Alex didn't know how, but he felt like he was sweating bullets—even submerged in the medical tank. Most of his status was fine, but a few things might cause serious issues with Reprise.
What Alex didn't know was that Reprise couldn't see everything he was seeing. Even he wasn't seeing everything in his status window.
Reprise looked down at the results displayed by her eternal eye:
Name: Alexander Shadowborn
Level: 0
Race: Demi-God
Age: 21
Class:
Disciple of Reprise
Attributes:
HP: 3000
Mana: 3000
Strength: 3000
Agility: 7000
Luck: 69
Charm: 10
Spirit: 1000
Soul Power: 127
Class Skills:
Entropy Freeze (S)
Future Sight (S)
Timeless Chant (S)
Immortal Body (SSS)
General Skills:
Flight (C)
Water Magic (C)
Fire Magic (C)
Earth Magic (C)
Light Magic (E)
Cultivation Trans (B)
Mana Absorption (A)
Spirit Absorption (B)
Cultivation Levels:
Body: 7th Stage Master
Soul: 8th Stage Grandmaster
Bloodline:
Crystal God
Bloodline Skills:
Crystal Palace
Node: Reprise
Destiny:
Challenge the gods and die
"This is better than expected—almost too good. How did the race become demi-god? And why is the charm value at 10? Above all, Crystal God bloodline… No way, is this Khos's doing?" Reprise thought.
I shouldn't have killed him in anger, at least not before he answered my questions. For a moment, she considered reviving him to satisfy her curiosity, but the results weren't so strange as to demand an investigation. They deviated from her expectations, but not enough.
Seeing Reprise sigh and relax, Alex was finally able to breathe. He had seriously considered breaking out and running when she started radiating murderous intent.
"Don't worry, little Alex. I believe you're in perfect condition now. Take the upgrades as a reward for reaching my domain. If that ball wasn't so foul-mouthed, it might have gained a lot too—but alas, its destiny wasn't strong enough.
Also, be careful out there. Don't challenge gods—ever. Unless you somehow become very, very, very powerful." Reprise said, operating the equipment and pulling Alex out of the medical tank.
Alex floated in the air, then was dropped down in front of Reprise, liquid drenching the floor. Alex bent to break his fall and looked up; Reprise was right in front of his face.
He backed away reflexively like a startled animal, fell onto his rear, and scrambled backwards like a frightened mouse.
"Oh, what's with this reaction? If you wanted to worship me and build a shrine, I would have understood!" she teased, searching for the reason. This fear was different from the pressure of her presence.
She searched for a moment and nodded. "Is this what you humans call PTSD? Don't worry, I promise not to experiment on you anymore—you're already fixed. Even at level 0, you have an SSS-rank skill," she said.
'What she said is true. Your body no longer reacts to her. Once your mind catches up to your changes, you'll be a true demi-god,' Khos displayed on a screen directly in front of Alex's eyes, so he wouldn't risk alerting Reprise with eye movement. As far as she knew, Khos was dead.
Alex stood up, trying to brush off the liquid clinging to his body.
Reprise swiped her hand, startling Alex, but nothing happened except all the liquid evaporating. Then he was no longer naked—he found himself wearing a fantasy-style robe inspired by traditional East Asian clothing: a long, flowing coat with gold embroidery and intricate patterns at the cuffs and borders, layered with a tunic or kimono-style shirt, and fitted dark pants. A wide, decorative belt with gold accents and hanging sashes completed the look.
"That's the most expensive and beautiful piece of clothing I've ever seen," Alex said, stretching the robe and inspecting it, trying to figure out how traditional clothes worked. It was his first time wearing them.
"All right, it's time for you to go. There are eyes on my domain, you know—I'm not the only watcher. Anything foreign staying too long will bring me trouble," she said, interrupting Alex's excitement.
"I'm ready, Lord Reprise. Thank you for all you've done for me," he replied, keeping his emotions in check, though his happiness was clear on his face.
Seeing his smug expression and feeling the urge to act, Reprise decided to throw him out and leave him to his own fate. With her signature hand swipe, Alex found himself outside—where he first woke up after arriving—only this time, he was soaring through the air.
Remembering his flight skill, he decided to try it out. Just thinking about it, he instantly understood how it worked, as if the knowledge was always his.
He began flying forward, gaining speed and enjoying the scenery—a long-awaited freedom. Khos wasn't idle, either. He watched Reprise's every move, making sure she wasn't about to interfere and that she was genuinely releasing Alex.
But as soon as Alex crossed the boundary of Reprise's domain, Khos lost sight of her; he wasn't an entity and couldn't spy past the borders of another's domain. That was perfectly normal.
Unfortunately, Alex started falling. Being human, he didn't know how to fly for real, which made sense.
'AALLLEEXXX, you bastard, what the hell did you do?'
"I did nothing—my skill just stopped working! Quit yelling and help me! Did my mana run out or something?"
'Of course not, you donkey. It's because you brought us out on the wrong side of her domain.'
"And dear ball, how am I supposed to know which side is wrong? Isn't guiding me your job? I still don't know why my skills aren't working—I've tried others, but nothing's responding."
'They won't. Just as you can't breathe without air, you can't use skills without magic or spirit energy.'
"Oh… I'm breathing fine though."
'You should thank me for that. I'm maintaining an air bubble around you—you'd be dead if not for it. Let's calm down… Wait, that bitch! She definitely knew you didn't understand the edge of an entity's domain. She tossed you in this direction knowing you'd get lost using flight and come out from the wrong side'
"First, don't repeat your last words ever. Second, that's just expected from Reprise; she probably wants to see if the body she created merging me with a system node survives here—whatever here is. You were supposed to be the variable keeping her madness from killing us again."
'Killing you Alex—I'm only a voice in your head now. This process is irreversible, and you shouldn't expect me to do much. I can help you only if you set a direction for yourself, if in doubt ask me. My own goals are out of reach. right now all i can do is help you. for start Stop blaming everything on me.'
"Oh please, don't think I forgot how you betrayed me, offering a system and then doing a summoning ritual to bring me into this mess!"
'Without me, you'd be dead under rubble. Besides, you have a system now, don't you?'
"Yeah, a system that doesn't work."
'And whose fault do you think that is? Like I said, stop thinking that way. The cultivation world isn't peaceful like Earth; seven billion people could fit in a single country here if it just had mana.'
'You need to raise your game if you want to survive. Stay naive, and you'll be eaten—probably for your clothes—the moment you meet the first old monster from a random sect,' Khos added, ending the blame game.