"Yes, as I told you, you are already at Level One!" Upon seeing Xiao Ping's reaction, the entity smiled and waved its hand.
The entity did not try to deny what it had said before; instead, it confirmed that its previous words were true, and Xiao Ping had to accept it, whether he wanted to or not.
The entity's second statement shocked Xiao Ping. Instead of feeling joy over possessing the supernatural powers he had wished for just moments ago, he felt the immense danger of acquiring them so quickly, especially since he had only been transported to this world a day ago.
His green eyes widened as he stared at the smile on the entity's face. Xiao Ping knew that the behavior of the entity sitting before him was not normal—there was something suspicious about it. It seemed like an ancient ruler who had lived through millions of eras, possibly even from the mythical epoch it had mentioned earlier.
For someone who had just entered Level One—still lower than a beginner—to make him happy and offer congratulations could mean only one thing. Xiao Ping understood that thing but remained silent.
Xiao Ping raised his hand, brushed his short hair back, and lifted his head upward. But there was nothing except the blood-like darkness—nothing else.
He let out a long sigh before saying, "Can you at least tell me the name of Level One, 'Seer of the Veil,' and what abilities I possess, as well as their effects?"
The entity's smile shifted, and it fell silent for a moment. The blood-red candles on the round table suddenly ignited with an invisible gust, the flames above each candle stretching upward like living tongues seeking breath. The stone chairs emitted faint groans, and the pulsating blood-colored cracks accelerated, as if the table itself was participating in the conversation.
The entity slowly raised its head. Its eyes held no humanity or mercy, only a mix of memory and destiny. It looked at Xiao Ping as a sculptor looks at an unfinished statue, then leaned forward slightly. Its voice emerged as if from within stone—deep, heavy, echoless, yet piercing everything:
"The First Level… is called 'Seer of the Veil.' It is the opening of the eyes of essential revelation—the moment when the obscurity between the world and what it hides is removed. You see the threads that govern everything, the connections that bind death to life, power to fear, error to destiny. What surrounds you is no longer mere objects but a single web, each node a secret, each secret a weapon."
Vibrations flowed from the cracks on the stone chairs, beats like an ancient heart pulsating in sync with every word. The air grew heavy, and the candles flickered as if breathing with him. Xiao Ping felt his eyes widening until it seemed the world before him split into layers upon layers, secrets upon secrets.
"Your ability now is not combat, but silent control. To see intentions before they materialize, to disrupt power before it is born, to separate an object from its shadow, to grasp the thread that, if cut, causes the entire structure to collapse—without firing a bullet or brandishing a sword. This is the beginning of the path: to command the battle without anyone seeing you move."
The entity paused for a moment, closed its eyes, and breathed like someone presenting the price to a customer. Then it whispered, and the flames on the candles bent toward Xiao Ping as if listening:
"But every glance burns a part of your mind, every severance gnaws at your soul, every reckless act may cut a web within you. It is not that the power betrays you, but that you might miscalculate. And if you overdo it, it is not the enemy who will be cut off, but you. You will dissolve, erased from every thread as if you never existed."
As the entity's words ended, the table shuddered. The candles emitted red sparks like boiling blood. The air screamed without sound. Xiao Ping remained seated, knowing that what he had just heard was no joke but a declaration of the start of a game never meant to be fair.
Xiao Ping could no longer think of anything to say because of those cryptic words. His mind had stopped working when he heard the entity speak about Level One.
If the abilities of Level One had such an effect on the user, what would the intermediate or higher levels be like? Just thinking about it made him wish he had never desired supernatural powers. He wanted to retract his previous goal of possessing supernatural abilities to protect himself and uncover the secrets of this world.
But it was too late for that. He had already decided to walk the path of power-wielders, and even if it was unofficial, he no longer blamed the entity for anything. It wasn't as if it hadn't warned him about the dangers of intermediate Level 6.
It had told him about his power and the points of danger, so he had no prior argument.
A tapping sound on the round table pulled him out of his swirling thoughts.
He looked and saw the entity tapping on the table. With each tap, the candles flickered. Then it stood and said, "Human, it seems this is the end of our first meeting."
"No, not yet. You haven't told me about that cube, or the mythical epoch, or other secrets. Tell me now." Xiao Ping raised his voice and pointed to the cube floating above the center of the table.
"Kekekekeki, don't worry, human. We will meet again. I know you've already deduced that, so there's no need for this foolish act of yours. Listen to me carefully: you must train with your power daily, day after day. And don't worry about your bodily wounds—I've healed them. There is no more exhaustion or traces of the V-0 on your heart."
It let its words sink into the atmosphere as it stood and walked toward Xiao Ping's chair. It grabbed him by the shoulder and said, "And I almost forgot—Level One consists of ten layers. So, do your best."
After hearing this, Xiao Ping looked at the person who resembled him exactly as it quickly moved away, as if he were watching someone traveling at the speed of light.
The last thing he saw was a smile that held no malice, cunning, or mockery—only a laugh carrying a hint of expectation toward Xiao Ping.
And that was the last thing he saw before he woke up.
"Aaaaaah!" Xiao Ping screamed in terror, sitting up with his bare upper body from the old, half-damp bed.
He looked to the right, then to the left, feeling the sunlight caressing his bare body with its warm light, seeping through the holes in the dilapidated hut's roof.
"Drip... drip."
He also heard the sound of raindrops falling into the bucket and pot filled with water, making him instinctively glance toward the wall where a horse-head-shaped clock hung. He wanted to know how much time he had spent with the entity, certain that it hadn't been a dream.
He was astonished by what he saw: the clock still read 7:30. This was the time Xiao Ping had mustered the courage to remove the bullet from his heart. It had taken him only 30 minutes.
This meant the entity had frozen time and space, so time hadn't moved at all since Xiao Ping last saw it.
"Damn entity," Xiao Ping commented in his mind, recalling the last words the entity had said to him.
He couldn't practice anything—he didn't understand what it meant or how to do it. But this entity had told him he must train daily, and it had also surprised him by saying he needed to pass ten layers in Level One to break through to Level Two, whose name he didn't even know.
Thinking about this, he could only hope for success, letting out a short sigh. He got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom in the corner, but soon returned, took the filled bucket, and went in to take a shower.
He felt he needed a shower because he hadn't taken one since arriving in this new world. Well, he had been completely drenched by last night's rain, but he still wanted a refreshing shower.
He threw his pants onto the curtain serving as privacy for the bathroom, though he didn't feel comfortable even with it there. But he didn't complain and proceeded to shower.
After showering, he came out wearing only black pants. He didn't look as bad as he did in the coat or shirt—he looked somewhat decent.
He realized his body was strong, not lethargic and weak.
He felt refreshed and energetic. There was no more exhaustion or bullet in his heart. The entity had healed all his injuries and fatigue, and he no longer felt any of it now.
But he knew it was only a matter of time before hunger returned, though it wasn't the same as before—it was still an unpleasant feeling.
So, he decided to go to the city with those factories emitting thick smoke to get some food.
Then he remembered yesterday's incident: when he wanted to search the middle-aged man's corpse, the factory smoke filled the hut and made him run out like a fool. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and said, "Wait for me. When I reach Level Three or Four, I will go and destroy that factory—or all of them."
He declared his intent for revenge when he became strong, not now. If he sabotaged the factories with his current strength, it would only be a matter of time before he was caught and imprisoned, or worse, killed. So, he said that.
He glanced with his green eyes toward the wall and saw that the clock now read 7:53. He calculated and realized he had spent about 19 minutes in the bathroom.
But he didn't care about that. He still had time to go and return, probably. So, he went to the bed and took the coat, but soon frowned because he saw blood on it—blood from his heart when he tried to stop the bleeding with the coat. This was the stupidest decision he had made since coming to this world. He didn't even feel foolish when he buried the man at the expense of his exhausted body.
So, he left the coat and took the white long-sleeved shirt. But there was a small, circular tear on the left side of his chest—the mark of the V-0 bullet.
He put it on anyway. The tear wasn't a problem, but the smell was. It was mixed with the blood from the wound and the sweat from not washing it. But he had no other choice.
So, he also took the hunting cap and wore it on his short hair. He also took that beautiful clock with its elegant hands from the desk and put it in his pocket, leaving the strangely designed pistol behind.
He walked to the hut's entrance to leave. When he opened the door, it emitted an old creak before the scent of damp earth and fresh air entered Xiao Ping's lungs.
He looked and saw that the wood he had lit for light was lying on the ground, extinguished. There were char marks on the top part from burning, but he looked away from the wood and walked slowly forward.
He felt the dampness of the ground as he walked slowly in his worn-out shoes forward. Puddles had formed on the mountain ground due to yesterday's rain. Xiao Ping looked at one of the puddles, lowered his body, and saw the reflection of his face. The dark circles under his eyes were gone, and the dullness in his green eyes had disappeared.
But he soon stood up and continued walking toward the grave of the man he had buried yesterday. However, he felt like he had stepped on something.
When he looked down, he discovered it was an ID card covered with a bit of wet mud, slightly submerged in the ground.
He lowered his body to pick it up, quickly reached out his hand, and took it from the ground. But he didn't look at it; instead, he put it in his pocket next to the clock and the notes he had written earlier.
When he reached the grave, he found it completely wet, with some insects attracted by the decay gathered on top. But there was something strange.
The sky-blue flower was still standing, with some dewdrops on it. Some insects were trying to climb it, but something was preventing them.
~ End of Chapter, To Be Continued...