Chapter One: Awakening from the Abyss
“Hey, Chen Yuxuan. If you were given a second chance at life, how would you choose?”
The night was cool as water.
Even the distant neon lights seemed to flow with moonlight.
On the rooftop of some building, a man lounged in the wind, perched on the edge of a railing while chatting on the phone.
A rather magnetic male voice came from the other end.
“Why the sudden question?”
I looked down, noting the endless abyss of a cliff hanging beneath my feet, which strangely enough, seemed somewhat charming at this moment.
“Just playing a game, come on, hurry up and tell me.”
The voice on the phone was growing impatient. I rolled my eyes and took a few gulps from the Jägermeister in my hand.
“What? You’re just rambling… At least present some options, like red or blue buttons, or something.”
“Well… good point. Let me think about how reincarnation novels usually go… ancient fantasy cultivations? Urban paranormal? Or just a straightforward sword-and-magic world? I haven’t read that many; that’s about all I know. What about you?”
“I’d choose a world full of lolis.”
“… Does such a world even exist?”
“Hey, what’s the point of reincarnation then—”
I sighed lightly.
“Hey, I’m trying to have a serious conversation here. Don’t brush me off.”
“Fine, fine, let’s go with the sword-and-magic world… but honestly, they all seem boring. I’m getting aesthetic fatigue.”
“Sword and magic, huh… Usually, such worlds have a Demon King and a Hero, right? So, out of those two roles, which would you pick—Demon King or Hero?”
“Definitely the Demon King,” I replied nonchalantly.
A chilly wind whipped by, making my coat flap dramatically.
“Why’s that?”
“Because only fools would choose to be the Hero. It’s always this burdensome task of defeating the Demon King and saving the world, but you’re just a pawn to those in power. They use lofty ideals to trick you into risking your life. If you succeed, they bask in the glory; if you d*e, they just find the next sucker. Who wants to play that game? Not me.”
“… so being the Demon King is easier, huh?” The voice on the other end sounded a bit wistful, “Okay, let’s go with the Demon King. Last question, would you prefer to stay a man or switch it up and try being a woman this time?”
“Of course a man… wait.”
I furrowed my brow, realizing things weren’t so straightforward.
If I became the Demon King… I’d be the one getting hunted down. No matter how powerful I was, sooner or later a stronger idiot would come at me with a holy sword, shouting “RUA! RUA! RUA!” and take me out.
Looking back at those novels and anime, I noticed many poor Demon Kings without protagonist privilege ended up dead the moment they appeared.
So, what type of Demon King survives?
Those who can pout, act cute, and cry a little.
Best if it’s a loli—breastful lolis, elf lolis, beast-girl lolis, I’d take any of them.
Throw in a silver-haired, red-eyed twist.
Every sentence needs a little “meow” at the end.
Then I can frolic around worry-free, no flags waving overhead.
You tell me she’s destined to d*e? I’ll just show up to see for myself.
After all, if I run into someone too tough, I can nuzzle up and hug their leg!
“Please, let me be a woman!!!!”
“Ew—didn’t expect you to be that kind of person.”
“Hey, being the Demon King isn’t easy, you know.”
“Even if that means bleeding out every month?”
“Uh…”
That caught me off guard.
After a moment’s hesitation, I sighed again.
“What on earth are we talking about…?”
“Just small talk.”
“Then let me ask you something.” I scooted forward a bit and changed to a more comfortable sitting position.
I shook the near-empty bottle of alcohol and chugged the rest down.
The warmth in my stomach couldn’t rekindle my frozen body.
“Seriously, what does it feel like to lose your sister?”
As soon as I said that, there was a moment of silence on the other end.
“… Why bring that up now? How do you feel now that your fiancée’s gone?”
Right, my fiancée—his sister—had passed away from illness a week ago.
So here we were, on this lonely night with no one waiting for either of us, having this pointless conversation.
“I feel nothing,” I told him.
“… What?”
His voice was momentarily shocked.
“Don’t get me wrong, bro. What I mean is… it doesn’t feel real at all. I can’t believe it. I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, she’ll pop up in front of me like usual and give me a scare.”
“… Don’t think too much. There are so many people counting on you for their livelihoods. Let’s talk about the issues we need to tackle tomorrow.”
I didn’t respond to him, though he spoke the truth.
Three years ago, I chose the entrepreneurial path, foolishly trying to change my fate. Knowing I couldn’t compete with those second-generation rich kids with their family backing, I put in more time, determined to keep my company afloat for three years despite still not turning a profit.
Regrettably, I considered this path.
I regretted not treating my fiancée better when she was still alive because I was too busy with work.
All along the way, it felt like I was making mistake after mistake, never doing anything right.
Honestly, I felt exhausted.
“Hey, what do you think the world is like after d*ath…?”
Once, a girl named Little Xi had asked me that question, but she was now in that afterlife.
“How do you answer that… Little Xi may be gone, but we still have to live well. After all, you still have your parents… Have you told them yet?”
“Not yet.”
As for why not…
Because some elders can’t understand your feelings. Sometimes, they’re not even as aware as children who know nothing but approach life with hope.
“To live, most of the time, is just a long, wearisome warfare. That’s a sentence I really love.”
“Hey, Yuxuan…”
“Thanks, buddy, goodnight.”
I hung up.
Tossing my phone aside, I leapt off the railing.
The wind howled around me.
I recalled my parents’ harsh accusations at dinner, all those thousand words eventually condensed into one:
“Why don’t you just d*e?”
But if I couldn’t d*e…
Then let me fly!
…
I had a dream.
In the dream, I sat at a table filled with delicious food, my mom walked out of the kitchen, untying her apron, smiling and saying, “Eat up! Business is like war; defeat is part of the game. Don’t be sad, you’re still young, and there are many chances to start over. Just rest at home for a while, your dad and I will always be your solid backing.”
My dad, sitting on the sofa, put down his phone, walked over, and patted my shoulder, nodding at me.
The softness in my heart was stirred, and I held back my tears, smiling at them, but my eyes were already misty.
Dad, Mom, do you know that Little Xi is gone… I can’t see her anymore…
Their figures began to fade, and I turned my head to see a girl in white standing there, looking vivacious.
“Don’t be sad,” she said. “I’ll always be with you.”
She walked towards me, reached out her fair hand, and brushed away my tears.
“Little Xi, I’m so tired…” I stared intensely at her face, where a smile that lingered in my dreams appeared.
“It’s not time to rest yet~” she replied, then cupped my tear-stained face and kissed my eyes. “Wake up, I’ll always be by your side.”
“Wake up, I’ll always be with you…” she said.
“Wake up…”
“Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up…”
That voice was no longer sweet like Little Xi’s, but thick and harsh, like a demon’s whisper.
“Awaken, Hilvigia Rabithermos, from the Abyss.”
…
I jolted awake!
My consciousness was still hazy, and I couldn’t figure out what was going on at first. After a long blankness, I slowly reconnected with the world.
I realized I was seemingly submerged in some cold, viscous liquid, surrounded by darkness—I couldn’t see a thing.
What… happened to me?!
I remembered… I jumped off the rooftop.
24 floors—certainly dead, right?
So why was I still conscious?
Could it be… I was reborn?
No way, did I actually just get reborn?!
I keenly felt the thick liquid enveloping me, slowly writhing. The sensation was smooth and cold enough to be somewhat comforting. Strangely, while my senses were aware that the liquid’s temperature should be very low, my body seemed to adapt quite well to it, a feeling hard to put into words.
I began to examine my body.
Down, up, shake my head, raise my hand, ball my fists, kick my legs.
Hmm… something felt off, like things were slightly different than before.
First off, my hands—when I made a fist, I noticed something was off with the proportions. My arms and fingers seemed a little longer.
I started to feel for muscle changes and realized that not just my arms, but other areas felt subtly different too. This oddity made me feel like I was controlling a body that wasn’t mine.
Around me, there were strange sounds, some began to intermingle with voices. People were speaking in a language I couldn’t understand, though it seemed to be quite a distance away, probably kilometers away.
Wait, how could I even estimate that distance?
Hmm? How did I even come to conclude it was kilometers…
Even though I couldn’t see, I felt my senses becoming acutely sensitive. Gradually, I began to hear the clear squelching of the surrounding viscous liquid, the distant chattering of voices became thunderous, interspersed with shouts and the roars of wild beasts. Further away, I could detect the flapping of wings, creating a shrieking wind; the rustling of grass and trees mixed with the clang of armor and the orderly march of troops grew louder in my ears…
A torrent of complex information rushed over me, causing a headache that felt like my brain was crashing.
The next moment, something began to seep from the liquid surrounding me into my body.
The black goo began to boil.
It flowed rapidly, wrapping around me and applying pressure from below as I felt my body starting to rise.
The distant voices grew increasingly raucous. Though I couldn’t understand what they were saying, I could sense the tension and fear in the air. The shouts that rang out conveyed a sense of desperation, reflecting the disaster they were about to face.
What’s going on? What’s happening?
The force propelling me surged once more, catapulting me upwards. I grew frantic, flailing my arms to grab onto something, but I could only flounder in the muddy liquid, with no anchor in sight.
I was forced upward without the power to resist; the whole process felt like it happened in an instant, and suddenly, I found myself weightless, a dazzling light making me instinctively close my eyes.
I’m out! That was my first thought.
So warm, so refreshing—my sensation of pressure from the gooey liquid vanished instantly. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrant scent of grass and trees; surely, the air quality was excellent. That was my second thought.
Then I remembered, when I was inside, it felt like I hadn’t breathed at all?
My mind raced swiftly, but only a second or two had passed. I heard loud cheers in the distance, and suddenly something whizzed toward me with the sound of cutting air; I quickly opened my eyes, and after a brief flash of white light, I was faced with an overwhelming barrage of fireballs.
Holy cr*p!
There wasn’t even time to be surprised; instinctively, I closed my eyes again and raised my right hand to shield myself.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—
Ah—! It hurts!
Explosions roared in my ears, and an unbearable burning sensation engulfed my body. I couldn’t help but raise my head and scream.
“AAHH—” but the sound that came out was a strange, long cry, like an ancient melody played beneath the moonlight—strangely beautiful, but clearly not something a human could produce.
There wasn’t time to ponder; right now, I was consumed with a frantic fear of being burned alive. I desperately opened my eyes again, only to my surprise, I was not engulfed in flames as I had imagined. I sighed in relief—thank goodness.
Though I avoided the fate of being burned, the sight before me was hardly reassuring. Instead of flames, I was enveloped in another form of hellish darkness, a cloud of black smoke wrapping around my body. The smoke danced like flames, exuding an ominous aura. Occasionally, deep blue objects flickered among it.
—My arms.
