivation was real, then immortality wasn't just a dream.
Yu Yun didn't know if living forever was a blessing or a curse, but if he had the chance, why not see it for himself?
As he entertained those wild thoughts, the old man withdrew his energy and burst into laughter.
"Hehehe! Didn't I tell you, brother? The human body is full of possibilities! This kid performed a miracle, reforming all his pores."
"Elder?" Yu Yun returned to reality, stepping back from the man who was talking to himself with a strange expression, his wrinkled face stretching into a grin that exposed yellowed teeth.
"Don't run, boy. Since you succeeded, you can now practice The Beast King's Body Art. Your wish came true—you'll no longer be a mere chore disciple scraping the bottom."
'My wish? So the previous owner of this body wished for that? And to achieve it, he tried to expand his pores… and died in the process, giving me the chance to take over? System, what's the success rate of that?'
[100%]
"Damn! That's insane! That guy was even crazier than me, but thanks to him, I've got a huge advantage."
Yu Yun didn't know whether to laugh or mourn for the original owner who sacrificed himself just to hand over the results to another. In the end, he chose the first option. 'Predecessor, rest in peace. Don't worry, I'll use your efforts to reach immortality!'
After reaffirming his goal, he looked at the old man before him and clasped his hands respectfully. "Elder, please teach me the way to change my life. I don't want to stay at the bottom anymore!"
"Hahaha!" The old man laughed and patted Yu Yun's head. "Alright! I'll teach you, but keep in mind—no human has ever practiced this before. The chance of dying is high."
"…"
Yu Yun fell silent upon hearing that.
'System, what's the success rate that this ends badly?'
[50%]
'That's pretty high… Maybe because my pores were reformed? Then I can handle it.'
"Elder, I'm not afraid! If I feared death, I wouldn't have faced living hell itself." He decided firmly.
Yu Yun wasn't someone who gave up easily. As long as there was even a one percent chance of success, he would hold onto hope.