The sky over Bocheng was as gray as cotton wool soaked in dirty water, making it hard to breathe.
Zhong Hui stood in front of the heavy, ornate iron gate of his villa, clutching a letter with worn edges and the smell of cheap ink, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the pressure.
The letter was delivered directly by the military, its wording cold and concise, like an ice-cold dagger piercing straight into his heart, which had only recently begun to settle down.
"Comrades Zhong Yue and Su Qing heroically sacrificed their lives three days ago in the 'Battle to Clear the Broken Ridge Mountains' to stop a sudden surge of demons. They will be posthumously honored and their families will be given posthumous compensation in accordance with the law..."
He recognized every single word, but when put together, they became a spell he couldn't comprehend.
He died for his country!
Those two words hit him so hard he was stunned.
Zhong Hui transmigrated to this bizarre world of full-time mages, where magic and demons coexist, and he once thought he was lucky.
After all, he was born into a good family.
His parents were mid-level military officers stationed in the region. They weren't top-tier nobles, but in Bo City, it was enough for him to avoid the tragic "Bo City Disaster" in the original story, live a peaceful life, and even have the opportunity to peek into that mysterious magic temple.
He had even figured out how to use his foresight to protect himself during the bloodshed, or even gain some benefits.
But now... it's all over.
Those insignificant hopes and plans for the future were as fragile as a piece of paper soaked by rain before this death notice.
The icy temperature of the iron gate traveled through my palms, chilling me to the core.
He raised his head and looked blankly into the villa's courtyard.
The oak tree that my father planted with his own hands has begun to turn yellow, its leaves swirling in the bleak wind before falling to the ground, forming a thin layer.
"Squeak—"
The iron gate was suddenly pulled open from the inside, the force so great that it produced a screeching sound.
People poured out.
Many, many people.
There were distant uncles who were usually kind to him and called him "Xiao Hui," several aunts from his mother's side who were dressed up in fancy clothes but had harsh expressions at this moment, and some strangers who were well-dressed and had shrewd eyes.
They were like vultures that had been waiting for a long time, or like vultures that had smelled carrion, finally waiting for the protagonist to make his appearance.
"Xiao Hui, you're back."
A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, referred to as "Third Uncle," spoke first. His tone was flat, revealing little sadness, only a businesslike detachment. "Please accept my condolences. We are all deeply saddened by what happened to my elder brother and sister-in-law."
An aunt with curly hair immediately chimed in from behind him, her voice shrill: "Yes, Xiao Hui, it all happened so suddenly, nobody expected it... Sigh, what are you going to do now!"
She expressed her concern, but her eyes kept glancing towards the villa.
Zhong Hui opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a sound.
He wanted to ask, what are you doing here? Where is the mourning hall for your parents set up?
Uncle San seemed to see his confusion, pushed up his glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses was calm to the point of being cruel: "Xiao Hui, you are still young and don't understand many things."
My elder brother and sister-in-law passed away suddenly, and someone needs to take care of their affairs. This house, along with some of their assets and compensation payments... all need to be dealt with as soon as possible to prevent unrelated people from taking advantage of the situation.
He paused, then added, almost as if bestowing a favor, "Don't worry, we're your family, we'll definitely look after you. We've already contacted a buyer; the house is in a good location, it'll fetch a good price. We'll set up a trust fund for you with the compensation and proceeds from the asset sale, until you come of age..."
"A trust fund?" Zhong Hui finally found his voice, hoarse and unlike his own. "This is what my parents... risked their lives for!"
The curly-haired aunt immediately snapped, "How can you be so ungrateful! Third brother is doing this for your own good! You're just a kid, what if you get swindled with so much money? We're just keeping it safe for you!"
"That's right, Zhong Hui. You've only just awakened your magic, and your talent is so ordinary that you don't have the ability to protect these things."
Another tall, thin cousin crossed his arms and spoke with undisguised contempt, "This world belongs to mages. When your parents were alive, they could protect you, but now… be smart, sign the papers obediently, and take the basic living allowance from the foundation. You can live a peaceful life like an ordinary person for a while."
"An ordinary person?" Another voice scoffed. "Without his parents' protection, it's hard to say whether he can even survive in Bo City. I heard that his first awakened magic was water-based? What a waste."
Malicious, calculating, and cold gazes were like countless fine needles, densely piercing his body.
They crowded at the doorway, forming an invisible human wall that blocked his way home and cut off his last hope.
Those once seemingly kind faces, under the erosion of self-interest, revealed their greedy and ferocious nature.
They weren't discussing it; they were issuing a notification!
They're dividing it up!
Before his parents' bodies were even cold and before the funeral hall was even set up, these so-called "relatives" were already eager to seize his last support and completely kick him out of the house.
A cold, rusty despair surged up from his stomach and choked Zhong Hui.
He felt cold all over, as if his blood had frozen.
All the luck and expectations for the future since the time travel were utterly crushed at this moment.
Zhong Hui stood there, like a lonely blade of grass about to be uprooted in a storm.
It's over.
Everything is over...
Without magical talent or parental protection, he struggles to survive in a world teeming with demons and where strength reigns supreme.
Just as the endless darkness was about to completely engulf him...
[The host's soul frequency has been detected to have reached a critical point; extreme negative emotional energy meets the binding criteria...]
[Scanning world rules... Adapting...]
[The Ten-fold Multiplication System is now activated!]
A cold, emotionless electronic voice suddenly rang out in the deepest part of Zhong Hui's mind.
Immediately afterward, before he could react, a scorching stream of air suddenly exploded from his mental world, instantly sweeping through his limbs and bones!
The feeling was like a dried-up riverbed being forcibly filled by a raging torrent, a tearing pain accompanied by an indescribable sense of expansion.
His consciousness was forcibly pulled, as if he had fallen into a bizarre and fantastical space.
Before him were no longer those aggressive relatives, but countless shimmering, multicolored lights that cheered and leaped, like spirits that had found their home, and frantically poured into his body.
Crimson, azure, emerald green, bright yellow, dark brown, milky white, jet black, moon white, silver gray... these represent the various magical elements of this world in his memory!
They were like dormant dust, but now they are awakened and stimulated tenfold by an invisible force!
It was as if some kind of shackles inside Zhong Hui's body had been suddenly broken!