His skin was suddenly stretched, forced to reform over the pores that had yet to close.
'Damn it, this hurts so much!'
Yu Yun was interrupted by the pain of his epidermis being literally stretched like a rubber band. He wanted to scream, to give in to the agony. But thinking about the eighty percent chance of recovery, he steeled himself to endure it all.
With the bleeding stopped, the risk of dying within the next few minutes was gone.
Enduring the agony for half an hour with nothing but sheer willpower, he finally felt the holes in his skin closing. That made him wonder if he could finally live.
[100%]
"I did it! I fought for my life—and won in the end!" He began to cry in relief. Going through that had been anything but easy. Without a strong will to survive, he would have fainted the moment he got out of bed.
Smiling through the tears, he closed his eyes. All he wanted at that moment was to rest.
An unknown amount of time later, he woke up, stretching his shoulders, now perfectly fine and flexible. "Finally, I can breathe... but why was I in that state?"
Questions filled Yu Yun's mind. He couldn't remember anything. He didn't even know where to start. 'According to clichés, shouldn't I regain my memories with a splitting headache or something?'
He was a reader of web novels—this was a classic trope in every story he'd read. But nothing like that was happening to him.
Rolling his eyes, he decided to wash the blood-soaked body. He stood up, went to the basin, removed the pants he still wore, and stepped in.
The moment he touched the water, Yu Yun felt a strange sensation, as if his body wanted to absorb it. His pores were completely abnormal.
'System, what's the success rate of my pores being different from a normal human's?'
[100%]
'Is that good?' Yu Yun wondered, finding it very strange to have pores that large.
[90%]
'Huh? So it is good! But that minus ten bothers me... feels like bad luck is coming.' He grew uneasy. 'Am I right?'
No response. The system wasn't clairvoyant, so it couldn't foresee danger.
'Still, there are signs... like that minus ten! Just like before—if I hadn't gotten up and found that box, I'd be dead. If I use this system wisely, I can avoid trouble.'
Yu Yun deduced, but it was hard to act on it this time since he had no idea about anything. To learn more, he'd have to leave the cabin. But before that, he needed to finish his bath.
After washing himself, turning the water a crimson red, he stood up and looked down, startled. His "little brother" was unreal in size. It was... very—
"Stop thinking nonsense!"
He slapped his own face, blush spreading across his cheeks but with a satisfied grin on his lips. Putting on a tattered blue robe, he ran his fingers through his long hair, which reached down to his knees.
'I wish I could see what I look like now. What's the success rate of me being handsome?' He asked eagerly, awaiting the system's response.
[100%]
"Hahaha! I don't know what kind of world this is, but for now, I can be happy. I started off premium!"
Yu Yun hummed cheerfully, but his tune was abruptly cut off when a kick slammed into the door.
Before he could even blink, the wooden door shattered into pieces, revealing the figure of a drunken old man wearing patched gray clothes and holding a gourd of wine.
Swallowing hard, Yu Yun widened his eyes. That thing didn't seem human. The old man was a monster with supernatural strength. He didn't stand a chance—and confirmed it for himself.
[0%]
Swallowing again, he faced the old man with eyes full of confusion. "Who are you? Why did you destroy my door?"
He asked, afraid the old man would punch him and send him flying like a ball.
The old man raised an eyebrow. "You forgot me?"
Yu Yun nodded in affirmation.
"Seems like you suffered memory loss? But tell me... did it work? Did your pores expand?"
The old man ignored his confusion. What mattered to him was the answer. Yu Yun didn't respond right away.
'System, what's the chance of problems if I tell him the truth?'
[100%]
'Will it be bad? If I lie, will I regret it?'
[100%]
'Heee... so telling the truth will bring danger, but also benefits.' Yu Yun, who knew nothing about this world, hesitated for a moment before deciding.
"Yes, my pores are all enlarged." He took the risk. He had to—there was no better option for someone without memories.
The old man nodded, then grabbed Yu Yun's arms and sent a strange energy through his fingers—a blue force spreading throughout Yu Yun's body.
"My god!" Yu Yun was shocked once again. This world wasn't normal—it was supernatural. And from the clues so far, it was a world of cultivation. To confirm, he asked about the chance of that being true.
[100%]
It was true—cultivators existed!
Connecting all the pieces of the puzzle, his initial shock turned into excitement. If all this was real, then immortality was no longer just a dream.
Yu Yun didn't know if living forever would be a good thing, but if the chance was there—why not try?
While these thoughts swirled in his mind, the old man withdrew his strange energy and burst into laughter.
"Hehehe! Didn't I tell you, brother? The human body is full of possibilities! This boy performed a miracle—he reforged his pores entirely!"
"Elder?" Yu Yun snapped back to reality, stepping away from the old man, who was talking to himself, a weird expression on his wrinkled face, yellow teeth showing.
"Don't run, boy. Since you succeeded, you can now cultivate the Beast King's Body Refinement Technique. Your wish has been granted—you'll no longer be a task disciple at the bottom of the pit."
'My wish? The body's original owner wished for that? So, to achieve it, he tried to widen his pores and ended up dying, giving me the chance to possess him?! System, what's the chance of that being true?'
[100%]
"Damn! That's insane! This guy was crazier than me! But thanks to him, I've got a huge advantage."
Yu Yun didn't know whether to feel happy or guilty for the original owner—someone who sacrificed everything just for another to reap the reward. In the end, he chose to feel grateful.
'Predecessor, rest in peace! Don't worry—I'll use your effort to chase immortality!'
After reaffirming his goal, he looked at the old man and, with a deep breath, cupped his hands. "Elder, please teach me the way to change my fate! I don't want to live at the bottom anymore!"
"Hahaha!" The old man laughed heartily and patted Yu Yun's head. "Alright! I'll teach you, but keep in mind—I've never seen a human practice this technique. The chance of you dying is high."
"..."
Yu Yun fell silent after hearing that.
'System, what's the success rate of this going horribly wrong?'
[50%]
'That's not too bad... Maybe because my pores were reformed, I can do it.'
"Elder, I'm not afraid! If I feared death, I wouldn't have endured the living hell I just went through." He spoke with firm resolve.
Yu Yun wasn't someone who gave up easily—as long as there was even one percent chance, he would cling to hope for success.