In the shadows of tall trees, a faint sound could be heard. If you listen closely, you might hear the squeaks of a mouse. Vik is currently watching a pair of mice in the bushes. He hides on a tree branch, questioning his existence. Earlier, he had followed a mouse to hunt, but then the mouse met a female, and they began their breeding session without a care in the world. Now, Vik has lost his appetite and decides to leave, clearly not wanting to stay any longer.
Pov: Vik
Sighing repeatedly, I began to reflect on my current situation. After being reincarnated as a snake and witnessing my biological family get killed by a panther that shoots lightning from its jaws, I realized I was in serious trouble. To survive, I need to find new ways. I have managed to survive for a full ten days in this forest, which is a significant achievement for someone newly reborn in such a harsh place. During this time, I faced many challenges. There was a moment when I struggled to catch my first prey, but I eventually succeeded. It wasn't because I am a skilled predator but due to my patience. I concealed myself under fallen leaves, as my black color is too noticeable, and waited for a small insect or another creature that I could hunt. When a small mouse-like creature passed by, I quickly opened my mouth and aimed for its neck. I missed and only got its shoulder, but as a strategist, I coiled around it and continued my attack. Eventually, it collapsed. Eating it posed some issues for me. My human side hesitated to eat raw meat, especially since I was a vegetarian in my previous life. However, hunger overcame my hesitation, and I successfully began my new life as a snake.
I've learned a lot during this time and have a clearer understanding of this world. This place resembles a fantasy world where jungles hold many mysteries and animals with elemental powers roam. Some creatures are as large as small hills. In fact, one dark night, I saw a huge shadow, as big as a mountain, flying down from the clouds toward the distant horizon.
After witnessing all this, I am sure this is some kind of fantasy world where inhabitants can harness powers that defy the ordinary laws of my old world. I wonder what kind of world it is. Is it a magical realm with wizards and knights, or one with a cultivation system and cultivators flying on their swords? I still need to figure this out and create a plan to grow stronger. As a small snake, I can't even explore the forest, and I need to understand this world better to gain knowledge, insight, and discover my life's purpose. This will be my first step in becoming a saint and a scholar. Yes, you heard me right. Even though I am reincarnated as a snake, I still dream of becoming a scholar. But that's for later. Right now, I need to learn about this place I currently inhabit.
Pov: system
Unknown to Vik, far away from the world he resides in, there exists a vast, infinite void. The system is still processing the error caused by Vik rejecting its offer. Every host selected by higher beings becomes a system host because they are the best fit for that purpose. For the devouring system, Vik was the ideal choice due to his talent for devouring. However, rejecting the system's offer complicated matters on a cosmic level, as this had never happened before. As a result, the system needed to search for a new host—someone chosen by it, not by any higher being. Informing the higher beings about its inability to bind with the selected host could lead to its destruction, as they are notorious for their unpredictability and cruelty.
Vik was right. Higher beings select mortals and grant powers through systems to find amusement in the journeys those mortals undertake to achieve their goals. They are entertained by witnessing mortals suffer, lose, win, betray, love, and fight against everything in their worlds. Some hosts don't care about their worlds and end up destroying them in the process. Others who find no joy in their journeys despair and fade from existence, taking everything associated with them along. Sometimes, entire worlds are erased because the higher beings find them annoying.
Considering this, the system used all its power to search for a new host. Its efforts soon paid off when it found a recently dead soul with great ambitions and a talent for evolution. It wasted no time and summoned the soul, inviting it to bond with the system.
He said, "Congratulations, host. You are selected by the ultimate devouring system to become its host."
The person replied, "Yes! This is finally my time to shine. With this system, I will become the strongest in all existence."
The system felt bewildered by this response, but the person added, "System, I know this plot. I've read many novels in my lifetime and understand everything about this system. Don't waste time; bind with me so we can continue our journey together."
This time, the devouring system felt fortunate to find a smarter host than the previous one. It didn't say another word and started the binding process.
"HOST BINDING PROCESS INITIATED. CURRENT PROGRESS 20%."
"CURRENT PROGRESS 50%."
"CURRENT PROGRESS 90%. ERROR ENCOUNTERED IN BINDING PROCESS."
At 90% progress, the system encountered an error, which made it anxious. Not wanting to retreat, it did everything possible to override the error.
"ENCOUNTERING AN ERROR. OVERRIDING PROCESS INITIATED."
"ENCOUNTERING AN ERROR. OVERRIDING PROCESS INITIATED."
"ERROR OVERRIDED SUCCESSFULLY. CURRENT BINDING PROGRESS 99%."
"BINDING PROCESS COMPLETED. CONGRATULATIONS, HOST, FOR BINDING WITH THE SYSTEM."
Successfully bonded with the host, the system began the reincarnation process. However, unknown to it, the host it selected had already been assigned to another system by higher beings. If the system had tried to understand the reason for the error, it would have realized this. Instead, it proceeded to override the error, creating a chain reaction that caused other systems to lose their original hosts and forcing them to find new ones.
This error could have easily been fixed if the higher beings had chosen to intervene, as they know everything every system does. However, they did not take action, as this was something new for them—an entertainment they hadn't experienced since their existence. Very perfect systems created by them now showed errors on a massive scale. At the center of all this was Vik, who unknowingly set everything in motion.