8 Welcome to Hunter’s world
Hunter tilted his head, looking at Kolvar with a strange smile. The elf felt as though he was being stared at by a predator. For some reason, the usual kind and gentleness in Parker's eyes were nowhere to be found in his eyes. Before doing anything, Hunter wanted to make sure he still have the system. He closed his eyes, trying to summon the system. Although Hunter was still in kind of shock, he managed to remain calm and make sense of the situation. As he took a few deep breaths, Hunter felt a new sensation. The feeling couldn't be explained with words. It was a feeling so familiar yet strange. In other words, the feeling was as natural as breathing. He accessed this new feeling. Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation in his brain. Slowly, Hunter opened his eyes. To his shock, the rain droplets remained still, like in the movies. He was able to move his body but not touch the rain droplets. His hands went through them.
[Welcome to the badass system]
He saw the letters materialize in the air before him. The letters sparkled and he was able to adjust the letters' size with his mind. These golden letters followed his eye movement.
"This is like in the novels. Damn, that's cliche and awesome at the same time," Hunter felt excited. To be honest, he hadn't felt this excited since he received his first gun, a gold plated desert eagle. That thing had recoil which sent him flying a couple of times whenever he fired at his younger age.
[The system is simple to operate. Every time the host is badass, badass points will be rewarded. These points can be used to purchase unique items, access new functionalities, and upgrade the system. Additionally, Experience points can be earned by killing cultivators, magical beasts, absorbing astral energy from astral coins, and building bases of operations. Experience points can be consumed to level up or climb higher stages in cultivation]
Hunter heard these words and saw the golden letters floating in the air.
[The host can access the system whenever you wish. Whenever you summon the system, you will step into a space between realms. From the host's point of view, it will look like the time around you has stopped. Use this to your advantage]
"Okay," Hunter mumbled.
[To get the host started, the system will reward you with a legendary gift box. Does the host wish to open it?]
"Yes," said Hunter. The things happening to him were borderline crazy and unbelievable. An oblivious man wouldn't believe this. Even Hunter had a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept of having a system, transmigrating to another world, and leveling himself like in the games,
As soon as he said that, the letters faded away. Instead, a red box gift wrapped in golden ribbons appeared out of thin air. The box trembled before him and then, it exploded. His instinct made Hunter jump back yet he couldn't move his body. After the gift box exploded, he saw four gold play cards floating around him. When he touched one, it flipped around, revealing a crimson-red dagger.
[Congratulations to the host for receiving The Devil's cry. Legendary Class Dagger]
[The Devil's Cry can kill anyone below level 40, breaking any life-saving talismans or runes in an instant]
Judging by the image in the card, it was a short, broad, slightly curved blade made of steel held by a grip wrapped in strange, black leather. A fine, sharp point made this weapon a perfect choice if anyone wished to puncture their enemies to death with ruthless speed and precision. The blade had a small, twisted cross-guard, just large enough to protect the owner's fingers. The cross-guard had a decorative cross on each side, this weapon wasn't created by just any blacksmith.
When Hunter looked closer, he noticed that the crimson-red blade itself was engraved. Strange religious symbols have been delicately etched into the blade, which added mystery and supposedly more power to the weapon.
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a High tier healing potion and Bone grower pill]
After the card with the dagger faded away from his vision, another card with two vials appeared before him.
[The Healing potion can close and heal any flesh wounds. As long as the host hasn't lost too much blood, the healing potion can save the host from near-death wounds]
[The Bone grower potion can mend broken bones and regrow them if needed]
"Thank god. I don't think I can ever get used to being a cripple," Hunter sighed in relief.
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a Banker Function]
[The Banker function can convert the astral coins into badass points. At level 1, the astral coins to badass points ratio is 1000:1]
Another card with an image of a dollar sign flew straight before his vision. Just the sign of dollars put a smile on Hunter's face.
"Hmm," Hunter began to recollect everything he learned through Parker's memory about this world. The people in this world cultivated by absorbing astral energy. The typical source of astral energy was astral coins which were the only currency in this world. According to Parker's memory, the body could not consume 100% of the astral energy in the coins. The absorption rate varied from cultivator to cultivator. Those who could absorb more astral energy leveled up faster than the rest, earning the right to be called 'prodigies'. But these prodigies were rare.
"System, I wonder what the energy absorption rate of my current body is?"
[Hundred percent]
Hunter was stunned by the system's answer.
"Sweet baby Jesus," Hunter exclaimed.
A hundred percent absorption rate was super OP in this world. Even those so-called Prodigies could only achieve thirty or forty percent. Having a system put Hunter on top of every other cultivator. Unfortunately, Hunter's current state was slave. He didn't have a single astral coin to his name. But struggles had never stopped Hunter before. Granted many thought Hunter lived a pretty easy life because he was a Dictator. In reality, being the most powerful dictator was the hardest job in the world. He had to live in constant caution, expecting an attempt on his life at any moment. Plus, the United Nations always gunned for his head so they could convert the natural resources in his kingdom. As a Dictator, he faced more problems than anyone on earth. Still, Hunter always rose above the odds. To be honest, Hunter had thought about faking his death and disappearing so he could enjoy his life instead of dealing with all the politics, scheming, and power struggle. But he had his family's legacy to protect.
Luckily for Hunter, this time, he was free of any legacy or shackles.
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a free specialization of your choice]
[Does the host wish to pick a specialization?]
"First, tell me all the specializations,"
[Alchemy, Runemastery, Engineering, Cookery, Artistry]
"I am not going to choose one now. So hold onto it,"
Suppose Parker wasn't a slave, Hunter could have made a choice as each specialization had its own OP advantages. Since it wasn't the case, Hunter had to pick one that would better suit his current state as a slave and make use of what he had which was nothing. He couldn't wait to start his new life. Before he exited the system, he visualized the cultivation stages and levels in Abbalon.
Level 1-9 => Apprentice
Level 10-19 => Disciple
Level 20-29 => Assistant
Level 30-39 => Sage
Level 40-49 => High Sage
Level 50-59 => Royal Sage
Level 60-69 => Sentinel
Level 70-79 => High Sentinel
Level 80-89 => Royal Sentinel
Level 90-99 => Arch Sentinel
Level 100 => Overlord
"System, show me my status. I need to see how deep I am in the shit pile,"
Soon, a window resembling a typical window of an RPG game appeared before his eyes.
Name: Hunter Sterling Blade
Age: 26 (Earth) 21(Current Body)
Level: Null
Abilities: Null
Spells: Null
Occupation: Slave
Race: Human
Status: Broken unhealthy Slave
Goals: Null
Base of Operations: Null
Subordinates: Null
Familiars: Null
Hunter stared at his status with a blank mind. He knew Parker wasn't born with a talent to cultivate. Still, when he saw the status, he wanted to smack himself on the forehead.
"Stay positive," Hunter took a deep breath.
"Okay, It seems like life has given me a clean slate,"
His current self was weak as hell. Parker didn't even have the slightest chance of killing a commoner with his scrawny weak body and state, let alone finding his family and seeking revenge on the Bronsons. With the system and Hunter in the body, the probability of achieving Parker's wishes went way high.
"Let's begin," Hunter grinned. As the first step in his new life, he exited the system. To his surprise, he was holding the devil's cry and the two potions in each hand.
"Parker," Kolvar couldn't believe his eyes. The dagger materialized in Parker's hand out of thin air. It seemed like magic but there was no way Parker could have used astral energy.
Hunter looked at the elf staring at him with wide eyes. He squeezed the devil's cry's handle. Luckily for the elf, he had been nothing but a caring, good, loyal friend to Parker.
"What..what's in your hands?" asked Kolvar. Instead of responding to Kolvar, Hunter raised a finger, wordlessly telling Kolvar to wait. Then, Hunter poured the healing potion and the bone grower down his throat.
The healing potion tasted sweet, kinda like watery honey. In stark contrast, the bone grower tasted like sewage water had a baby with glue. He felt a strong urge to throw up. But Hunter controlled his gag reflex. He gritted his teeth, overcoming the intense pain in his broken leg.
Seeing Parker's face grimace, Kolvar slowly stepped toward to care for his friend.
"No," Hunter growled, stopping Kolvar in his path. He did not want the elf to get too close. Eventually, the pain Hunter felt became too much to the point Hunter roared yet again.
"HEY CUT IT OUT!"
To Kolvar's shout, a guard inside the tavern shouted.
"ARGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
"Parker stop!" Kolvar tried to stop Parker from screaming. Unfortunately, it was too late. He saw the back door, slowly creaking open. A muscular mountain of a guard stepped out of the tavern. When Kolvar saw the guard, his heart skipped a beat. The man was thrice the size of an average man. His hands alone looked wider and heavier than the two of them.
"What the fuck are you two little shits doing here?" The man growled. There was spite and disgust in his voice.
He stepped down the stairs to the street level. Judging by the look in his eyes, any oblivious man could tell the man had a clear intention to slap the crap out of the two slaves. A slave made an annoying scream. It was a good enough reason for any free man to kill them.
But when the guard suddenly halted his steps. He looked at Hunter. The anger and frustration in his eyes turned into surprise.
"You? Weren't you dead?" The man placed his hand on Hunter's shoulder.
"My Lord," Kolvar pleaded and readied to grab the man's leg to beg for mercy. The man slowly turned Hunter around. To the man's shock, the slave grinned at him. The slave's eyes were predatory. They were not of a beaten up slave's but of a man who took numerous lives. With inhuman speed, Hunter stabbed the man in the neck with his devil's cry. Blood sprayed out of the man's neck. Kolvar was completely stunned by what just happened. The man held his throat. Surprise and shock riddled his face. Without giving the man any time to react, Hunter pushed the man toward the wall while repeatedly stabbing the man in the neck.
Hunter closed the man's mouth and kept stabbing until he collapsed to the ground. The blood sprayed out from the man's neck, turning Hunter's face red. The amount of blood and the way the man's head bobbled made Kolvar shudder. The man proved to be a good outlet for Hunter's bottled-up rage/ When he finally stopped stabbing, the man's head almost dropped off of his shoulder.
Kolvar's body shivered uncontrollably. He saw Parker leaning close to the thug's face, whispering something into the dead man's ears.
"I am Hunter fucking Blade, bitch,"
