A System That Beats Death

|Transfer Complete|

Opening the eyes which were not his, the first thing he saw was the intense sunlight seeping through the shabbily thatched roof. Unlike the silver light in the depths of the abyss, the rays of sunlight were harsh and unpleasant to the ocular organs. The sudden shift from darkness to light caused him to squint and forcefully shut his eyes before attempting to adjust to the change in brightness.

'If a roof can't even stop sunlight, how can it stop rain? Can it even be considered a roof?', he thought scornfully.

He then got up and grimaced.

His current environment felt.. a bit too violating. Since it was a farming village, he did not have high expectations. But this was lower than rock bottom. What he had been sleeping on was not a mattress or even a straw mat, it was the foundationless floor with a mound of dirt as his pillow. Immediately, he patted himself down and huge dust clouds formed due to negligent hygiene.

He then left the hut, shed, or crap shack to retrieve water from the nearby well. The shed he resided in was beyond primitive and of such dismal quality that it even paled in comparison to the dwellings of the other peasants. It reeked of a foul odor that resembled an outhouse and even sleeping in the forest would guarantee better living conditions. The final problem was the rough clothing he wore which could embarrass rags if clashing in a competition of trashiness.

He began pulling the bucket of water out of the well when a peasant suddenly addressed him with a sneer on their face.

"The toad who wants to eat swan meat finally realizes his own place", the peasant jeered enthusiastically. When he was about to make a scene, he froze. Unconsciously emitting a daunting aura, Atlas stared at him indifferently. Before the peasant could recover from his stupor, he had left while effortlessly lifting the large bucket of water with one hand.

After being properly cleaned, he finally removed the decrepit rags and took out the Simple Apparel given by the System. The large bucket of water was now covered in a murky filth that could make even a panhandler gag. Despite still feeling disgusted, he decided to finally assess the situation.

"System. Briefing"

An interface flickered into existence abruptly. Usually, Systems in these types of stories would deliberately make life difficult for the host through an obnoxious objective, pesky prerequisites, cheating the host out of their rewards, and a snarky attitude. However, this one was clearly different. It was a subservient vessel with immense power but no intent to abuse its own superiority. This delighted Atlas greatly as a System without a temperament would literally be a divine command prompt.

What Atlas didn't know was that the temperament of a System was proportional to its ability and quality. Systems that mocked the Host were of the lowest quality and due to humans being flawed creatures, Systems with defects were more endearing to them. It could be compared to preferring a mischievous and aggressive mistress over a loyal spouse.

[You are Wei, an orphan. In this village, you are nothing and life has always been difficult.]

"And?"

When no response came, Atlas internally sighed.

"Is there an objective?"

[The Host can partake in optional quests]

'Optional?'

"Is there anything that the original Wei requested?", Atlas asked as he remembered that transmigrators were often burdened by the lingering regrets of the vessel's previous occupant.

|No records found...|

No requirements from the ghosts that have passed... no obligations to be a different character or put up a facade... no streamlined path... He felt a bit overwhelmed by the limitless freedom he now possessed. What if..!?

"Is it possible to obtain abilities using points?"

|Searching for Abilities within Balance: 8250...|

|**** {-250}

**** {-2000}

**** {-1000}

**** {-5000} |

Browsing through the list, three caught his attention.

|Automatic Dental Hygiene {-1000}|

|Automatic Body Hygiene {-2000}|

|Fertile Soil {-250} Category: Auxiliary|

Pure-Water Generation also caught his attention but it was beyond his current paygrade, so he unwillingly turned away from it. Upon the confirmation of the purchase, the interface began to fade away.

|Automatic Set (2) Unlocked: Automatic Cleansing|

Many would scoff or scorn him if they knew what he did. Why spend so much on such insignificant abilities? Why not purchase something that could be used for combat instead? It was because he was confident that his own combat prowess was enough to handle the treachery of the first world.

As for why he chose Automatic Dental Hygiene, it was purely for convenience. Using 3000 points just for convenience might seem like squandering but he saw it from another perspective. Through the ability's description, he had ascertained that it was unnecessary to brush his teeth, floss, or even rinse with water ever again. The ability would keep all his teeth in perfect condition without fail. Primeval toothbrushes were not only ineffective but also would likely cause infections, and along with a crappy toothpaste substitute, thoroughly ravage his mouth. One thing he could never stand was the feeling of waking up and realizing that he had been subconsciously grinding his teeth in his sleep. If he resorted to these ancient methods, he'd probably have the sensation of his teeth being buzz sawed.

Since awakening in this world, he realized that washing would be incredibly inconvenient especially for someone who came from the modern era. Previously, there were times where he had gone without cleaning for months at a time but that was in the past. He adhered to the routine of daily hygiene strictly and purchased Automatic Body Hygiene as he assumed it would have the same effect as Automatic Dental Hygiene but directed towards the body instead. This then led to the activation of the set effect which included the automatic cleansing of his body. He then realized that not needing to wash at all might be even harder for his mind to accept.

"What quests are available?"

[F-Rank Quest:

Objective: Procure a farm

Reward: Soybeans

Points: 20]

Atlas' facial expression stiffened. He had his work cut out for him.