Desire of the demon

[Boo!]

"Whoa!" Li Huo jumped in fright as a random screen popped in front of him. "It's you! How the hell did you get here? Did you follow me to hell?"

[Nope, we're back.]

"Back? Back to where?"

[To where your journey began.]

Li Huo's gaze turned cold as he replied in an icy tone, "To where my journey began? Oh, you mean from where my life started to become hell, don't you? Do I have to walk the same path again? Hahaha, okay, okay, but listen, I spared you last time because you were slightly good to me in my previous life. It won't be the same this time—I will utterly destroy you, mark my words."

Li Huo's eyes were turning red at the thought of having to endure hell again.

[Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, will you?]

"What do you mean?", Li huo replied through gritted teeth.

[I didn't say you have to go through the predestined path again, did I? You can do anything you want in this life.]

"And why would you be so generous?"

[I ain't being generous, Huo. It's just... the process of selecting an heir has started.]

"An heir? Of what?"

The system chuckled at Li Huo's question.

[Do you think I would know this? After all, I'm also a pawn—just a very high-class one.]

[On a second note, will you extract your revenge?]

"Revenge on whom? You?"

[No, on those women and that Yan Sheng.]

"Why would I? Didn't I already get my revenge? They all died, albeit they did some damage. But if they dare get in my way again, I will utterly destroy them," Li Huo said in a menacing tone.

[Fair enough.]

Li Huo calmed himself down and said to the system:"Tell me more about this process of selecting an heir or whatever."

[Do you know about villains and protagonists?]

"Like those stories? I do know about them."

[Listen, it's like this—]

---

"So, you mean it's villain vs. protagonist?"

[Yes.]

[The protagonist will be fairly strong while the villain starts weak; it's just to balance things out since the villain will have a slight advantage because of their system.]

"But there's a twist, isn't there?"

[Yeah, the villain has to wipe out all of the protagonist's luck, and the protagonist won't sit still while the villain deals with him. It'll be a fierce confrontation.]

"What if the villain tries to kill the protagonist without wiping his luck? For instance, if there's only a single-digit luck value left, wouldn't it be easy to kill him?"

[No, if he did that, he would face backlash and could even die.]

"And what about me? Which camp am I in?"

[None.]

"So, I'm just a passerby? Well, that's good; I don't want to fight tooth and nail with them. I just want to find a way to return home."

[Now that you mention it, the process of selecting an heir isn't about choosing from the candidates of villains and protagonists. If someone is capable of killing them, they could also be chosen in the process. It's open for everyone.]

"Seems fun," Li Huo said with a big grin on his face.

"Well, all said and done, what are you here for?"

[What?]

"I mean, if I'm not following the predestined path or whatever, you wouldn't help me again, would you?"

[No.]

"Then scram. Don't waste my time."

[After all we've been through, is this how you treat me? I'm hurt! Uwahhhh!]

"Tell the truth; you're just with me to supervise me, right?"

[Y-es, sniff sniff.]

"Fine, whatever. You can stay with me, but I have one condition."

[And what it is?]

"Don't bind yourself to me.

[Deal.]

The sound of a metal gate opening with a drawn-out creak echoed, followed by an announcement.

"Attention all participants, please go to the numbered gate you have been allocated. Attention all participants, please go to the numbered gate you have been allocated."

"Participants?" Li Huo scoffed. "I don't remember participating in this insanity. More like those bastards kidnapped me from the street."

"What was my given number again?" He glanced at his badge and confirmed, "Ah, so it was 14."

With that, he walked out, scanning for Gate No. 14.

He found it and leaned on the door. Li Huo also looked around; there were other "participants" with uneasy expressions on their faces. Some even started shouting.

"Who are you? Why did you kidnap us? Aren't you afraid of the law? Kidnapping is illegal!"

Uneasy shouts echoed, but Li Huo ignored them.

A burly man approached him and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey man, do you know something about this? You look so calm."

Li Huo chuckled and replied, "What else can I do? Scream like a monkey and give them a circus performance?"

"Hahaha!" The burly man laughed heartily. "Makes sense. Were you also kidnapped like me?"

"Yeah, I was just walking leisurely on the street when those bastards kidnapped me, like those human traffickers."

The burly man chatted with him for a moment before saying, "By the way, my name is Sha Li. What's yours?"

"My name is Li Huo."

Amid their conversation, an announcement interrupted them.

"Attention participants, we will be opening the gates in a few minutes. There are three levels behind those doors that you must clear to be eligible to become a martial practitioner."

"With that said, good luck, future saviors."

The announcement faded, and the gate opened with a loud creak.

Li Huo walked in without a second thought, leaving Sha Li dumbfounded.

The gate automatically closed behind him.

Sighing inwardly, Li Huo muttered, "Let's do it again...