Old Pit Wall

"Why?"

Su Li leaned against the cold wall, clutching the dark-blue Resident ID tightly in his hand.

He had barely even warmed the thing up.

The ink on it might not have dried yet.

The tin-can knight did not immediately swing his sword.

Perhaps, in his eyes, the handsome Eastern man before him was already a corpse.

The knight pushed up half his visor, revealing a pair of gray-blue eyes filled with mockery.

"Kid, you don't really think that after sleeping with Lady Charlotte, you can stroll off with money and an identity, do you?"

The knight's voice was deep, carrying a metallic echo.

"Milady had a wonderful time last night."

"You could even say it was the best time she'd had in years."

"She quite liked that 'Eastern Fallen Prince' script."

The knight took a step forward.

His iron boot stepped into Old Jack's pool of blood, making a sticky squelching sound.

"But it's dawn."

"It's time to wake up from the dream."

"There can be a prince in Lady Charlotte's bed, but not a rat from Dark Alley."

"Especially when that rat knows about some of her particular preferences."

Su Li understood.

So this was what they meant by using someone and then tossing them aside.

This was aristocratic dignity.

For the sake of that so-called reputation, to keep rumors of "Lady Charlotte fooling around with a vagrant" from spreading, she had chosen to slaughter all of Dark Alley.

How ruthless.

How lavish.

Su Li glanced at Old Jack on the floor.

The old bastard's head had rolled against a table leg. His one eye was still wide open, as if he could not believe until death that the constabulary he had drunk with and paid off would sell him out so decisively.

"Old Jack, Old Jack..."

Su Li cursed inwardly.

You useless bastard.

Didn't you say you were an old hand?

Didn't you say this was standard procedure?

Didn't you say it was just a simple exchange of money for sex?

So this was your first time handling this kind of high-end job too?

If he had known that woman was such a lunatic, he would never have taken those fifty Gold Coins, even if it killed him.

The knight raised the longsword in his hand.

There was no gleam on its blade.

Only the scent of death.

"In your next life, remember to stay away from nobles."

"Or..."

"Don't be so good-looking."

The knight gave a vicious grin.

The longsword came down.

The wind tore through the air.

Su Li did not dodge.

He could not.

His drained body struggled just to remain standing, much less evade the strike of a proper knight.

At the instant the blade touched his neck,

Su Li had only one thought:

This Resident ID was fucking expensive.

Splat.

His vision flipped.

The ceiling spun.

Then he saw the headless body, still spraying blood, still clutching that little dark-blue booklet in its hand.

That was him.

Darkness swept over him.

There was none of that peace after death.

Su Li felt as though someone had stuffed him into a washing machine, churning him so violently that his soul was about to fall apart.

When he opened his eyes again,

he was back in that familiar void that made him want to vomit.

That pale-blue screen popped up again.

Like a debt collector.

[Reincarnation Activated]

[Host death detected. Beginning life evaluation.]

Su Li floated in the air, staring at the screen, so angry he wanted to laugh.

"Evaluate my ass!"

"How many days did I even live this life?"

"Two days!"

"You need to evaluate two days?"

"Does your system charge by the hour?"

The screen completely ignored his roar.

The data began to scroll.

Those cold words were practically rubbing salt into his wounds.

[Survival Duration: 2 days]

[Rating: F- (Gray)]

[Note: Did you come to this world just to check in? You got insta-killed right after receiving your beginner equipment. What a disgrace to transmigrators. Although you were silenced because you were too handsome, that does not hide the fact that you were short-lived.]

Su Li rolled his eyes.

My fault, then?

Who knew those noblewomen were such freaks?

The data continued to jump.

[Wealth Accumulated: 50 Gold Coins (Not Received)]

[Rating: F (Gray)]

[Note: Old Jack promised you that money, but you died before the split. The only possession in your pocket was that bloodstained Resident ID. It is not legal tender in the underworld.]

[Social Status: Commoner]

[Rating: F (Gray)]

[Note: Congratulations. You advanced from a lowborn commoner to a dead commoner. Class advancement failed.]

Su Li could not even be bothered to look anymore.

This was all expected.

What earthshaking accomplishment could he possibly achieve in two days?

This run was a wash.

Just as he prepared to receive that big fat "F" rating, then draw some useless trait like "brighter fingernails,"

the text on the screen suddenly paused.

Then,

a line appeared that nearly made his eyes pop out.

[Offspring Produced: 3]

[Rating: E (White)]

[Note: You died quickly, but your aim was accurate. At Red Maple Manor that night, you demonstrated the true meaning of efficiency with your life. Lady Charlotte and two other ladies have all successfully conceived. Your genes have left their mark upon this world. It must be said that [Sword Brows Starry Eyes], combined with your fearless spirit of service, created a medical miracle.]

Su Li went blank.

Floating in the air, his entire being stiffened.

Three?

Three in one night?

Was that something a human could do?

That night had indeed been chaotic, exhausting, and left him feeling utterly drained.

But this was too...

"No..."

Su Li muttered to himself.

"I'm a father already?"

"A father of three?"

"And their mother is the murderer who killed me?"

This plot...

What was this?

Using him for his seed?

Su Li suddenly felt a chill around his neck.

Even though he was currently a soul.

He seemed to understand why Lady Charlotte had killed him.

She had the children.

Why would she need a father of unknown origin?

Get rid of the father, keep the children.

That was standard procedure among the nobles of that world!

The screen ignored his shock and continued.

[Legendary Fame: Circulating Within a Small Circle (E)]

[Note: Though you are dead, the legend of the "Eastern Fallen Prince" will circulate among the noblewomen of Grey Gull Port for a long time. They will remember that night, remember that youth with melancholy eyes and astonishing stamina. You have become their after-dinner gossip, a certain unspeakable urban legend.]

Finally,

the overall evaluation appeared.

It was no longer that dull gray F.

Instead, it flashed with a faint white glow.

[Overall Rating: F+ (White)]

[Though your life was as brief as a joke, you made outstanding contributions to reproduction and the spread of gossip. Your death held more value than your life.]

Su Li's mouth twitched.

That evaluation.

Why did it sound so much like an insult?

Still, it was F+.

A little better than the pure F from last time.

[Rewards will now be issued according to the overall rating.]

[Current Rating: F+. Opening F+-grade reward pool.]

[Drawing trait...]

That damned roulette wheel appeared again.

This time, it spun faster than before.

Su Li stared at the wheel.

He did not have much hope.

As long as it was not something like "athlete's foot immunity" or "lush body hair," it would be fine.

Give me something that can keep me alive.

Please.

The pointer gradually slowed.

It passed one slot after another.

[Night Vision (Weak)]

[Enhanced Digestion]

[Sharp Hearing]

At last,

it stopped on an icon depicting someone hiding in a corner.

[Congratulations, you have obtained the innate trait: Introvert]

Su Li froze for a moment.

Introvert?

What the hell was that?

Did systems do MBTI tests these days too?

A flash of light appeared, followed by an explanation.

[Introvert: In this noisy world, all you want is to be a quiet handsome man.]

[Effect: When you do not want to be noticed, your presence will be greatly diminished. You will be like a stone by the roadside, like a weed in the corner, like that unlucky student who is present but always ignored by the teacher.]

[Note: This trait is actively triggered. As long as you do not do anything too outrageous, such as running around naked, others will subconsciously overlook your existence. This is an ultimate defense mechanism known as "social anxiety."]

[Note 2: This trait has been fused into your soul and can stack with [Sword Brows Starry Eyes].]

Su Li stared at those lines.

He fell silent for a long time.

Then—

He burst into wild laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Heaven never seals off every road!"

"This is exactly what I need most right now!"

Why had he died in his previous life?

Because he was too handsome.

Because he was too high-profile.

Because [Sword Brows Starry Eyes] made him look like a prince even while wearing a burlap sack.

In the eyes of those wolfish nobles, he had been a glowing slab of fat meat.

But now, with this [Introvert] trait—

He could conceal that damned radiance.

Go unnoticed.

This was top-tier assassin talent!

"Good stuff."

"Really good stuff."

Su Li rubbed his hands together, though he was currently in soul form.

"Next time..."

"Let's see who can still find me."

The light screen flickered.

[Reward distribution complete.]

[Preparing to rewind to the rebirth anchor point.]

[Time node locked: the moment of first arrival in the Orenda Kingdom.]

[Transfer commencing...]

The familiar sensation of falling.

The familiar weightlessness.

The feeling of his soul being torn apart.

Splash—

Splash—

The sound of waves crashing against reefs.

The fishy, salty sea wind.

Su Li abruptly opened his eyes.

Before him was still that gloomy gray sky, along with several seagulls that looked as though they had anorexia.

He lay on a shingle beach.

Cold, damp stones pressed beneath him.

He wore that shirt printed with English letters, along with a pair of jeans.

He was back.

Back at this damned beginner village spawn point.

Su Li did not hesitate at all.

He did not even have time to feel sentimental.

Like a wound-up machine, he sprang to his feet.

First step.

He rushed behind that black reef.

Second step.

Take off his clothes.

Hoodie, jeans, underwear, shoes.

He moved even faster than last time.

As he stripped, Su Li silently counted in his head.

Four minutes and thirty seconds left.

That damned patrol squad would arrive then.

This time—

He did not want to play any trick like "sinking the clothes in the sea" again.

It was too slow.

And too unreliable.

What if the receding tide washed them back?

Su Li looked at the pile of modern clothes in his hands.

They were all quality goods.

Especially these sneakers. Their soles were soft and silent when he walked.

In a world where people even stuffed grass into their shoes, these were top-tier equipment.

But he could not keep them.

Keeping them meant death.

Su Li looked around.

His gaze landed on a mud pit not far away.

It was a sludge-filled hollow left behind by the receding tide.

Bottomless.

Reeking to high heaven.

Su Li hugged the clothes and rushed over.

He found a large rock and wrapped the clothes around it.

Then he forcefully pressed them deep into the mud.

Watching that bundle get completely swallowed by the black sludge without even a bubble rising to the surface, Su Li finally let out a breath.

Good.

The evidence was destroyed.

Now he was a naked white chicken again.

A cold wind blew.

That bone-piercing chill returned.

Su Li hugged his shoulders, his teeth chattering.

But his eyes shone brightly.

"System."

"Activate [Introvert] mode."

He murmured in his mind.

There were no special effects.

No flickering light either.

Yet he felt as though something had changed.

The change was subtle.

It was as if... the edges of his entire body had blurred.

That aggressive handsomeness radiating from [Sword Brows Starry Eyes] suddenly withdrew.

If he had previously been a searchlight—

Then now—

He was a lightbulb that had been switched off.

Still the same lightbulb, still the same shape.

But no one would pay attention to it.

Footsteps sounded in the distance.

Crunch.

Crunch.

That patrol squad had arrived.

Still those two men.

Still that hoarse voice and that sleazy voice.

This time, Su Li did not hide.

Or rather—

Other than that reef, there was nowhere else nearby to hide.

He directly crouched in the shadow beside the reef.

Curling himself into a ball.

He did not hide himself completely.

Half of one shoulder was even exposed.

He was gambling.

Gambling on the effect of the [Introvert] trait.

At worst, he would just die and come back again.

The footsteps drew closer.

Ten meters.

Five meters.

Three meters.

The two guards came beside the reef.

One of them even glanced in Su Li's direction.

Su Li held his breath.

His heart leaped into his throat.

That guard's gaze swept over Su Li's body.

As though he were looking at a stone.

Or a clump of seaweed.

There was no pause.

No reaction.

"Walk faster. I'm freezing to death."

The guard muttered and turned away.

"I wonder what the mess hall is serving today. Better not be pickled herring again."

The two men chatted as they—

Walked past less than two meters away from Su Li.

One of the sleazy guards even spat beside Su Li's feet.

That glob of spit landed just five centimeters from his toes.

They did not see him.

They really did not see him!

Su Li watched their gradually retreating backs.

A divine skill!

He stood up from the ground.

Brushed the sand from his butt.

Then, naked as the day he was born—

He swaggered out from behind the reef.

This time.

He no longer had to burrow through garbage heaps like a rat.

He looked toward the gray, hazy city in the distance.

"Let's go."

"First, let's get some clothes."

"This time, I'm picking something good."