Lifespan Burning System: Master Everything by Burning Lifespan!
Chapter 31: The Rejuvenation

Chapter 31: The Rejuvenation

Rhys looked down in panic. The ash around his boots had turned into the same black ice he had seen earlier. The ash directly in front of him began to churn and move.

Two shrivelled, dried-out hands burst from the ground. They looked like the hands of a thousand-year-old mummy.

The hands latched onto his frozen ankles with a grip as strong as iron. The cold intensified. His mind accepted his fate.

’I am fucked.’

[...by a corpse?]

’Shut up.’

Then he felt a powerful, devouring force. It started to pull at his very essence. It was not his Qi; it was a deeper energy, the energy of his life itself.

He could feel years of his life being siphoned away from him. Then decades. Then centuries. It was a terrifying, hollowing sensation.

’It is absorbing my lifespan!’ Rhys calmed down a bit.

The ash in front of him began to move and heave. A full body then crawled out of the ground. It was a mummified corpse.

Its skin was like dry, cracked leather stretched tight over a skeletal frame. It had empty eye sockets. A few thin strands of long, white hair clung to its scalp.

The corpse crawled directly on top of Rhys. Its full weight pressed down on him. It was surprisingly heavy.

[Host’s lifespan is being rapidly consumed by an external entity. The entity is utilising this energy for a rejuvenation process.]

[Analysis: Due to this symbiotic energy transfer, the entity’s initial hostile intent has shifted to a state of preservation. It now perceives the Host as a vital resource. Survival probability has increased from below 0% to 11%.]

What? he thought. He was literally being eaten alive by a mummy, but his chance of survival was going up? Then he understood the horrifying logic.

The thing on top of him did not want to kill him anymore. It wanted to keep him alive. It wanted to use him as a battery.

’Analyse it.’

[...]

’Fuck, you are useless.’

[Same to you.]

Although he was uncomfortable due to his inability to move, he felt nothing. Surprisingly, the corpse smelled nice.

[That’s necrophilia.]

’Shut up.’ If the System had a real body, he would spank her ass.

[Her?]

Rhys rolled his eyes. He then turned his focus to the mummy. The changes happening to it were quick as his life energy began to transfer rapidly.

The dry and cracked skin of the corpse began to change. It started to plump up. The deep wrinkles smoothed out, disappearing completely.

The dead, brown colour faded away, replaced by a flawless, snow-white hue. It was like watching a dried fruit soak up water and become fresh again.

He was watching a mummy rehydrate on top of him.

Then came the hair. The few thin, white strands on its head began to grow with visible speed. The hair was a brilliant, shining silver.

It grew longer and longer, like a river of liquid moonlight, cascading down her back and starting to pool on his chest.

A few strands of the soft hair tickled his nose. He had a desperate urge to sneeze but found he could not move a single muscle.

[Analysing the effect on Host...]

[Found freezing time...]

’Freezing time?’ Rhys asked in his mind. He had a guess, but it was too absurd.

[Yes. She has mixed properties of Ice and Time.]

’Is that even possible?’ he was taken aback.

[Why would it not be possible?]

’You didn’t tell me about it.’

[You did not ask.]

’...’

[Jokes aside, I cannot analyse something out of thin air. You have to be exposed to it.]

’Tsk.’

His attention returned to the mummy... well, not a mummy anymore. Rhys swallowed hard, looking at the transformation of the face of the corpse on him.

The sunken cheeks filled out, becoming soft and round. The sharp, skeletal jawline softened into an elegant, feminine shape.

Long, dark eyelashes sprouted from the once-empty eye sockets. Lips that were thin and cracked became full, soft, and pale pink.

[Host, you are losing your concentration...]

Rhys stared down. The skeletal frame beneath the new skin gained flesh and soft curves. The soft, jelly-like balls became pancakes on his chest.

’...No, rather, I feel like I’ve never been this concentrated before.’

Rhys was acutely aware that a completely naked woman was materialising on top of him. The situation was now profoundly awkward.

He felt his face heat up, but he could not look away.

Finally, her eyes snapped open. They were a light, piercing blue, and they were filled with a strange, ancient light.

As she took her first conscious breath, a pair of soft, silver, furry ears, like those of a snow fox, twitched atop her head.

The transformation was complete. She was stunningly beautiful. She looked otherworldly. And she was still lying on top of him.

’A hot, otherworldly, terrifyingly, stunningly...’

[...beautiful woman is on top of you. Is that what you want to say, right?]

’System, we are on the same wavelength.’

[System facepalm.]

The girl looked down at Rhys. Her head was tilted, and her expression was not hostile. It was one of genuine, deep surprise.

The life-draining sensation stopped instantly. The black ice around his legs melted away into harmless ash.

He could move again. But he did not.

She leaned down. Her face was just inches from his. Her long silver hair fell around them like a curtain, hiding them from the world.

He could feel her cool breath on his skin.

Sniff.

Then she took a long, slow sniff, stunning him. Then she spoke. Her voice was soft and clear, like the sound of tiny bells.

"Human," she said, her furry ears twitching again. "Why don’t you die?"

"Die?" Rhys could move again.

She seemed to be surprised by this fact, as he saw her expression change. His body dissolved into ash.

Before she could react, the dissolved ash surged and reformed into his human shape. In a blur of motion, Rhys twisted his body and shifted their weight.

Her eyes widened as her back met the cold ground, his body pinning hers beneath him. His hands pressed down beside her shoulders, firm but not rough.

Without taking his gaze from her eyes, he took a large robe from his spatial pouch and covered her.

Leaning close to her ear, he muttered.

’Looks like the view’s changed,’ he murmured, his voice low and playful. ’Comfortable down there?’

Her eyes widened, a suspicious red spreading across her cheeks. "You..."

"So, yes," Rhys snickered. Then he continued, "Same. I was so comfortable under you. So how could I die?"