"Mm, let's see..." Xiao Yang murmured as he walked in circles, lost in thought.
"Ah, I got it!" he exclaimed, a joyful tone lighting up his voice at the sudden inspiration.
With that idea in mind, Xiao Yang began to craft his new body and face through the system. It took a while, but he finally finished.
"Perfect!" he declared, satisfaction evident in his smile.
The body he created belonged to a young man in his twenties—of average height, with short, slightly tousled black hair and cat-like eyes that boasted two colors: blue irises and red pupils.
[Choose your clothes!]
"Huh? I thought... never mind."
"Well, let's see..." he continued, scrutinizing the options offered by the system.
After reviewing the alternatives, he burst out, "I'm never going to wear these clothes!"
Since every single piece looked just like a dress.
Even though he disliked the outfits, he cared about his own taste; after all, he didn't want to show up naked and risk being seen. Reaching the end of the options, Xiao Yang nearly gave up—convinced he was forced to wear that strange ensemble reminiscent of a dress.
However, as he examined the final alternatives more closely, he noticed that even at the end there were dresses—and, with a note of resignation, he murmured, "Ah, it seems it won't work out..." Sadly, he extended his trembling left index finger toward the garments.
But just as he was about to decide, he reexamined the options, lowered his head, and said excitedly,
"Wow, wait—I like this one!"
He beamed broadly as he set his eyes on a Hanbok offered as the last alternative.
The only thing Xiao Yang disliked about that outfit was its lack of variety; it was simply an all-black ensemble with only a few blue accents on the sleeves and collars.
"Done. Now it's really perfect!" he said, admiring the final result of his choices.
[Choose a name!]
"This is really complicated!" Xiao Yang grumbled after considering several names—options like Li Wei, Zhang Ming, and Wang Tao flashed through his mind.
But since none of those names felt right enough, he kept pondering for other possibilities. After much thought, he came up with names like Long Tian, Zhao Sheng, and Lei Feng; yet again, none of them left him truly satisfied or confident in his choice.
"Ah, damn! This is so complicated!" he exclaimed, frustrated over his inability to settle on a proper name.
[...Do you accept a suggestion?]
"...Go ahead."
[How about Noah Evil?]
"...I like how it sounds, I think." He mulled over it for a moment, and when nothing else came to mind, he decided, "...Yes, that'll do!"
"Noah Evil..." he murmured, content with the new name even though it wasn't entirely his own choice.
[All conditions have been met!]
[Initiating creation of the body and clothes!]
[29%!]
[47%!]
[65%!]
[74%!]
[100%!]
[All items have been created!]
[Initiating soul insertion!]
[11%!]
When the procedure began, amidst the darkness surrounding Noah, a massive, blinding tunnel suddenly opened, filled with pure, radiant light.
"Wow...!" Noah exclaimed as his body was pulled into that brilliant light.
[29%!]
[47%!]
[71%!]
[92%!]
[100%!]
[Soul insertion completed with 100% success!]
The prickling sensation that enveloped his wrists—something that normally would be irritating—now brought him a sense of relief and even drew a smile. The pure air made him wonder what kind of world he had landed in, but the gentle breeze soon swept away those questions, reminding him that he was finally, truly free.
"Argh! ...Why is my head hurting...?" Noah asked, not waiting for an answer as he raised his hand to his throbbing head.
[That is a symptom caused by the soul insertion!]
"Oh! I thought you'd be gone after that. Ouch!"
[Being the antihero system, it's my duty to always be with you!]
For a brief moment, the pain subsided, and Noah, thinking it wouldn't return, removed his hand from his head and said,
"Really? That's good. Oh, and thanks for your help earlier. Ouch! What the hell... when is this crap going to end?!"
[It's good to be with you too, Noah. And you're welcome!]
[This pain is temporary and will soon vanish!]
"Soon...? Ah, I'm rooting for that! Ouch!" Noah said sarcastically, a smile playing on his lips.
[Warning!]
[Noah Evil is still too weak to be in this place!]
"Too weak...? And where exactly am I? Ouch!" he asked, doubtful and wincing in pain.
He looked around, only to find himself surrounded by trees upon trees. They soared confidently toward the sky, while bushes and grass spread over the ground. A little further on, sparkling under the sun, a crystal-clear lake shimmered in the distance.
`[At this very moment, you find yourself in the heart of the Demon Beasts Forest!]`
`[The Demon Beasts Forest is a place that not everyone can enter, for when you walk through it, it's easy to encounter transcendent-level demon beasts in cultivation. That's why almost no one dares venture inside—entering would be a death sentence for anyone below the Qi Transformation level.]`
Noah found himself right in the center of the Demon Beasts Forest—a wide, open field with only a large lake in the middle and the forest stretching all around.
After hearing the system's message along with its explanation, Noah couldn't help but shout:
— What?!
His voice rang out so loudly that it echoed through a small portion of the vast forest around him.
Just a few seconds after his shout, a tremendous rumble could be heard coming from the north—"Brram!"—which sent several creatures hidden in the trees scattering, and then, similarly, from the south: "Brram!"
"...What was that...?" Noah asked, trembling as he scanned his surroundings.
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Noah Evil must leave this place immediately!]`
"What?! And where can I go? I'm in the middle of a forest!" Noah exclaimed, fear rising in his voice at whatever might be approaching.
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Warning!]`
`[Run south immediately!]`
"What? But..."
In the north, an immense dust cloud was advancing, accompanied by earth-shattering booms that signified utter destruction; to the south, however, everything was completely calm. Though Noah suspected that something far worse lay hidden there—after all, for there to be such calm after those roars, the creature responsible must surely possess great cunning—he hesitated to follow the system's instructions.
"Pant! Pant! ...Just how far am I supposed to run, anyway...?" Noah panted, pausing beneath a large tree to catch his breath.
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Warning! Danger!]`
`[Keep running south!]`
"Man... I'm about to have my heart jump out of my chest."
Noah ran and ran until he reached the entrance to a massive cave, where the system then ordered him to stop.
Pant! Pant!
"Pant! ...What do I do now...? Pant!" he asked, struggling to regain his breath.
[Throw a stone into the cave and hide!]
Leaning against a tree, taking advantage of its cool shade to rest while still gasping for air, Noah exclaimed,
— Pant! What...?! Pant! Why would I do that? Pant! as he tried to catch his breath.
⟦Throughout the forest, there are four territories, in each of which a single monster rules as leader, so...⟧
Before the system could finish its explanation, Noah had already grasped its intent and said,
"Pant! Okay, I get it... So you want me to make them fight each other, not me... That might even work..." by then, he was almost completely recovered.
After understanding what the system required, Noah left the spot beneath the tree and walked silently to a location near the cave entrance where he could easily hide—a spot behind a rock twice his size, behind a small crevice from which he could jump if necessary and hope to end up somewhere safe.
Once he was positioned behind the rock, Noah picked up a small stone from the ground and hurled it with all his might into the cave. The moment the stone hit the ground, the same rumble that had echoed here moments before—"Brram!"—could be heard, but this time the sound repeated several times: "Brram! Brram! Brram! Brram!..." With each new boom, the sound grew louder and more forceful than the last, causing intense tremors.
"What is that...?" Noah asked, terrified by it all.
Before the system could answer his question, he saw with his own eyes what that creature was. Suddenly, a small stone was hurled from the top of the cave; Noah watched it fall to the ground and, when he looked back at the cave, he saw that it had been completely destroyed from the inside out.
Right in front of him stood a gigantic being, whose mere presence made Noah certain that if that creature caught sight of him, it would be the end.
'A... dragon...?'