The blade was dull.
Extremely dull.
That was the very first thought that popped into the youth's head as the back of his skull banged against the iron slaughtering table.
The oil lamp overhead swayed, making his eyes sting, while the stench of rust and blood forced its way up his nose.
The slow, rhythmic sound of a blade being sharpened mingled with the heavy breathing of a pigman, like a butcher preparing to deal with a hog scheduled for slaughter.
If life had an audience, then as you can see, this dying youth was—
Me. Lu Mao, a high schooler who had just turned eighteen, a youth who had been bodily transmigrated to another world by the envoy of a speeding truck.
Armed with a semi-crippled system, my only saving grace was a limited-use death loop ability.
And right now, this was my sixth time undergoing a “separation of head and body” operation by a pigman.
And there was some exceptionally bad news...
I seemed to have hit a dead end save.
My last words were long and my questions were many, but everything... everything started with that tavern.
...
The continent of Ernos.
In the summer dungeons, a rotting, humid stench permeated every corner.
Inside the tavern bearing the sign of the “Succubus,” a brown-furred mole monster angrily slammed a gold coin onto the bar counter. He casually tugged at the ill-fitting collar of his uniform with a sharp claw:
“Sss... I feel the need to say a few words.
“I noticed three problems the moment I walked through the door.
“First, why on earth does a barrel of sour, smelly ale cost a gold coin?”
Chen Jiu, who was wiping down a wooden barrel behind the bar, slowly stood up and quietly listened to the mole monster's complaints.
The mole monster quickly scanned the human before him. Finding his features somewhat different from the humans he knew, he assumed him to be some rare sub-human branch and continued to complain:
“Second, you just handed me a barrel of smelly ale without any tools to open it. Are the customers supposed to figure it out themselves?”
The mole monster brandished his liquor-stained claws.
“Third, your tavern hangs a sign for a succubus—where is the succubus? Don't tell me your name is ‘Succubus.’”
Patting his dusty black-and-white short robe, Chen Jiu shook his head and countered:
“Why are you looking for a succubus?”
“No shit, to pour my drinks and keep me company, of course! Otherwise, what kind of idiot would spend a gold coin on a barrel of smelly ale?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the various monsters in the hall who were happily drinking from their barrels froze. They began to grumble and protest in dissatisfaction.
Feeling the hostile glares coming from all directions, the mole monster quickly changed his tune:
“Even if your ale is good, it shouldn't cost a gold coin unless there are other services included.”
“There are. The succubus you're looking for is over there.”
Chen Jiu pointed toward a corner of the tavern. Following his finger, a troll as burly as a bull could be seen sitting quietly in the corner, polishing a wooden club that was as tall as a man.
“What kind of succubus is that? Don't tell me his name is actually Succubus.”
“Of course not. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself.”
The mole monster shouted impatiently toward the corner:
“Hey, big guy! What's your name?”
“Huh? Troll... has... no... name...”
Chen Jiu snapped his fingers:
“See? A troll with 'no name'. In my hometown tongue, 'no-name' sounds exactly like 'succubus'. Close enough, right?”
“You're screwing with me! I want to see your boss.”
“I am the boss.”
“You...”
The mole monster was about to blow a fuse, but then it occurred to him that this sub-human—who looked incredibly ordinary apart from his strange facial features—had managed to run such a rip-off tavern in this perilous dungeon and survive this long. He had to have some tricks up his sleeve.
It was better to be careful.
“Fine, you win.”
The mole monster left the tavern with a resentful look.
“Don't forget your ale.”
“I don't want it! Keep your smelly garbage for yourself!”
“Thank you.”
Under the watchful eyes of the tavern's monster patrons, Chen Jiu solemnly plugged the tasted, smelly ale back with a cork and placed it right back into the pile of smelly ales beneath the counter.
Not long after he finished, a sweet, cloying, exotic fragrance wafted in from outside the tavern.
Then, a figure with exceptionally beautiful curves pushed open the tavern door and walked in.
She was dressed extremely lightly, which was fitting for this godforsaken weather.
The monsters in the hall who were still enjoying their tipsy moments suddenly snapped awake at the sight of her. They hurriedly grabbed their belongings and fled.
Even the dim-witted troll hoisted his wooden club and bolted out the door, muttering incoherently.
Listening to the fading clamor, Chen Jiu's attention remained locked onto the center of the newcomer's surging waves, unable to look away.
“Oh my, I didn't expect you to notice that Lumu has grown quite a bit recently, My Lord. Honestly, having them this big is really a bit of a headache.”
Chen Jiu couldn't be bothered with her petty tricks.
“So, when are you going to give me the letter?”
“Oh, look how impatient you are.”
Lumu reached into the valley of her cleavage, pulled out a gold-embossed envelope, and waved it in front of Chen Jiu:
“Compared to this, your humble servant discovered something far more important during my deep trek into the dungeon, you know?”
“What is it?”
Seeing that Chen Jiu was clearly intrigued, Lumu began to tease him again:
“This information wasn't part of our previous agreement. If My Lord wishes to know... you'll have to pay extra!”
...
Chen Jiu used to be an ordinary corporate slave.
Because the pressure of life was too overwhelming, he had greeted a speeding truck on the national highway and was fast-tracked to another world.
Without a system, he had created his own branch of the Dao of Food—the Dao of Wine. He had quietly cultivated all the way to the Soul Transformation Stage in the cultivation world. Just as he deemed himself invincible and prepared to make his grand debut, he was schemed against by the Heavenly Dao and besieged by multiple Soul Transformation experts.
Later, while fleeing, he accidentally blurted out, “I bet you can't outrun me,” only to crash headfirst into a zero-frame-rendering spatial rift, fast-tracking him to another world yet again.
This time, however, he had transmigrated bodily.
Unfortunately, during his transit, not only was his physical body heavily damaged by a spatial storm, but nine of his ten Nascent Souls were shattered, leaving behind only one solitary survivor.
The only silver lining was that as his Nascent Soul hovered on the brink of dissipation, he encountered an adventurer party besieged by goblins in the dungeon.
After witnessing one of the party members backstabbing his teammate and fleeing alone, Chen Jiu appeared before him without hesitation.
“Aaaaah! A ghost!”
Chen Jiu was surprised to find that he could understand the man's language.
“Hey there, young friend! I have a cultivation technique here. Once you master it, you will gain the power to defeat the Demon King. Do you want it?”
Seeing that Chen Jiu seemed to harbor no ill intent, the man cursed as he ran.
“Get the hell away! Can't you see I'm being chased by goblins? I'm about to lose my life here! I don't have time to learn your bullshit magic!”
He was an excellent piece of raw material... oh, wait, a talent.
Although Chen Jiu was in terrible shape, he could still annihilate a few goblins with a flick of his finger.
Having witnessed Chen Jiu's power, the man was utterly awed and began to consider his proposal.
“Is that magic of yours really that powerful? Can it actually defeat the Demon King?”
“Of course. Not only can it defeat the Demon King, but it also grants eternal youth!”
Seeing that the man was swayed, Chen Jiu held onto his consciousness and coaxed him, secretly grumbling:
If I weren't in such a pathetic state, why would I waste so many words on you? I would have just grabbed you and refined you in an instant.
“But Chief Jack back in our village said the Demon King can destroy a whole city with a wave of his hand. Are you really that strong...”
If Chen Jiu had a physical body right now, his eyelids would surely be twitching violently.
“Forget the Demon King. Elves, succubi, mermen, beastkin girls... you can conquer whoever refuses to submit.”
Chen Jiu rattled off a list of names based entirely on his stereotypical impressions of fantasy worlds.
This time, the man was finally convinced by his lower half:
“Alright, pass it to me now! I can't wait to go fight some succu... uh, the Demon King!”
“No problem. Just relax—yes, yes, exactly like that.”
“Argh... why does it hurt a bit? It feels like something extra has entered my body... My head hurts so much.”
“Deep breaths, a headache is perfectly normal. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you... Well, it's not just me who almost forgot; you're about to 'forget' too. You'll forget everything from this life.
“Look at my memory, only remembering to tell you now. Don't take it to heart, though. In a few seconds, you won't even know what 'taking it to heart' means anyway.”
Rate on N.U.
