Chapter 18: Level 2 Reinforcement

Under the radiance of the pale blue planet, the Floating Island appeared incomparably peaceful and quiet, just like a beautiful fairy-tale world, making anyone who saw it for the first time think only of dreams, mystery, beauty, and happiness. It seemed as if a peerlessly beautiful princess was slumbering somewhere within it.

However, reality was always unexpected; there was no Sleeping Beauty, but there was a terrifying ancient Ghost castle!

From somewhere inside a giant Mushroom Tree on the Floating Island, extremely miserable roars echoed from time to time, filled with indescribable pain.

Any Earthling who heard this sound would immediately associate it with the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty.

That giant Mushroom Tree was not peaceful either; every now and then, the whole tree would tremble, as if it were coming to life, and the screams coming from within its body were just from some unlucky fellow who had been swallowed by it and was being digested.

Of course, all this was just the imagination of outsiders, while the real situation was that Lin Lei was undergoing Level 2 Reinforcement!

The System did not have the ability to forbid Lin Lei from moving or speaking; according to it:

“The Host cannot endure this kind of pain in silence, so to protect the Host’s spirit from collapsing, various outlets for pain such as sounds and actions are provided.”

Right now, apart from venting the pain with all his might, Lin Lei had no other distracting thoughts in his mind; he roared madly and punched the walls of the Mushroom Tree house violently.

He felt like there was a knife inside his body, slicing his muscles and internal organs into shreds, and it was a dull knife at that!

His brain didn’t rest either; it felt like a blender had been placed inside, turning his brain matter into mush.

Great power indeed required enduring inhuman pain; Lin Lei did not regret it, nor did he have time to think about it, for his only purpose now was to vent the pain.

Since he had completely eaten that Komodo Beast that came to challenge him, his reinforcement reserves had reached one hundred percent; excited, he returned to the Tree House immediately and started the reinforcement.

Lin Lei had anticipated the pain, but he thought then that no matter how uncomfortable it was, it probably wouldn’t exceed the Level 1 Reinforcement; could it really pain a person to death? He didn’t believe it.

Unexpectedly, truly unexpectedly, there really were injuries in this world that could pain a person to death; this kind of injury was something Lin Lei could not afford.

Since the reinforcement began, the intense pain had lasted for two hours, and it seemed it would continue endlessly like this.

The System did not give the specific reinforcement time and process like it did during the first reinforcement, but instead kept busy tormenting Lin Lei’s body.

This pain was endless; this kind of aimless, purely blank endurance was changing Lin Lei’s values and worldview.

“Why am I suffering this pain? Reviving humanity? Ridiculous, what does that have to do with me!”

“Living! What is the meaning? Is it just to endure this endless pain!”

“What exactly is the meaning of life? Is it merely for a single goal? If this goal itself becomes illusory, then why does life exist?”

Lin Lei fell into doubt about the meaning of life; this was the nihilistic thought about life that Earth Humans had held from ancient times to the present, and now it was infinitely magnified by the magnifying glass of pain.

It was magnified to the point that Lin Lei, an optimist with rough nerves and an idealist, also fell into it, and now he urgently needed a reason to exist.

Otherwise, he would choose to give up on himself! Losing his life or terminating at Level 2 Reinforcement, and from then on wasting his life away.

Lin Lei began to question the depths of his soul.

Love? Yan Siyu’s beautiful face floated into his heart, making Lin Lei’s heart burn with fire, but this fire was like a flame, quickly extinguished in the sea of pain.

Even stars would extinguish, let alone the more illusory love. Love could temporarily give strength to the soul, but it could not change the essence of life’s existence.

Ideals? The ideal of reviving humanity? Letting humanity completely shake off the shame of being kept in captivity, letting humanity stand at the peak of the Universe! Letting every Earthling receive enough respect, or even worship, in the Universe! Letting my glory shine upon the Galaxy along with my race?

The motivation to revive the race went deep into the DNA of every individual; this power derived from the depths of life cleared the fog in Lin Lei’s heart, allowing him to find a trace of fulfillment.

But questions followed: what about after the revival? After humanity no longer needed a savior, where would he go? If he succeeded by luck, this question would become unavoidable.

Faith? Faith in whom? Faith in what? Buddha? God? Truth?

Buddha and God and other mighty beings fundamentally did not match the education Lin Lei had received; Lin Lei even had doubts about their existence, and faith allowed no doubt, no distracting thoughts; it was pure, and Lin Lei, an atheist, could not achieve this, at least not now.

As for truth, this thing was even more illusory; believing in it was no different in essence from believing in nothingness.

In the sands of time, none of these could withstand the test.

Eternity! The eternity of life! The eternity of belief! A challenge against the omnipotent power of the Universe—Time.

Pursuing eternity was the light of spirituality shining from the deepest part of the soul of every intelligent life, pointing directly to the ultimate pursuit of life.

I was born in this Universe.

I watch the Universe turn to ashes.

I watch the Universe be reborn.

Everything cycles and flows before my eyes.

I am everywhere, I am omnipotent.

This was the persistence in the deepest part of Lin Lei’s soul, becoming as pure and flawless as crystal in the tempering of pain.

Ah! Lin Lei threw a final punch at the wall of the Mushroom Tree house; the Mushroom Tree, already riddled with holes by Lin Lei’s unknowingly increased strength, fell to the ground amidst a wail.

Lin Lei stood amidst the ruins, watching the System’s wonderful stream of information flow past like music.

“Secondary reinforcement successful, physical reinforcement goal achieved. The Host’s motor nerve area and memory nerve area have both been strengthened by 100%.”

Host Lin Lei (Supreme Earth Human Warrior)

Height: 1.85 meters

Weight: 90 kilograms

Physical Energy Level: 10.2 Standard Energy Level (0.2 obtained through the Host’s post-natal training)

Maximum Explosive Attack Energy Level: 3.1 Standard Energy Level

Brain Capacity: 1500 milliliters

Intelligence Level: 6

With this, Lin Lei had completely dominated the Floating Island, and with an absolute advantage; if he encountered a One-horned Armored Rhinoceros, he could definitely grab its horn and swing it around on the ground for fun.

But Lin Lei no longer felt excitement; having experienced endless pain, he believed all this was his due, and these achievements needed to be respected, whether by himself or others.

Lin Lei raised his head, opened his eyes wide, and looked at the beautiful blue planet in the sky; what showed in his eyes was no longer joy, but a profound vicissitude.

His worldview had finally changed; a young man with a mysterious System in his body, struggling for his ideals, had become mature.

Reviving humanity was no longer just brave words, no longer an arduous task, but a mission!

As long as he was human for a day, it was a mission he had to complete, one that could not be shirked or deceived.

Lin Lei’s confusion completely disappeared; now, if anyone questioned his ability or mocked his overestimation of himself, he would disdain to explain and would only smile indifferently.

Those who do not know me, what do they know of what I seek! What Lin Lei needed to do required no explanation to anyone; eternal time would naturally reveal everything to the world.

Lin Lei suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed loudly; a vigorous power burst forth from his laughter, shaking the surrounding spore plants until they trembled.

At this moment, the power in Lin Lei’s body could no longer be described as just strength; it was closer to pure energy, flowing energy!

With a raise of his hand or a stomp of his foot, there was immense might; Lin Lei had completely surpassed the limits of humanity and entered the realm of Superman.

Lin Lei ran madly in one direction to vent the abundant power in his body; he wanted to see the sea of Blue Rain Star.

Fierce wind rushed toward him, and the surrounding spore plants flashed rapidly behind him; while running, Lin Lei even saw various powerful beasts: Shadow Beasts, One-horned Armored Rhinoceroses, and even Komodo Beasts.

Without exception, these beasts instinctively chose to avoid him; this running human gave them only one feeling: extremely dangerous!

Lin Lei ran at a speed close to 40 meters per second for a full two hours; after finally passing through a dense Mushroom forest, the view ahead suddenly became clear.

An endless sea of Blue Rain Star, sparkling with silvery light, unfolded before his eyes.

Lin Lei walked onto the beach, feeling the waves wash over his feet; looking at the dark blue water that was almost black, even someone as strong as him now felt a wave of awe in his heart.

Lin Lei did not dare to walk out too far; this was a Floating Island, with no continental shelf to buffer it; perhaps just a few steps forward, and the ocean would immediately become bottomless.

Lin Lei did not yet have the ability to breathe underwater, so he was still a bit fearful of this massive collection of the planet’s water; perhaps super giant beasts were hiding within.

Take the blue whale on Earth; wasn’t humanity afraid when they first discovered it?

In the sea area of Blue Rain Star, such powerful creatures were surely hiding.

“System, can you let me breathe and survive in the seawater?” Although he was in awe, Lin Lei did not want to be trapped on this Floating Island which now seemed small.

“The System can modify the Host’s respiratory system, extending the Host’s survival range in the ocean to a depth of 3000 meters.”

Modify the respiratory system? Let himself swim freely in the sea like a fish? It sounded like a good idea, but he was a land creature after all, and he still preferred the feeling of having his feet on solid ground.

If he kept swimming and swimming without any land, he would surely go crazy.

“System, does Blue Rain Star have large areas of land? I want the one closest to this Floating Island.”

“Host Lin Lei has become the Overlord of the Floating Island, meeting the query conditions!”

“Blue Rain Star has three continents: Kodiak Continent, Hebrew Continent, and Seth Continent. The closest to the Floating Island is the Hebrew Continent, at a distance of 4325 kilometers, located due east of the Floating Island.”

Alright, it seemed worth a try; Lin Lei prepared to swim straight there. As for the dangers he might encounter on the way, Lin Lei had considered them too, but one couldn’t give up moving forward just because of fear, right.

Let this ocean become the first step in his conquest of the Universe!