The sight was breathtaking. The violent flashes of lightning, crackling and colliding, conveyed a palpable sense of impending doom to the onlookers. Even Lucius, despite possessing the system of the King of the Dead, felt a slight pressure emanating from the relentless red lightning bolts. "Now begin. You mentioned a dream of procuring it, didn't you?" General Nefion abruptly requested, clearing a path towards the ferocious display of elemental force. "Damn, they're relentless," grumbled Lucius, noting the weapons aimed unwaveringly at his head, primed to retaliate at any hint of treachery. [The seedling of the Red Lightning System detected. Ten more years needed for it to mature.] "This waiting time is indeed excessive," Lucius muttered, reflecting on the validity of the information from his previous life. He contemplated the Red Lightning System that was destined to create a hero — the very system that had been forcibly snatched from that hero by the apocalyptic beast. Under th
"Your every action betrays your uniqueness," Lucius declared, staring at the stern general who appeared to be channeling his inner power. This was the same man who had once plunged, fearlessly, from the precipice of a deep mine. "And yet, you remain silent on my proposition," Lucius reminded. "Your offer to join the military? Regrettably, I have no such inclinations." "Do you not fear the life of a fugitive then?" "If I harbored such fear, I would never have defied expectations to begin with," Lucius retorted, his characteristic grin stretching across his face. "A shame. You possess the raw potential of a high-ranking military officer," the middle-aged man sighed, his fist tightening once more. Like an aircraft preparing for takeoff, the air around him hummed with potent energy. "Booommm!" He became a blur, moving so swiftly that Lucius could barely track his movement. Running purely on instinct, Lucius tilted his head, narrowly avoiding a blast of energy reminiscent of a cannon
"What's that noise?" Conrad, a man with golden hair, exclaimed in surprise. A disturbing vibration coursed through the ground beneath him, too strong to be ignored. "Could it be General Nefion?" he wondered aloud. With no time to spare, he slammed the door behind him and dashed out of the small room located at the mine shaft entrance. "Mr. Conrad, is something amiss?" a guard called out, visibly startled by Conrad's haste. "Nothing to worry about," Conrad replied over his shoulder, his words barely audible as he bolted away. Conrad was a military general responsible for overseeing the mine and all its personnel. More importantly, he was aware of the mysterious red lightning deep within the mine, a phenomenon that had already claimed several lives of those daring enough to approach it. "I have a bad feeling about this," he thought, navigating the mine with the agility of a squirrel. His fear confirmed when he arrived at the bottom to find the red lightning missing, bodies strewn ac
In an otherwise technologically advanced civilization, certain pockets remain somewhat untouched by progress. An excellent example is a small village nestled on the city's outskirts. In spite of the nation's technological prowess, the adults here appear to live in a bygone era. The village seldom experiences the hum of motor vehicles; the residents are content with their simple means of transportation: walking or cycling to their fields. Their lives harmonize with nature, creating a serene atmosphere that blankets the village. A modest market sits in the heart of the village, bustling with vendors who peddle goods bought from the city or sell their agricultural produce. "Vintage paintings for sale!" a man with a bushy mustache booms, his voice drawing villagers like a magnet. Thirsty for some entertainment, the villagers flock around the mustachioed man showcasing his artwork. "These paintings depict ancient kings, treasured artifacts that carry a hefty price tag," he announces, ea
His breaths came out in rapid gasps as he fled from the armed men chasing him. His chest heaved with the weight of his exhaustion, but he couldn't afford to slow down. "Hold your fire. We can't risk damaging the painting," commanded one man, seemingly the leader of the group. He felt a pang of relief. The painting wrapped in a white cloth that he was clutching became his shield. "Handy," he muttered. "Hand it over!" A voice demanded from behind him. He yelled back defiantly, "Not a chance!" His refusal seemed to rankle the soldiers, but their leader's order had tied their hands. They couldn't risk damaging the artwork. "We'll pay you for it," offered a soldier. "Do I look like a fool to you?" He spat, continuing his desperate dash. Suddenly, he tripped on a tree root, tumbling forward, the painting slipping from his grasp. "Open fire!" The command was issued instantly, followed by a burst of gunfire. The runner's body jerked as it was pierced by a hail of bullets, tearing his
Lucius, the young man, halted just shy of treading on a decaying corpse. Around him were bodies, their skin turned a sickly black and bloated from decay. Even maggots had started to make an appearance. "What kind of battle happened here?" Lucius mused aloud. Kneeling down, he studied one of the corpses closely. The face, frozen in an open-mouthed expression of horror, bore a small, blackened hole that looked suspiciously like a bullet wound. "Could they have been shot?" Lucius pondered. The sight before him was starkly different from the fallen soldiers of the Hedron kingdom he had seen in his previous life. With a dismissive "Thud," he kicked the corpse's head aside, looking for something underneath. "Nothing here," he grumbled, disappointment in his tone. His gaze flitted around the area, quickly spotting a few items of interest: a marble-like object, a card stuck in the ground, and an object resembling a painting. "These items... They could be what I've been looking for," Luci
Lucius stared in disbelief at the sight unfolding before him, a stark contrast to anything he'd ever seen. He had lived two lifetimes but had never come across a world as green and vibrant as this one. There was no pollution, none of the black, cloying factory smoke he was used to seeing every day. "Where am I?" He murmured, gazing at the unspoiled landscape stretching out before him. It was serene and beautiful, enticing him to become a part of it. He reached out to touch a leaf, dew still clinging to it, indicating the early morning hour. "This is real," he muttered, trying to reconcile this new world with his past experiences. A sound caught his attention, and he quickly ascended a nearby tree, settling on a branch to investigate its source. He spotted a young boy, around five years old, playfully pointing at a grasshopper jumping from one leaf to another. The child was accompanied by a woman, presumably his mother, holding an infant. Lucius watched as the small family interacte
City of splendor and power, homes of those closest to the king were notably grand, but one stood out among them all. This mansion, constructed from the finest wood, was adorned with natural stones and statues glistening with a golden sheen, an ostentatious display of wealth. "Why is the slave trader so tardy?" the owner, a man of considerable girth, grumbled. He tapped his belly impatiently, as if this action could hasten the arrival of his expected goods. "Sir, I have received word that your goods have entered the city," informed an older man, whispering to his superior as he held a note retrieved from a pigeon's leg. "Is a new trader arriving?" the fat man asked, his eyes gleaming with a childlike anticipation of a long-awaited toy. "Yes, sir." "Eland, prepare my money bag. We are heading straight to the sales location," he commanded. Eland, a weathered servant, nodded obediently and scurried off to fulfill the order. ** "This place is fascinating," Lucius mused. Having adjust
Lucius knew that the energy in his body was limited, despite having obtained energy absorption techniques from the painting world."How do I gather that much energy?""I will teach you... but you'll need to do something in return later.""Do something?"Caught in an intense situation, Nio, the girl, blushed slightly."I know this world will be destroyed. All I want is to experience love-making."Lucius' mouth gaped open, not expecting to hear such a request amid the chaos."Are you... serious?""I'm serious," she replied firmly. Lucius sighed, considering the bizarre world he found himself in to be part of an unreal memory."Alright... then how do I harness this cold energy?""Follow me!"Nio swiftly took Lucius's hand, leading him away. Lucius was speechless; Nio seemed to be driven by a passionate desire.Not far away, the rampage of the rat-headed nega continued. As it ravaged everything, Nio guided Lucius to an underground cave.Inside the dimly lit cavern, Nio swiftly threw somet
"Red Lightning!" he shouted, stomping his foot to create an enormous repulsion force, launching them far from the hill. They spun several times mid-air to maintain momentum before landing near a dense forest. "Is it due to the cold core? I feel my technique is improving," Lucius mused, feeling his power increase. "Graahh!" "Damn it!" Lucius cursed, quickly surrounding himself and Nio with black lightning to shield them from the blazing flames that incinerated the surrounding trees. "Why is it so fast?" he growled, glancing upwards to meet the creature's gaze, seemingly tracking them with deliberate intent. "Wait, if I recall correctly, the painting world was similar. Each world has a hero," Lucius considered, clutching the agdis. "Does that mean Nio is this world's heroine?" he thought hard. But his pondering was interrupted as he had to dodge a thrown stone from the monster with the help of his Red Lightning. "Booommm" Trees were uprooted and the bizarre fire's heat intensified
The magic of ice seemed to cause several glasses of water to freeze instantly. The ice was shattered by a woman, none other than Nio's mother, and mixed with the fruit juice they had on hand. "Unique, and fresh," said Lucius. The man and woman who were Nio's parents, smiled widely. "So, when are you getting married?" Nio's father asked again, causing Nio to puff up her cheeks in annoyance. "Dad, don't ask me that again," she huffed, quickly grasping Lucius' hand to leave the room after finishing their drinks made by Nio's mother. "Where are we going?" asked a surprised Lucius. The girl just smiled mysteriously. However, not long after that, Nio finally disclosed their destination. "Do you see that hill over there? That's my favorite place. I'm going to show you something interesting from there," the girl announced cheerfully. Lucius, whose hand was being eagerly tugged, felt like a boy being dragged into play by a friend. "From what I've seen, there doesn't seem to be anyone th
"Augh," the young man squealed as the girl's hand pressed against his back. A terrible cold aura seemed to enter every cell in his body, causing the young man's lips to suddenly turn purple. His vision blurred, but he could still hear the girl shouting repeatedly, "Control that energy. Otherwise, you'll die!" As she shouted, she continued to pump cold energy into his body. "What the hell?" Lucius inwardly grumbled, looking at his fingertips which had started to turn black earlier, his fingernails and toenails now turning purple. "Do I have frostbite?" he pondered as he lost the feeling in his hands and feet. "Control it, control the aura, and form a new core in your body," the girl hollered once more, causing Lucius to risk his life yet again. -- "Augh," the two people collapsed under the hot sun, drenched in sweat, the girl's curves made even more evident. This seemed to be a terrifying journey for Lucius, who was practicing this cold energy technique. Several times, he felt
If Lucius thought everything was fine, then apart from the oddity where the right and left of his body were switched, he began to realize that his guess was wrong. Suddenly, four strange figures appeared around him. They seemed to smell the scent of Lucius' body, and the four figures that were clearly not human looked at him lustfully. Their heads resembled the heads of large rats, with small and slender bodies that looked emaciated without clothes. Even their breastbones were sticking out, as if the creatures had been starving for a long time. "This is disgusting," Lucius muttered in amazement at the sight of such figures. They looked like large rats standing on two legs, with red eyes that flashed Lucius' shadow as if they were stalking him. "Grrrr" "Rowwrr" The monsters suddenly jumped at Lucius, trying to slash his neck with sharp claws. With practiced instinct, Lucius tried to dodge to the right, but it was his left foot that moved this time. The young man tumbled and almos
"Damn, this experience again," Lucius cursed after he was absorbed by the purple pearl. It placed him back into the pitch-black void, where no hint of light existed. "I can't even see my hand this time," Lucius muttered, lifting his hand only to see the encompassing darkness. "Augghh." "What's going on?" Lucius screamed, as if a foreign entity had awoken within him. A wave of fear washed over him, making him feel strangled by unseen, ghostly hands. The sheer terror of total darkness quickened his breathing. "No, what's happening?" Lucius yelled, trying to run aimlessly. His hands flailed about, but they touched nothing. The overwhelming darkness was all he could see. His anxiety peaked as his greatest fear was unearthed from deep within his psyche. "Total darkness," - it's not death that humans fear, but rather the loneliness and solitude in the complete darkness that follows. Trapped in this oppressive darkness, Lucius felt a greater pain than he had experienced when being t
"Splash!" Two young figures, Lucius and Amia, immediately plunged into the lake as though they were searching for something beneath its surface. They seemed to disappear into the darkness of the night, relying solely on their instincts and extraordinary abilities to discern what was transpiring in the depths. "What is it?" Lucius questioned himself as he spotted a light source below. Amia also seemed to see the light, and, in silent agreement, they both swiftly descended towards it. Their movements were so quick that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare them to two racing dolphins. "What is it?" Lucius thought again. His mouth was shut tight due to being underwater, but his brain was tirelessly processing the information it was receiving. For instance, a strange blue object appeared like a large glowing sphere with what seemed to be a young man sleeping within. It was an unfamiliar sight to Lucius, potentially housing thousands of mysteries he had never encountered in his two
"The red and black lightning roared, emitting a profoundly unsettling sound. The energy surged through Lucius' hands, causing the pointy-chinned demon to recoil. "Human, where did you get that much power?" The demon questioned, visibly astonished by Lucius' remarkable combination of attack and defense. "Those who are about to die need not know," Lucius responded defiantly, stomping his foot on the ground. The ground erupted, obstructing everyone's view. "Foul human, you think I can't track your location?" The demon retorted, flaring its nostrils in an attempt to detect Lucius' current whereabouts. "Above!" "Whack!" Lucius' heel kick, imbued with the terrifying red and blue lightning, was parried by the demon. "Aughh," the demon screeched, its arm visibly shocked by the lightning. It swiftly tilted and shifted its body to avoid the crushing force of the kick. "How is that possible? How?" The pointy-chinned demon wailed, waving its arm as if it were crushed. "How can this be? I
The chains finally broke, instantly drowning the young man, as the cloaked woman looked on with evident pleasure. "Soon, soon I can make a pact with the devil," she stated, her goal explicit, unaware that she was being observed by two pairs of eyes. "Mr. Lucius..." "Just call me Lucius," he said, interrupting the girl who seemed to have misnamed him several times. "But..." "There are no buts," Lucius interrupted again. "Then Lucius, why didn't we save that man?" "I believe there's a destiny that's protecting him. I'm more interested in seeing what that woman will do next," Lucius replied. The woman appeared to be hustling back and forth with the corpses that she had laboriously pulled out. It was clear that she was breathing heavily due to the strenuous work of carrying the bodies of villagers who had been slain by the village chief. "Damn, this guy should have left one or two slaves alive," she grumbled in annoyance, but she couldn't stop herself from continuing her task unt