Hello, I'm writing a story called "On the Self-Cultivation of a Madman (QT)", you can also read this story at https://www.scribblehub.com/series/281713/on-the-selfcultivation-of-a-madman-qt/ Synopsis :Join Ren( and Zet!) with his system (and a random freak guy) as they travel through various worlds! See them inhabit various identities and experience their adventures! There'd be monsters (figuratively and literally), beasts (figuratively and literally) and HUGE (literally) conspiracies! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Few things I want to say: 1. I'm a newbie so please forgive me! *kneels* 2. If you spot any errors in grammar and spelling please do tell~ 3. The flow might not be too good and there might be some filler chapters. 4. The protagonist's morals are broken and must not be imitated and nor do I advertise copying him. 5. Student party~ Updates are very disjointed/random. Genre : Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, BL Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Chapter 1: A rainy day... The rain is heavy. Deserted roads. Broken streetlights. Dark skies. Not a sound of the living to be heard in the streets of a subdivision. But a thin and hazy figure breaks the picturesque scene of desolation. The boy has black hair, a slightly lean figure, sporting a white t-shirt and school pants. He has an umbrella, but it didn't seem to stop him from getting his hair wet. Looking from afar, his eyes are somewhat red on the rims and as if he has some difficulty breathing. His face, which is supposed to be sunny and bright, looks somber as his slightly chapped lips frown. This figure is Ren. Ren, or maybe Zet, is somewhat different from his peers. It all started during 1st year in high school when Ren felt he was different from other children. He was able to feel other's emotions intuitively and felt disgust about it. He also didn't really care much for other's feeling except curiosity and how does it affect them. Ren can only feel weak emotional feelings which made him feel quite detached internally. Ren never knew intense feelings which is why he was curious about the shows in television (to which Zet expressed his distaste on how all the characters are mentally retarded for fighting over a scumbag) while also being curious towards actors. Since Ren can only feel weak emotions, he tried learning acting and as Ren quote, "I'm quite a genius at this Zet!" while Zet is giving him mental eyerolls. Ren gradually started learning in novels and in reality how to manipulate people's emotions to see the most interesting of situations. And by the way, Ren also had a second personality, someone so edgy, boring and uninteresting while naming himself Zet. As for Zet, well he found everything stupid and unrelatable. He felt that main protagonists in shounen are all dumbasses that use violence as an answer first for everything they encounter (in which Ren expressed his disgust and mockery for how hypocritical Zet is) and that the power of friendship is probably the thing that screams "IT'S A TRAP" in real life. Ren had autism and quite possibly also had other mental illness like ADHD. At least that's what Zet thought due to Ren's need for external stimuli and how bad he is at concentrating. Not that they would ever consult a psychiatrist. After all why should he trust a stranger about his weaknesses, Zet thought. And due to his/their parent's death when he was 10 years old, he gradually developed depression. It was not all that bad though, since they can converse mentally, Ren never got truly bored while Zet managed to control his violent tendencies. Ren's weak emotional feelers also meant that he'll never ever feel strong emotion to commit suicide, even if he/ Zet is saying that he wants to die or kill himself everyday. It also helped that they were both smart, or at least, smart enough to pass every academic course without much need for studying. As for interpersonal relationships, Ren had a neighbor named Marcy, or Grandma as Ren called her. Marcy never had someone visit her as long as Ren could remember when he got to know her after his parents died, but Marcy treated Ren and Zet pretty well and was probably the only one who knew that Ren had a second personality. She was kind and was probably the classic old woman with lots of cat template. She died at the age of 86, 7 years after Ren knew her. Ren also had a childhood friend named Gin. Gin was a rascal if Ren can say so himself and while Gin had decent looks, he was totally unworthy of Ren. Or at least that's what other's thought. Gin could have actually grown to be a sensible straight man if it wasn't for Ren bending him during 8th grade. Although they got together, you couldn't really stop an 8th-grader's thoughts of getting some newly budding girls. And with Ren's attitude being consenting despite Zet's best efforts to threaten to kill himself, Gin with his decent looks and somewhat rascally attitude, became the most famous playboy in school. Not that every girl in the school didn't have morals and just went for a taken person. It's just that although Ren and Gin's actions were ambiguous, they never explicitly stated they were a couple. After all, trying to fight the most beautiful boy for somewhat who's just nearly above decent is a losing deal. But since there were no labels shown to the public, they just treated the two's relationship as high-level bromance. Privately though, they defame Ren for not even being able to keep a man. Which leads to his situation right now, being cheated on once again, with Gin's newest fling from the college's teaching department. A new senior high school student dating an education student will surely be tomorrows hottest gossips. The ugly rear will turn to him again, the unfavored concubine. However, their thoughts of him crying his eyes out being utterly heartbroken is a joke. Nobody knows how thrilled Ren is whenever Gin adds a new ex or lover to his name because of the thrilling revenge and groveling there will be at the climax of the play. Zet however, was displeased. And while he walking home from his childhood friend/boyfriend's house Zet starts: "Ren, do you want us to be a laughing stock again at school?" "You say that Zet, but don't you think this play is very interesting? A senior high school student broken hearted by his childhood friend that's a scumbag. All that we're missing is a powerful/mysterious gong that will find us right now while we're walking on this seemingly abandoned street!" "Ha ha. Yes that probably would happen if you were in a dog-blood bl novel. You probably forgot you're in the reality plane right now." "Well that doesn't matter! I can just come crying to Tony anyways! He's rich, smart and also very mysterious eh~" "Do you want all the other men you inadvertently hooked up before go ballistic? There's still that boy-next-door Louis, nerd Sevi and that god-knows how he can become that ripped and handsome Sett. Stop piling up troubles for me okay? You're not the one trying to earn money here." "Better than that bastard Gin anyway! I devoted my whole childhood for him and he still-" After walking for some unknown time, Ren stopped in front of a brown gate, and familiarly took out his keys. "Okay, stop acting, we're home already dumbass." He steps inside the cozy yet neat and tidy home. No trash, no messy clothes and no dishes unwashed. Totally what you won't see from a boy's household. The clock on the right near the tv says 6:30 pm. He puts the umbrella on the porch before taking off his shoes then proceeds to grab a towel that's placed on a hangar to dry his hair. He goes up, puts down his bag and sighs. The boy's room is as clean and tidy like those downstairs. Organized books, post-it notes and folders are seen in a variety of colors. His bed is white but with many pillows that you'd expect only children would have. He boots up his computer to read his favorite novels and to relax. Typing... "Stop trying to attract bees and flowers!" A classic Mary sue novel. An woman from modern times transmigrates into a parallel modern times world while inhabiting the body of a 14 yr old high schooler! The woman then proceeds to have 5 different suitors but since the text is 1v1 everyone else don't get anything while they get retaliated on by the possessive male lead. It's a very sweet text with almost little to no plot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The boy unexpectedly sighs in dismay while his eyes brighten up like the most precious obsidian. "Ren, you're taste is really trashy you know." "Shut up Zet, I'm not in the mood to read bl and those stuff you like today." The boy's nerves on his head pop up looking hideous which is a contrast on that kind face. "Hoh? And for what goddamn reason?!" "Because I was cheated on today! Again!" "BUT WHO WAS THE ONE TO INSTIGATE ALL THOSE CHEATING INCIDENT HUH! WASN'T IT YOU AND YOUR SICK ASS?!" (A/N: Right. Ren has instigated nearly all 11 cheating incidents either indirectly or directly. It's an impressive result for a white lotus.) "Zet, you can scold me but not our ass okay? It's the best ass I've ever seen. Smooth, round and milky white!" "Ha ha. Shameless people always win." "Of course!" "Just never sacrifice our virginity while you're playing around okay?" "Ewww. Why would I ever do that for some d*ck that already went in some other people's ass?" "Who knows what sick play your part of the brain might come up again. Shoo, shoo, go read your novel while I try to simulate our stocks." The brows of the boy loosened up and his lips are glossy and smiling. There's no more hideous expression on his face but merely pure excitement. Time passed by peacefully in a rare idyllic modern fashion but there seems to be something wrong. (A/N: Ren and Zet has eating problems due to depression. Please bear with them.) The boy stands up, looking towards the bathroom on his own room, and started walking forward to it. But two steps in- A scream resounded to the nothingness.
Chapter 2: Classic plot for world hopping?! After an unknown amount of time, Ren and Zet finally woke up. "Ren, you motherf*cker! How did you manage to trip ove-" Before Zet managed to finish his sentence, they noticed something strange. "Zet, are we...?" "Blind? Who knows. But if we're not..." Zet took control of the body and started swinging his arms and flailing his legs. After confirming that they still have their body intact, he tries to stand up, albeit with difficulty, due to the complete darkness. "I don't know where we are right now Ren, but the ground is smooth and stable." "Lights are also nowhere near, or we would have been able to see at least the slightest of it." While they were both considering the possibility that they're either dead and in the afterlife or were kidnapped, light burst into the dark space as an annoying, neutral voice (as Zet would say) spoke. "Welcome Ren and Zet. You're souls are now drawn into this consciousness space after you died from tripping yourse-" Before the two of them had processed their shock about someone knowing their secret, they hear the neutral voice suddenly stop midsentence and broke into a laugh. "-hahahahaha a world hopper that died from tripping himself, that's one for the history books!" Before Zet got angry and shout, the somewhat mechanical voice soon continued. "But anyway, since you're dead, your soul should naturally just dissipate and go into reincarnation but since we found out that your soul is suitable for this line of work, we brought you here. In this consciousness space, you're soul will never dissipate without a body so no worries that you'll die from just natural dissipation. I hope you don't go out though, so that you'll be saved from the 'the one who died by opening a door' title." Ren decided that he did not like asking about these things so Zet naturally took control and asked, "And who are you? Also what do you mean that we died from tripping? There was no way in hell that we'd die even if we facepalmed the floor since there was a carpet. Or do you think our brain is not fully functional?! Also, what is a world hopper? Is it the same as those in the novels?". Zet was outwardly angry but really wasn't. After all, the strangers had the capability to put his soul or whatever their entity is is a separate space so there's never a way for him to win in a fistfight. Not that he'll ever get the chance to though right now. He just acted as a means of self-preservation after all, there's no such thing as a free lunch. As for Ren: "Zet, don't you think it'll be fun if it's like in the novels? Wouldn't we get an extremely convenient way to get a new identity to play with? Oh and also you can play as much as you want as well! It's a big win-win!" "Win-win your ass! What if it's like those novels that you can't go OOC? Wouldn't we bear the risk of being punished for no fucking reason? Do you want soul dissipation you bastard?!" "But do we really care about living though???" Zet wanted to hammer himself on the head to punish his other bastard but the voice already answered in an annoying tone. "We are the greatest of all time, the most prestigious department, the most wanted profession in all universes, the Soul Bureau for Guidance of Worlds! Our task is to redirect world's plots from unreasonable endings! And that's why we have you: the world hoppers that will do that for us! You will gain points for redirecting world plots and you can use those points for gaining superhuman powers in the system store! You can also gain a 50% dis-" Zet really wanted to hammer this silly beep to death but managed to restrain it and asked: "Okay okay stop your shitty marketing first. How did we die from tripping? Also, can we come back? Will we also have a body of our own so we can go out of the consciousness space?". "What shitty marketing? Anyway, you didn't really die from tripping but from angina hahahahaha, but yes, you can come back to your original world with your original identity and you will have a body of your own once you reach Host level 3." "Is there a lot of world hoppers? Also, is there some other tasks out there? And what do you mean by redirecting world plots?" "Well there's a lot of world hoppers of course, after all there are countless worlds in the multiverse. There are of course other tasks and departments out there like the Follow Character Department and the Destroy World Bureau. You are really lucky to be chosen by our glorious and wonderful department so you better cherish it!". 'I'll cherish your mom!' Zet thought. "And redirecting world plots are exactly like it's name. You see, there are some silly unconscious worlds that just follow harmful plot/world lines like the novel you're reading earlier, that will either harm or destroy the world. You'll inhabit a character from the plot to redirect the world to another ending." 'Inhabit a character? Then it's really like the novels." Zet and Ren both thought. Zet felt the need to ask more information however Ren suddenly decided to ask some questions himself. "Will we get punished for OOC? What about breaking characters' hearts? Also, will I be able to bring my own appearance in the future?" "You won't get punished for OOC or for making red strings as long as you don't bring out technology that's out of the world's scope or using powers out of the world's power level. For example, you can't do western magic on a modern world like using ice spikes and whatnot, but you can try to use xianxia, wuxia or eastern fantasy magic secretly. As long as you don't get questioned about it, you can try to brush it off as secret methods/ personal skills but if people get suspicious too much, you might be retaliated on by the world's consciousness. About the appearance, you don't have enough authority for now." Having his curiosity sated, he handed control to Zet. Zet finally had time to look around, but it was for naught as he can only see stars around and a somewhat transparent cubic wall and a silhouette of a door. He feels that they were ready, and wanted to take on the task. He certainly had more questions, but those the system answered are fine for now. "System? Can we start now?" Zet asked. 'Yes, from now on you can just use the keyword system in your mind and you can converse with me so it's more convenient.' the system transmitted. 'System, is the world that silly sweet text?' Zet asked. 'Yes system! Are we really going there? Can I finally meet those 5 male gods?' Ren suddenly interrupts. 'Yes. You'll be transmitted to one of the 5 male leads as they have the most influence on the plot. Their memories will be downloaded so there should be no problem once start.' the system answers. 'Hooray! To my male gods!' Ren shouts happily. Zet was used to Ren's bullshit and just rolls an eye to it. 3, 2, 1... Transmission 1%... 14%... 52%...79%...100%- A flash of light and a different surrounding greet the two (three?) of them.