Short, Light, Free - Chapter 1: The Knowing

In the waves of steam and machinery, who could achieve extraordinary? In the fogs of history and darkness, who was whispering? I woke up from the realm of mysteries and opened my eyes to the world.

Firearms, cannons, battleships, airships, and difference machines. Potions, divination, curses, hanged-man, and sealed artifacts… The lights shone brightly, yet the secrets of the world were never far away. This was a legend of the “Fool”.

- Description from novelupdates

Strange occurrences arrive, the terrifying world merges with the Real World.Humans fall from the top of the food chain to the bottom.In a single night, humans become the blood food of these evil spirits.In times of desperation, those with tattoos gain power beyond imagination from their patterns.They are called Life Pattern Masters.Some have inscribed Buddha, using Buddha's Radiance to protect a city.Some have inscribed executioners, cutting down countless Evil Spirits.Lin Yuan, once struggled for three years in the world after the doomsday arrived, suddenly traverses back to before the apocalypse.In this lifetime, he is determined not to be an ordinary person.Thus, he inscribes the entire Underworld onto his life.Black and White Impermanence.Ox Head and Horse Face.Four Great Judges.Ten Yama Kings.Ksitigarbha, Ghost Catcher Zhong Kui.Emperor Fengdu.Lord of Mount Tai.........

Qin Xiaoguo was a successful chef working in the future era. A turn of fate brought her to the past, into a time of famine and uncertainty. Waking up one day, Qin Xiaoguo found herself face to face with a boy who acknowledged her as his mother.Having transmigrated from the year 3024 to 42 BC, Qin Xiaoguo had traveled across a three-millennium time leap to the past. She was transported to a destitute place, and also became mother to a hungry, skinny boy at the same time.Her only comfort to her new-found circumstances was a spatial ring that allowed her to transmigrate—giving her free access to food and other belongings from a different era.After years of raising her son singlehandedly, Qin Xiaoguo had a surprise visitor at her door. It was a man claiming to be her husband, requesting to stay the night. Out of confusion and pity, Qin Xiaoguo let the self-proclaimed father of her child into the house.

[P-CORE BIOS VER 7.3.1 INITIALIZING... 10%][30%][60%][90%][100%][SUBJECT Kael - GENETIC MARKER: PHOENIX PRIME - CONFIRMED][CRYO-STASIS SEQUENCE: ...100%][NEURAL PATHWAY: STABLE][VITAL SIGNS: DETECTED - SUBOPTIMAL][LOADING PHOENIX CORE AI - DESIGNATION: ASHA][ASHA ONLINE - AWAITING SUBJECT CONSCIOUSNESS]Asha: “Kael, your current objective is not to get eaten. My calculations give you a 37.4% chance if you actually follow my advice this time.”Kael: “Right, Asha. 'I'll make sure not to be a snack by these mutated.” He gripped his trusty pipe. “I still haven't met the others who are still sleeping in their pods. How can I think about being eaten?” He glanced towards the cryo-pods, 14 Beautiful girls still on their cold sleep.[Affinity System Sub-Routine... Online. Monitoring Subject Interactions.]Sera (her long silver hair glinting through her waist. Her arms crossed and glaring at Kael who just offered her a slightly squashed ration bar): “I don't need your help or your pitiful food! I can handle myself just perfectly fine..… I know this situation… is temporarily, everything will be fine.”Kael: “Umm.. O-O-Okay. Just… eat this first it's the last one we have.. and you looked really hungry, Sera.”Asha: “[Affinity with Subject Seraphina: -2. Critical Analysis: Subject exhibits classic tsundere defense mechanisms. Probability of her actually wanting the ration bar: 89.7%.]”Kael (to Asha,): “Umm.. Asha?.. What now?”[Humanity's Last Hope: Subject Kael. Current Status: Confused, but trying his best.][Objective: Survive. Protect the 14 Girls. Maybe figure out what 'Affinity' means before someone hits *him* with a pipe.]