Chapter 2: Heroic Soul Codex

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

He was smart, but not genius-level smart; working hard to get into a good university wasn't difficult, but becoming an academic elite through cutting-edge research was asking too much. Most importantly, he simply didn't want to live such a hard life.

"More money, less work, close to home; high status, great power, light responsibility; sleep until you wake naturally; count money until your hands cramp." After reading this in a novel, he took it as his motto.

Later, realizing his abilities and time were limited, and that all of it was unrealistic, it became:

"More money, less work, close to home; sleep until you wake naturally; living comfortably is the top priority; life is short, be content and happy."

Then, he took the civil service exam.

Using the diligence one only has once in a lifetime, he became an outstanding and ambitious young cadre. In his plan, he intended to coast and live off the system once he reached the division chief level.

"The last memory I have is drinking three large cups of oolong tea (the flammable kind) at a business reception, then the world spun and I felt dizzy. Did I die drunk right there?!"

Alas, the man who just wanted a comfortable life didn't end up living well, and died very uneasily.

"Damn, we clearly agreed I'd get promoted next year. Once the new batch of college graduate cattle and horses starts working, I can retire to a second-line position."

Now he calls himself Li En Sudar, a transmigrator, but apparently he's even worse off than cattle and horses.

One book, one person, one pair of pants. Not even a pair of underwear, he arrived in another world.

Oh, no, at that time, beneath that cold, bare buttock, lay the corpse of a lizard-man noble named "Li En".

What happened next was logical; borrowing things from that corpse, he tried to blend into the crowd, integrate into the new society, and become a man who just wants a comfortable life once again.

This lizard-man was a fallen noble who had come specifically to rely on distant relatives; perhaps he could secure a better starting point, quickly get a wife and children, warm the kang bed, and start a family.

"Actually, a wife with beast ears would be pretty good too; saves money on buying a cosplay outfit."

He, as always, remained optimistic.

"Die!"

But now, a beast-eared girl tied to an Iron Throne, trying to tear his ears off, might not be a good thing.

"Let's make a deal: I'll find a way to let you go, you don't trouble me, and pretend you never saw me."

"Die!" A gag with a twisted sense of humor blocked her voice, but killing intent like a storm surged back and forth inside the room.

Li En didn't hear a sound; this seemed to be a shockwave directly impacting his mind. Every attempt at communication during this period had yielded this result.

She was beautiful, with a supermodel figure, full and curvy; golden hair like the sun cascaded to her waist. But now, she was a bomb of muscles, veins bulging under steel restraints, ready to explode if anyone got close.

As for the "most glorious and merciful hero of this era," Li En only saw an enraged lioness.

"Die!!"

The other party couldn't speak, but as soon as Li En got close, the word "Die" would repeatedly strike his head, leaving him dazed.

He touched the back of his head, feeling a bit helpless.

This meant there was no way to talk, right? An object completely unable to communicate was what Li En disliked the most.

As a qualified or above-level government official, Li En's greatest skill was probably negotiation and compromise. Speaking human language to humans was just the basics; following the other party's personality and stance to confuse them, make them happy, and turn them around was true skill.

"But refusing to communicate from the start, isn't that a dead end?"

As for the threats of dying back and forth, Li En didn't take them seriously yet; as long as one could talk and negotiate, what conditions were set at the beginning didn't matter at all.

My head is right here; if you have the ability to take it, why are you roaring?

For Li En, once you open your mouth, there's a way to talk.

No matter how strong the will, no matter how dire the threat... can they compare to the unyielding stance of a demolition holdout standing before an excavator for thirty years, or to a laid-off worker tying a bomb to himself to confront a leader? At that moment, those people truly did not want to live.

It was also because he negotiated an agreement in front of a fortress built by demolition residents, successfully resolving a major safety accident involving the personal safety of government leaders, that Li En, despite having no background and only average academic qualifications, was about to become a section chief cadre in his early thirties.

"My plan: a thirty-year-old section chief for government affairs, a thirty-five-year-old head of a clean-water office within the agency, and semi-retired for leisure at forty."

As a qualified government clerk, Li En was known in the unit as a "good old man"; he could chat with anyone, negotiate with anyone, and often achieve a result everyone could barely accept. You might have suffered a loss, your problem might still need solving, but your emotional value was satisfied.

"Chameleon" was the behind-the-scenes evaluation of his style by some colleagues in the unit.

He never felt ashamed of it, but rather proud. In his view, isn't it good to solve problems with everyone happy? It's so nice for everyone to take a step back and have peace and calm.

"Now, I really have to disguise myself as a lizard-man and be a chameleon in the physical sense." Li En looked up at the sky, feeling a sense of irony.

Now, encountering an object completely unable to communicate again, he wasn't discouraged; he just continued to say all the good words. Within this month, he would find the other party to chat for a while every day; even if the response was always a "Die" that made one suspect brain damage, he could still face it with a smile.

Getting familiar is fine; just consider it laying the foundation for later.

What? Why not actively unlock the shackles? Look at those wrists capable of crushing his head, feel that supernatural power capable of blowing him off flat ground. Li En wanted to talk, not die.

Moreover, these shackles seemed to have no way to open at all; Li En didn't see a lock.

"Looks like today's communication failed again."

Li En wasn't discouraged; at least he knew the other party's name and identity more than yesterday. He would go collect some more data on the other party and then make a communication plan.

Perhaps a single keyword could make the other party willing to communicate.

Talk about life, talk about family, talk about the future, talk about achievements; as long as they are willing to open their mouths, there will always be something to negotiate.

But he had the patience to wait; some things, however, couldn't wait.

【Main Quest: Seal/Kill the Evil God Elsenar.】

【Quest Brief: The Evil God Seal beneath the City of Radiance is crumbling; He is about to break free. Solve Him... or be solved by Him.】

【Quest Failure Penalty: If the quest fails, the city will become history; no penalty needed.】

【Completion Countdown: 761 days 8 hours.】

This wasn't some system, but it could be called Li En's only reliance.

The red countdown on the pages of the strange ancient book bound to him proclaimed a future where this city had only two years of life left.

It was also because of the gift on this ancient book that he was able to successfully blend into this city.

【Language Comprehension (Legendary): As the successor of %&#, beyond the nine divine languages of this world, you can instantly understand most languages of lower races.】

It seemed the ancient book that appeared in this world along with him had formed some mysterious connection with him.

On the second page of the book, Li En's status was even factually annotated.

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

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

【Dragon Transformation: 3%, Awakened Racial Talent: Dragon Eye (Perceive Truth).】

【Beast Transformation: 1.5%, Awakened Bloodline Ability: Understand Languages (Comprehend Human Speech).】

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

【Overall Assessment: The average Constitution of an eight-year-old local child is roughly between 2 and 5. Look, that adventurer is being chased by a chicken! Look, the street brat has achieved the feat of killing an adventurer at age eight!】

Setting aside some subtle content, it also seems to imply Li En is no longer human, while explicitly stating Li En is a novice!

The only thing the "Golden Finger" provided, besides helping him pass the language barrier, was the innate ability of the "Dragon Eye that Perceives Truth." After testing, for the current Li En, once activated, it can detect slight tremors in the other's heart; it can basically only serve as a lie detector.

But, this world...

"This damn world has not only Evil Gods and Demon Beasts, but also Mages and the Magical Girl from the neighboring city..."

If this were not a Flat world, the art of compromise that Li En excels at would likely be ineffective.

"Get serious, we're robbing you!"

After all, in the face of power and violence, compromise means having nothing.

Having just returned to his residence, he was stunned by reality.

Before his eyes lay the shattered wooden door of the inn and cold metal, bringing a lethal threat.

He had barely stepped out of the bathroom when he was pinned down.

"Hand over the money." A rusted dwarf blunderbuss barrel pressed against his brow; the canine's golden teeth shone with the light of tomb phosphorescence, and foul drool dripped onto his face. "Or we'll take it from your corpse."

"If you want to live, hand over all your money, then lick our boots." Another jackal-wolf shouted, blocking the door and guarding the corridor.

Can this be trusted? Li En didn't believe it. Unmasked evil bandits, smashing the door openly to rob, meant they didn't worry about their appearance being exposed! They didn't intend to leave any survivors, and didn't even need to worry about anyone coming to rescue him.

The lethal crisis he had never experienced before left Li En, who came from a peaceful era, somewhat dazed.

The logic of first looking for one's own problems took effect again. Was there something wrong with him?

Did the bribe he gave the guards when entering the city reveal his wealth? But he had clearly brought out the average amount he had asked about beforehand.

Were the police who checked up on him earlier corrupt cops? No, he had used the Dragon Eye to check; they were not lying...

"... Degenerate noble, truly stupidly cute, daring to bring a spellbook outside. Tsk, it's this book indeed; just looking at the cover, you know it's valuable."

"Don't be impulsive; my dagger is not only very sharp, but also coated with poison."

"Big brother, what a joke. A degenerate can't even beat a pig-beast, so what can he use to be impulsive... What are you looking at!"

"Slap!"

A slap, struck hard on Li En's face; that pain, which had never been useful before, also woke him up completely.

"Be quiet, don't expect anyone to save you... Heh, a broken-down noble really does have money. We saw your clothes when you entered the city gate; you foolishly asked our guide for information, and were even stupider to stay alone in our inn, saving us a lot of trouble."

The proud jackal-wolves laughed wildly, showing off their spoils.

"Our guide? Our inn? Didn't I ask several guides and passersby?" At this moment, Li En suddenly realized; it turned out he was wrong from the very beginning.

"I'll give it all to you; will you let me go?"

Even at this moment, the "Chameleon" still tried to negotiate, tried to compromise.

"Of course."

"We only want money, not lives."

Lies, all lies.

The Dragon Eye that discerns truth gave Li En the answer.

No matter what he did, no matter what he said, death was certain.

It turned out he had done nothing wrong; in this world, merely being weak was enough to suffer misfortune.

"Looks like there's no choice left."

At some unknown time, a card was placed in his hand.

【Possessions: Unknown Heroic Soul Codex x1, Activate?】

It was an insert from an ancient book, yet Li En had always dared not use it.

【Warning: Activating it will cause uncertain effects on the soul and self-perception.】

But it seemed from the very beginning, he had no choice.

【Heroic Soul Codex Activated... Randomization Complete, Heroic Soul 'Steadfast Justice' Surl Dawon Descends! Soul Module Activating】

The canine's foul drool was about to drip onto "Li En's" face, when a hand suddenly grabbed the dog's head.

Pale golden light covered "Li En's" body, and a phantom shadow gradually walked into reality.

"Weakness has never been a sin." The voice of an ancient heroic soul overlapped with that of a young man, echoing.

The large dog head was pinched by small hands; where the fingers touched, bloodstains appeared first, then, the fingers themselves directly embedded into it.

The bloodstains cracked bit by bit; the screams were suppressed within the mouth. On the once arrogant dog's head, despair and shock were everywhere.

"Mm." When the fist clenched, only pleading remained on the dog's face.

"Crack." No forgiveness, no nonsense; when the palm closed tight, blood splattered all over the floor.

The terrifying scene made the other bandit tremble with fear; without hesitation, he abandoned his brother and turned to run.

But run? Could he escape?

The "youth's" arm began to shine with a silver luster; the phantom of the heroic soul completely merged into the flesh, and the emblem of the scales manifested upon it.

In the next instant, the entire room was torn apart by a slash, filled with lethal silver light and splashing blood.

At the moment the lifeless head floated in the air, a roar from ancient times echoed in the new world.

"Justice never compromises!"

(End of Chapter)