Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 92 - Crisis and opportunity - Part Two

  *** L????????i??????????????????????????? ????????????????????C?????????????????????h????????????????a??????????????????????????n??????g????????????????????? ????????????-????????? ??????????S???????????y????????????s??????????????t??????????e??????????????????????????m??????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????I????????????????????n??????????????????????????t???????????e????????g??????????r???????????????????????????a?????????????????????t????????????????????i????????????o??????????????????????n????????????????:?????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????C???????????????????????1?????????????????????????5??????????????7?????????7???????????????????????6????????????2????????????????????3??????2???????????????5?????????? ??????????????????-????????????????????????? ??????????L???????????????i????q?????????????u???????????????????????i??????????????????????d??????????????????????a?????????????????????t???????????????i????????o???????????????n??????????????????????????? ?????????????????V??????????????????a???????????u????????l???????????t???????????????????? ?????????????????????E?????????????????????????p?????????s????????????i???????????????????????????l??????????????????????o???????????????????n?????????????????????????? ***

  Paralysed by fear, it was all Chang could manage not to void his bowels and bladder in terror. His second chance at life had not been kind by any stretch of the imagination, but there had always been a way to overcome the dangerous situations he found himself in.

  That is, until now.

  The delicate fingers of the savage jade beauty tightened by a fraction of an inch. Just enough to make it abundantly clear that Chang was at her mercy.

  A fact that was reinforced by the Notifications given by the System still superimposed in the centre of his vision.

  [ Warning: Host has experienced a brief loss of control in response to hostile Mental Manipulation…Chosen of Heaven has been Activated… ]

  [ Warning: Continued use of Chosen of Heaven will incur Heaven’s Wrath…Chosen of Heaven has been Deactivated… ]

  [ Warning: Host has experienced a brief loss of control in response to hostile Mental Manipulation…Chosen of Heaven has been Activated… ]

  [ Warning: Continued use of Chosen of Heaven will incur Heaven’s Wrath…Chosen of Heaven has been Deactivated… ]

  [ Warning: Demonic Entity has been detected…Difference in combat strength...Insurmountable... ]

  [ Tutorial Recommendation: RUN!!! ]

  Demon?!

  The jade beauty's eyes narrowed slightly, and Chang was afraid he had spoken aloud.

  "I-I don't know what you are talking about! I think there has been a big misunderstanding...understanding..." Chang lied, his panic giving way to outright terror. However, the intense fear passed almost as quickly as it had arrived and left him momentarily confused.

  Why was he lying to this beautiful woman? She was a friend and perhaps more? Wasn't this just some form of rough play that super-rich CEOs usually paid big money for? Yes, that had to be it. There was no other explanation for it.

  In his old life, Chang hadn't had any luck with women at all. A poor high school student, with middling grades at best, he hadn't managed to get a girl to so much as look in his direction. Now...

  A fresh wave of confusion passed through his mind, and Chang felt a momentary pang of anxiety. Unable to shake the idea that he was in danger.

  With a supreme force of will, Chang tore his eyes off the jade beauty and realised the burly thug behind her had not retreated a single step and was staring at him with an unsettling gaze.

  Different from before, the suspicion and confusion in the thug's eyes were gone. Replaced by an almost weary calculation that left Chang with the unmistakable impression that his life was in imminent danger.

  Contrary to his simple appearance, the burly thug gave off a subtle pressure that marked him as one of the immortals. A Cultivator like the characters from the Xianxia he had read in his previous life. However, in stark contrast to the jade Beauty, or even the bearded thug lurking in Chang's peripheral vision, the burly thug bore no resemblance to the refined and elegant Cultivators Chang was familiar with.

  Bald and heavily muscled, the burly bandit bore a disturbingly similar appearance to the bandit chief from his favourite webtoon. In every way, except for his eyes. Unlike the muscleheaded brutes from his favourite webnovels, or the thugs Chang had robbed only hours earlier, the burly thug had a calm and deliberate air about him. Which only served to make him seem all the more dangerous for it.

  [ Warning: A Monarch has been detected! Difference in combat strength...Insurmountable... ]

  [ Tutorial Recommendation: Surrender and beg for a clean death! ]

  Reading the system notification, Chang's eyes widened in alarm.

  The locals spoke of the Monarch as if he were some sort of god. A true immortal emperor with the power to destroy the entire world if he so chose. But he was supposed to be a stately elderly figure, dressed in the finest silk robes and adorned with priceless treasures.

  Something shifted behind the burly thug's eyes, and Chang was horrified to discover that the thug, this Monarch, was aware that he had been identified and was prepared to kill to protect his secret.

  Fighting down his panic as best as he was able, Chang fought back the tears welling in the corners of his eyes and desperately racked his brain for a way to survive. Without needing to test her, Change knew that the jade beauty was far stronger than she appeared and could likely break his neck or rip his throat out with little to no effort.

  Making matters worse, just being close to her was making it incredibly difficult to think. Like a fog had descended upon his mind. He had a vague recollection that he had received warnings from the system, but it was obvious that his golden finger, the Chosen of Heaven Ability, had failed to protect him from the danger.

  Hopeful that he might use the reality bending Ability to escape, Chang mentally raised his Status in preparation to activate Chosen of Heaven. However, just as he was prepared to activate the ability, he froze.

  Chang had five Heavenly Karma Points before he had entered the brothel, and now there were none...

  The tutorial given by the system had made it incredibly clear that continued use of the Ability would incur negative points. Which could maliciously bend reality to cause him harm in the same way that its normal use helped him avoid it. Only, there was no telling when the negative Heavenly Karma Points would be spent.

  "Release him," the burly thug ordered.

  His deep voice pulled Chang from his frantic thoughts.

  The jade beauty removed her fingers from his neck without argument. She circled him with impossible grace and imposed herself in the exit.

  Suddenly lightheaded, Chang nearly collapsed.

  "COME, SIT," the burly thug motioned toward a nearby couch and then seated himself on another across from it.

  A resonant quality in his words compelled Chang into movement, and he quickly found himself sitting across from the man.

  "Who are you? And where are you from?" the burly thug asked pointedly. His brow furrowed, and his lips pursed with annoyance. "On Earth, where did you live?"

  Chang had been about to answer, but was caught off guard by the abrupt rephrasing of the question. Almost like he had known how Chang intended to reply before he had the chance to speak. "Li Chang...I lived in Hong Kong..." He said meekly.

  The burly thug relaxed somewhat and nodded with approval. "How long have you been in this world?" He asked, vaguely motioning around them with his left hand without breaking eye contact.

  "About a week..." Chang gulped dryly, nervously sneaking glances around the large room for potential avenues for escape.

  "And the girl, Feng Xiu, why did you come for her?" The burly thug asked, assessing him with a deep scrutinising gaze.

  "Xiu-er, she..." Chang felt an intense sense of foreboding and discarded the half-truth. "She was, maybe is? Li Chang's friend..." He tapped one finger against his chest for emphasis.

  The burly thug considered his answer for a few moments and then motioned for him to continue. "Explain."

  Chang nodded meekly and licked his dry lips to stop the split in his lip from tearing anew. "After I died, the system...It gave me this body..." He shifted uncomfortably and couldn't help but wring his hands. "I think he was already dead...this Li Chang, I mean...I have his memories in my head, and he was beaten really badly, but..." Chang had never allowed himself to delve into those memories too deeply, afraid of what he might find. Speaking about it so openly, he felt an intense degree of shame. "Saving Feng Xiu...It was to fulfil his last wish...A sort of payment for my new chance at life..."

  Chang's memories were thoroughly tangled with those belonging to the original owner of the body. So this wasn't the full truth. However, Chang wasn't sure how he could explain the complicated mess of emotions that would meet with the thug's expectations.

  The burly thug nodded in understanding. Perhaps having experienced something similar himself. Since it was possible, he was a transmigrator as well. At the very least, he was aware of them and appeared to have no small degree of knowledge about them. "And on Earth, who did you kill?"

  The question took Chang completely by surprise, and he felt a brief but intense surge of panic. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his blood ran cold as a fresh wave of adrenaline crashed into his system.

  How had he known?

  Even though the burly thug made no outward steps to compel and answer, the invisible pressure Chang had felt from earlier began to slowly increase. Pressing in on him from all sides with a slow but undeniable grip. "Z-Zhao Tian!" Chang barked with a stammer, fresh tears burned in the corner of his eyes as shame drew his gaze toward the floor. "He was hurting the others..." Rage burned away his shame. "So I pushed him off the roof!" He declared defiantly, raising his head to face the thug again.

  Despite his rage, Chang hated himself. It had taken him entirely too long to act despite knowing Tian and his gang would never allow him to live as a potential witness to their crimes.

  The burly thug nodded sombrely, his face devoid of judgment or condemnation. However, there was a deep anger in his eyes all the same.

  Surprised and confused, Chang still felt the need to justify his actions. "He was one of the Chosen! He had magic! I couldn't do anything!" Tears ran freely down his cheeks as memories of that night returned unbidden to his mind.

  Zhao Tian was standing half-naked on the balcony of the ruined apartment. The battered and unmoving girl was lying naked on the bed. Her dark blood stained the sheets and pillow from where Tian had slashed her throat. Her cold, empty eyes seemed to stare at him with silent accusation.

  The way Tian had laughed as he smoked a fresh cigarette and threw the girl's clothes out over the empty street.

  The moment Chang finally found his nerve and decided to act.

  The stark look of surprise and confusion on Tian's face as they both tumbled over the railing and plummeted toward the street fifteen stories below.

  Chang wiped away the tears with the back of his forearm and scowled determinedly, expecting the burly thug and his companions to mock him for his show of weakness. Only to be surprised to find the thug's attitude toward him had shifted.

  The last vestiges of hostility and suspicion were gone. Replaced by sympathy and a healthy measure of respect.

  "If you left with Xiu today, where would you both go?" The burly thug asked, briefly looking away and toward the stairs leading to the upper floors.

  "Far away..." Chang replied hastily but regretted it almost instantly. Aware that he sounded like a naive child. "Somewhere people can't hurt her anymore..." He added awkwardly, keenly aware that the addition sounded no more mature but compelled to say the words all the same.

  "Do you have a plan?" The burly thug asked, his tone free of the ridicule Chang had expected. Instead, only possessed of concern and perhaps a measure of expectation.

  Chang couldn't bring himself to answer. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment in recognition that he didn't have much of a plan from the beginning. He had been hoping that with the protection of his Chosen of Heaven Ability, things would somehow work out for the best. As naive and reckless as this poor excuse for a plan had been, things had worked out well enough right up until he entered the brothel.

  "And what if she won't leave?" The burly thug asked, his attention now firmly upon Chang once more.

  Chang scowled and bit his tongue to stop himself from saying something that would almost certainly have drawn the older man's ire. "Why would she stay?!" He demanded heatedly.

  The burly bandit sighed and leaned on the couch. He considered Chang for several long moments in silence before he appeared to come to a decision. "We have offered her, and the others, a different path. An opportunity to start over." He paused and gave Chang a weighted look that carried as yet unspoken expectations. "An opportunity, I am willing to extend to you."

  Suspicious, Chang remained keenly aware that he was completely at this man's mercy. However, it didn't mean he would overlook a potential opportunity that might facilitate the rescue of Xiu and their escape from the city. "And what would I need to give in exchange?" He asked warily. Also aware that someone so powerful would never offer anything of value without expecting something in return.

  The burly thug gave Chang another measured stare and gave an almost imperceptible nod. "An Oath of fealty, with the expectation to obey and uphold my laws."

  [ A Monarch has offered you an opportunity to become their Vassal. Rejecting this offer is not recommended... ]

  "Your laws?..." Chang asked hesitantly, reluctant to consider what heinous acts a bandit would demand of his subjects. A truly disturbing prospect if the system could be trusted in the assessment of the burly thug's true identity.

  An ancient-looking scroll flashed into being and floated in the air between them. Unfurling of its own accord, the scroll revealed neatly printed lines of words written in the English language. Despite being only a mediocre student in his former life, Chang knew enough to confidently identify and translate three words in every five. However, to his immense surprise, the letters on the scroll shifted into modern Chinese characters. As if the magic that created the scroll was aware of his difficulties and took steps to accommodate his needs.

  Of course, that raised the question of whether anything written on the scroll could be trusted, if it was so open to change at a moment's notice. A fact that only made him more anxious after reading the title.

  The Tyrant's decree.

  Isn't that what a criminal should be expected to be? And it is a world of Cultivation where the rule of the strong is all that truly matters...

  Chang's misgivings slowly gave way to confusion as he began reading through the contents of the scroll.

  The punishments were more or less as he had expected, with many carrying the death penalty. However, it was the laws themselves that came as the biggest shock to his initial expectations. With the forbiddance of murder, rape, and the abuse of minors featured prominently at the top of the list, with only the first carrying the provision for punishment if such an act was carried out against a fellow citizen.

  Many of the other laws carried similar provisions, but also carried lighter punishments. Mostly fines or mandatory civil service, from what Chang could understand. Although there were terms he didn't quite understand, the scroll's magic did not attempt to explain or elaborate.

  "Why does this make such a big difference between stealing from another citizen and a foreigner?" Chang couldn't help but mutter. He was not so naive as to believe a two-tier system of justice had existed in his old world and country, but no one in a position had been so brazen as to say the quiet part aloud. Let alone enshrine it in the laws themselves.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "There are no world courts to uphold even the illusion of enforcing laws beyond a nation's borders," the burly thug replied candidly, apparently having heard what Chang had said and treating it as a serious question. "So I hold my own to a higher and exacting standard. In war, it's impossible to account for everything. But these laws keep the worst sins in check."

  Chang hadn't considered it from such a perspective and found himself able to better understand the deliberate exceptions that were made to certain laws and not others. However, this was still contingent on whether what was written was properly enforced. After all, it was one thing to say something, and quite another to actually follow through.

  What was to stop someone from swearing this Oath and then breaking it when it became inconvenient?

  "The Oath is enforced by the system," the burly thug explained, seemingly able to read his thoughts. "If you swore an Oath to uphold my laws and then attempted to murder another of my subjects, you would die the instant you were committed to carrying out the act." The absolute certainty in his words went beyond confidence. He had clearly witnessed as much firsthand and knew it as an absolute truth.

  "And what stops you from just doing whatever you want?" Chang retorted belligerently, unsettled by the prospect of due process being stripped from the enforcement of the law. Even if it was a neutral third party.

  "Nothing," the burly thug admitted candidly, "Nothing except for my word." He seemed convinced that was more than sufficient, and despite himself, Chang felt himself beginning to believe him.

  Chang mustered his nerve to make a demand, unwilling to take a chance when so much was at stake. "I want to speak with Xiu-er..." He demanded hesitantly. Testing the self-proclaimed tyrant's magnanimity.

  As if he had expected such a demand, the burly thug didn't hesitate and motioned toward the stairs. "She has been listening and is waiting for you. Take all the time you need...However-" He gave Chang a deathly cold stare and emanated a palpable aura of what he could only interpret as killing intent. "-if you harm anyone, including her, you will die...Am I understood?" His eyes had grown dark like a cold winter sky and carried the promise of death in their depths.

  Only now aware that he was living on borrowed time, and had been from the beginning. Chang couldn't help but tremble beneath the hulking Cultivator's gaze. The burly thug, Monarch, tyrant, had intended to kill him the instant he learned Chang was a transmigrator.

  Something he had said earned him a reprieve, but Chang wasn't sure why.

  Surely, being gifted a golden finger, a cheat, wasn't something someone so powerful would feel the need to kill over. After all, it wasn't like his Ability could be taken from his corpse, right?

  [ Tutorial: Abilities granted by the system cannot be transferred to a third party. ]

  The notification came unprompted and was thoroughly unhelpful.

  Too stressed and afraid to speak, Chang shakily rose from the couch and fled toward the stairs. The image of the Cultivator's deathly gaze burned into the back of his eyes like a waking nightmare.

  In his panic, Chang nearly ploughed into the young teen girl seated on the steps of the stairs as he rounded the first landing. Instead, he tripped over his own feet and spun one hundred and eighty degrees and landed painfully on the wide, shallow steps of the stairs beside her.

  "Li Chang!" The teen girl cried with relief and surprise.

  "Xiu-er?" Shocked past the pain in his shoulders and lower back, Chang looked toward the source of the voice. His eyes settled on the young teen sitting on the stairs beside him.

  Too young and underfed to possess the curves and womanly charms of the jade beauty downstairs, Xiu's proximity made his heart race all the same. She wore simple roughspun robes and had washed off the makeup from when he had last seen her the evening before. Not that he blamed her for it. If Chang had been in her place, he would probably have done the same.

  Xiu pulled Chang into a tight embrace, leaning into him and squeezing him tightly for a moment, as if to make sure he was really there, before releasing him and pulling away. "I didn't think you would come..." She confessed, eyes downcast with shame. Her fingers clenched her robes so tightly they turned white, and silent tears splashed onto the fabric covering her thighs.

  Completely out of his depth, Chang wasn't sure what to say or do. Only that he was supposed to do something.

  "The owner...When he sent those men to find you..." Xiu sobbed pitiably, "I thought they had killed you..."

  Chang froze, the fractured memories of the body's original owner focused on the hours preceding his death. The gang members had given him a beating that had caused several internal injuries, which had killed him within a matter of hours despite his managing to escape and hide.

  "I couldn't just leave you here..." Chang replied somewhat numbly, chilled by the memory of dying like a beaten dog in a trash-filled alley. "Did...Did they hurt you?" He knew it was the wrong thing to say and the wrong way to say it the moment the words tumbled out of his mouth.

  Xiu tensed in response but said nothing.

  Cheeks flushed with shame, Chang bit the inside of his cheek and used the pain to push through the awkwardness that threatened to damn him to silence. "Xiu-er...I'm sorry...Forget I said any-"

  "No..." Xiu stated so quietly that Chang almost hadn't heard her. "They...They were saving me for some big shot...part of a deal..." Her tears had stopped, but she continued to tremble. "It was supposed to be tonight...They wanted me to know that...Told me-" Her voice broke, and she fell into silence again. "They didn't touch me...Wanted me...unspoiled..."

  Chang felt relieved, but there was also a part of him that felt ashamed for it. Despite her physical well-being, it didn't mean she had escaped unscathed. "I'm sorry..." He apologised, "I should have come for you sooner..." Chang didn't know what he could have done differently to have done so, but the feeling persisted all the same.

  Xiu lifted her head and stared at him with a blend of confusion and anger. "Don't say that!..." She hissed accusingly, fresh tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "They would have killed you..."

  Chang couldn't argue because he knew she was right. With what he had just learned, he knew that the former owner would have had him killed no matter how much money he offered for her freedom.

  "The new owners, the Cultivators, they said we can stay, and that they will even teach us Cultivation!" Xiu whispered earnestly, although afraid of being overheard. Even though the same Cultivators were likely able to hear every word anyway. "This could be our chance!"

  It was the dream of every child born into the lower city to join a sect, clan or even become apprenticed to a rogue Cultivator. It was their best and often only chance at a better life. Albeit with odds close to winning the lottery, and with each person only given a single ticket for their whole lifetime.

  So far as Chang was aware, Xiu had never demonstrated any traits or talents for Cultivation. Even with his knowledge of Cultivation tropes, he couldn't identify a reason why the Cultivators would make such an offer.

  From what Chang knew from years of reading webnovels and the small amount of knowledge possessed by the original owner of his body, Cultivation required a fortune in expensive and rare materials. Using such materials on disciples without natural talent was considered the same as tossing money into the river.

  No doubt reading the scepticism on his face, Xiu's cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. "Elder sister Song already demonstrated a basic Breathing Technique for us to practice!" She insisted.

  "W-What?!" Chang exclaimed in surprise.

  Xiu nodded determinedly. "Elder sister Song said we will be given foundation-forming pills after we have a few meals to restore our health."

  "Elder sister Song..." A chill ran down Chang's spine as the face of the jade beauty came to mind. "Are you sure she can be trusted?..." He asked hesitantly, unable to help but glance at the stairs leading to the ground floor.

  Momentarily taken off guard, Xiu looked shocked that he could even suggest such a thing. "Elder sister Song has been nothing but kind!" She insisted earnestly, "She has even used her magic to heal us!" Xiu absently rubbed at her right wrist, prompting Chang's memory of when she had been forcefully taken away as payment for her father's gambling debts.

  With how roughly the gang members had handled her, it was to be expected that it should have left bruises on her arm. But her fair skin was pale and unblemished.

  But wasn't this elder sister Song supposed to be a Demon? Had the system lied to him? Was it perhaps mistaken? Or...Or was she a Demonic cultivator?!

  In most stories Chang had read, Demonic Cultivators were usually relegated to serving as antagonists. Their unconventional and ruthless paths of Cultivation propelling them into violent conflict with the main character. However, there were also several stories where the main character, the protagonist, had been a Demonic Cultivator. In those stories, they were often just as ruthless, but showed kindness to certain people as a means of balancing their heavenly karma.

  Could this explain why the Demon was helping them? As a means to generate positive karma?

  Thinking things over, Chang became increasingly convinced that this had to be the case. It was the only explanation for why such powerful Cultivators were behaving so benevolently without standing to gain from doing so.

  "You should stay!..." Xiu insisted, fresh colour blushing her cheeks. "We can become Cultivators together!"

  Chang hesitated, his earlier misgivings still fresh in his mind. However, after considering the Monarch's offer from his new perspective, Chang realised that the Monarch's conditions were not all that different to what he should expect when joining a sect or Cultivator clan. As an outsider, they wouldn't share their secrets with him without some form of insurance. Chang had just been too wrapped up in thinking of himself as the protagonist of his own transmigration story to see it.

  Embarrassed, Chang nodded stiffly in agreement. "You're right," he agreed somewhat sheepishly. "Chances like this aren't something we could just ignore!"

  "That's right!" Xiu exclaimed excitedly and pumped her small fists in the air. Visibly relieved and encouraged by his decision to stay.

  Mentally calling up the notification from earlier, Chang silently expressed his consent to become the Monarch's Vassal.

  [ Error: System incompatibility detected! Requesting Administrator intervention to resolve incompatibility!... ]

  [ System reboot in progress...Do not die while the system interface is updated... ]

  [ System version - C157762325 has been removed! ]

  [ System version - T000000001 has been activated! ]

  [ The Tyrant has issued you a personal Quest {Oath of Loyalty} (Expand). Rewards (Expand). Quest deadline {3H}. Accept? (Y/N) ]

  Stunned by the barrage of system notifications, it took Chang a few moments to catch up and read through them all.

  My golden finger...It's gone?!

  In a panic, Chang mentally called up his Status.

  [ Chang - Human Twin Soul Nascent: 0 ] [HP: 22/22 (+0) ] [MP: 22/22 (+0) ]

  [Class: None.] [Exp: 0 ]

  [Strength: 10 ]

  [Agility: 10 ]

  [Toughness: 11 ]

  [Intelligence: 10* (11*) {+1} ]

  [Willpower: 12 ]

  [Presence: 11 ]

  [(Racial Abilities.)]

  [(Racial Ability: Twin Soul {Rank 0}): Through a trick of fate, your body hosts two souls that exist in natural harmony. {Willpower} increases your MP recovery speed.]

  [(Racial Ability: Unique Soul {Rank 0}): Your soul is unusual and provides a natural defence against direct attacks. {Willpower} provides additional resistance to Spells and Abilities that target the soul.]

  Already possessing more information than his original Status, Chang was surprised to find that there was a second page of information that was nearly identical to the first. Except the second page made direct references to Cultivation and Chi, instead of MP. It was unfortunate that he had lost his Chosen of Heaven Ability, but he wasn't sure if the Abilities that had replaced it were a downgrade. So he wasn't ready to become upset over it.

  Partway through reading things over for the third time, Chang's heart skipped a beat.

  "Two systems..." He wheezed breathlessly, "I have TWO systems!"

  "Li Chang?" Xiu looked at him with concern.

  "Three would have been-wha? Oh..." Chang felt a fresh flush of embarrassment. "It's just, erm...A gift from our new master..." He didn't know how to explain it. The locals were aware of the system, but to his knowledge, they only knew of the one. Furthermore, their system, and the system he had lost, hadn't had any Quests.

  'Oh!" Xiu's face brightened, and she visibly relaxed. "I'm glad!"

  Chang hissed in pain as he shakily got to his feet. "I need to formally acknowledge our new master," he said as a means of explanation. It was not a complete lie, but his primary intention was to find answers to the host of new questions raised by his abrupt shift in circumstances.

  "Just...Be careful," Xiu insisted, her approval tempered by concern. Perhaps having guessed at his true intentions.

  Chang didn't trust himself to speak and just nodded instead.

  Xiu watched him leave and retreated up the stairs. Her concern only grew in the moments before they lost sight of one another.

  The burly thug, the Monarch, Tyrant, was waiting for him when Chang returned, but there were no signs of the Demon and the other Cultivator.

  "You have questions," the acknowledged, no doubt having guessed at Chang's motives. "I have several of my own, and I would appreciate your honesty. However, first we must guarantee your discretion."

  The Quest notification reasserted itself and imposed itself into the centre of Chang's vision.

  "This is non-negotiable," the Tyrant stated with absolute conviction and an unmistakable undercurrent of guaranteed violence for refusal.

  Tyrant indeed...

  Already committed, Chang saw no point in testing the powerful Cultivator's patience. He expanded the Quest description and read the contents aloud. Taking great care to enunciate the Oath exactly as written.

  A new system notification took the place of the first once Chang had finished. A simple acknowledgement of the Quest's completion with another expandable entry that he assumed would list his rewards.

  Chang decided to investigate the rewards later and dismissed the notification. As a sign of respect, he did his best to bow at the waist and salute by pressing his fist into the palm of his other hand.

  The Tyrant made a dismissive gesture and motioned to the couch opposite him. "In the future, without extenuating circumstances, kowtowing or bowing deeper than forty-five degrees is forbidden," he warned sourly and with obvious distaste.

  Confused, Chang bobbed his head in acknowledgement and then scurried over to sit where the Tyrant had indicated.

  The Tyrant closed his eyes and took a calming breath. His sour expression disappeared a moment later as he opened his eyes again. "We will trade questions. Taking turns to provide answers," the Tyrant decided. "You may go first."

  "Why Tyrant?!" Chang blurted, taken off guard by the unexpected opportunity and speaking before his brain had realised what he was doing.

  The Tyrant scowled briefly but calmed after repeating the same breathing exercise he had used moments before. "That is a complicated question to answer. But in the simplest terms, I earned it after progressing my Racial Class and Evolution, and received a noble Title from the system."

  He appeared to have the same misgivings toward the title Chang had when he had first learned of it. Which was not what Chang had expected.

  "My turn," the Tyrant leaned slightly closer with anticipation. "The circumstances preceding your death. What caused the crisis in the city?"

  "The Chosen of the P.L.A. had been fighting the..." Chang froze, "H-How did you know about that?..."

  The Tyrant considered him for a moment and then nodded to himself. "My subordinate was reading your mind," he stated candidly. "Who are these Chosen?" The Tyrant pressed, dismissing the violation with near complete indifference.

  "My...Mind?..." Chang had a sudden onset of dizziness and likely would have fallen if he had not already been seated on the couch. With a sickening realisation, he recalled the notifications that announced the automatic use of his Chosen of Heaven Ability.

  If the Demon had access to mind control, it wasn't difficult to believe it had access to mind reading as well.

  "A precaution," the Tyrant answered patiently but without apology. "It's the reason I gave you this opportunity. The danger you would have presented otherwise would have been unacceptable."

  "Danger? To you?" Still rattled, Chang had spoken without meaning to and immediately regretted it.

  The Tyrant snorted incredulously and shook his head. "No, not to me. To everyone else," he waved his hand toward the street outside. "If you were a threat, TO ME, I would have killed you." The amusement was gone from his voice, replaced with a chill that sapped the warmth from Chang's bones. "Now, these Chosen, who are they?" The Tyrant promoted.

  Mouth dry, Chang resisted the urge to reply straight away. Instead, he ordered his thoughts to better answer the question. Aware that the powerful Cultivator had already indulged him several times despite the clearly defined arrangement of their exchange.

  "The Chosen are people who were given powers by the gods. They aren't all the same, but they are similar to higher-ranked Cultivators. Some have increased speed, others have immense strength, and others can even use magic," Chang explained carefully. "It didn't take long for some of the Chosen to use their powers for personal benefit...And once the governments showed they were poorly equipped to do anything about them, it only got worse..." He remembered the riots caused by the food shortages and the weeks he had spent holed up in his apartment waiting for his parents to come home. Before, the risk of starvation had driven him out to scavenge for supplies. "The Chosen had different factions. Some experts had said it was according to who gave them their powers, but it was never really confirmed..."

  "What year was this?..." The Tyrant asked, the impossible weight of his presence bearing down on him with such intensity that Chang found it hard to breathe.

  "Twenty-Twenty-five!" Chang gasped breathlessly,

  The pressure intensified by several degrees as the Tyrant's focus shifted elsewhere, then abruptly faded. The profound concern on his face almost disturbed Chang nearly as much as how close he had just come to a second death.

  "Apologies...That news was...troubling..." The Tyrant apologised with a surprising degree of open sincerity.

  "You..." Chang wheezed, "You're from Earth..."

  The critical look in the Tyrant's eye was confirmation all on its own. "I was..." He replied quietly. "But we are not the same..."

  The rush of oxygen returning to Chang's brain made an unexpected connection. "You have met others, like us..." It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact. "That's why you were prepared to kill me..."

  It only made sense. With how quickly humanity had turned on itself with the arrival of the Chosen, there was no reason to expect anyone from Earth to behave any differently here. Cultivators were already destructive entities. So it wasn't difficult to imagine what one of the Chosen could accomplish if they had been given a golden finger on top of the power Cultivation provided. If one of them had a mind to, the destruction they could wreak would be incalculable.

  "You have killed others, like us, from Earth?" Chang asked hesitantly, despite already knowing the answer.

  "I have," there was no guilt or hesitation in the Tyrant's eyes, only hatred and regret. It all but confirmed Chang's misgivings. "The people that are brought here, they are chosen according to a single criterion. Whether they have killed a human being."

  Chang was reminded of the Tyrant's absolute certainty when he had demanded to know who Chang had killed, and why. Not if. Now it made sense why. Of course, that also meant that the Tyrant had killed someone on Earth as well. Despite his curiosity, Chang resisted the urge to ask. Keenly aware of the liberties he had already taken, and unwilling to push his luck any further.

  The Tyrant appeared aware of the unspoken question but had no interest in answering it. "This body of yours, it belonged to someone else?" He asked, shifting the subject rather abruptly.

  "Yes..." Chang nodded, "Is that not normal?"

  The Tyrant grimly shook his head. "No, it isn't," he gave Chang a deep, penetrating stare, which gave him the impression that he was seeing beyond his flesh and laying bare his soul. "Those within THIS world are reborn in a body created to match the one they had on Earth before their death. Those from the other world are given bodies that play upon their insecurities and character flaws. You are the first I have seen that bonded with a body that belonged to a native without using an Ability." The way he said it so matter-of-factly gave Chang little cause to doubt him.

  "So...I'm different?" Chang shifted uncomfortably. "But wh-oh..." The question died on his lips as the earlier system notifications played back through his mind. "My system..."

  "Your system..." The Tyrant agreed. Apparently, having arrived at the same conclusion. "You did not belong to the two systems I was aware of. The fact that other systems exist and have the potential to seize control over a native's mind and force a merging of their souls, is disturbing..."

  "I'm pretty sure he was already dead!" Chang snapped defensively, only to regret it once his brain caught up to his mouth. "Uh, I mean...From what I remember, those thugs had beaten him really badly..."

  "That isn't much better," the Tyrant replied, "And in some ways, it's worse..." A haunted look passed behind his eyes, and Chang realised that the Tyrant hadn't been judging him, just the circumstances themselves.

  A long silence passed between them as the Tyrant continued to brood in silence. After some time, he rallied and appeared to come back to himself, assuming a neutral gaze.

  "You said there were two systems?" Chang asked hesitantly, unable to restrain his curiosity. "What makes them so different?"

  The Tyrant stared at him in silence for a few moments as he considered the question. "They are very similar to one another in both concept and execution," the Tyrant explained. "They both have attributes and Abilities, Classes and other things that are tracked through a visual interface. This one-" he motioned to their surroundings, "-is for Cultivators. The Chi used by this system, and the MP used by the other, are both derivatives of another kind of energy, but are not interchangeable with one another in their processed state. However, they do serve the same purpose in powering Spells and Abilities."

  Chang nodded, more or less having assumed as much from what he had seen already.

  "The other system...It's very similar, just focused on monsters. The humans used a flaw in the system to gain access to the Classes, but it was never intended for them to make use of it." The Tyrant paused and considered things for a moment. "I guess, if the Cultivation system represents eastern fantasy mythologies, the other represents the West."

  "Like, Dungeons and Dragons or Diablo?" Chang asked with a welling sense of excitement. He had played several prominent games developed in the West and couldn't help it as his expectations soared.

  Didn't this basically mean he had double the potential? After all, he had said the systems were basically the same.

  The Tyrant slowly nodded. "Basically..."

  "How do I get a class?" Chang asked excitedly, practically vibrating in his seat from his excitement.

  The Tyrant shrugged indifferently. "You earn it."

  Confused and his enthusiasm somewhat dampened, Chang scrambled for the right words.

  "You misunderstand. The Classes are unlocked by performing certain actions and meeting specific criteria," the Tyrant elaborated. "Swordsman, a Basic Class, is unlocked through performing a certain number of sword strikes to the required standard. Spearman and Maceman are basically the same. Other Classes, especially the Unique Classes, have very exacting criteria, including Species requirements."

  "Are there any instructions? Like a database of the Classes and how to unlock them?" Chang asked, not even daring to hope.

  "There is," the Tyrant replied, much to his surprise. "But access is restricted."

  Chang grinned wryly as he tried to mask his disappointment.

  "If you want the knowledge on how to unlock a specific Class, there are Quests that provide the knowledge and the means to unlock them-" The Tyrant flicked his wrist, and a new system notification appeared before Chang's eyes.

  [ Tyrant's Public Quest Repository {Expand} ]

  "Quests can be issued by anyone with the requisite Title and accepted by any of my subordinates. However, only completing a Quest will provide its rewards. Accepting a Quest does not prevent others from doing the same," the Tyrant explained patiently.

  "Where does the Exp come from?" Chang asked curiously. "Couldn't you just complete all these quests yourself?"

  The Tyrant smirked and released a quiet snort of amusement. "I can, and I do. However, most rewards are not worth my time, or would undermine the development of my other subordinates."

  Chang slowly nodded in understanding. Familiar with the concept of diminishing returns. "And the Exp?" He prompted.

  "Special Classes granted by Titles, like mine, generate Exp that can only be used as Quest rewards," the Tyrant explained, drawing Chang's focus briefly to the Quest he had completed and rewards that remained unclaimed. "The rewards are generally limited in scope to the difficulty or significance of the task. So, while I could assist with accelerating a subordinate's rise in strength, I can't replace it entirely."

  "Could I get a Class like that?" Chang asked greedily, already imagining himself as a great general or city lord directing an army of eager subordinates.

  To his surprise, the Tyrant nodded indifferently. With a flick of his wrist, several more system notifications appeared alongside the first.

  [ Champions of the Tyrant (Level Restricted) {Expand} ]

  [ Territory Acquisition (Faction Restricted) {Expand} ]

  [ Central Administration (Faction Restricted) {Expand} ]

  Chang tried mentally prompting the notifications to expand their contents, but discovered he couldn't. Embarrassed, he realised it was too much to expect he could gain access to such things right away.

  "The Classes in the monster system can be abandoned to allow the progression of a different one," the Tyrant commented with a faint smirk. "Under normal circumstances, most would progress through the different scales of rarity while unlocking the conditions for their desired Class. Without a dedicated group to act as support, it would be suicidal to do otherwise."

  Chang nodded glumly and did his best not to look overly disappointed.

  "However, you have found us at an interesting time..." The Tyrant gave him a hard, calculating look. Silently weighing and considering things in his mind for several long moments before he seemed to come to a decision. "Provided you are prepared to swear additional Oaths, I will grant you the required title for such a Class and the assistance to unlock it. Of course, this is in addition to a Cultivation path of your choosing, and the resources to pursue it."

  Practically drooling at the opportunity, Chang had to take a moment to gulp down his saliva before it could run down his chin. Any regrets he had for the loss of the Chosen of Heaven Ability were long gone.

  He had read enough webnovels to know that this opportunity was the real prize and where his story would truly begin.