09/06/2059
BANG!
A beam of energy shot from a plasma rifle, obliterating Lin Ming's last remaining comrade.
"Hahaha, you wretched human! This planet will finally belong to our Madakaros tribe!" a creature that looked human, but wasn't, gloated.
He had three eyes and was dressed in a bizarre, otherworldly uniform.
"Tch, cut the crap. If humanity could cultivate like you guys, you all would've been toast long ago," Lin Ming scoffed, a strangely calm smile on his face. He seemed completely unfazed by his impending death.
"Reality is always harsh, you insignificant insect," the first Madakaros sneered.
"Indeed, indeed," the second one chimed in.
A shimmering sword flew through the air, cleanly severing Lin Ming's head.
The last thing he ever saw was his own body.
Headless.
His entire life flashed before his eyes.
The Madakaros, an alien race that had invaded Earth back in 1998.
All for something called petroleum.
That's right. The same black sludge that humanity had fought over for decades was now the cause of its extinction.
But the Madakaros didn't use oil for transport like humans did; they used it to cultivate. They divided their cultivation into seven realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Void Comprehension, Primordial Chaos, and the legendary Divine Realm.
Petroleum could only help them in the early stages, from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul. Once they broke through to the Void Comprehension Realm, they could absorb any element in the universe to cultivate, making oil obsolete.
This war on Earth was merely a side project for the Madakaros race, waged by the weaker members who desperately needed petroleum to level up. They dreamed of either building a powerful army or achieving a personal breakthrough to the noble "Void Comprehension" realm, which would grant them entry into the elite "Maka Legion."
The Maka Legion was the highest echelon of the Madakaros. They couldn't care less about the survival of other species. The only thing they pursued was the path to the "Divine Realm," a state of true immortality within the universe—a realm no Madakaros had ever reached.
Humanity's population had plummeted from 8 billion to less than 500 million by the year 2025, with the last survivors clustered in the ASEAN region. The ASEAN alliance, formed by 11 nations (Vietnam, Thailand, etc.), became the final bastion of mankind. Surrounding it was a true Great Wall, a fortified defensive structure protecting the alliance.
From 1998 to 2030, humanity fought a desperate conflict known as "The Great Wall Defense War," ensuring a period of relative peace and development for those inside.
But after 2030, the defenses were breached. The Madakaros launched an all-out assault, pouring into ASEAN. A massacre ensued, lasting 29 long years, until humanity was utterly and completely annihilated...
<
3... 2... 1... Rebirth initiated!
.....
Lin Ming's head throbbed as if it were being split by an axe, his limbs heavy and exhausted. He slowly forced his heavy eyelids open.
He found himself in a small, simple, but clean room.
Lin Ming slowly sat up.
The calendar on the wall clearly read: 12/06/2025.
"So... I'm back in my sixteen-year-old body!" Lin Ming whispered.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
[Accumulative Battle Will System is activating!]
[The more you fight, the stronger you get. The closer to death you are, the greater your power!]
[10%... 20%... 50%... 90%... 100%]
[The Accumulative Battle Will System greets the Host!]
[System Introduction: Every time the Host engages in combat (win or lose), the system will accumulate "Battle Will Points." Battle Will Points can be used for: - Increasing cultivation level. - The stronger the opponent, the greater the Battle Will gained. - Near-Death Power-Up "Deathmatch State": Mana bar will be permanently locked at 100%!]
[Name: Lin Ming]
[Age: 16]
[Battle Will Points: 0]
[Cultivation Realm: N/A (Consume 1000 Battle Will Points to unlock cultivation and enter the early stage of Qi Refining).]
[System Suggestion: Come on, hit me if you dare. The more you hit me, the stronger I get!]
"???" A series of question marks popped over Lin Ming's head.
"A system... I have a system!" Lin Ming's face lit up with pure joy. "Hahaha, I'll do it all over again! You Madakaros bastards, get ready to be pushing up daisies!"
(Note: 'Pushing up daisies' means being dead and buried.)
After three seconds of euphoria, Lin Ming's expression turned serious.
Where was he supposed to get Battle Will Points?
At sixteen, he couldn't just go to the battlefield. Did he have to wait until he was eighteen to start cultivating?
That's it. School, or the slums. Those were the perfect places.
But... he already lived in the slums.
Thwack! "Ouch!"
"Are you going to eat breakfast and go to school or what?" Mai, Lin Ming's mother, had just executed a flawless head-smack.
He looked at his mother. Young, full of life. An indescribable joy welled up inside him.
"Yes, yes, I'm eating right now, Your Majesty, Mother!" Lin Ming replied, hopping out of his room and heading to the kitchen.
...
"Hey, I heard your school is holding 1v1 combat tests today," Mai asked while looking at Lin Ming.
"Right on the money, Mom," Lin Ming replied.
A 1v1 combat test? It was exactly what he needed. A perfect opportunity to "accumulate points."
Lin Ming attended the Thang Long (Dragon Fly) Preparatory Combat School, the largest training facility for future soldiers in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Their meal was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mai went to open it.
It was his Aunt Lin Le, his father's older sister.
"Oh my, Mai and little Ming, are you eating? I have to tell you, my son just got a position in the logistics team at Battlefield 2206! His salary is ten thousand credits a month!" Lin Le announced, her face a mask of smug satisfaction.
"Congratulations, sister-in-law," Mai replied with a strained look.
It was always like this. Lin Le never missed a chance to boast about her son, and usually, only about 30% of it was true. But who cared about the truth? The pleasure of bragging was all that mattered.
"Well, you two continue your meal. I'm just so worried about little Ming. He's already 16 and has no special achievements at school. Nothing like my boy, hehe," Lin Le said, and without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and sauntered off, leaving mother and son with sour expressions.
"Sigh. Everything sucks," Lin Ming muttered before burying his head in his rice bowl