Chapter 9: Transformation
Chapter 9: Transformation
Pain pain pain!
At the brink between life and death, all the scales on the handle of the Bronze Anchor that Gao Jing wore suddenly stood upright.
Their sharp edges easily cut through his skin and pierced into his flesh.
Intense pain stabbed at Gao Jing’s heart, spreading through his whole body in an instant.
His eyes seemed ready to burst, and his hair stood on end!
But it was precisely this sharp agony that freed Gao Jing from the Crimson Serpent’s pressure, allowing him to seize back control of his body!
“Ah~”
Gao Jing opened his mouth and roared wildly, suddenly raising the Hunting Crossbow gripped tightly in both hands.
There was no time to aim carefully. The moment the crossbow bolt pointed at the Crimson Serpent, he pulled the trigger.
With all his strength!
Twang!
The taut composite fiber string unleashed a tremendous force instantly, propelling the metal bolt forward at incredible speed.
At that exact moment, the Crimson Serpent, which had closed to within less than ten meters of Gao Jing, coiled its body. Its tail muscles contracted powerfully, snapping it high into the air like a compressed spring suddenly released.
It opened its ferocious, gaping maw wide, aiming to bite down on Gao Jing’s head!
It liked to seize its prey by the head, inject venom through its sharp fangs, then swallow the creature whole after its bones and flesh had dissolved.
Thud!
The Crimson Serpent had just launched itself into the air when the silvery-white crossbow bolt struck its body like lightning.
The conical alloy arrowhead pierced through its scales and plunged deep into its flesh!
The Crimson Serpent shuddered violently all over, as if struck by lightning. A gush of crimson blood sprayed from its throat.
This spray of serpent blood hit Gao Jing squarely in the face!
Taken completely by surprise, Gao Jing was instantly blinded, unable to see anything.
The thick, bloodiness flooded into his nasal cavity, not only smearing his face but also splashing into his mouth.
Thwack!
The next instant, the serpent’s tail swept around, striking him with brutal force.
Gao Jing was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut. Countless ribs shattered, he didn’t know how many.
“Go back!”
Before losing consciousness, the grievously wounded Gao Jing used his last shred of awareness to convey his will.
He instantly returned to the Primary World.
Back to the rented room.
But Gao Jing only stayed unconscious for mere seconds before fierce, scorching pain violently shook him awake.
His face felt as if scalding hot oil had been poured onto it. His eyes were completely sealed shut. His skin felt utterly gone; a searing, burning agony seeped through every inch of muscle and bone.
Deep into his brain!
His mouth felt like it held a lump of red-hot charcoal, which then slid down his throat into his stomach, setting his internal organs ablaze.
This agony was almost impossible to describe. It was like being kicked into boiling water, or thrust into a scorching furnace.
He was really going to die.
The pain from the broken ribs was nothing in comparison.
Lying on the floor, Gao Jing struggled to take off his backpack and outer clothes. Relying on memory, he crawled into the bathroom. With the last of his strength turned on the shower.
As countless drops of water rained down onto him, he sank back into unconsciousness.
The tap water ran ceaselessly. Lying prone on the tiled floor, Gao Jing twisted and turned unconsciously.
The skin on his body, even his muscles, continuously turned to charcoal and peeled away. Even the skin of his scalp was no exception.
His whole body resembled a charred prawn, faint heat rising from it.
It looked horrific!
Just then, the Bronze Anchor that had fallen beneath Gao Jing silently emanated a bright, white light.
The radiant sphere slowly expanded, completely enveloping him.
Under the cover of this white light, Gao Jing’s muscles and skin constantly regrew and renewed!
Gao Jing had absolutely no idea what was happening to his body. He was plunged deep into a strange, wandering dream.
He dreamt he was curled up inside an egg, a hazy state somewhere between illusion and reality.
He had no sense of how much time had passed. Eventually, Gao Jing felt he had grown strong enough.
He mustered all his strength and smashed through the eggshell.
Scorching magma promptly flooded in!
But Gao Jing felt not an ounce of fear. Instead, he gulped down the lava in big mouthfuls.
Like drinking ambrosia and nectar.
His body began to grow, quickly bursting through the remnants of the eggshell.
Gao Jing found himself in a lake of liquid magma. Boiling sludge surrounded him, filled with the sharp smell of sulfur.
Everywhere he looked, fiery fountains erupted.
After living in the magma lake for some time, Gao Jing grew weary.
He wanted to leave this place, to see the wider world.
A memory inherited in his blood reminded Gao Jing: the outside world was dangerous. He needed to be stronger.
That was simple; he just had to sleep.
So Gao Jing coiled his body atop rocks by the magma lake and sank deeply into a slumber.
He slept until he awoke once more.
Suddenly, Gao Jing opened his eyes!
Drops of water were falling onto his face. The coolness they brought blurred his vision.
Huh?
Gao Jing climbed up in surprise.
The bathroom shower was running. The floor held a thick puddle of water.
Something thick, black, and slimy had blocked the drain.
Trouble!
Gao Jing hurriedly shut off the shower. Fighting nausea, he grabbed the clog and tossed it into the waste bin.
The water quickly drained away.
His memory returned in fragments.
Gao Jing’s expression changed.
He remembered encountering a terrifying serpent in the Great World, attacking it with a crossbow bolt, being sprayed in the face with its blood, being whipped until his bones broke, being forced to return…
That searing, near-death agony was still vividly etched in his mind!
Gao Jing couldn’t help but touch his face, then his chest.
He let out a huge sigh of relief.
His body was perfectly fine, as if the pain before had just been an illusion.
What was happening again?
Sadly, his memories had big gaps after he returned.
Frowning, Gao Jing turned on the bathroom light, then reached out to wipe the steam off the wall mirror.
He froze for a second.
In the mirror, Gao Jing still had the same nose and eyes, with no big changes to how he looked.
But his face now had strong, sharp lines that showed a man’s toughness.
His eyes had deepened, with black pupils that seemed endless.
The biggest change was his skin.
The acne scars from his teenage years had vanished completely, and the scar on his forehead from a childhood bump was gone.
All the marks from years of hard work outside had disappeared without a trace!
His skin became a bit paler.
But not by much—it was just a healthy, natural tone.
Last was his hair.
Unexpectedly, it had become neatly cut, short, dark, and thick.
Still, it clearly needed a trim.
That wasn’t the issue.
The issue was, what had happened to boost his looks so much?
Before, Gao Jing’s looks rated about 6.5 out of 10.
He was a bit better than an average person, but not handsome enough to stand out.
His physique and good personality made up for it, helping him win favor from many girls.
Now, Gao Jing’s looks were at least a solid 7.5!
If he added his body, he fully deserved the words “tall and handsome.”
Yet, Gao Jing realized he might have grown taller?
He dashed excitedly out of the bathroom, ran to his bedroom, dug out a pair of shorts to put on, then found a tape measure in a drawer.
He also glanced at the time.
It was already 4 PM.
Gao Jing measured his barefoot height.
1.83 meters!
Originally, his bare height was 1.78 meters, so with shoes on, it hit exactly 1.8 meters.
Now he had grown a clear 5 centimeters!
Yes!!
Gao Jing never thought he could grow that much at his “so-old-and-over-it” age.
He truly met the dream-guy standard.
In his excitement, he clenched the tape measure tightly in his hand.
Crack!
The hard plastic shell of the tape measure shattered!
The quality was that bad? Gao Jing was shocked.
But he soon realized it wasn’t the tape measure’s poor quality.
It was because his own strength had increased.
And it wasn’t just his height and strength—his vision, hearing, smell, and even awareness had also improved!
Before, Gao Jing had mild nearsightedness, so his vision wasn’t great.
But now he could make out the tiny print on a desk lamp’s label from meters away in a dim room!
Nearby sounds reached his ears loud and clear.
Some came from the streets close by, others were noises from neighbors.
He could even hear indistinct sounds from upstairs.
Feh!
It wasn’t even dark outside—why so eager?
As he listened, a strange heat bubbled up inside him.
Mmm…
Being single for two whole years really hurt!
Thankfully, the rumbling in his stomach saved Gao Jing, as fierce hunger crushed all other thoughts.
He grabbed the backpack from the floor, opened it, and pulled out all the snacks and drinks inside.
He tore open the wrappers and ate greedily.
While gobbling it all down, Gao Jing faintly sensed one thing…
The life-and-death crisis he faced in the Great World had bought him a transformation.
A rebirth for his whole life!
The image of the Crimson Serpent quietly surfaced in his mind.
Vivid and real!