Holding up the bottle, he shook it slightly, watching the liquid swish around in the bottle. Smiling, he put the bottle up to his lips. Chugging fiercely, he swallowed the shining blue liquid.
Immediately an icy cold fluid rushed down his throat. It burned with cold energy and chilled his entire body. It flooded his entire body with a sensation similar to a high. Bubbling through his pores, it flooded his mind.
The system tasted slightly salty, with a tinge of bitterness. It carried the smooth texture of soup but with a tang that could not be attributed to any one taste. It felt cool and refreshing, but also had . a mind-numbing quality that Colder than anything he had ever eaten, Fang felt sharp spikes of pain stab into his brain. Clutching his head, he gasped in pain.
Groaning, Fang fell into a fetal position, deathly still. He felt pain on the likes of which he had never before experienced. It felt like a solid spear of ice was ripping through his brain.
"WHY?" he groaned.
No one responded.
"God! These systems are so painful to absorb!" he cried.
Eventually the pain began to subside as he slowly rose from the fetal position he was in. Staggering around unsteadily, he sat down on a nearby chair. Gasping heavily, he sighed. The pain was gone. Blinking his eyes, he wiped away the tears of pain.
"I must have gotten something good from all that or else...," he spoke as a dark look swept through his features.
He would not spare the system this time. Suddenly, there was a notification.
[Host has absorbed the system. Would host like to assimilate it?]
'Yes,' he thought.
[Assimilating]
[Process Completed]
[Would host like to claim rewards?]
'...'
'OF COURSE! DO YOU THINK I WENT THROUGH ALL THAT PAIN FOR NOTHING?!?!?' Fang screamed furiously in his mind.
[Granted]
[Host has gained Rare Ice Soul]
[Host has gained Plot Armor x1]
[Host has gained Basic Hammer Understanding]
[Host has gained Illusion Skill]
[Host has gained Lottery Wheel]
Staring at the rewards, Fang felt overwhelmed.
"Wow....how much stuff did I get?!?" he shouted.
Smiling with glee, he began to read over the items.
"Rare Ice Soul? What's that?" Fang asked.
[Rare Ice Soul - a special type of soul that increase the ice affinity in a host and increase cultivation of ice related manuals]
"I see. Perhaps this could be useful. System open the plot armor!"
[Opening... Host received a breastplate! Would host like to equip?]
'Yes,' Fang thought.
[Equipped]
'Open the other rewards,"
[Host has acquired a Basic Hammer Understanding - a skill that will allow the host to nurture and develop their understanding and usage of the skill of hammering and forging]
[Illusion Skill - using the host's elemental control prowess, the host can create illusions and entrap enemies with a lower power level than them]
[Lottery Wheel - a random prize wheel that will give the host a random reward, can be affected by the amount of merit the host has accumulated]
"Hmmm? Merit?" Fang asked.
[As long as the host does relatively good things, the host will gain a greater chance of getting something valuable from the Lottery Wheel]
Inspiration struck Fang as a light shone in his eyes.
"Of course! This is perfect!" he cried.
Smiling from ear to ear, he relaxed.
"All I have to do now is some good things!" he spoke.
Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Frowning, he went into his mind palace.
"System!" he cried.
A black and shadowed figure took a semblance of form. It nodded in greeting.
"System... when I absorb the systems of the protagonists, do they realize?" he asked.
The black figure chuckled.
"Of course not. That would be ridiculous. Although some might be able to communicate with their systems, they still do not realize that their systems are missing. Why? Because we simply erase the system's very existence!" the system replied.
"What? Erase their existence?" Fang questioned.
"Precisely. Using forbidden techniques, I edit their memories into ones where they were never born with a system whatsoever. It's a really nifty technique!" the system replied with a sadistic joy.
Fang stared at it, aghast. Shaking his head, he ignored the troubling information. He would have no part in this. Well that was not strictly true, but morally he did not agree. He would still reap the benefits, but would still take care to mention his disapproval.
"Hypocrite..." the system muttered.
Fang shot it a dark look.
Exiting his mental palace, he sighed. Such a turn of events was unexpected. Sighing in sorrow over his troubles, he lifted a bottle.
Suddenly a sound came from the door.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Fang tensed.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Tang Junxin, teacher!" the voice called back.
'...' Fang thought.
'What is this guy, a stalker?'