The entire continent was frozen…
[Shop]
Vicente, Ellie, and Lisa looked at the enormous frozen continent and fell silent.
After a moment, Ellie broke the silence as always.
Ellie: "Master, this looks like an enlarged version of Antarctica."
Vicente and Lisa nodded at the same time.
As for why Lisa, who obviously isn't from Earth, could understand, it had to do with the console.
Vicente didn't want her to become just a game addict, so he also used it for learning.
With interactive learning and level 3 comprehension, it was easy for her to learn modern things in less than three days. The rest really was just games.
Well, Vicente thought it was a good way to spend a million.
Besides, it kept his sexual desires at zero because he could simulate any heroine and do whatever he wanted there.
This prevented him from becoming one of those virgin protagonists who can't even walk properly whenever they see a beautiful woman.
It also served to increase combat experience with various characters.
Whether it was Vicente or Lisa, both greatly increased their combat experience.
Even though Lisa hadn't officially started cultivating yet, since Vicente was creating a technique for her.
To prevent this sister from going through the same hardships he once went through.
He created techniques to strengthen the body and soul, but the higher levels were still under construction.
Just a few more days and it would be ready.
After looking at the image, he asked a question.
Vicente: "So what level would this be?"
Ellie: "Master, I'm not sure either…"
"When we created the level system, we only took brute strength into consideration."
"And there were many mistakes, like how a supernova of the largest star could kill a level 6 powerhouse."
"But after studying more, we're certain that if a level 6 could have a body with the durability of a galaxy…"
"Then it's impossible to be shaken by a supernova. The only way would be being hit by another galaxy."
Ellie lowered her head.
"We made many mistakes creating this system. It was rushed and poorly done."
Vicente: "It's fine, just use it as a reference in the future."
"Even with many mistakes, it still gives a general idea."
Vicente shrugged and patted Ellie's head.
"We'll improve it as I continue to grow and use data from future system users."
"We'll leave these issues for the future."
"Now let's continue advancing the 'movie'."
"Yes." (x2)
With that, the secondary body continued to move forward and time started flowing again.
On the newly frozen continent.
With a dull thud, Shen Bing knelt on the snow.
"Huff… Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Breathing rapidly and heavily.
Shen Bing felt like she was going to die, but she didn't feel fear, only a full sense of euphoria growing inside her.
At the moment she used her life force to attack, she felt that she had "transcended."
She had advanced to another realm, and any attack from the previous realm had no effect on her.
Thus her talent also advanced, but it was only for a brief moment.
After it ended, everything returned to normal.
Shen Bing felt her vision blurring and forced herself to stand up. Even if she was dying, she wanted to have a final pose.
She saw a piece of ice that looked like a throne and felt happy for her good luck.
So she sat down with effort on the "throne" in a way she thought looked majestic.
If possible, she would like to destroy her body so it wouldn't be desecrated by future discoverers, of course, if it would even be discovered.
When she sat on the throne, she couldn't endure anymore and coughed violently.
"Haugk… Haugk…"
"Splat."
Liquid blood was expelled from her throat, but when it hit the snow it was already ice.
Shen Bing truly felt disappointed.
It seemed that she wasn't a protagonist after all. Otherwise, someone would appear and save her from danger.
Then she would level up very quickly and become invincible…
Well, she knew she was just fantasizing, but it wasn't impossible to dream.
Shen Bing looked around from the corner of her eye, but certainly no one appeared to save her life.
Giving up on that useless idea, she began to remember what her life was like before time travel and the apocalypse.
She was the daughter of a rich family, but very different from what books described.
She didn't like going out, so aside from her childhood, she studied online.
And she almost never left home. Since her family was rich and she was an only child, they didn't have high ambitions for her.
As long as she lived happily and didn't use drugs, they allowed almost everything.
They had even planned everything for her future, even for after they died.
They raised loyal orphan subordinates since childhood.
That way they would manage the accounts and the company while she only needed to avoid interfering and enjoy her life.
Of course, the subordinates didn't mind, especially since they had watched little Shen Bing grow up.
So there would be no situation where her parents died and others took over the company or bankrupted it.
Of course, her parents wouldn't die of old age anytime soon, but they were taking precautions to avoid accidents.
She was a fan of pop culture, whether from the East or the West, and liked many different genres.
Music, anime, or games, and she had a room full of figures.
That was her previous world.
But she had regrets for not being able to help her parents with anything. She felt useless.
Then one night she woke up and the whole world had changed.
It was no longer her previous world with many countries and republics governing most of them.
She found herself in a world where monarchy still ruled, but it wasn't as exaggerated as the novels she read.
The world only had five great continents and five great empires. She didn't care much about the structure.
But she was pleasantly surprised that her body was still hers and her parents were still the same.
How she confirmed it was the same was because of a small scar on her middle finger.
She found it strange, but since her parents still recognized her, she didn't mind.
The thing that made her jump with joy and feel sad at the same time…
Was the fact that the world no longer had anime, books, or famous genres.
She thought of an idea to make her parents' situation better: plagiarize many works and genres from her previous world.
That way, in this world, they would be under her family's jurisdiction.
However, she realized she was being stupid. Her family was even more powerful than the one from her previous world.
They controlled many sectors, both domestic and foreign.
Her family only ranked below the emperor, of course that was because her parents were peaceful.
Otherwise, with the amount and importance of things they controlled, the emperor would have to listen to their opinion if they gave one.
He wouldn't be forced, but he would have to weigh the pros and cons of offending her family.
Shen Bing felt a bit unreal after realizing that she used to be the daughter of a famous merchant.
Now she had become a princess no one dared to provoke…
She enjoyed it a lot and stopped the plagiarism plan.
Of course, the main reason was that she didn't have photographic memory. She couldn't remember all the stories.
And if she tried to recreate them only based on concepts, she felt it would be an insult to good works.
So she gave up.
But she studied more to try to help her parents, even if only a little.
She didn't understand why she had transmigrated.
She also didn't understand matters about her body.
But at least she thought no one would complain about waking up as the daughter of the second strongest power in the empire.
Of course, she spent two months living well… and bored.
But if she had to choose, she preferred boredom over living in a zombie apocalypse.
She clearly remembered the explosion that shook the world.
A green smoke covered the entire sky, and that cloud blocked many communication methods.
No one knew where it came from.
They only knew everyone fainted for a few moments.
And when they woke up, everyone had superpowers.
But those who didn't awaken properly…
Became zombies.
Her parents, uncles, and aunts who had raised her since childhood couldn't adapt and became irrational monsters.
She had to kill them one by one.
The most painful part was, of course, her parents' deaths.
She clearly remembered that she hadn't absorbed any crystals yet and her talent was low.
Her parents were fused monsters and obviously stronger than her.
But when they were about to kill her, they stopped at the same time and begged.
"Kill us."
With tears in her eyes, she knew that hesitation would be a sin.
With the ice-imbued steel bar in her hand, she smashed both of their heads into pulp.
Thus ending her parents' lives.
She stood there for a long time and fell into depression for several months.
After all, if you don't feel hatred and still have to kill your own parents and the people you grew up with…
Most people wouldn't feel okay.
Then she grew up, killed conscious people, created the level and talent classification system, and made good friends.
Who, by coincidence, abandoned her in the end…
They died.
She couldn't save anyone she cared about. That was her greatest regret.
She also never reached the level where the River of Time meant nothing and she could bring everyone back to life.
In the end, everyone would become memories.
But with her death, not even memories would remain.
Her friends, the farewells, the happy moments together… everything would return to nothing.
Shen Bing truly felt unwilling to accept this ending.
Tears began to fall from her beautiful face only to freeze the moment they left.
Shen Bing raised her head and slowly lifted her left hand to look at the sky, but there was no moon or stars anymore.
Shen Bing: "If only I could have one more chance."
"One chance to go back to the past and start over with my own memories."
It was a pity, because she knew she wouldn't get that chance…
Just when her vision was starting to blur.
And she was already saying goodbye to everything.
She realized she could see again.
But she was still in the same place.
When she was confused, she saw a golden light shining intensely.
And she felt warmth from that light flowing through her body.
That warmth comforted her pain.
But it didn't restore her body.
The next moment a figure was seen walking out of that light.
The figure was basically made of gold eyes, mask, clothes, everything, even the shoes.
Shen Bing felt strange, and when she was about to speak, the figure spoke first.
Vicente: "Hello beautiful lady, you may call me the shop owner or Golden God, that's how my customers and believers call me."
Shen Bing: ???
"I know you may be confused, but I'll be quick since your situation isn't the best."
"I'm a shopkeeper who travels through the multiverse."
"And I have a product that needs customers for testing and improvement."
"If you accept, you will return ten years to the past, two months before the apocalypse."
Shen Bing: "I accept."
She didn't even finish listening. She would even sell her soul to go back, let alone just test a product.
Vicente was a bit surprised, but not that much.
Vicente: "Well, even if you accept, I still have to explain everything first."
"The product we created is a 'system', it needs users, and you were one of the chosen ones."
"I won't say you were lucky or some silly conspiracy. It was an 'error' from the artifact spirit."
"Along with you, four other people will also be chosen because of this error."
Shen Bing: "I understand."
"Your quick reaction pleased me, so before sending you back I'll tell you some privileged information."
"Even if you discovered it yourself, it would be much later."
"Your world is evolving and the timelines merged, creating this single line which is your current one."
"You weren't really transported to another world. Your timeline fused with this one and was destroyed, but things and people didn't die."
Shen Bing: "Wait a minute!"
Vicente ignored her and continued speaking.
"They merged into this world. Your parents were always your parents, not just someone similar."
"Just like everyone else you know."
"However, you are the only one who, in all your versions, remembers your original self."
While speaking, Vicente snapped his fingers and Shen Bing felt everything around her going dark.
As it grew dark, she saw the shop owner turning into points of light and disappearing.
The last thing she shouted was:
Shen Bing: "FUCK!!!"
With that, she fainted.
(End of chapter)