There was pain, yes—but there was also relief.This was a routine his body had known once. In another life. In the days of banners and formations and morning drills that blurred into war.
Back then, he was a soldier.
Now, for a few hours each day, he was again.
His arms finally dropped.
The spear lowered with them, the tension in his shoulders releasing like a bowstring gone slack.
He exhaled—slow and controlled. But this time, his knees buckled beneath him.
The world tilted.
He hit the ground hard, dust rising around him. His chest rose and fell in deep, dragging breaths. Every muscle screamed. His vision blurred with sweat and fatigue.
Still, he smiled faintly.
Then the soft glow returned.
Mission Complete[+5 Merit] Cooldown: 18 hours
Yu Jin lay on the ground, sweat soaking through his clothes, chest heaving from the day's training. Every limb ached, his fingers trembled, but the glow of the system still hovered above him—calm, patient, waiting.
"Merit," he muttered.
The panel shifted.
Merit Points: 50
He narrowed his eyes, breath slowing.
"Shop."
Another shimmer. New categories unfolded like a scroll unrolling in midair.
System Shop• Traits• Skill Points• Items
"Skill Points."
The display changed again.
What came next stopped him cold.
Allocate Skill Points
LEA (Leadership): 33
STR (Strength): 44
INT (Intelligence): 57
POL (Politics): 23
CHA (Charisma): 20
Cost per Point: 3 Merit
Yu Jin stared at the numbers.
Low. But not surprising.
He hadn't earned the steel in his spine yet. Hadn't seen war. Hadn't served.
Still… some parts of him hadn't changed. His instincts were intact. His mind still sharp.
But he wasn't here to grow smarter.
"Strength. Spend three."
The screen pulsed.
STR increased to 45
Remaining Merit: 47
He waited. No sudden rush. No surge of power.
Still, something felt different. Subtle. His breathing came a bit easier. The weight in his arms—not lighter, but not as crushing.
"Again. Strength."
STR increased to 46
Remaining Merit: 44
Next Point Cost: 4 Merit
"So the cost rises… even strength has a price."
Just then, footsteps. Dry grass shifting under boots.
"You training for war," a voice called out behind him, "or possessed by it?"
Yu Jin turned his head.
Yue Jin stood nearby, arms crossed, brow raised.
"You've been out here every morning like this. What the hell's gotten into you?"
Yu Jin looked up at him, the sun catching the edge of Yue Jin's silhouette.
His body ached. The system's glow hovered silently nearby, waiting.
But his thoughts drifted—back to another life.To days under banners.To shared meals before battle.To men like Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Yue Jin—standing shoulder to shoulder as the world burned around them.
So many had died serving their lord. Without hesitation. Without regret.
And yet, here he was. Given another chance.
He looked at Yue Jin—the same sharp eyes, the same stubborn defiance.
"You're going to think I'm crazy…"
Yue Jin smirked and stepped forward.
"You're running that risk either way."
He extended a hand.
Yu Jin hesitated only a moment—then clasped it.
The grip was firm. Familiar.
For the first time since waking in this new life, Yu Jin smiled.
"Then I have nothing to lose."
Yue Jin sat across from him on an old bench, chewing on a half-burnt stalk of dried fish. Yu Jin was toweling off the sweat from his morning drills, arms wrapped in linen, posture straight despite the ache.
Ten days of silence.Now this.
Yue Jin finally broke it.
"So? You gonna explain what the hell's going on with you? You train like the gods are watching."
Yu Jin didn't answer right away. He finished tying the linen and let the question settle.
Then, calm and quiet:
"What I'm about to say will sound like madness."
Yue Jin scoffed.
"I already think you're half-possessed. Say it."
Yu Jin looked up.
"I lived another life."
"I remember it. Clearly. Not in flashes or fragments — all of it. I was older. A soldier. A general. I fought, bled, failed."
Yue Jin's chewing stopped.
Yu Jin kept his voice steady — controlled, like stating facts on a battlefield.
"I served a lord named Cao Cao. I rose through the ranks under his banner. I earned glory… and shame."
"I died with regret in my throat."
He looked away for a beat.
"And then… I woke up here."
"You were the first face I saw. Younger, but still you. I knew it wasn't a dream. Then I saw my reflection. I was looking at a boy—me, before the armor. Before the rank. Before the shame."
Yue Jin didn't speak. His face said enough.