He wondered: was he really Li Wei who dreamed of being Alex, or was he Alex who was dreaming of being Li Wei?
The answer came when he opened his eyes and saw the glowing screen in front of him. A translucent blue panel hovered in the air. It was filled with numbers, words, and strange symbols. And at the top, it said one word.
Menu.
Status.
He blinked.
Then he read the contents of the box.
Name: Li Wei
Previous Name: Alex Carter
Age: 18
Class: Unawakened
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral Good
Strength: 12
Agility: 14
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 13
Charisma: 15
Luck: ???
Skills:
-
Dual Memory
-
Fast Learner
-
Language Comprehension
-
Beginner Swordsmanship
-
Minor Fire Affinity
Perks:
-
Reincarnator’s Insight
-
Adaptive Physiology
-
Enhanced Growth Rate
"Damn it," Alex, or Li Wei as he was now called in this world, groaned.
The memories were coming back, like floodgates opening wide. He staggered out of the bed, holding his head as the past surged into his mind.
He remembered living eighteen years as Alex. A quiet suburban life. His parents were kind and supportive. His older sister was annoying but protective. His younger brother was a goofball who always borrowed his stuff without asking. He remembered hanging out with friends, watching superhero movies, playing games late into the night. It had been a good life.
Stolen novel; please report.
Then came the truck.
Then came the void.
Then came the deal with the Grim Reaper.
And now... this.
He also remembered eighteen years as Li Wei. Son of a minor noble in the crumbling kingdom of Jinlong. His father, Li Baotian, was a cruel, greedy, morally bankrupt man who spent most of his time indulging in wine and women. Li Wei had been born from one of his lesser concubines, a foreign woman from across the sea who had died giving birth. She had left behind no name, no dowry, only her beauty, which passed down to him like a ghost’s final gift.
His childhood in this world had been one of quiet survival. Neglected, forgotten, treated like a spare coin no one bothered to pick up. Servants sneered at him. His half-brothers beat him. His father barely remembered his name. Then again, he usually ignored all his children, giving attention only to his newest concubines.
The Kingdom of Jinlong was a place steeped in rot. The nobles lived in palaces made of silver and silk, while peasants starved in the fields. Whole villages vanished in the night, swept away by war or worse things.
Years ago, Emperor Shen Zhenyu had ruled with an iron fist. He was a tyrant, but at least he had kept the country from falling apart. When he died, his three sons began tearing the land apart like wild dogs fighting over scraps.
Prince Shen Ruiming. The eldest and the cleverest. Shrewd, bitter, untrustworthy, and a chronic backstabber. His cunning could not make up for his lack of courage or character.
Prince Shen Yuntao. The middle son and the strongest. A capable general, but cruel, bloodthirsty, and fond of torture. He burned villages and massacred innocents. He flayed enemy soldiers and did worse. A man feared and hated.
Prince Shen Kaide. The youngest and the prettiest. Charismatic, but a lecherous wastrel who preferred wine and castrated boys over leadership. Mostly a puppet for those who pulled the strings behind the scenes.
Each of them worse than the last.
Li Baotian, his father, had chosen to support Prince Shen Yuntao. A cruel, power-hungry man known for burning villages and branding dissenters alive. It was a foolish bet, but typical of his father, who always backed the side he thought would win, regardless of right or wrong.
But the princes were not the only danger in the world.
There were the Rakshasas.
Creatures of nightmare that prowled the countryside. Some walked like men, others crawled like beasts. They devoured flesh and drank blood. They raped women and ate children. No one knew where they came from, only that their numbers grew every season.
And no one did anything about it.
The princes were too busy with their war. The nobles too concerned with gold and influence. The temples prayed, the people died, and the monsters came anyway.
This world was bleeding.
It needed someone.
Someone strong. Someone willing. Someone who still believed that light could exist in the dark.
Li Wei stood in front of the cracked bronze mirror in his small chamber. He saw a stranger’s face. Tall, sharp features. Pale amber eyes. Hair black as ink. He was handsome. Striking, even. A gift from his mother. But behind those eyes now burned a new soul.
Alex Carter.
"I guess it’s up to me," he said softly. "If no one else will fix this, then I will."
The system beeped.
Quest Unlocked: A Light in the Dark
Objective: Survive the first week.
Reward: Class Awakening.
He smiled bitterly.
"Challenge accepted."