"I thought Mondays were bad. Who knew Saturday would turn out to be a snitch?"
Le Wei muttered in fear as a crimson liquid — blood — began to form from his hand until it took the form of a shield. Suddenly, a great impact rammed into the shield, sending him flying and landing his back on an uneven wall made of glowing shards.
Well, his whole body was protected by an awakened armor given to him by the government. Yet still, it was of a lower rank and couldn't handle that much.
Pain swallowed Le Wei whole, forcing him to yelp. The blood shield liquefied and washed away with no trace. He stood up and picked up the sword that had been with him earlier from the ground. He spat blood out of his mouth and charged at the monsters in front of him.
Of course, he wasn't alone. There were other Portal Raiders with him. The portal they had entered earlier was of the lowest rank, and it had led to a small cave dominated by wolf-like monsters.
Apart from everyone, only Le Wei was having a hard time.
"How ironic."
A bitter smile played on his lips as he sidestepped an attack and was then assisted by another Portal Raider.
Five years ago, when Le Wei had awakened at the Academy, he was hailed for awakening a Tier Five ability. One of the rarest tiers. And so, it had promised a bright future for both him and humanity. His ability, called the Blood System, was the power to use blood in several ways.
Le Wei could remember the news blowing up then, but now...he's just a waste. He doesn't even think anyone remembers the promised prodigy Le Wei anymore.
'Ah...that's fate for you.'
Apparently, the ability had turned out to be hard to use and useless to Le Wei. Proof was that in the five years of becoming a Raider, all he could produce was a blood shield.
Of course, Le Wei hadn't cared at that time when he was called a prodigy, and he didn't care this time when no one remembers him — in other words, a failure.
What he had only cared about was money.
When there's money, there's peace. Petty things like Raiders, monsters, apocalypses, and portals are useless in the face of money. Money is the ruler of all.
Who could resist money?
Le Wei was more greedy than webnovel authors who write a single book for years and thousands of chapters, prompting the readers to buy more and more chapters daily.
'Very, very vile people. Now that I think about it...I have been stacking Shadow Slave for a while now. Better get back to it.'
Le Wei had the whole time in the world to think since now, the Raiders had already assumed a different formation, pushing him to the back so as not to be a liability.
Well, he didn't see himself as a liability; rather, he saw himself as a rich man who was being guarded by guards from crazed wolf-like fans.
What delusions do to Le Wei is beyond explanation.
Le Wei laughed bitterly, sidestepping another swipe from a massive wolf-beast. Its fangs snapped mere inches from his arm.
"You really need a lesson in personal space," he muttered.
His sword clashed against clawed limbs, sparks flying from the impact. The other Raiders had formed a semicircle, blocking the monsters and giving him a narrow corridor to fight through. Still, each movement sapped him...the lower-rank armor wasn't enough to fully protect him, and the blood shield had long since liquefied.
Another wolf lunged from the side, faster than the others. Le Wei barely rolled out of the way. He spat out blood, wiped his face, and muttered, "Great. Just another Saturday ruined."
Pain shot up his leg as a jagged claw grazed him. "Not today," he gritted through his teeth, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The wolf yelped and staggered, but more were coming.
'Always more.'
Le Wei's mind raced. Five years, five long years of blood shield training and nothing else. He had never really cared about being a prodigy, but dying here? This was embarrassing. Not because of pride...but because he hadn't even gotten his money yet.
"Come on," he muttered. "Dying? That sounds expensive. I barely have enough for a coffin."
Then it happened.
A shadow fell over him. It was a massive wolf, easily twice his size, its glowing eyes burning like coals. Before he could react, it lunged. His sword met the beast's claws, sparks flying, but the impact drove him backward with unstoppable force. He slammed into the wall, shards of glowing rock stabbing his back, piercing the armor, tearing through his skin.
The world around blurred. Pain surged through his whole body. He couldn't feel the armor disintegrating into tiny sparks. He tried to use the tiniest bit of blood to form the blood shield, but nothing came.
He coughed, blood spraying his lips.
'Of course...' he thought, bitterly. 'Of course, I'd die surrounded by monsters, without even a dime to show for it.'
A fleeting smirk crossed his face. "Well...at least I'll have an interesting story for the afterlife..."
The wolf's jaws closed around him. Pain exploded, brighter than anything he had felt before. The world turned red, then black.
And then, nothing.
Le Wei died.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
'Huh? Am I not dead?'
Le Wei tried to open his eyes, but immediately they opened, bright light assaulted him. He instantly closed them and slowly opened them again. What he saw left him in awe.
He was in a beautiful garden large enough to be half an estate. Flowers, trees, and birds were present, accompanied with a pleasant scent.
He glanced around, hoping everything would crumble and then he would find himself in his room. But no! Nothing of such happened. He really died! This...this is the afterlife?
Le Wei smiled.
"So no money anymore... Well, at least there will be peace."
Immediately, a red and grey panel, flanking each other, appeared in front of him.
[Ding! Blood System signed in. Level up and cultivate more abilities.]
[Ding! Corpse System activated. Absorb corpses. Resolve conflicts. Extend your lifespan!]
"Spoke too soon."