Su Chen let out a dramatic sigh, dragging his feet along the muddy trail toward the forest at the edge of the village. The stench of manure clung to the fields on either side, blending with the ever-present aroma of poverty and failed harvests. The whole place reeked of defeat.
Why was he heading into the woods, you ask?
Because Old Jack—friendly uncle by day, full-time lunatic with a demon sword by night—was about to turn the village into a massacre site. And Su Chen? He had no delusions of grandeur. He wasn't the hero. He wasn't even a side character worth killing off with flair. And now he was heading to his hiding place, one he was still trying to find, to make sure he survived the bloodbath that was coming.
He was a cockroach.
And cockroaches survived. That was the reason he picked the Outsider Aura instead of something flashy like the Protagonist Halo or Villain's Destiny.
"I could stay and play the noble hero," he muttered, stepping carefully onto a narrow ridge path built above the flooded farmland. "But heroes always die first, and I'm terribly allergic to dying. I'd rather live a thousand years as a coward than die gloriously today."
He kept his head low, eyes scanning the sky and horizon, half-expecting to hear distant screaming at any second.
Of course, technically, Old Jack wouldn't kill him. They had a… relationship. Maybe not friends, but they shared nods. Like neighbors who didn't hate each other. But Su Chen knew the real reason he was safe: the Outsider Aura given by the System. That mysterious force made people ignore him unless they absolutely had to acknowledge his existence.
Still…
"Bro, that guy's sword is massive. What if he sneezes mid-swing? You think my discount friendship's gonna stop a demonic blade? Please. I'd be spiritual sashimi before I could say, 'Hey, hey! It's me, your favorite background character!'"
He shook his head with the heavy wisdom of someone who had consumed too many tragic backstories and could guess exactly how things would end.
"A sword doesn't care about relationships. All it wants is blood. And I? I want my internal organs to stay internal."
He took a careful step forward, still balancing on the narrow trail—a farmer's path, dry even when the village was knee-deep in mud. Convenient, but dangerous. One wrong move and he'd tumble into cold muck.
He pressed on, but his thoughts were louder than his footsteps.
This massacre—the classic bloodbath that jumpstarted every righteous protagonist's journey—it wasn't even supposed to happen yet. It was probably meant to awaken the Sacred Body inside him. The one locked up like a divine bank vault waiting for emotional trauma.
According to his memory, this massacre—or his predecessor's crush being chosen by a sect, or the village's destruction—it all sounded familiar. This was how most classic webnovels began. And this was supposed to be his moment. The classic "awakening by blood and trauma" scene. The first shackle of his Sacred Body broken, path of cultivation ignited, dramatic soundtrack playing in the background.
But now?
His predecessor was dead, and now he had chosen to hide and survive instead of following the dangerous protagonist path.
Now he wasn't even the main character anymore.
The village was still doomed—but it was not related to him.
Which could only mean one thing.
He wasn't Heaven's Chosen anymore.
Someone else was.
"Wait... does that mean there's a new Son of Luck in the village?" he whispered aloud, halting in his tracks like he'd just been struck by a heavenly tribulation of realization.
By the time he finished spiraling mentally, the trees were right in front of him.
Tall. Shadowy. Ominous.
The sunlight was gone.
And the vibe?
Haunted. Definitely haunted.
"This... this is where ghosts come to party, and demons host open-mic night."
A chill ran down his spine as he stared into the woods.
"I'm not scared. Who's scared? I'm not scared. I'm Su Chen. Future cultivation overlord. I've watched horror dramas with shoestring budgets. I've eaten cold noodles three nights in a row. You think I'm scared of trees?"
Still, his steps grew lighter, his back hunched slightly, like someone ready to abandon pride and sprint at the sound of a snapping twig.
"Let a ghost jump out. I dare you. I'll scream so loud the heavens themselves will beg me to stop."
As he pushed deeper into the forest, he started looking around. Not just walking—searching. He needed a hiding place. Somewhere dark, covered, and high enough to avoid random demons or swords accidentally taking off his head.
That's when he saw it.
A banyan tree. Not ancient, but mature enough. Its thick, curling roots wrapped around the earth like a protective cage, and its branches were sturdy, layered, and hidden by dense leaves. It wasn't perfect—but in this hellish situation, it was the closest thing to a safe haven.
He approached cautiously, scanning the area like a thief. Then he found a low branch, just barely within reach.
"Alright, no noise. No falling. No screaming."
He tested the bark with one hand. Solid. Then pulled himself up, gripping tightly, pushing with his legs, finding footholds in the twisted trunk. Slowly, carefully, he climbed, brushing leaves aside as he went. One wrong step and he'd crash down like a sack of turnips—and probably alert half the forest.
When he finally reached a good fork in the branches, he sat down, pulling his knees to his chest and curling inward. The canopy hid him well. From the ground, you wouldn't even know he was there.
He exhaled softly.
Safe. For now.
He stayed perfectly still, listening to the sounds of the forest. An owl hooted somewhere. Leaves rustled. Time crawled.
Minutes turned into nearly half an hour.
And then—
[Ding! Sleeping medicine has taken effect. Task complete. Reward granted: Poison Immunity and Five Elements Escape Technique.]
He froze.
Eyes wide.
Was that... a ghost?
No.
Wait.
He relaxed slightly.
The System.
Right. He'd eaten that chicken soup earlier—the one laced with sleeping medicine. The System had said it would reward him once the drug took effect. And now it had.
"Still could've warned me, damn scammer System," he muttered under his breath.
"System. Show me my status."
A soft chime sounded as a glowing screen materialized before his eyes.
[Name: Su Chen]
[Realm: Body Refining Realm]
[Species: Cultivator]
[Physique: Innate Sacred Dao Fetus]
[Techniques: None]
[Scriptures: None]
[Special Talents: Outsider Aura, Poison Immunity]
[System Storage: Five Elements Escape Technique]
He blinked as the drowsiness faded from his mind. The poison resistance had kicked in.
And for the first time today, a grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Finally. Something useful. Now if only it came with a pillow and a snack."
Even as the forest grew darker, even as the tension thickened—he still had the energy to joke.
Typical.
But then—
Thud.
Thud.
His smile faded.
His body tensed.
His thoughts stopped cold.
Someone—or something—was approaching.