Narrator POV.
In Isagi's living room, a swirl of sand appeared out of nowhere, violently stirring the air. The current spun for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving behind a young man covered in dust and sand from head to toe.
Even his black hair looked like it had turned into a small, walking sand dune.
He held a katana firmly in his right hand. Using it for support, he pushed himself upright, swaying slightly before regaining his balance. Isagi let out a long sigh of relief as he looked around. The familiarity of the place comforted him.
—Now I understand why that was a punishment… —he muttered, breathing heavily—. Surviving in that damn desert just kept getting harder.
His legs trembled from exhaustion, but he still managed to stay on his feet.
—Damn sandstorms, damn spiders, and giant worms —he grumbled as he shook out his clothes, dumping piles of sand onto the floor—. More and more of them kept showing up…
He paused for a moment, observing his surroundings, and a small smile formed on his face.
—But it was worth it. —He stretched lazily—. I got five random item boxes and a random skill pack. Not all those critters gave good rewards—some just dropped experience… but I'm not complaining.
Shrugging, Isagi opened his system with a gesture. A translucent interface appeared in front of him, displaying his inventory filled with rewards accumulated over five long hours of running, fighting, escaping… and running again.
[Ding]
[Congratulations! You have obtained:]
1. Toji Fushiguro's Outfit Set
2. Unknown-grade Weapon: Chain of a Thousand Miles
3. Satoru Gojo Plushie
4. Perfected Blood Orchid Serum
5. Back Door of the Gokumonkyō
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Isagi stared at the list in silence for a moment, still breathing a bit heavily. The smile returned to his face.
—Well… at least the effort paid off. —he said with satisfaction, still shaking sand out of his hair—. But seriously… I need a shower now.
He looked at the projected rewards and nodded slowly, resting a hand on his chin as he analyzed them.
—The workhorse's outfit? —he murmured, raising an eyebrow—. Is this system trying to make me inherit the grind?
A faint smile crossed his face. Despite his relaxed tone, a trace of unease lingered as he remembered that certain canolexx before dying.
—Blood Orchid Serum? —he repeated out loud, frowning in confusion.
It wasn't unfamiliar. He knew exactly where it came from: one of those absurd sequels, Anaconda 3 and 4. A serum designed to prolong life, cure any disease, and break human limits… at least, that was the idea.
The problem was that some "genius doctor" decided to test it on a snake made with the worst CGI Isagi had ever seen. The result: a monster with absurd regeneration and visual quality worthy of 2005 memes.
—Classic. —Isagi snorted, half mocking, half nostalgic.
He extended his hand and touched the virtual vial of serum. A window appeared in the air, displaying the item's name and description:
[Perfected Blood Orchid Serum]
[An improved and complete version of the liquid created in the Anaconda universe. No side effects and a 0% risk to human life.]
—Hmm… —Isagi frowned thoughtfully—. I didn't know the system could give stuff from movies. —A playful smile appeared—. If that's the case, I hope one day I get Harry Potter powers.
Shrugging, he crossed his arms as he stared at the serum floating in front of him. The idea of obtaining full regeneration was far too tempting to ignore.
—I don't know… my mom told me not to inject weird stuff —Isagi muttered, eyeing the syringe in his fingers with suspicion.
The red liquid inside glowed faintly, giving it a dangerous yet alluring look. He let out a long sigh, trying to calm himself. Needles had never been his thing—in fact, he had a pretty irrational fear of them. But the idea of regeneration was just too good to pass up.
—Come on, Isagi… for the benefits, for the benefits —he told himself, his voice slightly shaky.
A bit clumsily, he brought the needle to his neck. His breathing quickened as he hesitated for a few seconds… until he finally stabbed it in with a quick motion, pressing the plunger and emptying the serum into his body. The liquid burned for an instant, like liquid fire racing through his veins.
A notification appeared in front of him:
[Congratulations, you have injected the Blood Orchid Serum]
[You have obtained: Advanced Regeneration]
—In your damn existence… —Isagi growled, pointing angrily at the screen—, don't ever give me things that have to be injected again. —He snorted, rubbing his sore neck—. My memory's fuzzy, but if I recall correctly, that snake from Anaconda 4 was basically immortal… they cut off its head, blew it up, and it still kept going! —he said with a mix of amazement and resignation.
Little by little, the tension left his body. He could feel his energy stabilizing, a warm sensation spreading across his skin.
Now he had high-level regeneration. That made him much harder to kill, and honestly, Isagi valued his life far too much to waste that advantage. Still, he had no intention of becoming a masochist—he could heal, yes, but he wasn't about to let himself get torn apart just to test it.
—I smell like pasuco… —he muttered suddenly, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed his shirt.
Without a second thought, he turned around and headed for the bathroom. The exhaustion, sweat, and desert stench clung to him, so a shower felt like the best idea before dealing with that absurd system's whims any further.
.
.
.
.
.
After a few minutes, Isagi decided to try on the outfit the system had given him. He put on a fitted black shirt, slightly loose white athletic pants, and a black belt to tie the look together. On his feet, black martial arts shoes completed the style.
The clothes were comfortable, flexible, and most importantly—they fit him surprisingly well.
—Not bad… —he murmured, looking at himself in the mirror while stretching his arms—. I look ready to punch someone in the face or go to the gym… depends on the day.
Then he picked up the new weapon the system had granted him: a silver chain that, according to its description, could extend infinitely as long as he wasn't looking at it directly.
As a Jujutsu Kaisen fan, Isagi immediately recognized the reference: the Chain of a Thousand Miles, a weapon famous for its versatility and lethality.
—I'm not really sure what I'll use it for… but it never hurts to have a couple of extra weapons —he said with an amused smile as he casually spun the chain—. Man, if I had some fire ability, I could recreate Ghost Rider's hell chains. That would be epic.
Curious, he threw the chain toward a wall. The metal tip shot forward with force, striking the surface with a sharp sound.
When Isagi looked at it, he noticed in surprise that the chain was now much longer than before. Apparently, it really had extended all the way to its target.
—Hehehe… I think I'll be able to pull off a few tricks with this —he commented, a mischievous grin forming on his face.
Even though extension was its only ability, Isagi knew that with a bit of creativity, he could get a lot out of it. After all, this was the weapon that once belonged to Toji Fushiguro—the most feared hunter in the world of sorcerers…
And in a way, that made it a curious legacy for him: a boy with the appearance of Toji's son, now wielding the weapon of his supposed "father."
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End of the chapter