The darkness lasted for an immeasurable amount of time.
Arthur could not tell whether it had been seconds, days, or something far beyond human comprehension. There was no sound, light, or sensation, only thoughts drifting in an infinite void.
Until, suddenly. A movement emerged, abrupt and violent.
So fast that he could not even perceive what was happening. Something pulled him with force, as if he were being torn from a deep ocean. And then… Air.
His lungs expanded brutally. Arthur inhaled violently, choking as oxygen invaded his throat like fire.
He was… breathing.
His body trembled instinctively. Sensations returned all at once.
The cold, the pain, the weight, the smell of damp earth.
He was alive.
Slowly, his eyes opened. Above him, leaves swayed gently in the wind. Sunlight pierced through the branches of a large tree, forming irregular shadows on the ground.
It was a clearing, definitely.
Earth, grass, sky.
Arthur blinked several times. Confusion took over his mind.
"What… the hell…?"
His voice came out hoarse, unfamiliar even to himself.
He raised his hands in front of his face. They were thin and tanned. Covered in small old cuts, they were definitely not his hands.
His heart raced. He touched his own chest, then his face and his arms, as if checking whether he truly existed.
"I… hadn't I died?"
Silence.
The wind blew through the leaves. The memory returned immediately.
The fever, the room, and the inability to move, along with the final darkness.
"No… I definitely died…" He muttered.
His gaze swept across the surrounding environment.
Unknown forest. Worn-out clothes and a rusty sword lying nearby. Nothing made sense.
"What is happening…? How am I alive again?"
At that instant… Pain exploded inside his head.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"
Arthur fell to the ground immediately, grabbing his hair as he screamed.
It was as if thousands of needles pierced his brain at the same time. Memories emerged, images, voices. Sensations that were not his invaded his mind mercilessly.
Hunger, cold, and constant fear. Loneliness, unfamiliar faces, poor streets. Days begging for food. Nights sleeping in the open.
The pain lasted only a minute.
But for Arthur it felt like an eternity.
When it finally ceased, he remained kneeling on the ground, panting, his body covered in cold sweat.
It took a few seconds before he could breathe normally again.
Then, he slowly stood up. His eyes were different now. Understanding emerged.
"So… this is what happened…" He murmured.
"Unbelievable…" A sound escaped his throat. First low, then louder, and then Arthur began to laugh.
A nervous laughter echoed through the clearing as he sat beneath the same tree where the previous owner of that body had died.
"Hahaha… hahaha!"
Yes.
Huo Tian.
Now he knew. During that single minute of pain, thousands of memories had been poured into his mind.
He finally understood everything.
"So transmigrations really exist… just like the stories I used to read…"
He ran a hand over his face, still laughing.
"This is simply unbelievable…"
Until a short while ago, he had been just Arthur. An ordinary young man from Earth. Now… he occupied another person's body.
A young man named Huo Tian. In a completely different world.
The laughter gradually disappeared as reality settled in. He took several deep breaths, organizing his thoughts.
The first fact emerged.
This was definitely not Earth. Even with Huo Tian's limited knowledge, some memories were far too clear to ignore.
People flying through the skies. Floating swords. Cultivators fighting and shattering rocks with their bare hands.
This was… A cultivation world. Exactly like the novels Arthur used to read.
Huo Tian was merely a resident of a small city located in the extreme south of a vast continent whose name he did not even know.
An insignificant city. With only one hundred thousand inhabitants. Nothing special.
Just like Arthur… Huo Tian was also an orphan. But unlike him, he had lost his parents as a child. Since then, he has survived alone.
As a beggar, as a nobody. Living off scraps, favors, and pure luck.
Sometimes, he entered the forest to hunt small common animals and sell them for miserable coins just to remain alive. Because in this world… Cultivation existed.
And Huo Tian possessed no talent whatsoever. At twelve years old, he discovered the cruel truth. His talent was nonexistent. He would never be able to cultivate. The childish dream of flying through the skies and becoming strong disappeared that day.
Only survival remained. Until today. At sixteen years old…
He survived, but he was too weak, too hungry, and too careless. A simple snake, a common animal, not even a beast, had been enough to kill him.
Arthur let out a long sigh.
"Haha... so this is all that this Huo Tian knew..."
He looked at his own thin body.
"I can't believe I became a beggar in my second life..." The silence returned, the wind blowing softly.
After a few moments, his expression changed to determination.
"Right." He closed his eyes.
"Today, Arthur died."
When he opened his eyes again, there was firmness in them.
"From now on... I will live as Huo Tian."
He leaned his back against the tree.
"Don't worry…" His gaze drifted to the blue sky above.
"I will live the best life I can. After all... I couldn't do that in my first life."
He paused.
"And if possible… I will fulfill your dream as well. To become a cultivator. And to fly freely."
To be strong.
It was at that moment that something appeared in his mind.
A mechanical and clear sound echoed directly within his consciousness.
'Ding!!!'
Huo Tian froze. A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
[The Daily Gift System has been successfully implanted!]
[Please, host, say "Status" to begin]
The world seemed to stop. Huo Tian blinked. Once, twice, the screen remained there. Floating and real.
"I… I can't…"
His breathing quickened.
"I can't believe it…"
He stared at the glowing interface.
"Even… even a system?!" His heart began to beat violently.
"Did I by any chance become a protagonist without knowing?"
The answer was silence. Then, he let out a low laugh.
His mind spun rapidly. Even having a second life, he knew the truth. If he continued living like the former Huo Tian, he would die again, and it would not take long.
This world was far too dangerous for the weak. But now… he possessed something different. Something impossible. A system. His eyes shone.
"My life… will definitely change."
He took a deep breath. And, with growing anticipation, he mentally uttered.
'Status.'