The [Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon God].
A masterpiece; that was what this was. Everything from the fights to the world-building was perfected to an uncanny degree. I felt like part of the Murim, also known as the Wuxia Cultivation world, when playing.
The idea of a Heavenly Demon came from Korean martial arts novels and instantly gained popularity. Compared to Chinese Wuxia and Xianxia novels, where Demonic Martial Arts also existed, Murim was a lot more fleshed out. Also was somewhere between those two worlds in terms of power ceiling, and in that world, the sheer pressure behind the title of the Demon of Heaven made the world tremble.
This world, [Arcane Crown], saw demons as a general enemy. Although I didn't get to fight him, the final boss was a Demon King. There were also the 72 Devil Pillars of Hell. It was a typical fantasy game, although with some major unique additions.
Between the Demon King and the Heavenly Demon, anybody would choose the second because it's just so much better. Cooler, too. Well, anybody who knew his shit, anyway.
"The Heavenly Demon Skill Tree [1%]..." I read the line out loud again.
A percentage increased after I received all those memories. It seemed like my understanding of 'martial arts' as a whole concept, along with the other memories, contributed to the increase.
Having played the game 17 times, I knew all about the plot and the main character, the Heavenly Demon. What I didn't know was how the martial techniques really worked; after all, clicking the mouse and performing a technique was far different from actually knowing how it worked. Thankfully, these memories contributed to my understanding of how I could implement them in the real world.
The percentage was so low despite my profound knowledge of martial arts because it only gave me a general idea about 'martial arts,' as well as 'demonic arts' and how to practice them on a basic level, but not the information about how to perform the truly magnificent techniques of the Heavenly Demon.
If I had to guess, I'd say that as I level up, the System will grant me access to techniques on its own as the percentage would go up. But I'd have to actually level up to see if that theory was correct.
That's a little disappointing, I noted. Then again, it was not as if I could have used the techniques even if I did know how to. My body was too weak, and I didn't sense any form of energy in my body.
I was a Mana-less, Qi-less child.
[...You have accepted your new reality.]
[Moving on to your tasks, your quest…]
My celebration was cut short when more blue boxes formed in my vision. It was true, I had accepted my reality, and the pain earlier helped. A bunch of messages greeted me. I looked at them, and my expression soured.
[You've traversed to another world.]
[Your travel is not random but rather has a clear cause and effect. You have a role to play in saving this world from doom.]
[This Planet, Vear'thia, does not have an open ending. It has a true ending only through which this world can be saved. You must save the world.]
Main Quest: Reach the True Ending
Details: You're in the world of Vear'thia, which you know from a game you've played. Going by the terms of the game, this world has a dedicated true ending. If a wrong ending is reached, everything will meet its end, doomsday will come. It falls on your shoulders to save this world from imminent doom. Make a Cult: Save the World.
Reward: 1 Cosmic Level Wish, Dominion over the World Core.
Failure Penalty: Permanent Death
"Oh please."
Did it really ask me to save the world? If so, why did it have to add that penalty?
"Penalty Death…" I frowned. A moment later, I ignored it. It was nothing to be angry about. If the world was destroyed, I'd die along with it anyway. So I guess it wasn't that bad as far as threats went.
What bothered me was the quest itself. I had decided not to follow the plot the moment I realized I had the powers of the Heavenly Demon. With that kind of power, if I raised myself properly, I could even be dubbed as the 73rd Devil Pillar. Yet, it felt like it was telling me to go to school and fix the plot?
It certainly implied so. I had to go to the school if I wanted to 'fix' the plot. Most plot-heavy incidents happened there – deaths among them the most important – and missing out on any of them would make things go in a totally unexpected direction.
What was the point in going to some Academy when I could raise my Level in the mountains, slay dragons, and travel the world? Especially since I'll have demonic energy leaking out of me soon; the people at the Academy would burn me on a stake, thinking I was a Demon in disguise.
But if the System threatened me like this, what other choice did I have? If that wasn't bad enough, it then told me to make a Cult! Did it truly want me to revive the Heavenly Demon God Cult, go against the 12 Gods and 72 Devils of this world, and label myself a terrorist to the entire realm?
The problem was, I didn't even know the ending. I didn't get to complete the game, I was close, stuck in a fight against one of the last bosses.
"Haah…" I let out a heavy sigh. "How am I supposed to reach the true ending and save my life?"
The start of my new life wasn't looking very bright.
After getting past the initial shock and a bit of rage, I took a long look at the reward instead. "Cosmic Level Wish? What does that mean? Dominion over the World Core, too."
So, if I wanted to become a God or something, would it make me one? If I wanted to go back to my world, would it allow it? Hmm, if I wanted to become, let's say, a particular alien being with the cosmos for skin, would that happen? I had no idea if I was on the right track here.
"Any words of advice, System?"
In this world, there existed a game-like System that everyone, even the NPCs, had access to. For the record, theirs was a little limited compared to the Players'.
From the looks of it, I still had access to the player system since it was giving me a main quest, despite being in the body of an NPC. In this world, NPCs could only take [Ascension Quests] to overcome particular level blocks; for that, they had to visit one of the twelve Gods' temples, and the God would grant them a quest. However, I just got a quest while sitting on my luxurious floor.
Unfortunately, the system didn't reply. About time I get off this floor. I dusted off my clothes and walked over to the bed. I needed a shower. I'd been passed out for a while, and thanks to the sweat, I smelled somewhat.
"Jus-" I tried to recall the name of the butler under me. "Justin! Come here."
When I sat down on the bed, Justin entered the room swiftly. He put a hand on his chest and bowed slightly. "You called me, young master…?" He asked slowly, and he sounded slightly scared.
What? What kind of guy was the original Iskandaar that he's so scared? Hmm… Memories flashed in my head the moment I wondered that, and I got my answer.
It seemed that since the batch of my memory was so large, I only recalled some incidents after questioning them or encountering them. My memories told me that Iskandaar wasn't honestly that bad of a person, he was just an unusually useless piece of shit, but being the son of a Count, that was a big thing.
I disregarded that for now and said, "Prepare a bath." I'd decided to accept that this was the real world and that this was my life from now on, so I had to get moving.
Some emotional people might be surprised at how easily I accepted this and didn't miss my friends and family from my past life, but that was exactly the thing.
I missed nothing from my life. Everything that was good had left me that day, when my legs were crushed under a truck. My kickboxing career, those fake friends… everything.
If the person who sent me here thought they were giving me a punishment, they were not.
"Jokes on you, Aeth123." I had nothing in that life of mine. Why would I hate a restart? If Iskandaar was a piece of shit, I had to accept myself as that and move on. Since I was him now, his qualities were mine, and I'd have to work on them.
"Yes, young master," Justin nodded and left the room. A minute later, two maids entered the room, who pinched their skirts and bowed to me before entering the bathroom attached to my room.
Damn. This world was not bad at all. If it had such a nice attached bathroom, it wouldn't really be a medieval world then, would it? There was even a clock on the wall. Weren't clocks invented in the 17th century?
Once they were done preparing the bath, the maids invited me inside and stood in the corner. I waved them off, unwilling to let these women suffer in discomfort. The original owner of this body never really noticed or cared that these maids hated helping him bathe, but the memories allowed me to recall clear details.
"Curses, what's up with him?" One of the maids whispered, although it still reached my ear. "Did he hit his head that hard?"
"Shh, are you crazy?!" Her friend slapped her on the head, making her wince.
Hmmm, isn't the first maid the same one who was whispering earlier too? Damn, what did I do to her for her to keep talking about me? I wondered as I walked toward the tub.
That's right, this place has a tub. I was saved. "Ak-!" Taking a step, I almost slipped because my leg gave out. I barely caught myself by holding on to the nearby cloth hanger.
Holy fuck. That almost killed me. My body didn't have much strength. My bones gave up easily. I was chronically sick. Rather than dying from the world getting destroyed… I would probably die slipping and hitting my head again.
Goddamnit, how do I fix this?
****
Cult-making wasn't a small deal. If I had to make one, it'd take time. I was nowhere near ready enough to offend Gods. I might need years or decades before I'd be able to.
So, I guess I should focus on smaller stuff for now. Like my bones.
After resting in the water for five minutes to calm myself, I decided to get my mind busy. I called forth my Status Screen again.
Firstly, I had something crucial to take care of.
[Status Effect: Weak Bone Syndrome. (Severe)]
Upon clicking it, a whole detailed page popped in front of me.
[Details: The Weak Bone Syndrome is a chronic illness. Your bones are weak, your skeleton isn't suitable for any heavy work, and your lifespan is cut down to a portion of what it really should be.
*Effect: Weakens you by 70%.]
"I'm Level 2, and it makes me weaker by 70%?" I wondered how Iskandaar was even alive, built like this. I guess a Count Household had enough wealth among other things to keep a chronically ill son alive.
Why was he going around acting like a ruffian when he had a leg in the grave already?
Anyhow, this would have to be my first goal. I needed to remove this illness. Otherwise, just like the original Iskandaar, I might slip, hit my head, and die.
Thankfully, the disease was merely weak bones and not something like cancer. In the worst-case scenario, I'd have to go through total Body Reconstruction; it was quite rare in Murim. But as the strongest person under the sky, the Heavenly Demon himself had gone through many such procedures. I had memories of such incidents. The only problem with that was that I had to reach a certain level of martial prowess before I could do it, which was contradicting.
This body wasn't "suitable for any heavy work", as the description said. I had to find some other way.
The new memories in my head allowed me some knowledge in that regard, truly, my head held more than enough ideas on how to approach this illness. Closing my eyes, I went through them in my head and decided on one of them soon.
"Bone Marrow Cultivation," I chose, reopening my eyes. I had to absorb the bone marrow of a powerful magical beast and cultivate the energy essence it'd let out.
The effect wouldn't be immediate, and that wasn't the only thing I had to do. I had to work out like a madman every day to strengthen my bones with the energy I'd absorb. But it was a solution as good as any other.
I got up from the bath, the sudden motion almost hurdling me over, as I grumbled. This body truly was too weak, but thankfully I had a solution for it.
****
"Justin," I walked back into my bedroom and called for the servant from earlier. By then, I had changed into new clothes, standing in front of the mirror.
I waited for Justin to come, staring at my reflection in the meantime.
If anything, Iskandaar at least had a good mug going on. Black hair, slightly tanned skin, and contrasting bright golden eyes.
I shared these features with that middle-aged Count from earlier, my father of this world. People of our characteristics were rare in this Ethenia Empire, it ought to be since these traits were passed down from my grandfather, who was from the Erebian Empire. He fell in love and married into the Romani family a few decades ago.
Speaking of ancestry, the Romani family's true origin was from the eastern continent, which my ancestors left a long time ago to come to settle here. My ancestors picked up on the Romani name after we were granted Nobility here.
My other two siblings got the characteristics of the Count's wife, our mother, the Countess. Red hair and golden eyes. Oddly enough, my father didn't like me despite me looking like him, while my mother spoiled me more than the other two siblings despite looking different than her.
Is that how parenthood worked?
I had to look away from the mirror as the door flung open. "Young master," Justin entered the room, bowing at me.
"Justin, I'm in the mood for magical beast bone stew," I said after a second. "Prepare some for me."
The solution I had settled upon was surprisingly easily accessible, as I was the son of a Count. Food made from Magical Beasts was a luxury that nobles often enjoyed in this world, so we likely have some in storage.
Justin blinked, his face growing concerned. "Um, young master, magical beast food is extremely expensive… The Count has grounded you and has confiscated your pocket money. I am unable to prepare such an expensive thing."
"Haah," I sighed. What a dilemma, does this mean we don't have that in storage? Also, is this Count trying to kill his son? In that case…
"I'm sorry, young master."
"What about mother?" I asked. "Ask her for some money."
"...Young master, the Lady isn't allowed to meet you." He replied.
"I'm not saying I'll meet her. You go to her and tell her that I want to eat magical beast bone stew, my throat is itching. I might end up dying from a lack of magical beast bone stew if she doesn't give me money to buy it." I said, and Justin's face grew uncomfortable.
"Um, young master… I don't know if I should say this, but it's not as if we don't have magical beasts in our inventory. But it's being stored for the young lady or the 2nd young master when they come to visit." He said and I scowled.
"So the youngest isn't allowed food?"
"T-that…" Justin gulped. "That's not the case, of course. It's just that, you're not a [Knight] like the young lady, nor are you a [Mage] like the 2nd young master. So feeding you that will be a waste."
My face sank, "Tell my mother that her youngest is heartbroken hearing about the disparity between her children's treatment."
"...."
"Tell her that I'm crying and that I might die from a broken heart, like a dove, after hearing this," I said and watched Justin stare at me. "Do you understand, Justin?"
"...Um, young master…"
"Do you understand, Justin?"
"Yes, young master," Justin sighed with closed eyes and nodded.
Soon, he left the room. Two hours later, a magical beast stew rested on my table.
****
Count Royden Romani sipped tea and looked at Justin. "Has the stew been delivered to him?"
Justin shakily nodded, "Y-yes, sir…"
Justin wasn't expecting the Lord to be with the Lady when he came to meet her earlier. Of course, it was too late to back off once he knocked at her door. So he had to say the things the young master told him to say.
He had expected the Count to scoff and send him back immediately, but instead, he had scratched his chin for a long minute before nodding. The Lady was delighted to see her husband allow it, so Justin ordered the cooks to prepare magical beast bone stew for him.
"You did well," the Lady smiled at him, which made all of this process worth it. Such a sweet woman, even the royal capital didn't have kind smiles like her. Justin nodded.
Justin cleared his throat and looked up at his Lord. He felt hesitant to ask, but his curiosity was killing him. "My lord, may I be so bold to ask why you're allowing him this luxury? I honestly thought you'd reject him since he's grounded."
"Hmm," the lord wondered for a moment and decided to answer. "Do you know the use of magical beast food?"
"Uh, isn't it to strengthen the body and mana of a knight or mage? For a [Knight]'s case, it makes his body a lot stronger and increases his aura just a bit. In a [Mage]'s case, it's the opposite, his body would grow a little stronger, but his mana would grow a lot. But, uh, my lord, one needs to have a Mana Core to gain either of these benefits. The young master…"
"He doesn't have a Mana Core, I know," the Lord said. "As big of a ruffian as my son is, he can't be that unintelligent. He surely knows that he has to have a Mana Core to receive the food's benefit. And yet he chose to waste expensive food? I'm curious what he's up to," he said, "and I hope disappointment isn't what is waiting for me."
"Honey, you're being too harsh," the Lady scowled at him, and the Lord ignored her.
"Justin," the lord said, "observe him. Tell me anything peculiar he might be up to, understood?"
"Yes, of course, my lord," Justin lowered his head again and said.
"Good. You may take your leave," the lord said.
****