"Light and darkness, Yin and Yang, life and death… one cannot exist without the other.
Every thing, every being, every breath in the universe rests upon a fragile balance few truly comprehend.
There are no chosen ones blessed by the heavens; opportunities and treasures simply exist, waiting to be discovered.
Nothing exists without reason, yet everything has a reason to be.
And sometimes, it takes only a single grain of sand to tip the scales and bring an entire world to ruin."
[Congratulations to the Host for reaching the Yin Yong Level.]
The voice echoed through the void—clear, detached, like the whisper of a verdict pronounced by something beyond comprehension.
"Finally… System, show me my status."
[Name : Tim Thomas]
[Age : 22]
[Class : Merchant]
[Cultivation : Yin Yong Level]
[Capital : 500 Gold Coins]
Tim slowly opened his eyes, or at least, he thought he did.
Around him stretched nothingness.
No sky, no ground, not even a shadow to cast.
Perfect silence ruled that infinite emptiness, a space without light or substance, where even the idea of time itself seemed suspended.
No one expects to die on a Tuesday.
Least of all Tim.
It had been raining that day : a cold, relentless rain that fell upon the city like a warning no one cared to hear.
He was heading home from work, earphones in, his mind elsewhere, too tired to notice anything around him.
Anonymous faces passed by, headlights shimmered across the soaked asphalt, and as always, his gaze stayed fixed on his shoes.
Then came the sharp blare of a horn, followed by a burst of white light that seared his vision.
He didn't even have time to turn his head or understand what was happening.
There was only the impact on his side, the bite of metal, the crushing weight across his chest—the taste of blood flooding his mouth—and then the world simply faded, swallowed by a silent darkness.
When consciousness returned, the rain was gone.
There was no body, no pain, nothing but the absolute void where his mind drifted without anchor.
[Connecting to System…]
[User identified : Tim Thomas]
[Status : Deceased (Earth – Low Technological Level)]
[Eligibility for Reassignment Confirmed.]
Before he could speak, a torrent of information poured into him.
Words he had never heard : Qi, meridians, dantian, spiritual essence, energy exchange currency merged with laws, formulas, and patterns describing a world governed by rules utterly foreign to him.
It was as if someone had emptied an entire library into his mind.
The shock nearly overwhelmed him, but his body, or rather, the awareness that had replaced it, reacted on its own.
His breathing aligned to a steady rhythm he did not control.
An invisible current began to circulate around him, soft at first, then denser, until it moved in perfect harmony with his thoughts.
His consciousness adjusted, learning a language he had always somehow known without understanding.
[Spontaneous cultivation detected.]
[Synchronization complete.]
The sensation was strange, not painful, not pleasant, but perfectly balanced.
Tim felt himself stabilize, as if something deep within had found its proper alignment on this new plane of existence.
He couldn't tell how long it lasted, a second, an hour, an eternity, before a pale light appeared before him.
[Initial status unlocked.]
A translucent screen floated in front of him, like a holographic projection.
The letters glowed faintly silver, perfectly clear against the endless darkness.
Tim studied it for a moment, like a gamer confronted with a system whose rules he didn't yet understand.
"So I'm really dead… And if I'm reading this right, I've got a System, and I'm supposed to become a merchant?"
[Yes.]
The reply appeared instantly,cold, precise, devoid of emotion.
"Not bad, I guess. So where exactly am I supposed to sell things?"
[The selection of merchandise and sales locations is entirely up to the Host.]
"Host, huh? So I can sell whatever I want, wherever I want?"
[Within the limits of your current abilities, initial capital, and the universal laws of exchange.]
He raised an eyebrow, an ironic smile tugging at his lips
"Great. Even after death, I still have to do math."
[Commercial success depends on strategy, negotiation, and perceived value. A profitable deal is worth more than a battle won.]
The void remained silent for a moment. Tim looked upward, as if searching for an invisible ceiling.
"And what if I don't want to sell anything? What if I just… do nothing?"
[Refusal detected. Role rejection impossible. The System is bound to your soul.]
He froze
"You mean I'm stuck in some kind of eternal interdimensional job contract?"
[Unrecognized formulation. The System offers the Host a second chance. Failure or inaction will result in spiritual dissolution.]
"So it's either work or vanish. Perfect. Even in death, you can't escape capitalism."
[Motivation level : 34 %. Rising.]
He let out a long sigh, half amused, half resigned
"All right, all right. I'll sell, I'll trade, I'll survive. But why me? There must've been better candidates."
[Your soul has been evaluated as compatible with the Merchant class. Adaptability rate : 92 %. Latent potential detected.]
"Latent potential, huh? The last time someone said that, it was during a job interview."
[Comparison irrelevant.]
Tim smirked
"And you? Do you have a name? Can I call you… Marchy?"
[No.]
"Merchant-tron? System-sama?"
[…]
No answer
"Fine. 'System' it is. Classic, but it works."
[Accepted.]
At that moment, the void trembled.
Thin cracks of light spread around him, as if darkness itself were shattering under the weight of an unseen force.
A reddish glow seeped through the fractures, carrying with it heat and the faint scent of ash.
[Loading initial world…]
[First merchant contract detected.]
The ground solidified beneath his feet, and the air grew heavy with energy.
Tim barely had time to draw a breath before the light engulfed him completely.
"…I have a very bad feeling about this."