Main Hall.
David's eyes flicked open. His gaze roamed all over the place.
So he was indeed reborn.
It was his eyes seeing things now, not his consciousness drifting through nothingness.
A moment ago, he had been in a dark, warm space with no body to feel. And now suddenly, he could feel, sense, see, hear, and even smell.
He was excited.
He knew, or more like he could tell, that he wasn't in the familiar body he once had.
He was taller now, around 7 feet. His body felt freer and sturdier.
It was a well-built, muscular physique.
His hair was different too. It wasn't military short anymore. It flowed down to his shoulders. Raven-colored, with streaks of gold running through it.
Showing the duality of the race he had created.
Nephren.
He wasn't human anymore, but a Nephren.
"Well, if I am Nephren, shouldn't I have wings?"
With only a slight intent, he could already feel them in his body. The retractable kind, at his will, long black wings edged with golden feathers stretched wide.
He flapped them, producing a gust strong enough to push him into the air.
It was fast.
He could fly.
It should have been his first time flying, yet his body felt already adapted to it. Using the wings felt natural, like an extra pair of arms.
He was in a stone hall. Flying through a narrow passage, he shot out of the building, climbing higher into the sky.
There was no limit. He kept flying higher and higher.
Unlike the polluted city skies he knew, this world's sky was cleaner, brighter, more vibrant.
After rising for a while, he stopped near a huge cloud and looked down at the scenery below.
It was beautiful.
But…
Lonely. Barren.
As far as his eyes could see, only snowy mountains and snow-covered fields were visible. He searched around, yet no other life form was in sight.
Was he alone here?
"It truly is a northern wasteland?"
While he was pondering, he felt his stable balance slip. One of his wings was getting frozen from the low temperature at this high altitude.
Before he knew it, he was crashing down at twice the speed he had flown up.
If he hit the ground at that velocity, the injuries would be fatal. He didn't even have any life support.
But surprisingly, he was calm.
Maybe his heart had grown calm in this new body.
His hands looked normal, but with his intent, sharp golden claws extended from his fingers. He grabbed the frozen part of his wing and, with some strength and the claws' sharpness, the ice was shattered.
He could flap his wings again.
With a strong gust from them, he secured a safe landing, just a meter away from crashing.
"Wait… I have Hellfire Touch too, right?" Again, with just his intent, his body naturally produced white flames.
The snow around him began to evaporate. "Why didn't I think of that before?"
He let out a chuckle.
For now at least, he felt joy. Something he had been missing for years. His line of work was controlling, monotonous, something he hated. Today, he truly felt free from all shackles.
He just wanted to fly high.
Go beyond lands, explore lands.
But in his moment of reverie, a system screen manifested before him.
It was the same system that guided him through the process of race creation, but now in a different interface.
[Sync… 100%]
[Loading Status Info…]
══════════════════
[Status]
Name: CarryMe
Race: Nephren
Biological Age: 25 Years
Talent: As a progenitor you are all-rounder.
Titles:
- Progenitor — Origin of the Nephren race. All Nephren instinctively recognize your authority.
- Clan Sovereign — Absolute authority over Founding Clan.
Level: 5
Bloodline: Progenitor (Unique)
Fusion Purity: 100% Perfect balance of Celestial and Demonic essence.
MARTIAL ARTS:
1. Nephren Combat Style (Common): Basic racial martial art, uses wings/claws/agility.
Proficiency: Beginner
SPECIALIZED MAGIC SYSTEMS: None
CP Balance: 25
══════════════════
David's eyes scanned through the game-like blue window. Having gone through the whole race creation process, he was now familiar with how the system worked.
After reading through the status screen, he noted his remaining 25 CP was still there, and while he didn't understand what the level part meant, everything else was clear to him.
[Loading Racial Status…]
Before long another status screen materialised before him.
══════════════════
[Nephren Racial Status]
Racial Name: Nephren
Progenitor: CarryMe
World Reputation: 0 / 10,000 (Unknown)
(!) Reputation Tiers:
- 0-99: Unknown
- 100-499: Rumors (Village-level awareness)
- 500-1,999: Regional Recognition
- 2,000-4,999: Continental Awareness
- 5,000-9,999: World-Famous
- 10,000+: Legendary Status
Reputation Benefits:
- Every 100 Rep = +20 CP/month passive income
- High reputation attracts talented immigrants (other races seeking to join under)
- Unlocks diplomatic options with major factions
- Race becomes existential. Achievements Pass down in history.
[Population Overview]
Total Population: 8
Active Members: 3 (You + 2 B-Grades)
Dormant Members: 5 (in Genesis Pond)
Bloodline Distribution:
- Progenitor: 1
- S-Grade: 1 (dormant, 19y 11m remaining)
- A-Grade: 2 ( 2 dormant, 4y 3m remaining)
- B-Grade: 4 (2 active, 2 dormant 1y 2m remaining)
[Clan Infrastructure]
Clan Name: Founding Clan
Clan Level: 1 (Nascent Settlement)
Clan Grade: Mortal Tier
Current Facilities:
Main hall (Lv 1)
Genesis Altar (Lv 1)
Sleeping Quarters1 (Lv1)
Storage Vault (Lv 1)
Forge (Lv 1)
Outer walls (Lv 1)
(!) Clan Level 2 Requirements:
- Population: 15+ active members ✗ (Currently 3)
- Facilities: 8 unique facilities ✗ (Currently 6)
- Resource Production: 1 active industry ✗ (None)
- Upgrade Cost: 500 CP
══════════════════
"Huh? What is all that?"
He was overwhelmed by all the info suddenly displayed on the screen before him. With little to no explanation.
It was the classic system behavior of this racial system.
It never bothered to explain anything.
You had to figure out most things yourself.
Not left with any other option, David read each text on the new status screen. And after going through them, he was able to make sense of some of the info.
It was like an RPG game simulation.
He would have to tactically grow his race by increasing population, reputation, and upgrading the clan.
That was actually interesting.
To be honest, without the system, he himself wasn't sure how he would grow this new race without any building blocks in this foreign land. But with the help of the system, he would at least have direction and the support he needed.
But the thing was, this wasn't the kind of system that spoon-fed its host. It functioned on pre-programmed directives.
It was still up to him to figure out the things he didn't understand, like what the birth altar was or what the bloodline grade meant.
The system was only support. It was still him who had to learn, figure things out, strive, and make the race grow.
After all, wasn't he their progenitor?
Their lord?