NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Transmigration
'Where am I?'
A young man, around 15 years old and clad in bloodied robes, snapped open his eyes in a cave. The cave was dark and silent, but the pale light danced on his features, revealing a look of confusion and wonder on his face.
"Wasn't I standing right there, arguing with my boss? That guy... always breathing down my neck. He lost it, I remember, shouting about my 'incompetence' and then—what? Did he actually throw a stapler at me? Was that how I lost consciousness?"
Ethan groaned, still struggling to grasp the last thing he remembered before blacking out.
'Wait a second… this... isn't my body.'
Despite the physical and mental pain, Ethan spoke hoarsely, his hands trembled as he glanced at them in the pale moonlight.
'Argh.'
Before he could even begin to process the strange sensation of being in a new body, a wave of foreign memories crashed into him, drowning him in the experiences of someone else's life. They weren't his, yet they felt so real, so vivid.
'Kai? Is that the name of this body's original owner? Did I... transmigrate into a cultivation world?'
It didn't take long for Ethan to realize the harsh truth—he hadn't simply blacked out; he had been killed by a stapler.
And then, as his mind cleared, it hit him: he wasn't in his own body anymore. He had transmigrated.
Not just into any world but into a cultivation world teeming with powerful sects and clans, where cultivators defy mortality, wield elemental forces, soar through the skies, and carve their destinies through alchemy, formations, and relentless battles for supremacy.
"So, transmigration is real after all."
Ethan muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief as his entire life flooded his mind—his regrets, his frustration, and the simmering anger that had built up over the years.
Ethan's parents had worked their entire lives to give him a chance at something better, but he was too consumed by his tyrant of a boss to be there when they needed him most.
By the time he was ready to repay their sacrifices, it was too late—his mother had died alone, and his father followed soon after, his heart broken.
One day, Ethan couldn't take it anymore. He finally confronted his tyrant of a boss, ready to quit the suffocating job. But instead of words, the b*stard threw a stapler at him... a f*cking stapler. That was how it all ended—an office supply that ended his life.
'Maybe the Heavens are giving me a second chance through this body. At least in this life, I should enjoy life to the fullest and die without any regrets.'
After years of being crushed under the thumb of his tyrant boss, Ethan found it surprisingly easy to adjust to his transmigration, his spirit hardened by endless frustration and helplessness.
'I know how I died, but how did this body's original owner die?'
Once he settled his mind, Ethan grew curious about the reason behind the death of the body's original owner and looked into the memories in his head.
As Ethan sifted through the memories that had flooded into his mind earlier, he uncovered the quiet tragedy of Kai's life.
Born into an average family, Kai's parents had poured their hard-earned savings into sending him to a prestigious sect, hoping he would rise above the ordinary.
But despite their sacrifices, Kai had failed, cast out by the sect and left to wander with nothing but broken dreams and the weight of his family's hopes upon him.
'Although our names are different, our lives are very similar. We are born to die with regrets, no matter how hard we work.'
Halfway through the memories, Ethan found many similarities between his and Kai's lives.
Slightly shaking his head, Ethan continued to process the memories.
After getting kicked out of the sect, things only got worse. As Kai was heading back to his village, an assassin targeted him.
Though Kai managed to escape, he stumbled into the cave where Ethan now lay. But the blood loss was too severe causing Kai's life to slip away, leaving only his broken body for Ethan's soul to inhabit.
"An assassin?"
The moment Ethan learned of Kai's death, a sense of impending danger surged within him. Doubts flooded his mind, one after another, as the reality of his situation began to sink in.
Just moments ago, Ethan had been determined to embrace his new life to the fullest. But now, he discovered that he was on the run from a mysterious assassin intent on ending his life.
'Swiish.'
"You're still alive despite losing so much blood?"
A startled voice echoed through the cave, sending a jolt of fear through Ethan. He quickly spun around, his heart racing as he searched for the source of the sound.
"Why do you want to kill me? What did I do to you?"
Ethan's voice shook, but he forced himself to stand firm despite his weak, injured body.
"It's not personal. I'm simply doing my job."
The assassin's voice was as cold and detached as steel. He continued, "I had fun hunting you, but it's time to end it."
'Swiish.'
As soon as he finished speaking, the masked assassin slashed at Ethan's neck with his dagger.
"Is this really how I die? After everything, just moments into my new life?"
This was the last thought in Ethan's head before his vision turned dark.
But just as the void consumed him, Ethan heard a series of 'dings,' followed by the appearance of a system interface.
'Ding,
The host has met all the requirements to activate The Godly Revival System.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully activating The Godly Revival System.
'Ding,
The Godly Revival System allows its user to revive once every week upon death, earning Life Points that can be used to acquire cultivation, talents, or abilities from those who killed them.