CH 1- Roland: System?!

'Where am I?'

The soul attempted to move his limbs, but the sense of touch was different from what he was used to.

He attempted to move or open his eyes again, but all he could feel was discomfort and all he could see was water being driven towards his body.

'I suppose I'm still living; it seems that I can't even die quickly in my life. At the very least, it's warm here.'

The steady heat in his body made the situation rather warm.

'Anyway, my family wouldn't let me off the hook once I wake up from this dream. Perhaps, the moment I wake up; I should just take this chance to move away from that place and that damned family, and travel overseas. Albeit working as a security guard in a building might be monotonous, it would be far better than this. '

He considered suicide as a means of breaking free from the cage he called home. He'd already hung himself, yet he seemed to be alive. He imagined how his parents would respond if he told them he was leaving university to work as a security guard in another nation rather than doing what they forced him to.

At the very least, he would be free of his family, who had no qualms about selling him to a guy who had offered them a big sum of money and some status.

'Heh... who would've thought that I, Roland, would captivate a male's interest and urge him to accept me as his partner?'

It wasn't that he had anything against them, but he wasn't interested in men! Just imagining himself be with a man in bed...

Hiss!

Such thoughts raced through his head as he pondered whether ending his life was a better option than decades of mundanity.

But... Roland's soul unexpectedly ground to a standstill and fell quiet.

'Wait... What the... Didn't my soul just explode? How come I thought I was some Roland dude? '

Frank regained control as he analyzed the new, strange memories in his consciousness.

He finally realized what had transpired. Something abruptly merged with his soul at the moment of its explosion, causing his consciousness to go blank.

But it was the origin of the soul that intrigued him. It was from another universe, foreign to his.

He then began investigating the other soul's memories.

It only took him about ten minutes since the other person was a mortal with a lifespan of no more than two decades.

Roland's life was neither excellent nor terrible. It was a rather miserable and mundane lifestyle.

Everything for him was a common example of what could happen to anyone in his universe: ordinary.

But what gave him the bravery to embrace... death?

It was a novel term since death didn't exist in this universe.

In Frank's reality, there were terms including eternal doom, when one's existence truly ceased, and normal doom/demise, where one's soul might either go to Vell or Vallhala.

In Roland's universe, Vell was the counterpart of Hell. Except it being overseen by several Immortals and Behemoths who grab souls from there and use them to construct their own forces. Such as the Nordic army assembled by the Queen Immortal from vengeful souls.

Vallhala was made up of heroic and brave spirits that perished in combat or had wonderful karma. It, too, was ruled by Immortals. Just like Odin's Thunder Immortal Army, which he personally trained for thousands of years in preparation for the Universal Prophecy.

As such, death was a novel term that piqued Frank's interest.

It would be the new thing he would seek after fixing the problems at hand. It was a mysterious thing, as it neither meant eternal doom nor doom. There were many explanations, but one correct answer.

The fact that he was from another universe initially grabbed his attention. But once he realized it was only a mortal one, with some of them gaining inner power and achieving the strength of a Himithiki*, there was nothing noteworthy in this universe in the grand scheme of things.

But first, he had to handle the current predicament. It is a problem to have a soul with two consciousnesses. A terrifying one.

Frank was fortunate in that he had previously cultivated in all of the paths* and was especially skilled in the Soul Cultivation Path*. Hence, entirely fusing the soul would not be too difficult. Or so he thought...

The soul would be used as a medium to overpower the single consciousness in the first stage of consciousness union.

And since Frank was a peak Sacred Immortal Venerable in terms of experience, he could effortlessly deal with it.

But, after scanning the other soul that had the consciousness, he didn't expect to find a parasite attached to it.

'Wait a second... Isn't that parasite in the shape of a system referred to in his universe's novels?' Frank was taken aback for a brief moment before casting a concealment technique on his consciousness to disguise his existence and observe the interaction of the two.

Unsurprisingly, when he hid his consciousness, the parasite awakened, glanced around, and violently stirred up Roland's soul.

==

[Ding!]

[Awaken, Host.]

[In response to Host's grief, a system was allocated to assist Host in escaping his plight. Except... the Host no longer exists in his universe.]

Roland, who had just been jolted awake, was about to scream in his head what had occurred when he heard the system's message.

The heavens seemed to hear him, and he might finally escape that wretched universe with whatever ordinary fate was forced upon him!

==

Frank, who saw everything, was surprised by Roland's trust in the system. His naivety might be justified by the fact that he was simply a mortal who didn't survive more than two decades. After all, Roland was only a child in Frank's eyes.

But the many system novels Roland had read may have increased his belief in the system.

He didn't say anything as he continued to observe the interaction.

==

'System, yes! Explain my current position and any abilities you may have. ' Roland said to the system in his soul.

[The Tod Leben Pilleri Luomus System is used. Death System is the meaning. It would assist Host in becoming a Death Kaiser*.]

==

Frank almost burst out laughing when he heard the parasite's name. It was a mash-up of two languages he learned, literally meaning 'Death Living Pill Creation System.'

Wasn't the person who designed this system an idiot? Wouldn't Roland have to learn a language as part of his future cultivation path?

But he quickly saw that Roland, without his existence, would rely solely on the system to attain the apex, with no self development.

Although his determination was admirable, he would eventually succumb to laziness, like the other protagonists in these novels, and then let the system handle everything for him.

'You reap what you sow.' Frank mentally nodded and praised whoever designed the mechanism. It was a smart demonic method of boosting their cultivation through the use of 'tools.'

But he had no plans to intervene anytime soon. He was interested in the 'Kaiser Path,' so he listened in on their conversation.

==

Roland's reaction was naturally thrilled. He had already begun to envision himself at the pinnacle of this universe, having several women by his side, and face slapping any young master that may come his way.

But he soon restrained his excitement when he asked the system what the 'Kaiser Path' was.

It then responded, [In this world, there are four different paths, each with their own peculiarity. The Kaiser Path is the merging of all of these paths' energies into one force: the Congenite Alku Force. However, in order to do so, the Svadhisthana must be awakened, as it is responsible for the force's potency. Without it, Host's body cannot manage it and will immediately explode.]

Roland excitedly smiled in his soul form, as he kept communicating with the system about the procedure, the history of this world, and other topics.

==

Frank was eavesdropping on their chat, which covered a broad variety of topics, such as the Creation Era, that even he didn't know about.

'It seems that this parasite has access to the River Of Time in order to comprehend the universe so well.' Frank nodded, finally deciding to make his move.

This parasite was undoubtedly created by a demonic cultivator who likewise followed the Kaiser Path. Killing it now would be way too risky.

As such, he planned to turn it off first, before changing its memory and making himself its master; cutting off any links with its creator.

He reasoned that such a being, unrestrained by anything, would not be concerned about a newly produced parasite that died suddenly. They could always make another and send it to another universe.

Afterwards, with a wave of his hand, he soon began manipulating everything in front of him...

==

Note:

The Auxiliary chapter has been updated (it has the cultivation ranks, paths, and worlds). It might contain spoilers for the upcoming chapter. I wanted to slowly introduce them, but was afraid of suddenly putting up an info dump that's a bit too big. Hence, it's better to put it all in one chapter where you can check whenever you forget something.