He looked around the room stone walls, moldy bedding, the faint stink of piss. No one else here.
"Show yourself."
[There is no one to show, silly. I'm inside your head.]
Mae-Bi froze.
"…Excuse me?"
[Excused.]
His eye twitched.
"I'm hearing voices. I'm actually hearing voices."
[Technically, just one. Me.]
He rubbed his temples. "Either I'm insane, or someone shoved a spirit into my brain while I was unconscious."
[Not a spirit. I'm your system. Officially designated: 'Path of the Silent Fang.' You can call me whatever you like…though I prefer something cute.]
Mae-Bi stared into the mirror again, deadpan.
"You want me to give the voice in my head a cute nickname?"
[It builds trust. And healthy communication.]
"I'm an assassin, not a therapist."
[You're a washed-up, low-rank assassin who just got shredded by a senior cultivator and handed a second life. So maybe try listening?]
Mae-Bi blinked.
"…Did you just insult me?"
[With affection.]
He sat down on the edge of the cot, trying to make sense of it all.
"Alright. Let's say I believe you. System. Second chance. Regression. Whatever this is. My question is how the hell did you end up in my head?"
[Great question!] the voice chirped. [During the moment of your death, a legacy fragment was triggered by the old man you fought. That fragment—me—bound to your soul and rewound your timeline. Now I'm here to help you walk a new path.]
Mae-Bi narrowed his eyes.
"You're saying that old man… gave me this?"
[Correct. Unusual behavior for someone that strong, but hey — you impressed him. Or maybe he just pitied you. Who knows?]
He rubbed his face again. His hands were shaking, though he'd never admit it out loud.
"This is insane."
[Yup. But also real.]
He let out a breath.
"…If you're lying, I'll find a way to cut you out of my skull."
[Noted.]
Mae-Bi stood and paced the room.
A second chance.
A system in his head.
And the same filthy cult ready to use him all over again.
Mae-Bi sat in silence, eyes fixed on the cracked wall.
His thoughts churned.
"…Eighteen," he muttered. "I was eighteen when they assigned us to the pillars."
There were seven of them the Seven Pillars of the Demonic Cult. Each ruled a branch of power under the Heavenly Demon himself.
He laughed bitterly.
"Hah… I remember now. I was thrown under the First Pillar. The Blood Blade Lord Hyeolgeom Gunju. Master of martial combat and assassination arts."
A man who bled enemies dry and trained his subordinates to do the same.
Mae-Bi had spent over thirty years under him until he was fifty, obeying every command like a trained dog.
He touched his chest.
Right over his heart.
He didn't need to check to know it was still there.
"…The centipede," he whispered.
Just like the old man said.
It was placed in their hearts the moment they were born a cursed parasite that would tear them apart from the inside the moment they disobeyed, ran, or spoke out.
He chuckled. A hollow, bitter sound.
"Born? What a joke. We weren't born. We were bred. Like pigs."
The memories came flooding back. Women kidnapped, locked away in dark chambers. Used to produce more assassins. More tools.
He didn't know who his mother was.
And his father?
He clenched his fists.
"Maybe one of those bastards who ran the breeding halls," he muttered. "Maybe someone I've already seen."
He let out a breath, voice lower now.
"…It doesn't matter."
He raised his head.
"System," he said. "Can you remove the centipede?"
[Negative. Not yet.]
Mae-Bi scowled. "What do you mean not yet? Aren't you some kind of godlike power in my head?"
[Flattering, but no. I'm not a god. I'm a system. I guide. I optimize. I help you survive and grow. But the centipede is embedded in your heart, body, and qi. You have to break it yourself.]
"So you can't even handle a worm?" he snapped.
[That worm was crafted by dark-arts masters and fed on the blood of a hundred cultivators. Try harder.]
Mae-Bi stared into space, lips tightening.
"So what can you do?"
[Train you. Sharpen you. Push you to the edge and drag you back stronger. I can make you into something the cult won't recognize,not a dog, not a weapon… but a monster they'll regret creating.]
The room fell quiet.
Mae-Bi leaned back, arms crossed, eyes dark with resolve.
"How tempting,although it's still hard to believe."
He looked at his reflection one last time.
"I should check my Qi first"
Mae-Bi sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, back straight, breath steady.
Same mold. Same dust. Same stink of sweat and death.
And yet, something felt… different.
He closed his eyes.
"First Qi breathing "
A Breath control technique.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
Qi gathered in his dantian slow, stiff, like a frozen stream trying to thaw.
"Tch. Still weak," he muttered.
[Affirmative. Internal energy detected: Low-tier Qi Awakening Stage. Meridians partially scarred. Flow rate: 61%.]
Mae-Bi frowned.
"So I didn't regress with perfect meridians after all?"
[Correct. You've been trained since birth. Physical trauma and forced conditioning by the cult left lasting damage.]
[While your regression gave you a younger body, the scars are still there just lighter.]
He clenched his fist.
The energy stirred sluggish and uneven.
"But… it's better than before," he said.
In his past life, his meridians had been a mess of blockages and artificial seals. Half his Qi had leaked out just trying to breathe.
Now, it flowed not clean, not smooth, but real.
"I can feel the difference."
[That's the system's influence.]
[Upon regression, I performed a stabilization sequence: cleared minor blockages, neutralized poison remnants, and reset breath rhythm.]
[You're still weak. But this time, you have room to grow.]
Mae-Bi slowly stood, testing his balance.
His limbs still felt familiar. Heavy with memory. But lighter than they had been in years.
"Alright," he said. "Show me how you actually help."
[System assistance includes:]
• Combat-Triggered Growth: Earn EXP through survival, stealth, and lethal precision.
• Assassination-Based Boosts: Killing targets undetected boosts key stats.
• Skill Unlocks: Mugong techniques unlocked through adaptive usage, not scrolls.
• Emergency Protocols: Active defense if host nears death.
Mae-Bi raised an eyebrow. "No instant breakthroughs?"
[No.]
"Enlightenment pills?"
[Earn them.]
"Power-up because I'm the main character?"
[Hard no.]
He smirked despite himself.
"…I think I like you."
[You'll hate me by next week.]
He sat down again, focusing on the breath.
"Damn system".