The 1000th Reincarnation

Zephyr's vision was blurry and he could barely hold himself together. The treacherous climb up the ravine had taken a toll on his body. 

Zephyr looked up to examine his surroundings. It was the dawn of night with the only sound being the rustling leaves in the forest and the hooting of the owls. Zephyr had to get to somewhere safe since many dangerous beasts were prone to come out at night in Kyomora and there wasn't a chance in hell someone would be in the middle of nowhere to help him. 

Zephyr's vision still hadn't fully recovered as he saw three beasts emerge from the shadows. As Zephyr's vision adjusted, he realized it wasn't three beasts. It was one beast with three different heads. 

A Cerberus? in Kyomora? I thought those only existed in the Nyxthorn Thicket.

It was a waste of time trying to figure out how this beast got here so Zephyr just booked it. The Cerberus was quick to follow and it wouldn't be long until it caught up with him. Zephyr began to stumble, tripping over branches and rocks. There was no way he would be able to outrun such a beast so there was no other option than to put up a fight. 

Zephyr stopped in his tracks and put up a fighting stance. Zephyr's body was weak, not only from all the climbing he'd done, but the fact that whoever he reincarnated into didn't train his body at all. 

The Cerberus lunged at Zephyr, baring his teeth ready to sink their teeth into his right shoulder. Zephyr had barely managed to sidestep the beast with the reaction time he had built up throughout his 999 lives and used his remaining qi to get a good blow on the Cerberus's eye. 

But that was it. There was nothing else he could do. He had no energy, no qi, and no abilities to combat this beast. The Cerberus flung his head to the right sending Zephyr flying into a tree. 

Zephyr groaned in agonizing pain as he felt his spine fracturing with the impact. 

Looks like it's the end... Another life is down the drain. 

The Cerberus walked up to Zephyr lying face up on the ground ready to rip off his head when in a flash of purple light, an old man leaped over the Cerberus stabbing it to death. Zephyr, unaware of what was happening, closed his eyes to rest. 

"Baek? Baek! Baek Wol!"

...

Zephyr woke up in a cold sweat. There were bandages all over his body and it hurt to sit up on the bed. 

First, Zephyr decided to try and figure out where he was. In Kyomora, there were three different sects. The Cult of the Withering Moon, the Scarlet Ember Sect, and the Verdant Sky Pavillion. Zephyr tried recalling what happened during the fight with the Cerberus. After he had punched the Cerberus in the eye with qi, it seemed like the Cerberus was moving slower. Either the hit did damage to hinder his movement, or, a less likely but possible option, he drained the Cerberus's energy. But there was too little information to assume that possibility. 

Zephyr then tried to recall what happened right after he passed out. 

Wait a flash of... purple light?

The only people to display a flash of purple qi in Kyomora was the Cult of the Withering Moon. It turns out that they can drain energy out of someone with qi as well. 

Well, that confirms it I guess. I'm in the damn Cult of the Withering Moon. 

In every single life, this Cult had been a huge issue for Zephyr. This expansionistic cult had an elder who was much hated by the two other cults. Even Mystharow's kingdoms hated this cult in some of Zephyr's lives. Poison techniques and energy-draining strikes were one of the most hated abilities in all of Umbraxis. 

Next, Zephyr wanted to try and find out who he was in relation to the cult. During the battle, Zephyr barely recalled what the old man called him after slaying the beast. 

Hm, Baek? Yes, it was Baek Wol. ... WAIT BAEK WOL? 

The Patriarch's name that ruled over the cult was Jin Wol meaning that Zephyr was one of the five sons of Jin Wol. 

Wow, how great. Out of the millions of people in Umbraxis it has to be someone in this damn Cult. 

A few moments later, the sliding wooden door in front of him opens up revealing an old man dressed in a large black robe carrying a plate of food. 

"Baek Wol, where the hell were you? I spent the entire day searching all over for you." His tone was lighthearted and concerned but then turned serious. "There are many unknown monsters in that forest yet you still ventured out there. You could've died trying to take on that Cerberus! Besides your entrance exam for Moonshadow Academy is in three days. You probably won't survive though so you might as well savor this food."

"I'm... sorry," Zephyr replied not knowing what else to say. 

The old man leaves letting Zephyr comprehend what the old man just told him. 

The entrance exam for Moonshadow Academy, huh?

Zephyr had heard something about this in one of his past lives even though he didn't know the specifics. However, he did know that there were three different brutal phases he had to go through to pass the exam. 

One thing was certain for Zephyr though, and that was how weak his body was. Even though he had a body built for absorbing multiple types of energies, the body itself was incredibly weak. It was also evident that the old man saw no potential and even pitied Zephyr for attending the entrance exam. Usually, people would call the elder's sons "young master" but the old man just called him by his name so casually. It seems that before Zephyr had reincarnated into Baek's body he had no affinity for absorbing qi essentially making him a joke. 

No wonder this guy tried to kill himself. 

But there was still one question left unanswered, why was a cerberus in Kyomora? These hell-like beasts didn't appear in Kyomora at least not in 1452. 

Wait, if beasts have appeared in Kyomora... 

Zephyr looked around the room spotting a calendar in a dark corner. As he looked closely at the date it said, July 14th, 1457. 

No, no, no, no. DAMN THIS GODDESS. 

Beasts had begun to appear in Kyomora during the year 1457 as a result of an earthquake that connected the two continents, Komora and the Nixthorn Thicket, together. These beasts migrated to Kyomora in search of more food. 

Now, Zephyr was stressing out. The calamity would begin in 1465 but he had just lost five years because the goddess thought it would be funny to reincarnate five years later than he was supposed to.

Zephyr ripped off his bandages and barged out the door. There was no time to waste, if he wanted to overcome the calamity, he would need to start getting stronger. And that was RIGHT NOW.