Pov: Ryuk
As soon as I finished speaking my vow, a gentle breeze seemed to blow through the sealed underground lab. The decayed robes on the skeleton rustled softly, as if the lingering obsession of the old wizard had finally heard my words and felt comforted.
At the same time, my system screen flashed in front of my eyes, showing the changes to my new existence.
"SYSTEM UPGRADE TO LEVEL 1 COMPLETED." "PLEASE SAY STATUS TO GET FULL INFORMATION."
Seeing the golden obsidian panel hovering in my view, I took a deep breath with my new lungs and silently said, "Status!"
Name: Ryuk (Previous: Ryuk Ashborn / Rajeev)
Age: 0 days (Body physical maturity: 16 years)
Body Constitution: Asura Martial Vessel (Artificially created by Dark Wizard King Morven)
Talent: None (Original body talents lost; replaced by supreme physical foundation)
Possession: Beacon of Truth (Level-1), Fragment of a Fallen Kingdom (1/2), Sigil of Evolution
Bloodline: Synthetic Martial Origin
Martial Arts: Basic Kick and Boxing Technique {Pro} (137/400) Magic /
Occult Arts: Ancient Astrology {Level 1} (15/100), Par-Kaya Pravesh {Beginner} (1/100), Dead Rising {Uninitiated}
Realm: 0 (Unranked — Body possesses innate raw strength equal to Peak Grade 1 Martial Artist)
System Level: 1
System Quest: New quests generating...
Title: Emperor of Humanity???, Successor of the Dark Wizard Evaluation: Having escaped the fate of a Martial Pill by discarding your weak mortal shell, you have inherited the ultimate creation of a fallen legend. Though your previous treasures were stolen, this four-armed vessel holds limitless potential on the martial path. However, the entities that devoured Morven's soul still have their eyes on this masterpiece. Grow strong before the shadows find you.
Reading through my status, my heart beat with excitement.
Even though I lost the Immortal Pupils and the Law of Life Stone fragment to that wicked woman, what I gained in return was something far more practical for me right now. In my old body, the system told me my martial aptitude was at the bare minimum because the two treasures were sealed.
Now, even at Realm 0 without a single drop of martial energy cultivated yet, this "Asura Martial Vessel" already had the raw physical strength of a Peak Grade 1 Martial Artist! That meant right out of the box, my bare physical strength was equal to ten or more adult men combined!
I looked down at my four muscular arms and flexed my fingers.
At first, controlling four arms felt a bit strange, like trying to pat my head and rub my stomach at the same time. My brain was only used to having two hands. When I tried to lift my upper right arm, my lower right arm twitched awkwardly along with it.
"I need to get used to this body quickly," I muttered to myself.
Stepping into an open space in the center of the laboratory, I decided to test the Basic Kick and Boxing Technique I had learned from Yuki.
Thinking about Yuki, a sharp pain pierced my chest again. I wondered if she had made it back to Town 16 safely, and if Grandma Rose had taken her and the nine children away to her master's sect.
"Wait for me, Yuki, Kevin, everyone," I whispered, clenching all four of my fists tightly. "Once I reach the top with this body, I will come back to the federation. And as for Reynolds and that golden-masked bitch... I will rip back what you took from me with interest."
Pushing the thoughts of revenge deep into my heart as motivation, I took a stance and began performing the movements of the Basic Kick and Boxing Technique.
Because this technique was designed for normal humans with two arms, doing it with four arms immediately created a problem. My upper arms were executing the basic straight punches, while my lower arms were hanging awkwardly in the way, messing up my balance.
Just as I was struggling to coordinate them, two familiar powers inside me activated at the same time.
The Beacon of Truth lit up in my mind, projecting those guiding threads of golden light in front of my eyes. At the same time, the Sigil of Evolution—which had also transferred along with my soul and formed as a dark tattoo over my new chest—began to heat up!
"BEACON OF TRUTH AND SIGIL OF EVOLUTION ARE ACTING ON BASIC KICK AND BOXING TECHNIQUE." "DETECTING INCOMPATIBILITY WITH FOUR-ARMED VESSEL." "INITIATING TECHNIQUE MUTATION..."
Suddenly, the threads of light in front of my vision split from two paths into four!
Following the new lines of light instinctively, my upper two arms threw a heavy double-hook to smash an imaginary enemy's guard, while my lower two arms simultaneously shot forward like vipers to strike the ribs and heart, followed by a spinning kick that created a sonic boom in the air!
WHOOSH! BANG!
The sheer wind pressure from my punches blew the dust off the laboratory tables several meters away.
I continued moving, following the complex four-armed light trajectories for an entire hour. Unlike my frail 11-year-old body that got exhausted after an hour of practice, this Asura body didn't even break a sweat. Its stamina was monstrous, and the mutated muscle fibers seemed to drink in the exhaustion and turn it directly into strength.
Finally, a system notification chimed in my mind:
"BASIC KICK AND BOXING TECHNIQUE HAS EVOLVED TO FIT HOST'S VESSEL." "NEW TECHNIQUE CREATED: FOUR-ARMED ASURA COMBAT TECHNIQUE (GRADE 3 MARTIAL ART)." "CURRENT MASTERY: {BEGINNER} (10/500)."
I stopped my movements and stared at the notification in shock.
A basic academy technique that could only reach Grade 2 had directly mutated into a Grade 3 Martial Art just to match my four-armed body!
After calming my excitement, I looked back at Morven's skeleton sitting quietly in the iron chair. I couldn't leave my benefactor sitting out here like this to rot.
Looking around the lab, I found a clean stone sarcophagus in the back room that Morven had likely prepared for his old body. Carefully lifting his skeletal remains with two of my hands while holding his folded robes with the other two, I placed him respectfully inside the stone coffin and closed the heavy lid.
"Rest well for now, Senior," I said, patting the stone lid.
Now that the burial was done, I turned my attention back to the rest of the laboratory. Since this was the secret hideout of the King of Dark Wizards, there had to be food, clothes, and resources left behind. And more importantly, now that my system had finally upgraded to Level 1, I still hadn't checked what new functions and quests it had unlocked for me.
Walking back to the main metal desk, I said in my mind, "System, show me the new functions of Level 1 and the new quests."