Chapter 2: Heroic Soul Codex

Li Ensu was a man who just wanted to live an easy life.

He was reasonably smart—not brilliant—but passing a decent university wasn’t hard; becoming an elite scholar in cutting-edge research, however, was beyond him. Most importantly, he had no desire to endure such a grueling existence.

“Lots of money, little work, close to home, high rank, little responsibility, wake up naturally, count money till your hands cramp.” After seeing it in a novel, he adopted it as his motto.

Later, realizing his limits and the scarcity of time, he adjusted it to:

“Lots of money, little work, close to home, wake up naturally, comfort comes first—life is short, contentment brings joy.”

Then he took the civil service exam.

With the only burst of diligence he’d ever mustered in his life, he became an exemplary, ambitious young cadre. His plan was to coast until the rank of division chief, then slack off and become a parasite.

“My last memory? At a business banquet, downing three huge cups of oolong tea (the flammable kind), then everything spun dizzyingly—was I really drunk to death on the spot?!”

Alas, the man who sought an easy life never got one—and died in utter misery.

Damn it, we promised I’d get promoted next year. Once the new batch of college grads starts working, I could retire to a less demanding role.

Now he called himself Li En Sudar, a transmigrator—but apparently, he was even worse off than a laborer.

One book, one man, one pair of pants. He arrived in another world with not even an undergarment.

Oh, no—beneath his icy bare buttocks lay the corpse of a lizardman noble named Li En.

What followed was inevitable: using the corpse’s belongings, he tried to blend into the crowd, integrate into this new society, and become an easy-lifer once more.

This lizardman was a fallen noble, here to seek kinship with distant relatives—perhaps he could secure a better starting point, quickly find a wife, children, and a warm bed.

“Honestly, a wife with beast ears isn’t bad—saves money on cosplay outfits.”

He remained, as always, optimistically naive.

“Die!”

But now, bound to a throne of iron, trying to tear off his beast ears—that was not a good sign.

“Let’s make a deal: I’ll free you, you ignore me, pretend you never saw me.”

“Die!” A cruel gag silenced her voice, yet a storm of killing intent surged through the room.

Li En heard no sound—it was a direct mental shockwave. Every attempt at communication since had ended this way.

She was beautiful, with a supermodel’s voluptuous figure, golden hair like sunlight spilling over her waist—but now, every time he drew near, the steel restraints tightened, her muscles bulging with veins like coiled springs.

The most glorious and merciful Heroine of this age? To Li En, she was merely a furious lioness.

“Die!!”

She couldn’t speak, but whenever he approached, the word “Die!” hammered repeatedly inside his skull, numbing his mind.

He rubbed the back of his head, helplessly.

So, no talking at all? An utterly incommunicable opponent—this was exactly what Li En hated most.

As a competent, above-average government official, Li En’s greatest strength was negotiation and compromise. Speaking to each person in their own language was basic; truly skilled was guiding them—through their temperament and stance—until they grew confused, happy, and changed their minds.

“But if you refuse communication from the start, what’s there to negotiate?”

As for threats of death, Li En didn’t take them seriously. As long as dialogue was possible, initial demands didn’t matter.

My head’s right here—if you can take it, then why shout?

For Li En, once someone opened their mouth, there was always a way.

No matter how firm the will, how lethal the threat—you can’t out-stubborn a demolition holdout who spent thirty years resisting relocation, or a laid-off worker strapped with explosives demanding to speak to his superior. Those people, in that moment, truly didn’t want to live.

It was precisely because he successfully negotiated an agreement before a demolition holdout’s homemade fortress triggered a major security incident involving a government official’s life that Li En, despite lacking background or credentials, was about to become a section chief in his early thirties.

“My plan: Section Chief at thirty, head of a quiet, unimportant bureau at thirty-five, semi-retired by forty.”

As a model government clerk, Li En was famously known in his office as “Mr. Nice Guy”—everyone could talk to him, everyone could negotiate with him, and he usually secured outcomes that everyone could reluctantly accept. You might lose a little, your problem might still linger—but at least your emotional needs were satisfied.

Some colleagues privately called him a chameleon.

He never felt shame—he took pride in it. To him, resolving issues so everyone was happy was better than anything. A little compromise, a calm surface—what could be better?

“Now I really have to pretend to be a lizardman, become a literal chameleon.” Li En looked up at the sky, feeling mocked.

Now he faced another utterly incommunicable opponent, yet he remained undeterred, still pouring on the sweet talk. For a month now, he spoke to her daily—even when her only reply was that maddening “Die!”—he smiled through it.

At least get familiar. Lay groundwork for later.

What? Why not just unlock the chains? Look at those wrists capable of crushing his skull, feel that supernatural force that could blow him off the ground. He wanted to talk, not die.

Besides, the chains seemed impossible to open—he couldn’t even see a lock.

“Looks like today’s communication failed again.”

Li En wasn’t discouraged. At least he now knew her name and identity. He’d gather more data, draft a new communication strategy.

Perhaps one keyword could make her willing to talk.

Talk about life, family, future, achievements—once she opened her mouth, there’d always be something to negotiate.

But he had patience. Some things didn’t.

【Main Quest: Seal or Kill the Demon God Elsena.】

【Mission Brief: The demon god’s seal beneath Huicheng is crumbling. It will soon break free. Eliminate it—or be eliminated by it.】

【Failure Penalty: If the quest fails, the city becomes history. No further penalty needed.】

【Completion Countdown: 761 days, 8 hours.】

This wasn’t a system—but it was Li En’s only lifeline.

The red countdown on the pages of the strange ancient book bound to him declared this city had only two years left.

Thanks to the book’s gifts, he’d managed to infiltrate the city.

【Fluent Language (Legendary): As the inheritor of %&#, you instantly comprehend most lower-race languages beyond the nine divine tongues of this world.】

It seemed the ancient book, appearing alongside him in this world, had formed some mysterious bond.

On the book’s second page, it even listed Li En’s current status.

【Li En (Li Ensu), physical age 22, species rank: Inferior Stone.】

【Status: Strength 2, Physique 3, Agility 3, Spirit 5】

【Dragonization: 3%, awakened racial talent: Dragon Eye (See Truth).】

【Beastification: 1.5%, awakened bloodline ability: Fluent Language (Understand Human Speech).】

【Possessions: Untamed Slave x1, Random Heroic Soul Codex x1】

【Overall Assessment: The average physique of a local eight-year-old is between 2 and 5. That adventurer is being chased by a chicken! Look—the street brat just earned the achievement: “Eight-Year-Old Kills Adventurer!”】

Excluding the odd details, it clearly implied Li En’s inhuman reality—and bluntly declared him a weakling.

The “godsend” had given him only one thing beyond language: the Dragon Eye talent to “See Truth.” After testing, it only revealed faint mental hesitations in others—useful as a crude lie detector.

But this world…

“This damn world has demon gods, monsters, mages, and magic girls from neighboring cities.”

If this weren’t a peaceful world, Li En’s art of compromise might be useless.

“Get serious—we’re robbing you!”

After all, before power and violence, compromise means losing everything.

He’d barely returned to his lodging when reality slammed into him.

Before him: a shattered wooden door, cold metal, radiating lethal threat.

He’d just stepped out of the bathroom when he was pinned down.

“Hand over your money.” A rusty dwarf musket barrel pressed against his brow. A dog-man’s gold teeth gleamed like tomb phosphorus; foul saliva dripped onto his face. “Or we’ll take it from your corpse.”

“Want to live? Give us all your money—and lick our boots.” Another jackal-man barked, blocking the door, guarding the corridor.

Could he believe them? Li En didn’t. Unmasked bandits, smashing doors open to rob openly—this meant they weren’t worried about exposure. They had no intention of leaving witnesses. They didn’t even care if someone came to rescue him.

The lethal crisis, utterly foreign to his peaceful life, left Li En stunned.

His ingrained logic—blame yourself first—kicked in again. Had he done something wrong?

Had his bribe to the gate guards revealed his wealth? But he’d given the exact average amount he’d inquired about.

Were the patrol officers corrupt? No—he’d used his Dragon Eye. They hadn’t lied.

“A degenerate noble? So naive you’d carry a magic book outside. Hmph. This book—obviously valuable. Just look at the cover.”

“Don’t be reckless. My dagger’s sharp—and coated in poison.”

“Big brother, you’re joking. Degenerates can’t even beat a pig-drawn cart. What’s there to be reckless about? What are you staring at?!”

“Slap!”

A hard palm struck Li En’s face. The pain—something he’d never felt before—shattered his numbness.

“Be quiet. Don’t expect rescue. Hah! A ruined noble with money? We saw your clothes at the gate. You even asked our guide for directions—then stupidly checked into our inn. Saved us trouble.”

The greedy jackals laughed freely, boasting of their haul.

Our guide? Our inn? Didn’t I ask several guides and passersby? In that moment, Li En realized—he’d been wrong from the start.

“I’ll give you everything. Will you spare me?”

Even now, the “chameleon” tried to negotiate, tried to compromise.

“Of course.”

“We only want money. Not your life.”

Lies. All lies.

The Dragon Eye, which discerned truth, gave Li En the answer.

No matter what he did, what he said—he would die.

So I did nothing wrong. In this world, merely being weak invites misfortune.

“Looks like I have no choice.”

Unbeknownst to him, a card had appeared in his hand.

【Inventory: Unknown Heroic Soul Codex x1, open?】

It was an inserted page from an ancient book, and Li En had never dared to use it.

【Warning: Opening will cause uncertain effects on the soul and self-identity.】

But it seemed he had never had a choice from the start.

【Heroic Soul Codex activated. Random completion: Heroic Soul 'Foolish Justice' Sul Dawng has arrived! Soul module activating.】

Dog saliva, reeking of foul breath, dripped onto Li En’s face—when suddenly, a hand gripped the dog’s head.

A pale golden light enveloped Li En, and a phantom shadow slowly solidified into reality.

“Weakness has never been a sin.” The ancient heroic soul’s voice merged with the young man’s, echoing in unison.

The massive dog head was pinched between small fingers; where they touched, blood marks appeared—then, fingers sank directly into the flesh.

The blood marks split open slowly; screams were crushed into the throat. The once-arrogant dog’s face was now filled with despair and shock.

“Ugh.” As the fist clenched, the dog’s face held only pleading.

“Crack.” No mercy, no words—when the palm closed, blood splattered across the floor.

The horrifying scene froze the other bandit; without hesitation, he abandoned his brother and turned to flee.

But flee? Could he escape?

The “boy’s” arm began to glow with silver light; the heroic soul’s phantom fully merged into his flesh, the scale emblem manifesting upon it.

In the next instant, the entire room was torn apart by slashing strikes, flooded with lethal silver light and spurting blood.

As the lifeless head floated in midair, an ancient roar echoed through the new world.

“Justice admits no compromise!”

(End of Chapter)