I practice martial arts by adding skill points in modern city - Chapter 47: 【044】First Encounter with Dark Force

Following the death of the emperor, the Astanian Empire plunged into chaos. His two sons both aiming for the throne caused a civil war that divided the empire.In the midst of this conflict, Alaric was forced into conscription. He later joined the crown prince’s army as a company commander.He led his 100-man army into battle, fiercely fighting with the hope of a better future. Unfortunately, he was just too weak to cause a ripple on the battlefield.A single arrow to the head shattered his hopes and he died without even a proper burial.Just when he thought that everything was over, he found himself back to his younger self with his memories intact.Armed with his knowledge of the future and a system that awakened his dormant powers, Alaric began his journey to overcome his fated demise.

Oscar, a destitute young boy, died in a tragic accident and was reborn in the forgotten realm. As a member of the lowly Birch tribe, his solace comes from the fragments of a guardian's spirit, residing in his soul. After the decimation of his family in the hands of a powerful race known as the dreads, he embarked on the part of revenge, leading him to the path of transcendence.

In his first life as 'Caine Wilson', was the villain—ruthless, cunning, and very powerful.He played his part perfectly, crushing the so-called “protagonist” and parading his enemies, their families, and anyone who crossed him naked through the streets.He watched with glee as the “hero” lay broken, stripped of his dignity, before finally ending his pitiful existence.But just as Caine, thought he had finally won and secured his place at the top, 'Higher ups' intervened.A booming, ethereal voice—like the universe’s pissed-off judge—shook the skies:“You have violated the sacred code of villainy! The villain shall not win. The balance has been broken. Caine Wilson, the world hereby rejects you!”Before he could even enjoy his victory, his world blinked out, like a story whose writer just erased the last chapter in frustration.Everything went dark.And when he awoke, he wasn’t Caine Wilson anymore.He was 'Su Xiaobai', a nobody on 'White Cloud Star', a world of cultivation, martial arts, and endless struggle.But this time, things were different.He could feel it—he could see through the cracks of reality itself.He could break the fourth wall!He wasn’t just some reincarnated soul; he was a villain who had 'seen the system', who understood the game.And he was about to flip it upside down.

When the Soul Plague arrived, it struck fast, transforming its victims into soulless monsters. The horde swept across the land unchecked—until the Awakened appeared. These survivors, immune to the plague, turned the tide of war into a bloody stalemate. But while the front lines held, the plague continued to spread and the horde only grew in number.Desperate for reinforcements, the World Government began conducting controlled infections of its able-bodied citizens to produce more Awakened. Hill was one of the conscripts. After going through a harrowing trial induced by the plague, his life was torn apart and remade: he emerged Awakened, endowed with strange new powers—but also bound by a dark curse that resides deep within his own soul.As Hill learns to wield his abilities alongside fellow survivors, he uncovers unsettling truths about the plague’s true nature and the hidden price of becoming one of humanity’s last line of defense.