Chapter 1: 1. The Dark Guild
[Analyzing the host's personality... Please wait.]
=-=-=-=-=
Roaming the surface of the expansive world were the powerful creatures known as Demon Beasts. And while no one knew how many such creatures inhabited the earth, everyone seemed to understand one thing: Humanity was in danger.
Comparing the frail mortal body of humans to these demonic critters was akin to waging war between ants and elephants; it was futile. And so, in no more than a few centuries and despite the appearances of many powerful Legend-rank fighters, humanity seemed to have entirely vanished from the face of the earth!
However, humankind was not truly extinct yet, only forced into passive hiding by the creatures. Relegated to various enclosed areas, they continued to live with the great determination of once again living proudly in the presence of beasts! However, at this time, more people have come to accept this fate.
One such place is the Nether Realm, located deep beneath the St. Ancestral Mountain Range and is where this story takes place...
=-=-=-=-=
[System initiation phase complete. 87% Sync Rate With Named Character "Long Sha," Personality: 'Villain-like.' Now returning the host's consciousness in 3, 2, 1, 0.]
Waking up, Li Xue first noticed a splitting headache as his head felt like it was about to burst from all the blood pumping inside. No less than half a second later, he realized that the pain was no longer there and was like it had never existed.
His head held in confusion, Li Xue widened his eyes as the short but curly hair he always had was no longer there but instead replaced by long, black strands. Jerking up immediately, he started examining his body with his hands when he heard a voice.
"Hmm? Long Sha, what's the matter?"
Although he did not recognize the name, Li Xue still turned to look at the source of the voice, which turned out to be a handsome young teenager. In fact, calling him handsome would be an understatement, as this boy appeared even more beautiful than the idols he saw on TV. However, this boy did not have the kind feeling that those people had, instead seeming abnormally cold.
Noticing that the boy was still looking at him, Li Xue could only answer, "There's no matter."
Not long after he finished speaking, he felt something from deep within being pulled upon, causing him to be unable to breathe as he collapsed onto the ground.
The handsome boy appeared to not notice this as he harshly looked on, "What did you say?"
Hearing the tone in the boy's voice again, Li Xue understood that the relationship between himself and this person was not that of strangers or of friends. Instead, it was like the connection between master and servant. While he had no idea how things became this way, Li Xue recognized that he could only submit right now. Putting away the violent thoughts inside his head, he spoke calmly.
"I apologize, my Lord."
After saying the final word, the pressure from his very being was released, allowing him to breathe smoothly again. In between ragged breaths, the boy was silently staring at him. In his cold red eyes, there was not a trace of sympathy.
"The soul shackles are still in place but the ceremony was imperfect. Gui Sha, fill him in. As I said before, I wish to be undisturbed as I cultivate for the trial. Unless anything important happens, act on your own judgment."
That was when Li Xue noticed the third person in the room. It was another teenager but with a rough face and short hair. Bowing quickly, he shouted, "According to your instructions, Demon Lord."
The cold teenager gave a short nod before opening the door and leaving. After he left, the rough-looking teen called Gui Sha relaxed as he turned to Li Xue.
Sighing, he put his arm on Li Xue's shoulder and said, "I almost lost you there, Old Long. Thankfully, the Demon Lord did not seem to mind you too much. So, how much have you forgotten? Do you at least remember anything about our Dark Guild?"
Li Xue was very thoughtful and had only been somewhat disoriented due to the influx of new information. However, upon reaching this point and remembering the strange information he heard in his sleep, he arrived at an incredible idea: He had transmigrated.
[The host's memory retrieval functions are deemed inefficient. Beginning memory enhancement now...]
After this announcement rang in his ears with a genderless mechanical voice, the familiar headache from earlier returned. It was more tolerable this time and ended just as fast.
[The host's body has better adapted to The System's functions. No further intervention is required, returning to the default state.]
Li Xue's mind felt clear as he fluidly thought out his next steps.
"Firstly, is there a mirror anywhere?"
Gui Sha strode over to a decadent chair in the room and picked up a small hand mirror beside it. Handing it over, he curtly said, "Demon Lord's."
Taking note of his Lord's quirk, Li Xue checked out his appearance in the mirror.
His long, black hair was still there, appearing aloof and regal. In addition to that, he had two amber-colored eyes like a black cat. Although he was not as handsome as the Demon Lord, he could be considered an attractive teen with almost exotic charm.
Li Xue's pupils dilated slightly from shock as he realized this Long Sha's appearance was now his own. Li Xue started to list out names to Gui Sha probingly.
"Nether Realm. Glory City. Snow Wind Family."
Gui Sha seemed to breathe out in relief.
"Well, if you remember that much, it should be fine."
After confirming a few other things, Gui Sha no longer seemed concerned as he left the room through the same door the Demon Lord had walked out of.
After no longer hearing his footsteps, Li Xue looked around the room. Then, with a slightly trembling voice, he asked aloud, "Status?"
[Displaying status panel...]
{Name: Li Xue, "Long Sha"}
{Alignment: Evil}
{Life: 15/21(-203)}
{Soul Form/Attribute: Blacksteel Dragon / Metal-Wind-Dark}
{Current EXP: 0}
{Current Level: 3-Star Legend Rank}
{Relationships: Demon Lord (Master), Gui Sha (Lifelong Friend)}
[...]
Seeing the information pop up, Li Xue felt a mixture of happiness and relief. The corners of his mouth curved into a grin as he let out a heartfelt laugh, the most sincere display of emotion since his arrival.
"Ahah... AHAHAHAHAHA! God is indeed not blind! Those righteous faction losers would be crying their eyes out even more if they knew!"
It turned out that his arrival was not as much of a coincidence as he had first thought.
From an early age, Li Xue discovered that he was not virtuous. He was too mischievous, petty, and rude to be the kid others wanted him to be. And so, he stopped.
He stopped attending school, destroyed his remaining relationships, and distanced himself from others. Before he knew it, he could only hold a conversation online. The lack of intimacy made him comfortable just as much as it made him miserable.
And this feeling of despair was too great to keep in his heart. This kind of cancerous disease racked his body and mind as he took to sharing it online. One of his favorite ways to do this was through video games.
While he was not talented in many things, Li Xue had always had a devious cunning allowing him to perform exceptionally well in strategy and RPG-like games.
While he might have been invisible in the real world, it was here that people feared him as a top player. Joining every game's evil faction and bullying any and every level of player, he was infamous across forums and servers. Eventually, he had accumulated so many bounties on his head that one could become a millionaire by killing him.
At this time, the game publisher announced a rare event boss and claimed that whoever got the first kill would receive a hidden prize concerning their next game set in the acclaimed universe of Tales of Demons and Gods. Excited by the possibilities, many top players challenged this boss. In the end, it was Li Xue who triumphed over them all. After being engulfed by a strange white light, Li Xue realized he had awoken here.
Now, Li Xue understood that the prize the developers spoke about was the chance to directly enter this fictional universe. While he did not know how it was possible, he would not question it and instead counted his blessings.
After understanding his situation, Li Xue used his background knowledge to begin taking his first steps.
"This universe's main NPC should still be Nie Li, regardless of my unique identity as a player. Right now, I should be in the main base of the Dark Guild located in Blackrock City within the Nether Realm. Not only that, but I am now also Long Sha, Dark Guild's second in command, putting me directly across from the story's protagonist. While I can't know the timeline without being in Glory City, the current age of this body compared to Long Sha's estimated age during his appearance means it cannot be long before the storyline officially begins."
This caused Li Xue to wrinkle his brows. He understood that he had roughly two years to develop before Nie Li reincarnated and made a mess of things. As he looked at his current status, he was pleasantly surprised.
"It seems that Long Sha's cultivation is also mine after transmigrating, meaning that I am starting from Legend Rank. Compared to Nie Li, this is already a spectacular lead."
As Demon Spiritualist ranks in the starting Divine Continent were ordered from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Blackgold, Legend, and Demigod, he could already be considered a formidable expert in the realm beneath only a handful of people.
It took Nie Li the same two years before he became Legend Rank beginning from his rebirth at Bronze Rank. And that was with him using every bit of knowledge he had accumulated within the 300 years of his past life.
"So, how can I use this lead to widen the gap between me and Nie Li?"
As he looked at his status, Li Xue wondered if this system worked like the one in the game world. If so, then it would become a powerful cheat ability.
Unlike other games where the concept of EXP and Levels were related, the game Li Xue was familiar with recognized these as two distinct traits. In essence, EXP was more like a currency than a method of level progression as while the former could be exchanged for the latter, it was proven by players to be a very inefficient way of leveling up. Instead, players often traded their hard-earned EXP in the player shop and the skill tree.
This was because skills and items in an RPG are invaluable and could often make the difference between winning and losing. This was a way for the game to make things more enjoyable for casual players not interested in only grinding levels but focused on individual expression.
Of course, while the importance of levels was still great, players often gained greater fame from their character build and style. Li Xue wanted to focus now on this aspect.
"EXP can be gained in the following ways: killing enemies, practicing a skill, acquiring titles, and improving relationships with NPCs, particularly NPCs of the same or a neutral alignment. With my current strength, while I do not have to hide, I must be careful. I recall that the Nether Realm ruling families can have as many as 25 legends ranks like myself and even demigod experts. Killing others is out of the question, leaving only the other two options. From there, it seems practicing a skill is far more reliable."
"Of these skills, there are not many that fit my situation. But I must choose the one that promotes my growth the fastest."
As he inspected his status panel, Li Xue hadn't failed to see the number attached to 'Life.' Judging by how it was the only unfamiliar attribute to him, he could assume it was referring to his current age as he was no longer a virtual entity. He was now subject to the same growth and decay faced by real people.
[The host has lost 203 years of his life as the original Long Sha had forcibly stolen this body from the Dragon Tribe through an unholy ritual, accelerating the cellular destruction. It is estimated that the host only has 6 years left before the body is destroyed.]
While annoyed by this new information, Li Xue was not feeling hopeless as he knew various ways to restore his lifespan and prevent death. All of these, however, involved the spending of EXP.
**A/N: Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts about the quality of the novel!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone