1 God's Are Hypocrites
"Haaa, this is so boring" Sighing, Dennis leaned back in his chair.
With a scruffy and unkempt appearance, it seemed like he hadn't showered in days. He was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, underneath that was a stained shirt marked with old meals.
His surroundings were no better. Plates, bowls and leftover food containers towered around on every surface, some giving off a funky smell.
Running his hand through his dirty and greasy hair, he pondered, "Should I maybe go to sleep?"
Just then, an unexpected message flashed on his computer screen.
[★Heaven Devouring Physique Detected★]
The sudden alert almost sent him tumbling from his chair, but he caught himself just in time. His eyes widened, and a broad grin spread across his face as he leaned into the screen.
"Finally…" he whispered, amazed that something exciting had occurred.
Dennis was currently playing a simulation game of his own creation. It was an expansive world inspired by the cultivation novels he adored as a child, albeit with a dash of Western fantasy sprinkled in for fun.
The "Heaven Devouring Physique" was his brainchild.
"Will I finally witness the birth of a vampire progenitor?" He mused.
This physique was based on the vampire myth. It was unique; only one individual could possess it at any moment. Upon its awakening, the holder would awaken as a vampire progenitor, defying the world's natural balance and inciting celestial chaos.
At the start of the simulation, he cursed a certain bloodline with the responsibility of having such a physique, however, he wanted vampires to appear organically, so he resisted further intervention.
However, each time someone with the physique emerged, they met an untimely end before realizing their full potential and destiny.
Thousands of in-simulation years had passed since the last bearer, causing Dennis to push their existence to the back of his mind.
He could have simply taken things into his own hands and manipulated events, but then the whole point of the simulated world would have lost all meaning to him.
When he first started the simulation, he vowed to never interfere with the natural flow of the world.
The unexpected notification lifted his spirits. His entire attention was placed on this singular character for the following months.
But history likes to repeat itself. Just like those that came before him, this character did not have an enjoyable or easy life.
Despite being born into a renowned mid-tier cultivation clan, his life was filled with hardship. His red eyes — an anomaly in his lineage — led to rampant discrimination.
His mother, having faced accusations of infidelity from the family patriarch, paid the ultimate price to ensure his safety. Although the patriarch couldn't bring himself to harm her, his negligence made their lives unbearable.
Whispers of a 'bastard child' spread throughout the clan, and as a result, they were treated worse than the most humble slaves.
The duo persisted until a fateful stormy night when the boy's mother succumbed to illness and fatigue, having overworked herself to ensure her child's belly was always full.
With her fading strength, the woman whispered to her son, "I love you. Please, don't resent your father. He's a good man who's lost his way. Live on for me, cherish life. Hold onto hope and persevere. Things will change for the better..."
As her voice trailed off, the boy felt her hand become limp, signalling her final moment.
He struggled to contain his grief, but tears flowed freely.
That day, he resolved to avenge his mother's needless suffering and untimely death at all costs.
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Years flowed swiftly in the simulation, and Dennis' anticipation of witnessing a vampire's birth in a cultivation world waned.
He wondered if Rain, nicknamed by Dennis after his tearful disposition, would ever rise to his destiny.
Rain's frequent tears were bewildering to Dennis, who had weathered life's storms. It sometimes made Dennis question if he still possessed the capability for empathy and emotions.
Although Rain's journey was less than inspiring, Dennis clung to a faint hope that perhaps the young man would prove him wrong. But one evening shattered that hope.
A beautiful woman from a neighbouring clan, seeking amusement, extended a semblance of kindness to Rain. Oblivious to her motives, Rain basked in the newfound attention.
Unfortunately for Rain, In the cultivation world, emotions often overrode reason. The actions of the woman caught the eye of one of Rain's half-siblings. Jealous and seeing Rain as an eye-sore, he decided to eliminate the 'infidelity-born' stain.
He believed that nobody would complain about it, if anything, they'd be grateful for doing something even the patriarch couldn't bring himself to.
A couple of warriors were sent after Rain, ambushing him as he was heading to his quarters.
The pair decided to make a game of it, and after inflicting severe wounds on Rain, they allowed him to escape. They relished in the hunt, taking their time to end his miserable existence and having some fun while doing it.
"Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!" Dennis yelled, frustration echoing in the night.
Defeated, he sank into his chair, a weight of disappointment pressing on him. "All this time, for what?" He had watched Rain grow from infancy to a frail 21-year-old.
In those 21 simulated years, Dennis didn't see anything worth mentioning. It was like watching the life of an ant.
Seemingly small and insignificant and completely predictable.
In those years, plenty of fights happened across the world that would put even the highest-budget Hollywood movie fight scene to shame.
As the old generation slowly faded, a wave of new cultivating geniuses started to make their splash. But he spent all this time focused on, as it now turned out, a worthless existence and utter and complete failure.
"His father should have just gotten rid of him at birth." He complained. "At least then I could have used my time better."
For the first time, Dennis regretted his rule of not getting involved. He could have pushed Rain forward to the destiny of those who have that physique or, at the very least, gotten rid of him early on and saved some time.
This could have been the last chance to see a vampire show up in this world, and it was wasted just like that.
As Dennis pondered the what-ifs and ignored his screen, Rain managed to make his way into a cave.
Rain made it a fair bit into the cave before eventually collapsing onto the ground. Despite the heavy bleeding and the loss of strength in his body, he somehow continued to crawl.
He held onto consciousness with sheer willpower and determination, eventually breathlessly reaching the end of the cave.
As he neared the wall at the end of the cave, a figure slowly became visible.
Sitting in the lotus position, propped up against the wall, was what appeared to be a mummified figure.
Its skin was wrinkled and dry, while its muscles lacked any shape or tone, giving the appearance of pure skin and bones.
Due to the lack of any defining features, one would be unable to tell whether the figure belonged to that of a man or a woman.
Its eyes and mouth were closed. Beneath the eyes were what looked to be three fading water droplets tattooed with crimson ink.
It was clothed in a crimson hooded robe that had a similar three-droplet design prominent on the chest area of the robe.
Despite the eerie appearance, the figure looked at peace.
If Dennis had been watching this situation play out, he would have recognised the mummified figure. Dennis had paid special attention to them and followed their adventures at one point in his life.
Once Rain managed to crawl close enough to the figure that he was practically face to face, something unexpected happened.
The mummy's eyes snapped open, shocking and frightening Rain, causing him to exhale sharply in terror.
As Rain gazed at the mysterious figure, it, in turn, scrutinized every inch of him as if it could see through his entire being.
Somehow, this mummy gave off a profound feeling to Rain.
He had felt a similar feeling to that years ago when he had managed to catch a glimpse of his father.
It was a similar feeling yet different. This time it felt far more intense.
"He's like father…" he thought to himself.
Rain's father was a powerful cultivator and the leader of an entire clan. Despite being isolated from his clan and the world at large, Rain was well aware of his father's power and how rare cultivators of that level were.
This made him wonder what had happened to this person. "How did such a powerful being become like this?"
As those thoughts swirled around in his head, he heard a voice.
It was a cold and frail but manly voice that echoed with every word that was spoken.
"You don't want to perish here, do you? No need to answer. I can tell by the look in your eyes. There are still things you want to achieve before your time is up… Revenge, if I'm not mistaken."
Rain couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing, the mysterious figure had completely seen through him and spoke without opening its mouth in the slightest.
The figure continued, "You don't have long left, but I can try and help save your life. If it's successful or not depends on you and your fortune."
Rain wanted to ask him why he'd help him, but no words came out.
The voice chuckled "Conserve your strength, you will need it. I can tell exactly what you're thinking. Now that you've woken me from my slumber, I don't have much time left."
"This is far from ideal, but it's my only option. Should you accept my offer, you will become my potential successor. You will be blessed with knowledge of my inheritance grounds." It continued.
"If you prevail, unimaginable power awaits, making any ambition achievable. But if you fail..…" the voice trailed off, with the implication being obvious.
Throughout the entire speech, Rain's gaze remained unyielding.
Seeing this, the mummified figure surprisingly displayed a faint smile. "Very well. Bite me and drink my blood. I'll help you get started on my cultivation path, but once again, whether you succeed or not depends on you and you alone."
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As this was happening, somebody had knocked on Dennis' door in the real world.
It was late into the night, causing Dennis to wonder which of his neighbours was knocking on his door this time.
"Was I being too loud again?" He tried to think back, remembering the shouting he did not much earlier. "Let's just get this over and done with."
Dejected and defeated, Dennis got up from his chair and made his way towards the door.
As he opened the door and pushed the handle down to deal with the upcoming complaints from a neighbour, the door was violently thrust open, sending him flying backwards onto the ground.
Two masked, imposing figures entered. Before he could ask who they were and what they wanted, one of the men spoke.
"Charlie sends his regards, this is what happens when you touch the waitress!"
Then, without further warning, Dennis was shot in the chest. Gasping and grappling with the sudden pain, he saw one assailant snap a picture and promptly receive a response.
"Damn it, this isn't the right guy! Let's get out of here quickly!" With those words, the duo vanished, leaving Dennis in a growing pool of his own blood.
Struggling for each breath, anger and bitterness consumed Dennis's thoughts. "Why do monsters like them thrive while the innocent suffer? Whoever the god of this world is, they're a hypocrite and no better than those who killed me. Cursing good people with misfortune and suffering while leaving the wicked untouched."
Simultaneously unknown to Dennis, Rain harboured parallel sentiments in the simulated world. As darkness encroached upon both, their surroundings grew dim until the last of their life force left them.
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A/N: Hey, if you got this far, I hope you enjoyed the prologue to my new novel. I always thought vampires would fit perfectly in a cultivation world, but a novel like that didn't exist, so I had to make it myself.
Prepare yourself for hardships and epic battles as Dennis gets used to his new world (and yes, he will gain a new name) and places all life beneath his feet!
