A System That Beats Death

With the blooming of the omen tree, the merchant immediately took action. Attributing the unique tree's spontaneous sprouting to be due to the presence of mages, he was able to identify and eliminate numerous hidden mages which allowed him to rise to where he was today.

Mages in this world were viewed in a similar manner to how witches were regarded in the olden times. They were generally seen as bringers of calamity and were despised for their unnatural strength which elevated them to above what was deemed controllable. This sentiment only applied to the resident of cities though as unlike the villages and towns where information rarely circulated, cities were often targeted by mages. This was mostly due to how they were treated in cities even before being revealed as mages, but that fact was conveniently not taken into consideration by the people in control. This merchant was clearly one of those that followed this mindset and would have hated to know that his current actions would change everyone's views of mages forever. Not that he would live long enough to try and stop it.

Immediately he unleashed the Heart killer. To his shock though, the effect vastly differed from what he had come to expect. Usually, the victim would profusely exsanguinate right before their flesh started to disintegrate. Wei definitely spewed blood but his body did not crumble. In fact, it seemed to tremble with overwhelming strength.

The Heart killer was a reusable poison and to the merchant and many powerful people, losing it would be more devastating than losing the sole heir to an empire. What they did not know about the Heart killer was that the poison was how it determined the worthiness of its new user. Without undergoing this process, it would be impossible to unleash its full potential. It was just that every host before Wei was unworthy and died during the process.

Just as the merchant was about to pull out a dagger to throw at Wei, vines burst through the floor impeded the trajectory of his aim. Panicking, the merchant decided to rush outside only to find that the passage had been completely consumed by vines. Frantically searching for an exit, he tripped over a root.

When he got back up, he was astounded as all around him, the vines and vegetation grew at a terrifying rate. A vine then pierced his c.h.e.s.t and he thought he heard Wei's voice.

"Go in my stead to hell"

Following that day was a blizzard which was why the townsfolk were not worried when no one heard from Wei. After the blizzard had passed however, they decided to check on him. The farm, merchant, and Wei were no longer there. In its place was a towering sapling of ivory and teal. It was adorned with jeweled vines and vibrant flowers.

This ethereal tree would grow tall enough to dwarf redwoods and gained a blue hue that gave it an otherworldly sensation. Due to this tree, Wei would be named the progenitor of magic as the tree injected mana throughout the continent. Sadly, the System did not include achievements after death, or he would've easily had over a million points.

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[Previous Identity:

Appellation: Wei

Age: 20 Gender: Male Death: Magic Poisoning Activities: Carpentry, Farming

Accomplishments: Town Elder, Master Botanist

Score: 8000]

Reward: *Randomizing*...Sword C+

(Talent and Skill with Swords)

[Spawn Equipment: 1000 Currency, Simple Apparel, Dull Knife, Spacial Ring]

[Permanent Traits: Intelligence B+, Cognition B, Language B+, Strength B, Poison Immunity A, Vitality B]

[Skills: Calculation C+, Cooking B, Combat D+, Agriculture C+, Carpentry B, Herbalism C]

[Abilities: [Automatic Cleansing: Automatic Body Hygiene, Automatic Dental Hygiene], Material Auxiliary Skill: Fertile Soil, Intimidation, Pure Water Generation, Heart Barrier]

[Past Fortune Calculated:

Business Earnings Emptied

2500 points added]

[New Score: 20220]

[Combat D+ Upgraded to C+(-1400)]

[Dull Knife Upgraded to Sharp Knife (-150)]

[Pure Water Generation Failed to Upgrade to Water Manipulation (Insufficient Points)]

[Score: 18670]

[Transferring Host: Decrepit Shack]

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"I am immune to poison, but I keep dying from poison. What is this irony?", Atlas said with a sigh.

He then thoroughly reviewed the information and began to quiver in shock. Magic poisoning? That primitive and dull world actually had magic? Realizing that magic actually existed, he began to rejoice but also felt immense regret at not being able to encounter it during his time there.

Can I return there? Should I return there? Aren't my expectations too high? Couldn't what he used on the soil be considered magic?

His thoughts were then interrupted by a searing pain.

[WARNING: Host in in critical condition

Strength Demoted to C

Damaged Parts: Burned Right Eye, Broken Right Arm

Complete Recovery in 5 months]

For a moment, all he saw was flames. Bodies and trees were turned to ash and endless screaming. Not from him but the wailing definitely came from where he was.

He then returned to reality or what could be called reality.

Looking around, he realized that his field of vision considerably decreased. He had intended to assess the injury with his right arm but there was no reaction.

Blinded in one eye and crippled in the dominant hand, the kid truly was pitiful. Fortunately, Vitality had the ability of passive regeneration included as currently, the right eye was completely disabled and half of his face was covered in burns. As for the right arm, it was fractured in multiple places, the humerus was shattered, and it was an unnatural shade of purple with plenty of dried blood covering it which added a gruesome variety to the color palette. A normal person would have fainted from the excruciating pain, but Atlas was indifferent to it. Even if a gentle tap on the affected skin could induce the sensation of being repeatedly stabbed deeply by a thousand needles, he would not succ.u.mb.

He perceived pain differently at a fundamental level no matter which body he occupied. For him, it was a damage indicator and what remained of his health bar. It was like this before the System and the effect was only amplified after it.

He truly did not expect that there could be a starting point that was even worse than Wei's crappy shed. The illumination was far worse in this one, the wood was infested with termites, and he was certain that the boy had just been laying in horse manure.

He felt some bile rise. If such conditions were the norm, he did not believe he could tolerate it. At least, he hadn't gotten any fecal matter in his mouth or there would have been dire consequences for not just the inhabitants of this world but also the System as well.

[Passive Clean (-3000)]

[Clean Set (3) Unlocked: Aura of Purification]

As soon as the purchase was completed, a pale green aura shone brightly. The dust coating everything within the shack then dispersed, the cobwebs vanished, and the scent of depravity gave way to the scent of spring. To his surprise, even his wounds were cleaned.

With the sanitation ordeal sorted, he decided to see if the artifact was actually worth dying for.