Orion and the Primordial System

June 16, 2500, Celestia's World

In the capital of one of the great countries, the pulsating metropolis was the technological heart of the world.

At night, under a sky stained with artificial lights and bright neons, the city buzzed with activity.

Towering skyscrapers cut through the clouds, adorned with shimmering holographic panels, while drones silently patrolled the heights.

The constant flow of people in the streets reflected the intensity of the modern era.

Orion moved slowly through the crowd, his imposing figure standing out from the frantic rush around him.

The chaotic routine of the city didn't disturb him; he had already faced chaos in its most extreme forms on the frontlines of the battlefield.

His graying hair and sharp gaze didn't reveal the truth of his fifty years, which carried invisible scars from decades of military service.

Then, a gunshot pierced through the noise of the streets, a sound that only someone like Orion, with trained ears and sharp reflexes, could isolate amidst the urban confusion. His eyes widened, scanning the horizon for the source of the noise.

With firm steps, he weaved through the crowd and grabbed his phone.

"Target confirmed. I need reinforcements on Central Avenue." Orion's voice was an echo of command, firm and decisive, before hanging up and quickening his pace.

Moving away from the blinding lights, he entered a narrow alley where the shadows seemed to reach out to him. The tension in the air was palpable. At the end of the alley, a young woman with blonde hair awaited him, dressed in casual clothes that concealed her true nature. Her eyes gleamed with mutual understanding, and together they entered an underground bar, far from prying eyes.

There, at a discreet table, a tall and robust man was waiting for them. His scarred face and defined muscles indicated he wasn't just any civilian. The meeting was brief but loaded with dangerous intentions, the atmosphere dense with the imminence of something grand.

Hours later…

Back home, Orion let himself fall into the old leather armchair, the weight of years of work and secrets accumulating on his shoulders. A sip of liquor wasn't enough to dissipate the exhaustion consuming him, but the feeling that something was about to happen haunted him. The sharp sound of his phone broke the silence. Reluctantly, he answered. The familiar voice on the other end carried a palpable concern.

The conversation lasted longer than expected, the cold and calculated tone only intensifying his sense of alert. After hanging up, Orion sat in silence, staring at the ceiling, trying to organize his confused thoughts. Whatever was lurking, he knew it wasn't good.

The next morning, the armored jeep arrived right on time. Without saying a word, Orion got in, his eyes watching the outside world, though his mind was elsewhere, replaying past events and connecting the pieces that seemed out of place.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a burst of gunfire.

Armored vehicles appeared ahead; masked, armed men stepped out, opening fire on the jeep.

The bulletproof glass began to crack under the intensity of the attack, and the gunfight grew more intense.

Orion felt adrenaline rushing through his veins as he tried to respond, but then a sharp pain struck him in the chest.

Looking down, he saw his shirt soaked in blood. The pain overtook his senses, and before he could fully understand what was happening, everything went black.

---

The Infinite Void

When Orion opened his eyes again, there was no darkness, but an endless space where time and reality wove together in an eternal flow.

He floated, weightless, at the center of the cosmos.

The silence was unlike anything he had ever experienced; it wasn't just the absence of sound, but the presence of a profound calm that filled everything around him.

Vibrant nebulas pulsed with exotic light, black holes swallowing the light of dying stars, while distant galaxies spun slowly like whirlpools. Orion felt as though he was floating at the edge of the universe itself.

At the center of this vast void, an ancient altar stood out, its presence both unsettling and captivating, a silent witness to the passage of time.

The stones that formed it glowed with a soft blue light, hinting at something far beyond human understanding.

After what felt like an eternity, an invisible force began to pull him toward the altar. Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared in front of him.

[...Mortal... Orion Oliveira... from planet Celestia... sector ********...]

[...detecting...Soul... failure... failure... the Soul did not enter the Reincarnation cycle...]

[...Searching for solutions...]

[...Accessing protocols under balance...]

[...@^#^@:$-%@%-%□"-%-%■^^@%****%$#...]

[...accepted...]

[...Reincarnate...]

[...3]

[...2]

[...1]

A blinding light emerged from the altar, overwhelming Orion. He had no time to think about the meaning of that holographic screen.

---

Immortal World: Aeternum

In a mountain range to the west of the Aetherion continent, a blinding light pierced the darkness that had covered the region for millennia. This intense light lasted for hours, yet strangely, no one seemed to notice anything unusual.

When the light finally faded, the scene that unfolded was one of lush nature: towering trees rose to the sky, monsters roamed in their territories, and colossal birds rested in their nests.

Colorful flowers bloomed in a vibrant display, though the darkness slowly began to reclaim its place in the mountain range.

If you looked closely at this wonder, you would notice a man lying on the ground, seemingly asleep.

His body was still, and his breathing light and calm. Strangely, the monsters around him ignored him, passing by as if he didn't exist.

As hours passed, the man's eyelids began to move, and his...

The man opened his eyes in shock, finding himself waking up in a dark forest, with his vision limited to only a few meters ahead.

Confusion took hold of his mind, but soon his eyes, clouded by uncertainty, regained their brown hue as memories of his life returned.

Yes, he was Orion Oliveira.

He remembered dying in a shootout and then awakening in an incomprehensible place, where holographic screens appeared before him, followed by a blinding light that left him unconscious.

"Damn, what happened? Didn't I die?" he finally muttered, standing up and looking at himself as he glanced around, relieved to find himself intact and safe.

Orion scratched his head, feeling lost about what to do next. Could he be in the legendary hell?

"There's nothing here that's useful to me. Damn, am I still on Celestia?" he said, finding nothing around that offered valuable information.

"This forest is so dark. I can already see the danger in wandering around without information. Thank God my years in the army weren't wasted, fufufu," he said, finally deciding to explore. Orion took a deep breath and chose to head right.

"They say starting with the right foot brings luck. Yeah, I'll need all the luck I can get in hell," Orion thought aloud.

As he lifted his right foot, a peculiar sound echoed in his head, making him uneasy. However, thanks to his military training, he quickly calmed down and scanned the area for the source of the noise.

Finding nothing, he raised his foot again when a translucent screen appeared before him. Startled,

"What the hell is this? Am I dreaming?... AHHH DAMN!" he pinched himself, confirming he wasn't dreaming. Approaching the screen, Orion read the messages that appeared:

『DING』

『Congratulations, you have been chosen as the sole owner of the Primordial System.』

『The Primordial System existed before the Primordial Chaos initiated Creation.』

『Its purpose is to help the owner fulfill their dreams in their new life.』

Confused, Orion didn't understand what it all meant. He raised his hand to touch the screen, but his fingers passed right through it.

『DING』

『The host does not need to try touching the screen. The System is within your soul; you simply need to think, and everything will naturally follow your desires.』

"A new life? I died in that shootout? Where am I? Grhhhhh this is giving me a headache," Orion said aloud, frustrated.

『DING』

『The host died, and in the process of balancing the multiverses, your soul was supposed to enter the cycle of Reincarnation like all souls. But with my intervention, you find yourself in another world...』

『...You are now in the world of Aeternum, a world of cultivation.』

『Would the host like to know more about the current situation?』

Orion found himself deep in thought about the recent events he had experienced. "System, tell me about..."

『DING』

『...the System has judged that the forest in the current location is free of danger. The continent has a low concentration of Ether, and the nearby kingdoms and clans are just beginning their cultivation journey, so they will not pose a long-term threat. The more distant kingdoms are those the host should pay attention to, but with the System, there is nothing the host cannot accomplish.』

"So I'm in a cultivation world, just like the webnovel stories from Celestia," Orion thought in disbelief.

"Now tell me what functionalities the System has," Orion murmured under his breath, filled with anticipation.

『DING』

『The System exists to fulfill the host's will. I can do anything, and since the list is infinite, I can transfer all functionalities directly to the host's mind.』

Orion contemplated the System deeply but decided to put aside his previous worries and embrace his new life since he had no choice but to rely on this System.

"Transfer the memories to me," he thought.

Without waiting for Orion to prepare himself, a storm began to form in his head, a whirlwind of unfamiliar memories swirling together.

His eyes were shut tight, and a chilling sensation coursed through his body as the pressure in his head mounted.

Each piece of information felt like a shard of glass, slicing and tearing at his being—a pain so unbearable that it settled in every corner of his mind.

"No! What's happening?" Orion tried to scream, but the voice barely escaped.

The pressure in his head increased, as if it were about to explode. He couldn't process all this; the memories overlapped, forming an impossible maze to navigate.

It was as if his mind were twisting, a tangled serpent unsure of how to break free.

"Aaagrhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

In an instant, everything changed. An overwhelming wave of information hit him like an avalanche. Thousands of memories unfolded before him, each one more intense and confusing than the last.

After hours...

Orion found himself lying on the forest floor again, but this time his shirt was soaked with sweat, groggy from the earlier events.

"Damn, that was worse than death."

"I'm glad I didn't die after spending less than a day in my new life. W-wait…"

Orion found himself taken by surprise by the immense amount of information in his head.

Taking a moment to orient himself and wipe the drool from his mouth, he felt lost amidst the thousands of details about the System.

He sifted through the information he had received and finally understood the System's functionalities.

Orion quickly concluded that when the System said it could do anything, it truly COULD.

"AMAZING!"

Orion was filled with wonder at the infinite possibilities he now had with the System by his side.

Thinking about what to do after gaining the System, he finally reached a conclusion drawn from the stories he had read about immortal worlds in Celestia. Even if the tales featured young masters tormenting the protagonist and getting slapped in the face, ONE THING WAS CERTAIN.

The strong have the final word in the story, and if he wanted to live a peaceful life in a cultivation world, he needed to be stronger than everyone else.

"System, I want to know the levels of immortal cultivation in this world and raise my cultivation to be the strongest you can make me, fufufu—hahaha," he whispered, laughing with a wicked smile. "And now that I have a new life, I want to be different. Give me a new body."

『DING』

『...The cultivation realms in Aeternum are as follows...(be aware that higher levels of cultivation exist in superior worlds)...』

『...Spiritual Refinement Realm, Foundation Realm, Core Formation Realm, Innate Realm, Nascent Soul, Eternal Palace Realm, Immortal Divinity Realm, Path Sage, Enlightened Sage, Transcendent King, Near-Emperor, Great Emperor, Celestial Great Emperor Realm, Near-Immortal...』

『...These are the cultivation levels in Aeternum...』

『...Now initiating body transformation...』

『...3』

『...2』

『...1』

Orion began to emit a blinding sacred light that terrified the forest monsters, each of them retreating into their territories, their instincts warning them to flee from the mini-sun in the middle of the forest.