Chapter 1: A Sermon to Hell
The most that any of us could remember of that night was that dazzling flash accompanied by the sudden roar after which static.
Being rudely awakened from a dream is never a pleasure especially when the Dream showcases the deepest desires of the heart and that too in a manner that was indistinguishable from Reality.
No , for all hints and purposes it was reality .
The reality that we might have sought after crazily in the 'Real ' world but would have remained unattainable for the majority of us . However as of now we didn't need to fear any longer since all of our wishes were about to come true !
Which was why during the Last Convening of the Federal Parliament a Unanimous Vote was passed.
Now that we had discovered the method of harvesting Dark Energy that was the property of Space itself which was for all hints and purposes inexhaustible , we no longer needed to step out into the ugly world any longer.
The Morpheus pods would keep on running spinning fantasies which would become the Haven for the entire of Humanity and thus we would live experiencing our dreams till our end is nigh.
Although the Morpheus system was self sufficient and could continue till the end of times arrives , the Human bodies in the pods could only take so much .
Eventually we shall dry up and wither away till naught shall remain of us but gnarled skeletons which shall be tossed away with the trash from the pods .
But such an end wasn't cruel at all
At least not to the vast majority which had in the New Era found none of our wishes fulfilled , in a blatant violation of the promise that had been given to us .
In the vast emptiness we were all that was and perhaps all that would be till the end .
When birth control ended the element of choice nothing much was left in the dusty haunts anymore.
Which was why when the Morpheus system came into being it created such a furore.
All and sundry who belonged to the cosmos that the Federation had claimed for its own , flocked to the new and shiny Giant Obelisks made of Flexiglass and Toughened Polymer, in order to enter the 'pods' .
First was the food.
With nutrition supply a major obstacle that prevented longer 'jumps ' , the invention of Super Compressed Substitutes was a breakthrough that changed the dynamics of the entire situation.
Next was the Automation.
After protests by the Engineers who had to maintain the system a new resolution was passed in the Parliament that allowed for the complete Automation of the System.
Finally was the Energy
Still the crux problem remained , each 'jump' consumed enough energy to feed a Gargantuan Battleship that could shatter planets thus it was quite natural with the resources that the Federation possessed that it simply wasn't feasible to implement the Morpheus on such a large scale.
As usual all of humanity came together and did their best to solve the problem that affected their survival .
Eventually a problem that had flummoxed all of their ancestors for millennia was solved quite swiftly and the Final Nobel Prize was handed in absentia.
The reason being that he was quite 'busy'.
Of course , the solver was involved in a Jump there was no way that he would interrupt his bliss to attend a function that held no meaning anyway.
So that's all there was to it .
After the formalities had been completed and each and every Human had been settled on to a pod of his or her own on that fateful night the systems were switched on.
And the world was changed forever.
Just not in the way we had imagined.
Certainly I had not dreamt of the hot and musty air that assaulted my sensitive senses bringing them to a standstill.
I could say for sure that my fantasy did not involve a wet and sticky rain-forest where the lush vegetation reached the skies and robust wines entangled my feet.
The fact that at the corner of my vision I could see a strange bar hovering in thin air was unexpected as well.
Although I wasn't sure what was going on , a smile still covered my face.
For I wasn't alone.
Deep within the clearing I could see countless bodies squirming as they did their best to stand upright as every human ought to but at this time and age could not.
Long years of neglect had caused considerable deterioration of their muscles and it was surprising to see that even a few had managed to get to their feet.
I stared at the overcast sky high above and took a long sigh.
It appeared that I was in uncharted territory from now on.
And Oh by the way to you , who is reading my Diary , My name is Ye Lin and I hope that you sear my name into the deepest recess of your heart.
Otherwise I shall rise up from the grave to haunt you whilst you sleep !
*************************************
Ling Jie closed the dusty book that he was reading and placed it on top of the tottering pile that was crudely assembled before him.
Few would be like him , preferring to be holed up in the stuffy attic with fragile bound volumes that stank of cheap oil and pungent monster leather, instead any sensible person of his age would be spending time honing their skills or grinding against monsters in order to raise their levels.
Unfortunately unlike others he possessed a fragile constitution and was unable to receive any inheritance thus making further advancement practically impossible.
After the Pioneers who were the First Humans to have arrived in this world had found themselves unable to return to their home world they had decided to settle here .
However they were repeatedly attacked by fearsome monsters , the already helpless pioneers who were bereft of any means to counterattack were preyed on relentlessly and their numbers dwindled rapidly.
When all seemed lost an Expedition team came across a cave and received the 'Inheritances' of Ancient Powerhouses who had roamed this land long ago.
Their Inheritances unlocked the 'Levelling System' as it was called from then on as an apparent reference that pertained to their Home World ; the New Levelling System was able to allow them to defeat monsters and gain stronger with the accumulation of experience.
Thus in this manner Humanity slowly managed to recover to the point that they had managed to establish a network of connected settlements that stretched across the Reclaimed Land , a vast stretch of desolate plain where survival was barely possible.
They didn't knew what lay beyond , for around the Reclaimed Land there was an impassable barrier made up of impenetrable Mountains and Fierce Forests which was the home of terrors that were unable to be subjugated by the strongest of humanity .
In fact , the reverse was true .
If the strongest were any weaker then the Settlements would have already been overrun and all that would have left would be ashes that drifted aimlessly in the empty plains.
After much trial and error The Pioneers found out that the knowledge that they possessed from their Home World was unusable here and they were forced to discover each and everything anew.
And by the time that the Ninth Generation of which he was a member of had arrived , the knowledge was further systematised to the point that Humanity was confident on holding its own .
Even if it meant that they had to spend an eternity within the Barrier.
The entire know-how that had been painstakingly collected was based on one crucial observation
Without Inheritance Survival was but a daydream .
What this meant was that only through the 'Levelling System ' gained after the acceptance of an Inheritance , an individual could slowly strengthen himself to the point that he was no longer incapable of withstanding the onslaught of the beasts.
In a certain sense Inheritance allowed for 'Evolution' that had hitherto been thought to be impossible by the Pioneers ; accompanied by strange abilities that had no basis in their home world which they had come to term as 'Magic ' , Inheritance offered a pathway that promised true freedom at its destination.
Unfortunately the number of Inheritances was in no way infinite and even after the entire Reclaimed Plains had been excavated only few could be found.
Luckily however Inheritances could be inherited by different wielders after the original wielders' demise thus allowing for the possibility of 'transfer ' , a ritual which lay at the very core of the functioning of society nowadays.
As it was the major factions held priceless Inheritances that was passed on only to their members still it was possible for a talented outsider to come in contact with one or two.
To ensure that much needed talents do not remain in obscurity the entire Federal Council , the loose governing body that was formally in charge , set up multiple 'schools' throughout the entire territory where young children were to be nurtured , eventually when they shall come of age at 17 a special ceremony shall be undertaken for each of them to know which kind of Inheritance they had the maximum compatibility with.
Without a doubt , this was the single biggest moment in a student's career since it determined their future when many scouting agencies shall offer them 'Employment ' based on their innate qualifications.
Sadly Lin Jie didn't receive any offer which is to say in official terms he was an 'Undesirable'.
While this did not mean that it was hopeless for him to contact with an Inheritance , all it meant was that no Inheritance that was currently in the Reclaimed Land would 'resonate' with him and since it was practically suicidal to venture out into the Uncharted Wild that lay beyond , it meant that he was for all hints and purposes practically useless hence the term 'Undesirable '.
Undesirables like him belonged to the lowest rungs of society and were sent off to do the harsh , menial jobs that were essential but no self-respecting Inheritor would do , one particular job for which he had been already recruited was bricklaying for the Wall .
The Wall was an ambitious project of the Federal council which involved building a wall all around the Barrier to the Uncharted Wild providing a more stable means of defence compared to the sporadic Watchtowers that had existed previously.
It was a dangerous job since Monster Attacks were quite common and many had lost their lives there , quite obviously the majority of these unfortunate souls had been his fellow Undesirables who formed the bulk of the manpower that was engaged in construction.
The Inheritors were only involved in patrol and defence (which they did halfheartedly) and regulation ( which they did as enthusiastically as they could , meting out floggings left and right ).
There is no way that he was going to that hellish place !
Which was why he was here in the first place , in the dusty forsaken municipal library hoping against hope that he would find something valuable.
But apart from a Strange Diary of a Man called Ye Lin who appeared to be one of the first Pioneers , he found nothing.
Although he had the urge to toss the diary as well into the spluttering fireplace that gave meagre warmth he resisted the compulsion to do so ; instead choosing to pocket the rough volume for a reason that was unclear to him .
He kept back the remaining books in their places and then rapidly headed down without bothering to greet the aged Librarian on his way out.
He squinted when his eyes came in contact with the sunlight after being exposed to darkness for so long but he recovered quickly and strode rapidly towards his shack.
Based on his estimation he didn't have much time before the corps came and if he were late those frustrated brutes would just take out their anger on him.
He had no hobby of being a punching bag .
Even if he was forced to head into Hell he was surely going to find a way out !
For sure !
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone