Book of Imprints

A cold gasp, erratic breathing, and mouthfuls of spittle periodically escaped Ye Qing's mouth as he crawled out from dirt and rubble like a zombie. He pushed apart charred ground and crawled through the mud, horror reflected in his eyes that reflected a sea of pitch-black smoke and pillars of flames.

Ye Qing looked around at the wreckage of the massive vessel of a majestic flying ship. Slabs of steel protruded from the ground like mounds and hills, and torn bodies of flesh and bones littered the ground, both natives and players.

His clothes were in tatters, his hair singed, skin splintered with cuts and bruises, not to mention the burn marks dotted over his arms and back. Ye Qing's health was at an all-time low.

If it weren't for his higher level that provided more resilience, and his prompt dispatch of his five defensive talismans, he'd already be dead by now.

He used the remaining three lesser healing talismans even as memories of the previous chaos reeled in like a silent film. A terrorist group; Crimson Nation, they call themselves.

They had infiltrated the ranks of noble houses throughout the Eight Directions Alliance, and apparently, they've vehemently opposed to the establishment of the Floating Academies across the Holy Order Prefecture.

They went as far as to expose their hidden pawns in a suicidal attack to cull down the numbers of the talented children of the realm. The fight between the Envoy of Storm and his supposed crew members eventually destroyed the wing engines, as a result, the entire vessel descended into this swampy rain forest.

Winds moaned in agony as waves of metal clashing and robust universal energy scaled the air. Looking up into the night sky, past the pillars of flames, Ye Qing saw countless battles unfolding amidst the thick smoke.

Soon, groans of agony reminiscent of weeping ghosts surfaced from the charred lands. Ye Qing knew that if anything, these were the mournful cries of the native children of the realm and not the undying otherworldly players. The latter's levels were too low to survive such a fall, not to mention their lack of items as newbies.

Everyone would need at least 15 real-time minutes to respawn, that is if they wish to respawn near their location of death in a particularly safe spot. Of course, they could choose to instantly respawn in their designated safe house where they started the game, or in any other safe house they'd have acquired, bought, or earned through quests.

"Are you guys alright?"

Ye Qing tried his luck and spoke into the party chat, though he wasn't that expectant. However, a moment later, there was indeed a response from Luke and the rest.

Luke: "I already respawned back in my original town!"

Quinton: "I did the same."

Anna: "Me too…"

The trio didn't ask about Ye Qing, assuming that he did the same. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to use the party chat unless he respawned.

Ye Qing sighed in relief. "What are your plans for the future?"

Luke was stunned, replying, "Don't tell me you're still planning to join one of the Floating Academies? I just checked the forums, and tens of flying vessels have met the same end all across the prefecture. This is a bad omen!"

Anna: "I too think we should stay out of this conflict, this is just too…"

Luke and Anna were very verbal with their opinions, even going so far as to take shelter inside the newbie towns until they reach level 10 at the very least. Ye Qing didn't blame them, as he too would have walked away from this trouble if it had encountered him in the past.

Now, however, it was different. Ye Qing looked around at the struggling members of the Crimson Nation and other native talents, a cold glint in his eyes. All of them had red indicators above their heads.

He wasn't that far from level 10, and since he had already instigated aggro from these people, he saw them as nothing more than experience points. Hundreds and thousands of heavily wounded bags of experience points.

Ye Qing said, "You guys know about my situation very well, and this conflict could be an opportunity for me."

If establishing the academies could aggravate conflicts between this mysterious nation and the aristocracy of the Holy Order Prefecture, this could only mean more opportunities for the players. Obviously, the aristocrats wanted to use the players and their undying attributes as weapons of war.

Quinton: "Some players have decided to join the Crimson Nation after this display of wanton aggression; the forums are exploding at this very moment."

Ye Qing, Luke, and Anna were stunned. Did they just witness the heralding of a civil war between the undying?

Players were competitive by nature, and while most players with weak mental fortitude might experience mental breakdowns after tasting death first-hand, there were others like Ye Qing and his group, who could quickly regain their calm.

It was Anna who surprised Ye Qing, he hadn't expected she'd be so calm after dying once. Actually, Anna was far from calm; she was a hectic mess at the moment, but this could not be inferred from telepathic communication.

Luke: "Well shit…"

He could imagine the forums erupting into wild controversy now, since a lot of players enjoyed violence a lot, especially when it came to killing other players.

Those with psychopathic tendencies are sure to flock their way over.

Bang!

An explosion went off in the sky, the shockwaves pressing Ye Qing further into the ground as he grunted in pain.

Despite himself, and the lesser healing talismans, his health was only back to half full with dozens of fractured bones all across his skeleton. The pain was borderline maddening. Ye Qing immediately cut his connection with the party and started examining his body.

He was startled the moment he did so. No wonder those talismans were so weak and defective!

Most of the internal and external energies infused into the defensive talismans and offensive talismans were absorbed by Ye Qing's skill tree, and the energies swarmed throughout his body. The sensation was no different from when he cultivated it in real life, albeit the feeling proved more pronounced and distinct.

He even had this premonition that if he understood the runes of each talisman, he could draw these talismans simultaneously in a burst of energy, even if they would hold very little power.

"Is this a unique skill similar to the swordsman's dual wielding?" Ye Qing felt exhilarated and quickly checked his player chart for any new passive skills.

Very quickly, he found it; a passive skill called Book of Imprints, and the accompanying description mentioned no ranking for the skill, albeit it mentioned the ability to replicate runes and infuse them with power, inducing a manifestation of power. Currently, the passive skill is locked under the skill tree, as the latter could only be used after achieving level 10.

Ye Qing quickly had an absurd idea; can he absorb faith energy from the lesser contract talismans? He immediately shook that idea off, as said faith energy was already contaminated with the aura of a certified Goddess.

When the shockwaves died down momentarily, Ye Qing crawled out from the ground once again, despite the creaking of his bones, and steadied himself by holding onto the thick trunk of a tree.

"Save me… help…"

"I don't want to die…"

"Help me…"

The cries of agony, no matter how faint, slowly drifted into Ye Qing's ears from all around.

He took a deep breath, and slowly, he dragged his heavy feet in front of a parched pit with a miserable, scholarly-looking young man at its stomach. He curled up, hair as disheveled as it could get, light barely visible in his eyes.

"Undying trash… Ah- I mean… Brother, please help me…"

Ye Qing laughed, but he hurriedly clutched his chest even as his rib cage squeaked in discomfort. Then, he brought one of the three remaining fireball talismans, crushed it, and observed the tiny plume of flames on the palm of his hand.

As expected, almost 60% of the powerful within the talismans circulated back into his body. Since this talisman originally had about 20% of the power of a true fireball, a second weakening made it look even more pathetic.

"You… you… you're that trash mage— hah, haha…" the native talent no longer bothered hiding his contempt, laughing almost hysterically even as his skin cracked and blood flowed.

Ye Qing didn't bother to explain himself and tossed the fireball at the native, burning him to a crisp.

Ye Qing looked at his experience bar as it increased by 100 points. Too little.

Ye Qing frowned. Luckily, only the first 10 levels were dependent on experience points, while the paths of evolution each enjoyed a specific growth path.

The first 10 levels are to get players more comfortable with the game and get used to the environment. Alas, Ye Qing didn't have time for that.

"Things are about to get bloody…"

Ye Qing's face twisted in disgust, understanding that the remaining two fireballs were far from enough to gather the required experience points— he ought to commit murder with his own two hands today…