Peace, finally. How lovely...
Wait! If I'm dead, how am I still thinking?
Lavron tried to recollect, but found his memories obscure, like a dream he'd forgotten. No matter how hard he tried, they slipped away the moment he got hold of them.
I was certainly blown to pieces... But why is it so hard to remember?
He seemed to be lying prone on an especially smooth surface. When he opened his eyes, his heart nearly leaped from his chest at the mesmerising scene before him.
He quickly got up and surveyed his environment.
Numerous eggs of varying colours spread before him, half-embedded in a smooth, crystalline ground. Luminous tubes were attached to the underside of the eggs. The tubes spiraled downwards, binding onto glowing purple spheres. These spheres, in turn, had shafts that descended and disappeared into a pitch-black surface below.
Above, a large silver moon—very much unlike that of Earth—hung in the starry night sky. Paired with the eggs, it looked as though he had been plunged into the scenery of a surreal painting.
Turning around, his breath caught.
He seemed to be at the very edge of an elevated platform made up of the extensive field of eggs. A huge wall of glass lined the platform's edge. Beyond it, a vibrant city of multicoloured buildings and glowing streets stretched before him. Lavron's eyes glistened with awe as he stared at the city...
"Aiiee!"
Suddenly, an excruciating pain rippled through his mind, bringing a flood of strange memories—a name: Devohn Styllus, an old shack, a little girl touching his hair, a muscular man with a thick mustache, smiling; a crowded shop, a gondola drifting under a grand gate...
He clutched his head, gasping, as images not his own tore through him.
A woman with chestnut hair, ladling soup. The scent of herbs and bone broth, so vivid his stomach clenched.
A man's laugh. A blade, wet and red.
"Tasty. So delicious…"
The woman fell. Lavron's chest seized with a fury that belonged to someone else entirely.
"Kill. Kill. Kill..."
He started muttering under his breath. All he wanted was to kill that demon.
The pain ebbed, and then, as abruptly as they had come, the pain and the influx of memories came to an end. Lavron found himself on his knees, tears on his cheeks. His fists were clenched so hard his nails bit into his palms.
"Mother... Mel. I'll avenge you. Once I'm done, I'll come get you, Father..."
Sh*t. These aren't my memories. Why am I so attached to them?
Lavron quickly stood and wiped his face. He froze when he saw his hands. They were pale, with slender fingers that looked too feminine to be his.
His hands immediately moved to his chest, then his groin. Phew.
At that moment, a cold understanding settled over him. He'd read enough webnovels back on Earth to guess the truth, even if it felt ridiculous. The gloomy feeling around him disappeared when he thought of the possibilities.
Hehe. So those rituals from Telegram were actually legit?How lucky. And to think it's a world with magic...
Lavron's eyes started gleaming as he rubbed his hands gleefully. He was lost in his imaginations when—
[Ding!]
A panel of blue light shimmered into existence before him. Unfamiliar symbols surfaced on the screen, forming words, then sentences. When Lavron looked closer, he realised that he could comprehend the text.
It was written in Felner, a language his memories now served him.
[Host transmigration successful]
[Congratulations, host. You have successfully awakened the Supreme Streaming System]
System? Like in webnovels?
[Gathering mystical energy…]
Suddenly, the air shifted and a powerful pressure descended on Lavron. It felt as if the world was pressing down on him. A warm sensation rose in his stomach, like something was being poured inside; his senses sharpened, and he could feel energy moving throughout his body, then—
The energy flow abruptly ceased. Lavron felt the strange energy in his body disperse, and the warm sensation vanished as if it had never been there.
[Host awakening failed. Insufficient ambient energy]
Hollowness filled his stomach, and Lavron felt like a baby deprived of his mother's milk.
[Launching tutorial...]
A fresh spike of information, cleaner this time, settled in Lavron's mind: system interfaces, reward systems, general knowledge of operating the system. Before Lavron could consolidate it all, words continued popping onto the panel.
[Evaluation in progress...]
[Ping!]
The notification sound chimed in his mind.
Seeing that no more words appeared on the panel, Lavron mentally dismissed it and summoned the menu. There was a [1] badge on the notification icon and a [3] on the mission icon. He mentally opened the notification tab.
[You have been given a second chance at life and have acquired the Supreme Streaming System. Many have been chosen, and you have been randomly selected as the first candidate. Complete the assessment missions, prove your worth, and retain the system.]
[Note: Failure to complete the missions will result in death.]
Lavron's eyes nearly popped from their sockets at the sight.
F*ck. It's not a free pass!
He quickly summoned the mission tab. There were a total of three missions.
[Mission 1: The previous owner of this body has long died, and his soul has passed to the nether world. His memories and will persist. Avenge his death within two weeks to gain the system's approval.]
Lavron stared blankly at the mission before him. For some reason, tears started to well up in his eyes again.
Avenge Devohn's death?
At the moment, Lavron didn't know if "avenging" meant killing the thugs who had murdered Devohn or simply kicking their ass*s. All in all, Lavron felt it was an impossible task.
After a while, he finally accepted that harsh reality.
If I'm going to die either way, I might as well put up a bit of a struggle before I go…
With resolve and determination in his eyes, Lavron started reading the second mission.
[Mission 2: Your previous life has ended, and only fragmented memories linger. In this new life, you have been chosen to entertain the gods. Awaken as a streamer within two weeks to gain the system's approval.]
Given his love for fantasy, Lavron would have definitely ventured down this path. What surprised him was the notion of awakening as a streamer and entertaining the gods. Lavron's body shivered; Could it be that I'm under constant observation by some mighty figures? Come to think of it, where did this system come from? The rituals didn't mention it. Ah, just let it go, what's important now is surviving. Awakening would definitely improve my chances...
The feeling of impending doom in his chest started to loosen.
If I awaken, I'll definitely become stronger, then I can handle those thugs...
Wait! Didn't Devohn come to this city to awaken?... The reason he died was because he showed his wealth to those thugs... Money is required to awaken! and those thugs stole all the money Devohn had... Doesn't that mean, to awaken, I first need to retrieve the money?
Following that train of thought, Lavron's mood turned gloomy again. His shoulders drooped, and his gaze shifted to the final mission.
Mission 3 seemed to have options, unlike the other two.
[Mission 3: Choose 1]
[Gain 10 Mystic Saint benefactors within two weeks.]
Pass.
Lavron immediately moved on to the next option. How in the world could he gain ten rank-5 awakened as his benefactors? It was mission impossible.
[Captivate the hearts of 50,000 unawakened beings within two weeks.]
Seeing the second option, Lavron passed with the same intensity, but couldn't help returning upon seeing the third.
[Gain the favour of the Empyrean Muse within two weeks.]
Even in the backwater town of Quiatan, where Devohn came from, everyone knew of the Empyrean Muse—a great god who had brought about advances in technology, fashion, and many other aspects of the world.
In a way, captivating the hearts of fifty thousand unawakened beings seemed almost attainable compared to gaining the favour of the Empyrean Muse.
Lavron stared at the words. The silence of the egg field pressed in around him.
"F*ck. My system really wants me dead."
[Ping!]
[Ping!]
[Ping!]
***
In a lavish hotel parlour, a young lady with white hair and crystalline blue eyes sat by the window, drinking tea. She wore an elegant gown and carried a noble bearing.
A young woman with short pink hair, emerald eyes, and a black spy suit sat on a brown sofa at the centre of the room. Her hands, wrapped in fingerless black gloves, danced over a holographic keyboard at incredible speed.
She stopped typing, a quizzical expression appearing on her face.
"Mmh... What's this?"
A young woman with red hair and scarlet eyes sat on the sofa beside her. She wore a fiendish smile as she read a technique manual. She stopped and looked at her questioningly.
Likewise, the elegant young lady took her gaze from the mesmerising view of the city, then looked back at her. She placed the teacup on the table and asked:
"What is it, Skylah?"
"Nothing. It's just that there are some strange energy fluctuations coming from the tower. The fluctuations are interfering with my breakthrough and might delay the heist."
Skylah answered, her gaze glued to the holographic interface.
The red-haired woman looked annoyed and continued reading her manual. Soon enough, her fiendish smile returned.
"Oh."
The elegant lady smoothed her gown over her lap, picked up her teacup, and smiled as her gaze returned outside.
...
In a dazzling world veiled with shimmering grey mist, a tall figure in a dark, starry robe sat on a tenebrous chair that looked as if it had been crafted from darkness itself. Red chains shifted underfoot, as if trying to escape the chair to which they were bound.
A golden orb floated between the figure's palms. It suddenly fractured and turned to golden motes that flowed away from him. For a moment, he wore a perplexed expression on his grotesque face, which then shifted to a curious one.
"Interesting. How so mysterious. Hahahahaha... How I love mysteries."
As his voice echoed through the foggy realm, he snapped his long, bony fingers and disappeared. Soon after, the foggy realm began to crumble.
...
Inside a majestic throne room, a young man with angelic beauty sat on a throne sculpted from blue diamond and gold. A flicker of light appeared in his golden eyes.
"How bothersome."
He lifted his index finger, lingered for a while as if thinking, then lowered it.
"I'll just let her be. How much trouble can she cause?"