The Idle System (A LitRPG series Book 7): Family, Pegaz [learn to read books txt] 📗

He saw an old man with blue eyes, a hooked nose, brown hair that went down to his shoulders, and a white beard that reached his stomach.

Knitting his brows, John asked, “Why do you look like my master who died a long time ago? Are you some kind of illusion created by this guy? Did this guy clone you?”

Jamie laughed. “He did clone me, but not the way you’re thinking! It was the clone that died back at the Rogue Sect. Ahh, I should call it the Nobody Sect now.”

“Sorry,” John replied, “but I don’t believe you. If you’re my master who supposedly died almost fifty years ago, why didn’t you contact me in some way?”

“Because I wouldn’t let him.” A voice sounded behind John once again, causing him to turn around.

What he saw caused his eyes to almost pop out.

The man—whose head and chest he disintegrated only a few minutes ago—was standing up and stretching. It was only now that John could see what the man really looked like.

He was just over six feet tall with short brown hair, brown eyes, and he was a bit on the brawny side. His face was oval with a pointed chin, hooked nose, and small ears.

“How the hell did you survive that?” John shouted. “I destroyed your head! All immortality and vitality would get destroyed when the head’s gone!”

“We’re Transcendents!” the man shouted. “Unlike immortals, we can’t die! Even if the universe explodes right now, all Transcendents will come back to life like nothing happened.”

“Impossible!” John shouted back.

The man laughed for a while. “It’s possible and it’s real! You can’t kill me, and I can’t kill you or your master. Your master wanted to warn you about what I had planned for you, but he isn’t an ingrate.

“I was the one who saved his and your life when he transcended! Why do you think a setup like the one you used is needed? Because after you transcend, you’ll automatically absorb the elements of the world into your soul and body to transform it into Primordial Chaos.

“The setup you used is there to teleport you as soon as your soul is transformed, so when your body is remade as a Transcendent, you don’t destroy the planet!

“The way your master transcended would have no doubt ended in failure, causing his death. Even if there was some miracle and he did succeed, you and the whole planet you were on would’ve been destroyed within minutes.

“Had the planet been destroyed, he would’ve been floating in space without any way to move. He would be alone until he fell into another planet’s atmosphere, but he would destroy that planet, too, repeating the process over and over again. That’s one of the worst things that could happen to a Transcendent.

“Even if he was an ingrate and decided warning you was more important than helping the one who saved his life, he knew I would’ve locked him up and made him suffer for eternity in return.

“Your master is what’s called a waste. He couldn’t transcend completely and can’t use any of the elements or Primordial Chaos, which means he can’t get any stronger.”

“Let’s say I believe you,” John spoke. “Why would you save my master and me?”

“Because I need your help,” the man replied.

John laughed before shouting, “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard this decade! Even if you did save us, why would I help you? You forced me to join the war and threatened that if I didn’t win, then all of humanity would hunt me and my wife down.”

“Oh, you would want to help me after I tell you what I want.”

John waited for a few seconds for the man to continue.

With a sinister cackle, the man replied, “I want you to kill me.”

Chapter 31: Explanation

“Didn’t you just say Transcendents can’t die?” John asked. “How do you expect me to change that?”

“Because of past experiences. First, let’s go sit down and I’ll explain everything.”

John felt a little reluctant to sit down with his enemy, but he nodded and walked to the armchairs that surrounded the round table. He made sure to sit opposite the man to keep him in sight while keeping a bit of a distance, too.

Jamie sat down between the two of them and only listened. He hadn’t learned much since becoming a Transcendent, so this was a great opportunity for him, too.

“Where to start...” The man interlocked his fingers on top of his stomach and tapped his thumbs against his chest, clearly deep in thought. “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Shane O’Malley, but everyone just calls me O’Malley.

“Just like you, I’m from Earth. I was a con artist and I was really damn good at it, too. I’ve conned people from all walks of life, even other con artists. That’s how good I was. When I came to this universe after dying, I could manipulate people to get stronger.”

O’Malley then went on to describe the whole ordeal with Jeremy May and how his manipulation skill got out.

“As for the question you asked earlier,” O’Malley continued, “the first and second Siders were born almost at the same time. Back then, there were no methods of cultivation at all. Humanity had just evolved. Think of it like the time when cavemen were around on Earth.

“The first two Siders created the cultivation path and eventually found the way to transcend. After I was reborn here, I followed the path they forged and transcended.

“It was only because I found out how they became Demonic Siders and watched them fighting to the death when they disagreed on something that I managed to figure a few things out.

“I figured out that you need to become a Demonic Sider to kill a Transcendent and that there are three things needed to become one. However, to even get a chance of getting a Sider to fulfil these requirements, they needed to live.

“For that reason, I spread two pieces