“Seems like it.”
“So, you’re Lu Er now? Heh, seems fitting,” Wise—now Lu Yi—teased the figure, a familiar mockery that was, in essence, self-mockery.
“What about this ‘fragment’? Sky never mentioned anything like it. Do you think she lied? Or did this entity appear later?” The figure—now Lu Er—quipped, deftly shifting the topic.
“I'm leaning toward her not knowing. Most of what she told us seems accurate, except for the Fragment's interference, and the fact that ranks actually go up to ten, not seven. Since there aren't even legends of anyone achieving beyond Rank 7, it's understandable they'd limit public knowledge to seven.
What do you think?”
“We are literally the same person,” Lu Er joked.
“Oh... Okay.”
There was a subtle difference between having two souls in one body versus having two connected souls: two souls in one body would be strangers sharing space. But two aspects or two personas of one soul that has been split? While their personalities, thought processes, immediate reactions, might differ, their core essence and ultimate conclusions would remain identical because they would be, fundamentally, the same person.
Thus, even though they shared identity and knowledge, they still conversed.
Both still the same person; their goals still the same. But they alternated and divided to preserve each other.
And their combination was what made Lu Zhiheng, or Alerick Wise a human.
“Are you not going to check out the skills and the soul gifts? Getting cool skills is the best part. Where is the excitement—" Unfortunately, Lu Er didn’t get time to check anything as the Fragment interrupted him.
[Commencing the Awakening Trial…]
[Awakening Trial: Game of the Fragment]
[Game: Not Decided Yet]
[Rolling the Dice…]
[@###@ @$%&]
[Ding ding ding…]
[Congratulations! Your game has been decided.]
[Game: Survival Battle Royale]
[Moving to the First Pavilion…]
The world dissolved into a swirl of light. When his vision cleared, Lu Zhiheng found himself standing in a vast pavilion. The entire structure, more than ten times bigger than his own house, was stained a deep, blood-like crimson, dimly illuminated by the gray, overcast light filtering in from the foul weather brewing outside.
The lacquered pillars gleamed like congealed blood. The architecture fused the classical Chinese artistry with durability and thousands upon thousands of murals drawn on each and every surface.
The murals contained a large number of human and non-human drawings. The whole pavilion was a fascinating sight to see.
Lu Zhiheng had a slight urge to study these murals, but the movements flickering at the periphery caught his attention. He moved to the pavilion's edge and looked out, and there was a sea of faces; hundreds of humans.
The area was astonishingly alive with the cacophony of human voices, anticipatory whispers, nervous laughter, all surrounded by an invisible barrier that no one seemed to break through.
He recognized some of their faces.
'They're all the Unawakened from earlier… but there are fewer now. Maybe a sixth of what there were before? Did the rest get a different game?'
There was no time to digest the scene. A cold female voice boomed across the entire pavilion, silencing every whisper instantly. A massive interface materialized in the ash-gray sky above the pavilion.
[Game: Survival Battle Royale]
[Goal: Finish in the Top 50]
[Game Rules]
[The game will take place in the abandoned Shilong Realm. A map will be provided to every participant. As the realm's view pans across the map, you may select a landing location by speaking or thinking your choice. If you do not choose a location till the end, you will be dropped at the final point on the map.
[Within the Shilong Realm, you will find treasures and Fragment Skills to boost your strength. You may use these to fight other contestants. However, all treasures and Fragment Skills are temporary and cannot be taken out of the game.]
[The realm will progressively decay each day, crumbling inward from the outer edges. Participants must fight and eliminate each other until only one survivor remains.]
[Death in the Shilong Realm does not equate to real death.]
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
[For each participant you kill, you will receive 1 Fragment Point.]
[There are other ways to earn Fragment Points, such as:
- Guarding a Temple until decay reaches it (50 Fragment Points if you die as the last guardian)
- Being the Last Survivor (100 Fragment Points)
- Obtaining a Gold Treasure Chest (random Fragment Points) {Can be either Physical or Hidden Achievements} ]
[Five hundred Unawakened will compete to reach the Top 50. The Top 50 will undergo true Awakening. The rest will be left as Half-Awakened.]
[Fragment Points can only be used by participants qualified for Awakening. They can be converted into Free Points, which Unawakened can then allocate to their physique before Awakening to obtain desirable traits.]
[If you do not have any Fragment Points to allocate before Awakening, you will be disqualified from the Top 50, and the participant ranked below you will take your place.]
[Outside tools or assistance are forbidden. Violators will face immediate execution.]
The voice ceased, allowing a few minutes of tense silence before the pavilion erupted into a frenzy of terrified whispers and frantic speculation.
'Wow! They stole the game mechanics from the 21st century,' Lu Er exclaimed internally.
'I suspected this place was Earth. Now it's confirmed—this is definitely Earth, probably thousands or millions of years after the evolution cataclysm. And if the rumors that the Fragment is a piece of Heaven and Earth are true, it makes sense it would know about 21st-century games,' Lu Yi replied inside his head while looking at the giant interface. Even without talking directly he could still communicate with Lu Er.
‘Or it could be that we are in some sort of parallel universe.’
‘Yeah, but it's still most probable that this is Earth.’
‘It’s a shame we can’t use the dagger anymore.’
‘Indeed. But if not for these rules, then all the main or branch families’ children present here would have brought powerful artifacts,’ Lu Yi countered.
‘How are we supposed to fight and kill them? It will cause immense problems in the real world—’
[The game will start in 10 seconds.]
[10… 9… 8…]
The Fragment's countdown severed their conversation.
The moment Lu Er heard it, his presence receded seamlessly into the depths of their shared consciousness. Lu Yi had the major part of memories from Earth, which included his time as the apex human. Lu Er had that knowledge too, but knowledge was different from soul memories. Thus, Lu Yi’s combat abilities, in theory, would be much better than Lu Er.
There was no need for this discussion among them; the division of labor was instinctive. Lu Yi was Lu Zhiheng now.
[7… 6… 5… 4…]
All the Unawakened tensed. Their fates hung on a single game dictated by the Fragment.
[3… 2… 1…]
[Game Start.]
A collective flinch ran through the assembled Unawakened as translucent fragment interfaces materialized before each of them, flickering like heat haze given form.
It displayed a vast, shadowy map, its color slightly concealed by a dim shadow. A single, luminous circle pulsed in one corner; the terrain was clearly visible only inside the circle.
All of them understood that they could choose any location inside the circle to descend anytime.
With a slow, inexorable glide, the circle began its diagonal journey across the map.
One by one, the participants began to descend, their chosen drop points scattering like seeds across the illuminated area. The circle, though seemingly small on the interface and modest in size, encompassed leagues of broken terrain, vast enough to grant each a solitary landing.
Lu Zhiheng, however, remained still, his eyes fixed on the shifting map.
‘The map is expansive. The fragment also warned that the destruction would begin at the edges, meaning the final confrontation will inevitably converge somewhere at the center. Following standard game logic, the most valuable loot should also be concentrated there.’
His jaw tightened.
‘But I'm not the only one who can count. The main bloodline scions will have studied these trials for years. Even without that advantage, the logic is simple enough for any fool to grasp.’
He exhaled slowly.
‘While victory is the goal, making an enemy of the clan so prematurely is a sure path to an early grave—especially when some of them are undoubtedly stronger. I may surpass them in technique, but that advantage is meaningless against an opponent fed on rare elixirs since birth.’
‘My best option is the periphery of the central zone. I can evade the encroaching destruction while remaining close enough to scavenge quality loot and pick off stragglers.’
His gaze settled on a cluster of geometric shapes.
‘A village?
Perfect.
It will favor my close-quarters combat style.’
He selected the spot and waited for the glowing circle to reach it.
The moment the boundary of the glowing circle kissed the clustered squares, he gave the mental command.
‘Descend.’
…
The village lay dying beneath a sun that hung in the sky, a withered, orange flower slowly sinking towards the horizon. It was the earthly hour of five, that transient period where the day bled into the evening.
Soon the ember-light would gutter out, leaving only the moon's cold silence and the whisper of darkness.
Suddenly, the placid sky was torn asunder. A bolt of crystalline Azure radiance slammed into the earth, bathing the figure inside in actinic light. The radiance bled away, leaving a small one-inch-deep crater on the ground.
A single figure emerged from the point of impact, leaving behind a few sparks of lingering corona. That figure was Lu Zhiheng.
Almost instantly, four more thunderous descents echoed around him—two distant, two dangerously close.
‘Bingo,’ he thought, his body already in motion, catapulting towards the nearest landing site.
The azure energy faded, revealing a boy in blue robes who stepped out cautiously, his eyes wide as he scanned his new, decrepit surroundings. His survey was cut short by the sight of a black-clad figure closing the distance with terrifying speed.
“Wh-what?!” the boy stammered, panic seizing him.
Lu Zhiheng moved with chilling efficiency. He didn’t break stride as the boy noticed him.
‘Close the gap. Seize the tempo.’
He leapt.
A brutal dropkick connected squarely with the boy’s face. The kick probably cracked a few bones and some cartilage. The impact was sickening.
As the boy staggered, dazed, Lu Zhiheng grabbed his arm, pulled him forward, and delivered a ruthless, precise punch straight to the exposed throat.
The force crushed the boy’s Adam's apple, driving it deep into his trachea.
The larynx collapsed with a wet crunch.
“Gah… gah… argh…” The boy’s guttural cries were pure, instinctual agony, choking on air, his mind too addled to comprehend the violence. He crumpled to the muddy ground, writhing.
"Why is he still conscious? He's going to make me feel bad about this, even though they're not actually dying."
Lu Zhiheng sighed. "Head stomps it is, then."
He ended the struggle with a series of merciless stomps to the head until the twitching ceased and consciousness fled. A moment later, a soft chime echoed in his mind as the body in front of him turned into a golden box.
[You have obtained 1 Fragment Point.]
“Is this what I think it is?” he opened the box.
[Congratulations on the first kill! You have found a Gold Treasure Chest. (+5 Fragment Points)]
[Total Fragment Points: 6]
He opened the map and glanced at the top-right corner.
[498/500]
'Huh. If I killed the first one, how did someone else die already? Was I a fraction of a second faster? Don't tell me someone landed on a cliff and fell to their death.'
He let out a dry laugh and looked inside the box. There was nothing except the boy’s clothes. ‘Why did I even expect anything?’
He tore a strip of cloth from the deceased’s garment and tied it around the lower half of his face.
‘A rudimentary disguise, but it will have to suffice.’
'Alright. Onto the second one.'
He set off at a run but slowed after a short distance, his eyes narrowing.
‘Something’s wrong. All the doors and windows along this path are already ajar.’
Realization dawned as he calculated all the possibilities.
'The other one tried to play the good old ‘mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’. He must have watched me kill the first one and decided discretion was the better part of valor.'
'Smart. I'll find him later.'
'For now, I need to loot. I'm already falling behind.'
He reversed direction, heading away from the already-pilfered path.