Seized by the System

Fang Ning had to endure so much pain and distress, like having flu or a fever, before he slowly heaved himself up from the ground. His head was heavy, but he felt light-footed and nearly lost his balance.

He ignored the dizziness and wondered. “That can’t be right. I’m currently a Lake-level powerhouse. I remember the king cobra was only at the peak of the Pond level. How could its venom be so potent?”

Sir System did not answer him for a very long time.

Fang Ning was frustrated and asked impatiently. “System, are you there?”

“No. I just realized if someone’s talking to you by your side, this would reduce the eerie atmosphere and the overall immersion. You read novels all the time, so you should know how distracting narrations can be…” Sir System declared.

“Eh, you’re such a bad guy. I was so wrong. You’ve changed, Sir System…” Fang Ning was grief-stricken.

Sir System completely ignored him and said, “I’m doing this for your own good. Alright, these are my last words, so no point hollering as I’ll no longer be around. Remember, there was never a savior and never rely on a System. Independence is the name of the game.”

“… You just wait.” Fang Ning uttered his words angrily when he heard the slithering sound again. The sound was caused by the friction between the snake’s scales and the ground, grass and bushes.

“Always turning up like a bad penny. I don’t believe I’m unable to beat this level.” Instead of running away, Fang Ning sat down on the spot. He was not worried about getting rheumatism anyway.

Despite his words, deep down, he was still petrified.

When he was a regular Joe, he was not only afraid of real snakes, but also the snakes shown in pictures.

He was the type of fellow who had a phobia of snakes… There were many of his kind. This was a positive trait, for those who were not afraid of snakes usually died quickly.

“I’m a boulder, I’m a boulder…”

Fang Ning re-entered the boulder state. He came up with this idea after watching an old cartoon back in his childhood days. The protagonist in the cartoon, who was cultivating in a snake burrow, blended in with his surroundings and became a large rock, thus beating the level successfully.”

Obviously, Fang Ning lacked the mental resilience of the cartoon’s protagonist.

There was some improvement this time. When the king cobra was a meter away from him and was about to spit its venom, his mental state fluctuated and he died…

Again…

He improved once more at the third try. He had a mental fluctuation when the snake slithered over his body and he died once more…

“Ugh, I should be done with it the fourth time.” Fang Ning laid on the ground and panted.

However, reality proved that he was overthinking.

At his fourth attempt, his performance deteriorated and could not turn himself into a boulder… The king cobra gained on him and bit him to death.

“No, this can’t be! Impossible! System, you must be cheating again.” Fang Ning accused the System furiously.

Nevertheless, Sir System stayed silent.

“Dammit, you even pretend to be away!” A vexed Fang Ning roared. “You think I can’t beat this level without your help?”

Prodding the System into action was of no use either.

Hmph, apparently Sir System wanted to provide him with the most immersive experience.

There was no answer at all. Fang Ning noticed that his surroundings were unusually silent and the forest darkened greatly. Did this place have nighttime as well?

F*ck, the System had turned evil. The simple and honest System that could be easily manipulated was no longer present.

Fang Ning comprehended that this was normal. Even regular people became smarter over time, so what about a hardworking System like Sir System?

As the last rays of sunlight receded, the darkness descended, heightening the haunting ambiance of the forest.

Fang Ning suddenly missed his days of snuggling in the System Space. Sigh, he should have known not to push himself so hard. Diligence did not always bring forth success, but not working hard would be very easy…

No, how could he conjure these slothful thoughts?

He would definitely be despised by the System.

Brace yourself and march forwards. Persevere and you shall reap the rewards of your success!

Fang Ning’s mood changed and he immediately thought of another place.

The title of a book flashed across his mind’s eye…

“The Convergence Of Paths Tutorial 101”.

He only had to follow the steps in the book and he could fuse himself naturally with Heaven and Earth. When that time came, he could be a tree, grass, a flower, a bird, a rock, soil… Water.

In actual fact, most of the time, Sir System had already provided him with solutions to his problems. Just like in an exam, most of the questions had been covered by the teachers. It all mattered on whether one could apply what had already been taught to the questions.

“Sigh, I’ve wronged you again, System. You’re still a rather good System and you didn’t give me a hard time on purpose…” Fang Ning expressed his remorse after discovering a reliable solution.

Sir System showed up at once and grinned. “Look at you. You’ve finally understood my efforts. This comforts me!”

“Weren’t you away? You said you didn’t want to mess with my immersion?” Fang Ning was stunned.

“Eh, you’ve actually found the solution, so it’s fine since you’ll definitely beat this level.” Sir System justified firmly.

Fang Ning shook his head and replied. “Forget it, I’m too lazy to argue with you. I’m about to enter a state of Divine Unity. Release the snake.”

“Ok, I’ll do it now.”

Fang Ning referred to the steps in “The Convergence of Paths Tutorial 101”. Instantly, his mind was clear and felt as light as a feather as he floated in the air.

He finally understood why Sir System said earlier that he had already beaten the level. His body was no longer corporeal, so how could the venomous snake hurt him?

A saint who did not compete with others had no one to compete with him.

The king cobra lingered for a moment and then vanished into thin air.

After this ordeal, Fang Ning sensed a significant improvement of his mental state.

In the past, he was rather impulsive and lacked concentration. Now, he was aware that in order to succeed in this world, he had to put in the effort and commit himself in the long run.

Diligence was not mastered in a day but through perseverance.

Like Sir System, diligence was not its advantage, but part of its system properties. It had always been there and held with high regard.

“I understand now…” The forest echoed with the sound of the wind.

“You’re showing off again.” Sir System ridiculed. “That was nothing, the next test is around the corner.”

“Give me a break, I need some time to rest.” Fang Ning retorted.

“Eh, you’re being lazy again?” Sir System was dumbfounded.

“This is known as a work-life balance. I need to improve my comprehension.” Fang Ning answered firmly.

…

Underneath the pitch-black night sky, a white silhouette was talking to a dark silhouette.

“God of Plagues, you’ve taken things a bit too seriously. You should know that Vigilante A’s no small fry, that’s why he’s so revered. Why do you want to use a new bacteria to test him?” The white silhouette asked.

The dark silhouette smiled. “I just want to observe the strength of the power generated when my Path of Plagues fuses with the Heavenly Axiom of this realm. From the looks of it, it’s still not strong enough. I can’t even make him unconscious for a few seconds, let alone poison him to death. This fellow is formidable, indeed.”

“Since he dares to walk the Path of Heavenly Punishment, he must have taken the necessary precautions against all nefarious forces under the sun. His enemies are made up of malevolent spirits and demons after all.” The white silhouette commented.

“Forget it. I’ll deal with him again when I’ve descended. I can’t simply ignore him as he’ll only obstruct me one day.” The black silhouette concluded.

“Alright, I don’t think we need to wait any longer.” The white silhouette nodded.