Volume 1, Chapter 2: An Era of Unparalleled Heroism

"Qiqi, I hope this letter finds you well. It has been four years since we last met. I miss the days of our youth, swinging together, and I miss the sunset of that day. If you can receive the letter I burned for you, would you be willing to meet me in my dreams?"

"Qiqi."

Lu Jing jolted awake from his dream.

Staring at the familiar ceiling, Lu Jing wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Was it just a dream?

He anxiously looked at the clock on the table.

"Phew... thank goodness it wasn't just a dream; he really has returned."

With no desire to continue sleeping, he boredly flipped through the history book on his nightstand.

On January 1, 2025, a gargantuan fissure suddenly appeared beneath Flower City in the southwest. Countless monstrous beasts surged from the chasm, wantonly slaughtering and devouring the human race. The entire city was reduced to a living hell.

Humanity dispatched elite troops to valiantly combat the monsters, but despite wielding the most advanced weaponry, their mortal bodies were ultimately no match for the beasts.

Humanity's final trump card, nuclear weapons—the hope that those blood-red roses blooming in the sky would end it all—failed. Not even a thousand nuclear missiles could eradicate them.

Since then, those disgusting monsters have emerged from the fissures at random times and locations, and all humans have become their fodder.

Simultaneously, Blue Star suffered from stellar pollution. Long-dormant spirit stones awakened, triggering a spiritual resurgence, and some people gradually began to awaken as "espers" (ability users).

The new era of humanity had officially begun.

On June 7, 2026, the second fissure appeared. On November 7, 2027, the third. Then the fourth, the fifth...

Over the next century, fissures multiplied, and their frequency increased. Soon, the entirety of Blue Star had fallen.

Just as humanity stood on the brink of despair, a group of esper warriors emerged to save the race. Through their selfless sacrifice and relentless struggle, they managed to carve out the only remaining sanctuary for humanity: Huaxia.

Currently, known monsters are categorized into ten ranks; those exceeding rank ten are known as "Demons."

As of now, only three Demons are known to humanity. Each is a world-destroying entity, yet for some reason, they rarely manifest. Perhaps there is no power in this world capable of suppressing them.

Humans can awaken their abilities at age eighteen via an "Awakening Stone." Espers are divided into "Mortal Bodies" and "Spirit Bodies" based on their affinity for elemental forces. Mortal Bodies come in four ranks, C through A.

A tiny minority are born with the four Spirit Bodies—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. These are further ranked into S, SS, and SSS.

Spirit Bodies can channel the power of heaven and earth to command one of the elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth—and may even awaken a Spirit Beast form, summoning legendary mythical creatures.

Awakening levels proceed from First Awakening, Second Awakening, up to the Ninth Awakening, known as the Supreme.

A First Awakening corresponds to a Second-Rank monster; thus, a Ninth Awakening corresponds to a Tenth-Rank monster.

Those who reach the Tenth Rank are extremely rare. They generally do not manifest, as they are obsessed with growing stronger, and their ultimate goal is to evolve into Demons.

This has resulted in humanity having only four Ninth-Awakening powerhouses: a Saint, a Swordsman, a Spear Immortal, and an "Infinite."

After hundreds of years of human effort, the crystallization of human wisdom—the "Sky Eye" system—was created. Possessing immense destructive power capable of killing even a legendary Demon in a single strike, it constantly monitors global movements.

The Demons, fearing this, were forced to sign a treaty with humanity: monsters above the Eighth Rank are forbidden from setting foot on human land.

The human borders are guarded by the Dragon-Defying Pass, the Monster-Heaven Pass, and the Jade Gate Pass to prevent monster incursions.

"Sigh..."

Lu Jing set down the history book. This is a remarkably heroic era, yet having lived a second life, he has realized the cruel truth hidden beneath the surface.

Although every city today has a defensive formation, those monsters always find ways to slip through. Humanity lives with a blade hanging over its head, never knowing when it might fall.

The fall of Martial City is imminent.

Only by becoming stronger, ever stronger, can one survive in this heroic age.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the "Defend the Nation" System.]

Defend the Nation?

Lu Jing curled his lip. Isn't the name a bit tacky? Though, it is concise.

[Confirm whether the host wishes to activate this system? Confirm or Cancel.]

Every eighteen-year-old boy carries a heart full of hot-blooded, chuunibyou dreams of heroism.

But he is no longer eighteen, and he has no desire for such heroic dreams; it’s exhausting.

Lu Jing steadied himself and clicked "Cancel."

[I am sorry, host; this function is not yet available. Please make another selection.]

Lu Jing’s temper flared instantly. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, are you messing with me?"

He decided not to choose and opted to ignore it.

[Please make a selection within one minute, or the system will determine that the host lacks the capacity to choose and will self-destruct.]

"Damn it."

Isn't this forcing one's hand?

Confirm.

[System activated. Loading, please wait...]

...

System loading complete. Rules are as follows:

1. The system has successfully assisted the host in awakening and mastering a degree of Wind elemental power.

2. The host has gained the cheat abilities "Spirit Eye" and "Beast Energy Conversion."

3. The host can earn points by hunting monsters, rescuing civilians, and other means (points can be used to exchange for rare spirit elixirs, martial arts, weapons, or attribute enhancements).

4. A Newcomer Gift Pack (thirty seconds of Invincible Golden Body, one Strength Pill).

5. Hidden tasks will be issued; the host must cooperate at all times.

Lu Jing frowned slightly. Isn't the fifth rule a bit of an overbearing contract? "Cooperate at all times"—what could the system possibly want?

Forget it, I'll deal with that later. He continued reading.

Current Attributes:

Lu Jing

Status: Healthy (Mortal Body; the limit for a Mortal Body is 100.)

Strength: 30 (30/100) A weakling.

Spirit: 11 (11/100) Simple-minded.

Agility: 11 (11/100) Feeble limbs.

Physique: 9 (9/100) Weak due to lack of exercise.

Perception: 78 (78/100) Thanks to the "Spirit Eye" cheat.

Sanity: 100/100 (If sanity drops below 20, you will go insane; below 10, you will develop suicidal tendencies.)

Vitality: 100/100 (If vitality drops below 20, you will faint; below 5, you will die.)

Innate Skills:

Spirit Eye—Vision far exceeds that of a normal person. Up close, you can see details others cannot; at a distance, you can see three times further than an average person.

Beast Energy Conversion—By absorbing the bloodline power of monsters, you gain their innate abilities and increase your own attributes to a certain extent.

Level: First Awakening, Level 1.

Seeing his innate skills, Lu Jing couldn't help but smirk. "Hiss," this skill is quite good. In this world, there is no shortage of monsters.

Because monsters are pervasive and always popping up from the underground, the "Night Hunters" were formed.

They shoulder the heavy responsibility of guarding the cities.

Lu Jing’s previous self was one of these Night Hunters in Martial City. Although he hadn't awakened a Spirit Body, he possessed a decent grasp of blade intent, which earned him a spot in a squad as a reserve member.

It seems his life this time is destined to be a perilous journey.

He stood by the window, looking out at the myriad of city lights and the common folk.

"The world is full of suffering; I shall help the world find salvation."

That’s a pretty cool thing to do, isn't it? Besides, in this world, strength is ultimately king. To protect those he cherishes, he must become stronger.

Lu Jing clenched his fists. Since he has decided, he will do it beautifully.

He wants the day to come when the Demon realm trembles at the name Lu Jing!