“Oh God, I can’t believe my favorite online novel ended like this… why?!” Sylvan Darvell almost screamed after finishing the final chapter of the novel he had been reading online. He had followed that book for years. Not only was it famous, but it was also one of the best cultivation novels he had ever read.
Yes, he was one of those readers obsessed with stories about martial artists capable of leveling up and rising through ranks as the plot progressed. To him, these stories were never just ordinary fiction or the typical genres most people read. Only a small number of readers truly enjoyed them, and most of them were fellow men who shared the same hobby he did.
Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about how terrible the ending was.
Or rather… how terrible CULTIVATION NOVELS always seemed to end. 
With an “S” because he genuinely wanted to throw a punch or directly punch the author in the face at this moment. The protagonist had actually died in the novel.
If the main character didn’t die in the last chapter, then they usually ended up crippled, broken, or condemned to some miserable fate by the final chapter. For readers like him, that kind of ending was incredibly disappointing—especially after spending months or even years reading hundreds of chapters across multiple volumes, staying awake all night waiting for updates from the author…
Only for the story to end like that?
It was really frustrating.
Couldn’t they write a good ending for once? Even just a simple happy ending? Sure, maybe he was being demanding, but Sylvan Darvell wanted a GOOD ENDING… or at least a PERFECT HAPPY ENDING—not the PERFECT DISASTROUS SAD ENDING he had just suffered through from his favorite novel.
TING! TING! TING!
Only a few minutes had passed, yet notifications and comments were already flooding the page of the novel he had been reading.
“Author, you’re so bitter!”
“What a waste of time reading this!”
“What kind of ending is this?! Another sad ending again?!”
“Justice for the protagonist! Why did you kill him?!”
“Why is this ending so horrible?! Can somebody explain this to me?!”
Those were only some of the negative comments Sylvan read while scrolling through the reactions of fellow readers. Honestly, even he felt deeply disappointed. He had spent years following this cultivation novel, eagerly waiting for every update. The setting itself had a sci-fi atmosphere he absolutely loved, but the ending…
It was awful.
Why did so many authors insist on giving terrible endings to cultivation novels? It felt unfair to readers like him—especially when the protagonist had been overwhelmingly powerful throughout the story, only to die against a weak and pathetic enemy.
If Sylvan had been inside the story himself, he probably would’ve beaten that villain senseless.
…Though after thinking about it, those martial artists could probably erase his existence with a single attack.
He kept scrolling through the comments, his expression growing darker and darker.
“Serves the protagonist right. He was too arrogant anyway.”
“This ending was perfect hahaha! Good thing the protagonist died!”
“Wahahaha… there’s no such thing as a happy ending. This was the right ending for the story!”
“I absolutely loved this tragic story!”
Those were some of the comments praising the ending.
“Whoever wrote those comments must be insane! The ending was already depressing enough and they’re making it worse… huhu!” Sylvan complained while staring bitterly at the endless stream of comments beneath the final chapter.
Eventually, he lowered his phone.
He still couldn’t accept it.
Maybe other people would say he was overreacting because the characters were fictional, but so what? Anyone would become emotional over something they had grown attached to.
Like hello, he lived on planet Earth. He was a human being with emotions.
He was just an ordinary person, and reading cultivation novels was his only escape into extraordinary worlds. Besides, many readers wanted to escape reality, even if only for a little while. Through every chapter, they experienced the protagonist’s struggles, victories, and suffering alongside them.
Sometimes, readers even imagined themselves as the main character.
That was why he felt emotional right now.
Honestly, Sylvan even felt like he was getting sick. He didn’t feel productive at all today.
RING! RING! RING!
His phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen and saw the caller’s name.
“Brother Bong.”
“Oh… Brother, why’d you call?” Sylvan answered weakly. Bong was two years older than him, and the timing of the call couldn’t have been worse.
“Haha, wow. You actually called me ‘Brother’ today. Looks like you finally respect me now, huh?” Bong joked from the other end of the line.
Sylvan only called him that once in a blue moon—usually whenever he had problems.
“Tsk. Don’t get used to it. I’m in a bad mood right now, okay, Brother Bong? So what’s up? Why’d you call?” Sylvan replied lazily. He wasn’t in the mood to pretend he was fine.
“You can stay grumpy if you want, but your shift is still waiting for you here. Don’t tell me you forgot, Your Highness?” Bong emphasized the last words dramatically.
Sylvan’s eyes widened.
Honestly, he really did feel sick. It had started the previous night.
He worked as a cashier at a convenience store, and today wasn’t his day off. In fact, the last time he had a day off was during the first week of January…
And it was already November.
He was actually the breadwinner of his family.
There were twelve siblings in total, and he was the only one with a stable job. His father was an alcoholic. His mother gambled. Even his siblings had their own vices. Yet despite everything, he never complained. Whenever he tried to oppose them, they always turned against him and made him look like the bad person.
Call him a martyr if they wanted.
They were still his family.
After all, he was the youngest among them.
Almost all of his salary went to them. He couldn’t bear refusing them anything. And if he did refuse… they would beat him up or humiliate him at his workplace.
A few months ago, he finally rented a small boarding room just to get away from them. Traveling back home took three rides anyway, so staying here was cheaper. The rent was low, and the only thing that truly made him happy now was reading his favorite cultivation novels.
Was his family good to him?
Obviously not.
When he graduated high school, he had believed he could finally go to college. He managed to enroll… but stopped halfway through his first semester because of financial problems.
He had worked many different jobs, but he kept losing them—not because he was incompetent, but because his siblings constantly extorted money from him as though they owned his life.
Ever since primary school, he had already become familiar with poverty. That was why he worked hard, inspired by the successful people he saw online and on television. He sold food and legal merchandise to fellow students just to survive.
He was never tempted to do illegal things.
It simply went against his conscience.
But ever since he became a cashier in various establishments, the demands from his parents and siblings only grew larger and larger.
He was tired.
Tired of defending them.
Tired of pretending they were right.
He worked hard because he knew he could rely on no one else.
“Hello? Sylvan Darvell?! Sylvan, are you still there?!” Bong’s loud voice on the phone suddenly snapped him back to reality. Concern was obvious in his tone.
Bong knew Sylvan’s situation very well since they worked together. Honestly, he treated Sylvan like a younger brother because he genuinely pitied him. To Bong, Sylvan’s family treated him less like a son and more like a walking ATM.
Bong himself also came from a poor family, but unlike Sylvan, he had loving parents and hardworking siblings. Half of his salary went to savings while the other half he willingly gave to his mother.
Sylvan, on the other hand…
He was simply unlucky with the family he was born into.
Sylvan blinked and finally returned to reality. Combined with the frustration from the novel ending, his mood had completely spiraled.
“Yeah, Bro. I’m still here. Fine, I’m coming. Wait for me there before you leave, okay?” Sylvan said, forcing energy into his voice.
But Bong immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Are you okay, Sylvan? You sound sick. Seriously, when was the last time you even had a day off, Mr. Always Present?” Bong asked worriedly, using the nickname everyone at work called him.
Bong genuinely admired Sylvan’s dedication. In fact, Sylvan’s work ethic had influenced him too. The difference was that Bong actually took his days off whenever he had one.
Their shifts rotated, and Sylvan was supposed to replace him as cashier today.
“Come on, Bong. I’m fine. Just a little fever, that’s all. It won’t affect me,” Sylvan answered seriously while trying to sound lively.
At least he had a friend who joked around and checked on him. Otherwise, his social life would’ve been unbearably dull.
“You know, if you’re really sick, you can just skip work today. There aren’t even that many customers right now,” Bong said seriously.
Honestly, sometimes Bong felt like Sylvan would grow old too early from all the burdens he carried.
But contradicting his own words, loud noises and voices could clearly be heard behind him—the convenience store was obviously packed with customers.
Their store was large too, one of the major competitors against 88/16, Molterr Store, and several others.
“I’m fine, Bong. Stop lying. I can still work. Besides, staying in bed all day won’t get me anywhere,” Sylvan replied while forcing enthusiasm into his voice.
Bong let out a deep sigh from the other side.
“Alright, Sylvan. But tell me if you really can’t come in, okay? I’m free today anyway.”
Sylvan frowned immediately.
“I knew it, Bong. You just want overtime pay. No way I’m letting that happen. I’m getting ready now, so wait for me there!” Sylvan replied while making his tone sound excitedly.
He knew Bong wanted the extra overtime money for payday, but Sylvan refused to let him take his shift.
Missing work today would mean a huge deduction from his salary.
And tomorrow was already his scheduled day off.
…
Sylvan Darvell was currently walking down the street.
Even though his body felt heavy and weak, he could still manage today’s shift. He still hadn’t paid this month’s rent, and the money he planned to give his parents and siblings tomorrow would already be insufficient.
He was in the middle of crossing the road when a sudden wave of pain struck his head. The pain was so intense that he instinctively grabbed it—Then something unexpected happened.
BEEEEEEPPPPPPPP!!!
A deafening horn and a blinding light suddenly made Sylvan turn around, causing his eyes to widen in horror.
Everything happened too fast.
Sylvan only saw his body being thrown into the air as agonizing pain tore through him.
BLLAAAGGGG!!!
His entire body went numb from the impact as he slammed onto the concrete road.
He saw himself drowning in his own blood.
Panicked voices echoed around him as people quickly gathered nearby.
“Someone call an ambulance!”
“Poor kid, what happened?!”
“Merciful heavens!”
“He’s still so young!”
Those were some of the voices he heard.
For a brief moment, Sylvan felt touched by the concern of the strangers surrounding him.
“What an idiot. Doesn’t he know how to watch where he’s going?”
“Seriously. People shouldn’t copy him. He can’t even cross the road properly.”
“See that, son? Don’t end up like that young man lying there because of your own stupidity.”
“Young people these days think they own the road.”
Sylvan suddenly felt a deep sadness and pity for himself.
Even in his critical condition, there were still people around him throwing cruel words his way. Instead of sympathizing with his miserable accident, some even mocked and lectured him.
At this crucial point, when death was already approaching him…
Strangers who knew nothing about his life still judged him so easily.
They judged only what they saw.
Two-faced people who pretended to be kind until the moment someone became weak and helpless.
Then their true colors emerged.
“So… this is how I end?”
“I still want to live… but if time itself has come to take my final breath, then there’s nothing I can do anymore.”
Sylvan spoke only within his thoughts while lying helplessly on the ground, his vision gradually darkening.
The voices around him were becoming fainter and fainter.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
He accepted his miserable fate.
Just like the novel he had read, maybe there truly was no such thing as a happy ending. Maybe everything in life… including life itself… was destined to end tragically.
Even if he wanted to change his fate, he knew it was impossible.
There were simply things that would happen no matter how desperately you tried to change them.
He asked himself why he couldn’t hate his parents and siblings despite everything they had done to him. Even now, while hovering between life and death, he still wanted to see them one last time.
Did he have regrets in this short life of his?
None.
Suddenly, thoughts of his favorite novels entered his mind.
He never imagined that the terrible things he hated reading about would one day happen to him in reality.
“If only I were a cultivator… then maybe I wouldn’t die from something this pathetic… haha…”
Sylvan laughed weakly within his mind.
But he could already taste the bitter liquid pouring from his mouth.
His condition was truly critical.
Only seconds later, breathing became harder and harder until darkness completely swallowed his vision.
He never imagined his life would end like this.
From childhood… to the moment he became aware of the world… until this tragic accident…
All he had ever known was suffering and failure.
And yet, despite everything, he died peacefully—without hatred lingering inside his heart.
If he were ever given a second life…
Then this time…
He hoped fate would never force him into such a miserable destiny again.
He was tired.
Tired of thinking.
Tired of living in a world that felt as though it had been punishing him from the very beginning.

“HAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!”
Sylvan Darvell released a loud gasp as he desperately chased after his own breath. It felt as though he had gone far too long without breathing.
When his senses finally returned, he found himself lying on a beach, his body sticky and covered in some strange, thick substance. With the way he looked right now, he seemed as though he had just come from a battlefield—worse than a filthy vagrant.
“Am I dead? Why am I on a beach?! I’m supposed to be dead, right?!” Sylvan Darvell exclaimed in shock, utterly confused by the scene before him. He really didn’t know what was happening, especially how he had ended up here. As far as he remembered, he had died. Shouldn’t he have no memories anymore? Was there really an ocean in heaven? Sylvan Darvell had no idea what to think, especially since he was in a place he didn’t recognize. He didn’t know what corner of Earth this was, or whether this was heaven… except there was a sea here?!
A moment later, the memories of what had happened returned to his mind.
To be exact, he remembered being hit by a vehicle the other day.
He was supposed to be a corpse right now.
His mind spun violently as he wondered whether everything happening was nothing but a hallucination.
“If I didn’t die, then where am I? But I really did die. Wait. Calm down, Sylvan Darvell. Calm down… calm down…” Sylvan Darvell muttered, forcing himself to remain composed. He repeated the words over and over because he truly had no idea what was going on.
Surely, his body hadn’t just been casually thrown into the sea.
At the very least, they should have given him a proper wake, right?!
Sylvan Darvell could smell a foul odor coming from his body, along with the sticky substance clinging to him.
“What in the world is this thing? In my current state, am I dead or not? Why do I stink so badly? Am I fooling myself? Haha,” Sylvan said when he noticed that what was happening to him was far from normal. After all, a dead person shouldn’t be able to feel anything, right? And shouldn’t his body be more like a fog, or at least pale as a ghost? The kind of terrifying appearance often seen in horror movies on television.
Sylvan couldn’t help laughing at how lame his own excuse sounded.
A few moments later, he was suddenly stunned when a massive amount of foreign information poured into his mind. Most of the memories that entered his head clearly did not belong to him, and yet the person in those memories looked exactly like him and even had the same name.
He felt slightly dizzy.
His brain was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, and these memories seemed to be connected to him…
Or rather, were they actually his?
He didn’t know anymore. Maybe he was just lightheaded or losing his mind, but the information inside his brain was truly out of this world.
Another strange thing he discovered was that there was a vast amount of information about the place—or rather, the world—he was currently in.
“Wait… so this is a different world of cultivators, and not only that, it’s a modern world too!” Sylvan Darvell exclaimed loudly, overwhelming joy appearing on his face. It was as though his will to live had suddenly returned.
Sylvan Darvell scratched the back of his neck as he tried to absorb the information he had learned about this strange world. This was truly frightening for him, since he was not knowledgeable enough to absorb everything all at once. The superhuman nature of the people here was undeniably a huge uproar and surprise to him.
“I got excited about coming to this world before even thinking about the original owner of this body. Am I still normal? Haha!” Sylvan Darvell laughed. Because of his overwhelming joy at being alive again in this world, he had forgotten that he was not the original owner of this body.
Then Sylvan Darvell suddenly fell silent.
Thinking that way felt wrong.
He had no bad intentions, but he could at least say that he did not like the scenes he had seen inside his mind.
The owner of this mortal body had the same name as him: Sylvan Darvell. He was a nerdy young man, mainly because of his thick glasses and his habit of avoiding people.
According to the information that had entered his mind, this world’s Sylvan Darvell was around the same age as him. The difference was that, unlike him back on Earth, this Sylvan was already a complete orphan. His only remaining family was his aunt, along with her children from a former husband who had abandoned them. Yes, his aunt had raised them on her own. Unfortunately, both she and his cousins had terrible personalities.
The only thing he shared with that young man was that both of them had oppressive families.
There really was always at least one member of a family line with the blood of a tyrant, though he wasn’t saying everyone was like that.
He learned that at the age of seventeen in this world, Sylvan Darvell had not been fortunate. In this world, only powerful Gene Cultivators could continue to thrive, while weak Gene Cultivators would achieve nothing in life. They were nothing more than ordinary people destined to become workers, without any lofty titles attached to them. They were not the kind of beings known as Gene Cultivator Geniuses—prodigies who surpassed extraordinary levels of talent and skill.
In this world, the strength of a martial arts cultivator was based on the power of their Gene, or rather, the ability contained within a specific branch of their Genes.
The “gene” referred to here was not like the gene of an ordinary human, but a special gene possessed by extraordinary beings such as the monsters in this place. These special genes had different functions and granted different abilities. Whoever killed such a creature could obtain its ability and receive Zenith Points.
“What kind of gene or special gene did the young man who originally owned this body have?” That question immediately surfaced in his mind.
He still didn’t know what it was.
He wanted to check further, but then discovered that this body did not possess any special gene at all. By killing gigantic Zen Beasts, one could obtain Zenith Points, but the original owner of this body had never even gotten the chance to obtain a single one.
“What in the world did the previous owner of this body even do? He couldn’t even defend himself. And he actually let himself get fed to a gigantic whale that looked like a carnivore? Hmmp!” Sylvan Darvell complained as the information continued flowing into his mind.
If this world’s Sylvan Darvell were standing in front of him right now, he would probably shower him with a long lecture. He never imagined that even here, this version of himself would be so weak.
There was only one difference between them.
He did not give up on life.
It was sad to think about, but his consciousness had transmigrated into this cultivation world. The original owner of this body had already died, so now he had become the owner of this body.
If anything, he was still extremely lucky. He had been given another chance to live. Perhaps he still had unfinished business or something similar, which was why he had been revived.
“At least I’m alive. Don’t worry, Sylvan Darvell. I’ll treasure the second life that was given to me. I’ll make sure I reach a higher level and never experience the oppression you suffered in this world again!” Sylvan Darvell declared while looking up at the blue sky.
This world was truly different.
It was survival of the fittest among Gene Cultivators. This was not some simple game of life, and there were many threats in the environment.
He had learned that the original owner of this body was often bullied by his classmates and other people. He was always targeted, and his own aunt and cousins treated him like a servant.
It was very different from what he had known in his previous world.
“Maybe the authors of cultivation novels were right after all. This world is full of danger and violence. If you can’t defend yourself, you’ll end up dying!” Sylvan Darvell said seriously as his fist clenched.
This was truly not a simple world like Earth, where money alone determined whether you could buy the things or even people you wanted. Here, the rules were few and simple. Even fame and reputation were based on strength. Power and strength were the foundation for achieving everything one desired in this life, and the rest would follow.
Sylvan Darvell quickly washed himself in the shallow water by the shore, remaining cautious because the sea or the ocean itself contained many creatures living beneath the depths, and he could not afford to disturb them.
His new body had Zenith Points, but only five.
Imagine that. In more than seventeen years of living in this world, this body had only accumulated five Zenith Points, and the previous owner didn’t even have a single friend.
After cleaning his body, Sylvan quickly walked away from this dangerous place.
He headed toward a dense forest.
He needed to gather points immediately. Otherwise, he would remain weak. In this world, he could only rely on himself, and he could not die again like he had back on Earth. He would make sure to carve out his own place in this dangerous world.
This forest could be considered a low-level forest, where only weak Zen Beasts lived. The points he—or anyone else who came here—could collect would be small.
Even so, Sylvan Darvell still needed to remain extremely careful. He was still very weak, and he would not be able to fight a group of Zen Beasts, especially aggressive creatures. More than that, he did not want to run into Gene Cultivators who enjoyed targeting others. He was only here to collect small points so he could gradually grow stronger and collect larger points in the future.
“Does the young man who owned this body have a weapon or not? But that should be impossible, right? Especially since he was always being bullied,” Sylvan Darvell muttered. In his memories, he remembered this body carrying a small knife.
The young man immediately searched his right pocket.
He was not mistaken.
He found Sylvan Darvell’s small knife.
A bitter laugh escaped him at the sight of it. The former Sylvan had not even been able to buy himself a proper weapon because his aunt and cousins always took his money. Sylvan Darvell had worked as a janitor in a large establishment particularly in an ordinary Gene Store. His aunt and cousins, the only relatives he had left, were truly exploitative, leaving the original owner of this body with no money saved at all.
The currency used in this world was called Gene Coins, or Gene Money.
Sylvan Darvell simply continued walking toward the weak area of the forest to collect Zenith Points from the weaker parts of the woods.
As he walked, Sylvan Darvell moved carefully while thinking about the most common Zen Beasts—or rather, the weakest Zen Beasts—he knew about in this world. This would be his first main goal so he could change his miserable fate. He might not have been blessed with strength right now, but he would make sure to obtain the power he needed to continue surviving in this world.
He wants  to make sure that in this world, he will become a different person—someone stronger than his past life and even stronger than the original owner of this body.
Before long, Sylvan Darvell finally reached the forest.
Without hesitation, he entered and followed the path inside.
As Sylvan observed his surroundings, he quickly smiled when he noticed a familiar place. It was the nest of creatures known as Black Ants.
“This one should be enough. I’m lucky this ant nest is so big,” Sylvan said while observing the ant colony.
It was funny to think about, but at eighteen years old, this was his very first time hunting Zen Beasts, and they were even the weakest kind of Zen Beast. Still, he was happy because it was not too late for him to grow stronger and become a true Gene Cultivator.
This was his primary goal before he strengthened himself enough to aim for greater ambitions in this second life.
Sylvan immediately began killing the Black Ants one by one. Each ant was only about the size of a finger.
In truth, these Black Ants were parasitic ants. Their saliva could kill plants, which was why no vegetation grew in the area where their colony had built its nest. The soil around their home was like herbicide. No matter what anyone planted there, nothing would grow, because the plants would simply die.