Beginner's Gift Pack (1)

Just an hour or so later…

[Congratulations! You have successfully recruited the first disciple of the sect.]

[You have unlocked an Epic Quest…]

'Oh… an epic quest?,' I thought as I stared at the notification hanging before my eyes, my face brightening as if the System had thrown me a piece of candy after a long famine.

Only a few days had passed since I'd been reactivated in this body. My sect was on the verge of extinction, my headquarters barely habitable, and yet… an epic quest?

These quests were also divided into two main types: primary (main) and secondary, which could significantly alter the sect's path or even tip its balance. But I never expected an epic quest to open up for me so soon after starting down this dark path with a nearly abandoned sect.

Of the four classifications I knew from my system—Common, Uncommon, Rare, and then Epic—I never expected to reach the last one so quickly.

'Is there a higher rank? Legendary? Mythical?'

I wondered, staring into the void, a mix of excitement and anxiety creeping into my heart.

It was true that the "Strongest Sect" system that had recently awakened with me was superficially similar to my main body's system, but they were fundamentally different: that one fights, battles, contains an entire world with creatures capable of erasing me with a touch, and survives; while this one… wants to build a planetary empire of disciples?!

Well, if I look at it from that perspective, my main body already has the title of Emperor, right?

"All right, let's take a look at this so-called quest," I said to myself, opening its details with a long sigh.

[Epic Quest: Within one decade, recruit 1,000,000 disciples to the sect.]

[Warning! Failure will result in the complete erasure of this version – you cannot start over.]

[Current Number of Disciples: 1]

"..."

****

"Is he just ignoring me like that?," Sila thought with amusement, standing in place without showing any sign of interest in her surroundings.

She still didn't care about the details of this place, nor even about Neithan's staggering pronouncements.

"Heh, you'll get used to it soon," old man Rokla said with a semi-sarcastic smile, gesturing for the eighteen-year-old young woman to head towards the dilapidated hut that served as the sect's headquarters.

Three days had passed since he had returned to the sect, and he had been watching the Patriarch act strangely, making small changes to the headquarters and constantly looking at the air while fiddling with his fingers.

It was true that every human had a "status" window in their Alliance Bracelet that showed some basic information, but it never occurred to Rokla that his master had something as special as this system.

On the contrary, he thought it was just a side effect of the depression he had been going through lately, especially after losing so much.

"..."

Sila just continued to look at him.

***

"Damn it!"

My frustrated scream echoed in the deserted square, followed by the flutter of a startled bird from a nearby tree.

In most of the martial arts novels I'd read before—whether the ones I binged while lazing in my room, or the ones I imagined myself the hero of to escape the monotony of my life—the protagonist gets supernatural skills, legendary equipment, and even a gang of loyal followers… in the first five chapters!

And me? I got a quest that could literally lead to my annihilation.

"Just after I started getting used to this body…" I muttered, looking at my hands. "Am I going to lose it this easily?"

What made matters worse was the strange and unsettling feeling that had crept into my soul, that heavy sense that my original body would not survive the loss of this version.

No… I couldn't lose this bet.

Not now.

Not ever.

"After all, I'm not the Progenitor Amora; I don't have a hundred backup copies!"

I punched the air, then turned to the sky as if the System were there, watching me with a cold smile.

"Shouldn't you, my dear System, at least grant me a starter gift? Something simple? A crystal? A poisoned dagger? Even a talking monkey? You know, I can be considered a different host than Lloyd!"

[It is not preferable for the Host to be greedy. You have already received amazing advantages.]

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, amazing advantages," I muttered listlessly, walking towards the dilapidated wooden entrance of the sect. "Let me guess… you consider getting a body from one of the stellar races to be the great boon?"

[Confirmed.]

"And my ability to enter a shop that sells everything one could possibly imagine…?"

[An astonishing feature, especially with prices tailored to your zero resources.]

"Oh, and don't forget the [Reflection World] to escape death… provided I have an entry ticket, of course, which is sold for the price of a kidney, at least!"

[It is advisable not to die too often.]

"...Are you mocking me now?"

[No. I am carrying out my work efficiently.]

I swallowed a heavy sigh, kicking a small stone in front of me, and soon returned to contemplating my entire situation.

I knew I wasn't like "Lloyd."

That other side of myself… the bloody version.

Lloyd was a blazing fire.

He charged forward without fear. He cut, burned, shattered, and never looked back. As for me, Neithan, I was colder… more comedic and perhaps methodical as well. I preferred planning over confrontation, negotiation over risk. But, despite all this, I was no coward.

"All right, I'm not going to give up over some ridiculous number and a countdown. We start with one disciple… and from there, we build a legend," I muttered quietly. However, I needed gold, mission points, and battle points, or whatever that stuff was.

Not to mention, my characters were treated as separate individuals by the system, so I couldn't share any of my gold from one to the other.

"This is going to be tough!"

[Mental incentive registered.]

[Host's Faith Percentage updated: 11%.]

[Keep it up..]

"Only eleven percent?"

[Well… you were crying a moment ago.]

"I was contemplating."

[Your face looked like you just lost your pet.]

"I was contemplating deeply."

[…]

[Understood.]

I sighed again and smiled faintly. Despite everything… I was still alive. And I had a mission.

'Alright, System… let's see who has the last laugh.'

[Error!]

[A new order has been issued!]

[Lloyd Amora has decided to purchase a Beginner's Gift pack and grant it to you?]

"..."

The notification suddenly appeared on my interface, making me stop and stare at it in wonder.