[Welcome to the dark dimension.]
"Dark dimension?" It was only with the introduction from the system that Shu Himo noticed that he wasn't in the forest anymore.
Everything around him was black, devoid of any form or substance, seemingly not different from not existing at all. In the dark dimension, Shu Himo did not have a body, he was only a wandering soul.
[Dark Dimension: The realm of souls, where the deads gets gathered to await the process of reincarnation. Everything in this dimension is non-existent yet also existent at the same time.]
[The User may consider this place as a waiting room. In here the User will be able to choose in which situation reincarnate and freely control the basic version's functionalities of The Bullsh*t System.]
"Basic version? Do you mean that it is possible to upgrade the system?"
[In the future it will be possible to unlock additional functions from the system by completing special quests or by triggering certain conditions.]
[Anyway, to open the menu and check the current functions just imagine it opening. In the case the User has no imagination, it is also possible to open it by saying "Menu."]
"Tch." Shu Himo's lips twitched hearing the system's mocking tone. "Menu!" But he still decided to use the word, deeming it cooler that way.
Said the command, a display appeared in his mind.
[The Bullsh*t System]
[BS points: 2]
[Infopoint]
[Shop/closed]
[Quests]
[Storage]
[Status]
[To select any function it is enough to think about it… or just to say it.]
Shu Himo ignored the system’s usual mocking remark and stared at the list of the functions. He thought back at the quest reward he had just obtained. “So I can see how many BS points I have from the menu? I guess the shop will be the place where to use them…”
[Surprising. The User is able to notice where to spend BS points. Exactly, they are spent in the shop.]
Shu Himo was speechless.
[At the moment the shop is closed. It will be opened upon going out of the dark dimension. Another function where the User will be able to use BS points is the Infopoint, where is possible to purchase any information.]
“Eh? You won’t even give info for free? How stingy...”
[...]
Shu Himo then proceeded to try the next function. “Status!”
[Shu Himo. 0 Years old (Soul)]
[HP: none]
[MP: none]
[Other Stats: You are just a basic soul, why would you even consider to open the status?]
[State: A soul. Extremely weak.]
Paying no heed to the unexpected words that came out of the status, Shu Himo felt the need to clarify one thing. "What do you mean by basic soul?"
[Each lifeform possesses a soul. Animals, Humans, Divinities… the User's soul is from a normal human without cultivation based on souls, so the soul is simply a normal one.]
[If it were a divinity’s soul or one from a soul cultivator it would have stats. However, that type of souls would not be found in this place, as any soul with a decent status is able to survive in most worlds by itself.]
After thinking for a moment, Shu Himo asked a completely unrelated question. “I noticed earlier that the quests had a difficulty rating, how are they divided?”
[The difficulty of the quests is divided into F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. Those grades can have + or - variables, ranking the precise difficulty of the quest.]
[The difficulty ranking is calculated based on the User’s current strength and the details of the quest.]
“I see… as the other two functions are self-explanatory I would like to talk about what you said before; choosing in which situation I will reincarnate. What did you mean by that?”
[Before that the User will need to select in which world be reborn. Have you made the decision?]
Shu Himo thought for a moment before asking, “Can I spend some BS points to gain information about the worlds beforehand?”
[Sure.]
“What kind of info can I buy for 2 BS points?”
[2 BS points are enough to purchase basic information. As an example, it will be possible to know if it’s raining.]
“...I’ll pass on that. I’ll just go for the cultivation world.”
[The User selected: The Cultivation World. Are you sure of your choice?]
“Yes!”
Shu Himo had always wanted to go to a cultivation world, but his decision wasn’t based purely on emotions. He had thought about it while chased by cows, he had considered which world had no real limits on the achievable strength. It was by recalling how most main characters in cultivation novels he had read reached godhood that he made his decision.
[Selection of the world completed. Please select a starting plot.]
"Plot?" Shu Himo blurted out in shock.
[1. Respawn with your previous life's body in a random place of wilderness in the world.]
[2. Reborn normally in the world, retaining the memories from the former world.]
[3. Taking over the body of a trash young master who died a moment before.]
[4. Further options need other quests to be unlocked.]
Reading the fourth choice Shu Himo's soul shivered. Before he chose which of the three options to accept, Shu Himo thought about something he had heard from the system. "If I'm the number 347, what happened to the 346 hosts before me?"
[55 Died at the first quest.]
[76 Died trying to conquer the universe they got placed.]
[178 Died from Abrupt Quests.]
[4 Died from a fight with one of the 12 divinities.]
Shu Himo felt a chill all over his soul. Learning of the deaths of the previous hosts he realized that, for the system, changing host would not cause any problem and could be done anytime. Unlike what normally happens with systems where they defend their hosts, this system may even actively attempt to kill him.
Such a realization made him rule out the possibility of being reborn as a baby, for the risk was too high. Having an underdeveloped body like the one of a newborn would not allow him to defend himself from any possible quest.
Reading once again the causes of death, Shu Himo's gaze stopped on a word. "System, what is an Abrupt Quest?"
[An Abrupt Quest is a quest that starts suddenly. This type of quests does not require the User to accept them beforehand and could start at any moment apart from special cases. The last quest the User had completed was, in fact, an Abrupt Quest.]
“Eh? It was?” Shu Himo was surprised. Since the quest had come so unexpectedly, he did not have the chance to read it attentively before he had to run away.
The knowledge of such quests only strengthened his previous belief. The choice about the starting plot was not a simple choice about his preference, but may even influence his own survival.
Since he had ruled out both the first and the fourth option, he had to consider only the remaining two.
"The second option is too risky, I can't know where I will spawn… if I were to spawn close to monsters I may meet my end there...
...This leaves only the third option…" Shu Himo sighed. "I would prefer not having such a bad reputation from the start, but something like that can be changed afterward!"
[Are you sure of your choice?]
"Yes, I will choose the third option!"
[Acknowledged. Searching for a random Cultivation World…]
[World found. Searching a target…]
[Target found: Shu Himo. 10 Years old.]
[Initiating transfer…]
"Oh, the same name as mine… wait— 10 years old?!"
Even while facing the grievance from Shu Himo, the system did not care and progressed the transfer.
[Transfer completed. The User is from now on Shu Himo from the Cultivation World. Good luck!]
With the announcement from the system, the dark dimension quieted down once again, showing no sign of life whatsoever.
