"Where in the hell am I?" Ma Feng asked.
The voice of Ma Feng echoed throughout the Black Desert Realm. A black sky stretched above with no moon or stars. The air became cold as the wind blew heavily, scattering dust throughout the atmosphere.
Ma Feng's clothes disappeared as he stood naked in the desert. He was stunned and shocked to see himself in such a mysterious world. Everything seemed real to him, but it felt like a virtual reality game.
"Violet, what is this place?" Ma Feng asked.
VIOLET: THIS IS THE REALM OF CULTIVATION, THE SOURCE CODE OF THE GODS... YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS WORLD IS A RESULT OF A MALFUNCTION IN THE SYSTEM. THIS WORLD EXISTS BEYOND IMAGINATION.
"Realm of Cultivation? Source code of the Gods... I don't quite understand the f*** you're talking about, Violet, but it's quiet, isn't it?" Ma Feng asked with a smile on his face as he returned to his dragon form.
VIOLET: NOTICE: YOU HAVE ACQUIRED A NEW SKILL... CURSE SUMMONING!!
"A new skill? Curse Summoning? What the hell is that?" Ma Feng asked himself as the wind grew mad. He stood firmly on the ground while the wind turned fierce and the earth began to shake vigorously.
Ma Feng gasped in shock as he rolled off the bed and crashed to the ground. He groaned softly and turned to see himself lying on the floor in his own chambers, then sighed.
"How am I in my bedroom?" Ma Feng asked himself as he slowly rose from the ground.
The door opened and two guards rushed into the bedroom, heaving a sigh of relief upon seeing Ma Feng standing on his feet. They had rushed in after hearing a heavy thud, thinking something bad had happened.
"What happened, and why am I in my bedroom?" Ma Feng asked the guards as he sat down on the bed. The two guards bowed their heads before the royal prince seated before them.
"Ehmm... My Prince, it—" The first guard couldn't finish his sentence before he was immediately interrupted by Prince Xi Jing, who entered Ma Feng's chambers. Ma Feng slowly turned to stare at the prince.
"You suddenly dropped down from your horse unconsciously, and I rushed to get you up. I carried you to your chambers when the physicians were summoned to check on your health by my father," Prince Xi Jing said.
"Oh. Thanks, by the way... Xi Jing," Ma Feng said.
He immediately rested his back against the bed as the two guards were dismissed to their duty posts by Prince Xi Jing. Three maids came in minutes later with trays of delicious food.
"Father was quite worried about your health. How are you faring now, Ma Feng?" Prince Xi Jing asked as he sat down on the chair facing Ma Feng. The maids placed the food on a stool.
"I can say I'm okay, but I don't know what really happened to me."
"You said the physicians came to check on me. Did they find anything?" Ma Feng curiously asked, casting a side glance at Prince Xi Jing, who crossed his legs while seated.
"Actually, nothing was exactly found other than your brute body. The physicians complimented you on your strong physique. I guess you did a lot of exercises in the Shadow Forest then," Prince Xi Jing said.
"Clepto Rider," Prince Xi Jing added, laughing out loud.
"Please don't say that word when people are around. Though my lies managed to clear all belief that I'm the Clepto Rider—the King of Thieves—it's quite fun, isn't it?" Ma Feng said and took a deep breath.
"Violet, is there anything wrong with my body since the Cultivation Realm? And what's with this new skill?" Ma Feng asked himself as he remained on the bed. He slowly rose due to the aroma of the delicacies.
VIOLET: YOUR BODY IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PERFECT, AND THE SWIFT JOURNEY TO THE CULTIVATION REALM HAS AT LEAST ADDED THREE LEVELS TO YOUR CURRENT LEVEL. THE CURSE SUMMONING...
VIOLET: I AM YET TO FULLY ANALYZE THE DATA!
"So not even Violet knows about this new skill—Curse Summoning. I gained such an ability from my journey into that mysterious Cultivation Realm," Ma Feng said to himself as he began devouring the food.
"Sorry for asking this question, Ma Feng, but how was your stay in the Shadow Forest? I heard it's filled with hundreds of dark monsters and evil creatures lurking around—creatures cursed with magic."
"How did you survive all those monsters?" Prince Xi Jing asked.
"It's quite a simple answer I'd give. The more the monsters came, the more I killed them and turned them into fresh meat. They may be monstrous, but they're quite delicious," Ma Feng said, licking his lips.
"Is that so? Then I'd be extremely excited to explore the Shadow Forest one day. But for now, Father demands a meeting with you, Ma Feng... He's excited you're already awake," Prince Xi Jing said.
"The King wants to meet me? Does this mean he figured it out?" Ma Feng asked as he coughed softly. He devoured the meat before him, licking his hands as Prince Xi Jing joined him.
Both gluttonous princes devoured the entire meal and licked the plates clean before calling the maids to take them away. They left for the throne room to meet the king.
They arrived at the door of the throne room and walked into the hall. They looked up to see King Ezerel seated on his throne, with the Four Elders standing beside the altar. The Chief Warrior, Qi Ping, was also present.
"Am I in trouble or what?" Ma Feng asked himself as they continued approaching the King and halted. Prince Xi Jing bowed his head before the King with a smile on his face.
"Greetings, Father. Your humble son is present and standing before you," Prince Xi Jing stated. Ma Feng, quite confused about what to do, took two minutes before bowing his head.
"You are welcome to my throne, both of you, my sons," King Ezerel said.
"My King, if I must say... Prince Ma Feng should be placed under punishment for not showing his respect to Your Majesty. He went against the law," the First Elder said proudly. Ma Feng gritted his teeth calmly.
"My King, the Elder is right... That brat should be punished," Chief Warrior Qi Ping said proudly. King Ezerel stared daggers at him, and the Chief Warrior quickly recoiled, maintaining his composure.
"My Elder, there won't be any punishment since Ma Feng is just new to the customs as a declared prince and adopted son of mine. He will be forgiven," King Ezerel said as he rose from his throne.
"My sons—Xi Jing and Ma Feng—Scarlet Academy will be resuming shortly. While Xi Jing will return with Rose, you, Ma Feng, will be enrolled as a new student into Scarlet Academy. After all..."
"You are the Prince of Marcel Kingdom," King Ezerel said with a smile.
"Me? Enrolled into Scarlet Academy? The Academy of the Blessed? This is quite shocking," Ma Feng said to himself, confusion written on his face. Prince Xi Jing looked as if he wanted to ask his father something.
Even Prince Xi Jing was surprised, as his father had already thought ahead of him. He remained calm, though his heart brimmed with excitement. He now had someone in Scarlet Academy to play with.
"Thank you, my King... I am grateful," Ma Feng spoke out.
"There's no need to address me so formally since I am now your father. You will be lodge mates with Xi Jing, and I have already arranged everything you will be needing in the Scarlet Academy, my son," King Ezerel said, and Ma Feng smiled. He slowly raised his head, and his eyes met with that of King Ezerel.
He didn't quite understand why King Ezerel was being so good to him, or why such kindness was coming his way in this mysterious world.
He was still yet to understand and know this world, but he was enjoying every bit of the goodness brought upon his life. Ma Feng became calm, since neither he nor Violet the System detected any murderous intent from the King.
"Thank you, Father. I will remain grateful," Ma Feng said, and he bowed his head afterward.
"Violet, is there any way that I could get in contact with the Dragon God Ozel? I would like to ask him some questions," Ma Feng asked himself while still bowing his head before the King of Marcel Kingdom.
VIOLET: NOTICE, DRAGON GOD OZEL IS SEALED IN THE MATRIX WORLD OF YOUR HEART. DUE TO THE HEAVY SEAL...IT WILL TAKE TIME TO PROCESS THE MATRIX WITHIN YOUR HEART. I WILL BEGIN AT ONCE.
"Please do, because I would like to make the final wish I couldn't make before my reincarnation. And besides, I would love to know what exactly this world is. This is all a mystery to me," Ma Feng said to himself.