The dirt and grass sticking to his body, the air going through his lungs and exiting from his throat with each inhale and exhale, the cold wind brushing past his clothes and inducing shivers from his body, the wet sensation of liquid on his lips, the taste of blood in his mouth, the weight in his body.
All of these sensations were just a few of the many feelings that a living person feels, but never consciously acknowledge.
Every single sensation that a person ever experienced was consciously perceived by Liu Sheng's brain the instant he came to life. His leaden body was overloaded by the many feelings, locking him in this position where he was too active to lay still, but too disoriented to stand up.
He wanted to run through the forest, shout into the sky, and throw his fist in the air.
The sheer joy flowing through his body eclipsed all the pain he went through before. It would be a temporary thing, but right now, Liu Sheng just wants to indulge in this fleeting emotion.
"I'm...really...alive."
He belatedly became aware of his restored vision. He was more caught up with the sensation of just being alive than anything else.
As he lay on his back, he stares at the scenery above: the overarching trees dangling bent and crooked branches with crawling insects slowly moving toward smaller ones on top of teal leaves.
"Strange. Did my vision get better?"
Spotting small insects from a few inches away is one thing, but this is a few meters away. The small ones buzzing around the feces of a beast in the area and the crawling centipedes near shrubbery shouldn't have been so clear in his eyes.
Could it be a side effect of his eyes being restored?
There's no need to look a gift horse in the mouth, but with the joy finally fading from him, he returned to the cold reality of this barbaric world. A little suspicion was directed toward the System that he was given.
He sat up placed a hand under his chin. He scratched it, pondering the mysteries surrounding his System.
"System," Liu Sheng called out.
[Invader: Liu Sheng]
[State: Alive]
[Authority: Life]
[Methods: Resurrection]
There's no difference between calling it within his mind and saying it aloud, so it'll just be better to stick to silent summons. He nodded with that point of inquiry out of the way.
'Now it's time to break down the more important things, starting with this Invader thing. Liu Sheng is my current name, so the System seems to be tied to this current iteration of me. It's likely I didn't have this before I was reborn in this world, so it came after my first death.'
Now did it come with his rebirth or did it eventually attach itself to him afterwards? If it was with him all this time in his current life, then what was the trigger for it to activate now? If it just came right as he was dying, then it's likely that someone was watching him and then sent it at that moment.
Is the System itself the invader? If so, then did the System join with him and he's one with it?
Is Liu Sheng the System?
"But hold on a second. Wasn't there something else that was in my head? I could've sworn I heard a voice. Was it something about responding to my wish?"
Liu Sheng tried searching his memories, but it was too hazy. Likely a consequence of dying again.
He slapped his cheeks and dragged refocused on the mysteries of the System.
"It's good to know I'm alive instead of being some kind of undead or ghost." It's a small word, but one that brings a relieved smile to the youth's tired face.
His forward legs were pulled closer, crossing over themselves as Liu Sheng looked at the line below.
[Authority].
Contrary to [Methods], [Authority] comes with the implication that there can only be a single one.
Liu Sheng finally stood up. He bent his upper body, touching the tip of his toes with his outstretched hands, staying in that position for a few breaths of time. Afterwards he placed both hands on his lower waist and leaned backwards, pulling his spine taut.
He did stretches with his body, arms, and legs all while thinking over the mysteries of what just happened and even the mysteries before, such as how he was reincarnated in the first place and why he was reincarnated in this world that's so different from his original one.
He exhaled.
"I can spend time thinking about this all I want, but it would be better if I did it in a safer place, like home."
Home...
Liu Sheng's mood rapidly soured. He massaged his cheek, feeling a bruise that was no longer there. The purple mark vanished along with the rest of his injuries.
Wait, the rest of his injuries?
No, no, no, he doesn't need to get caught up in thinking too much again. He can do that when he gets home.
Liu Sheng shook his head back and forth to free himself from the distracting thoughts and decided to set off. No matter how mysterious this System was, it offered no current protection from the Profound Beasts and regular wild animals that prowled this forest.
He can think while he walks.
It was only a few minutes, but he already noticed the difference between his body before and after he died from drinking too much water.
'What a stupid way to die. I was too desperate and crazy.'
He feels more limber. Those stretches were far too easy and it didn't even feel like he was straining himself at all. He's running through this forest at full speed and he barely feels winded despite going for multiple minutes straight.
It's...amazing.
It's a strength he never had in his past life and his current one. Is it also a side effect of his resurrection?
[Resurrection] was under [Methods].
What an absurd and ridiculous ability. Can he just do it whenever he dies?
'I really don't want to test that.'
He resurrected because he wanted to live. Why would he just kill himself again? That's stupid.
But didn't he come back from a suicide in the first place? It was an accidental death, but what if something changes because he adds intent to the suicide to make it purposeful? There's just too much risk and Liu Sheng has no interest in playing with his precious life.