Reincarnated Hero System

“Damn, it really is a cultivation world.”

The words slipped from Evan’s lips, followed by a long sigh as he gazed out the fourth-floor window of the seven-story building he was currently in.

He turned back to the table in front of him and picked up a slim rectangular device resting on it. With a press of the side button, the screen lit up, displaying the date and time.

It was August 17th, marking 8 days since Evan and Arthur had redrawn part of Zefesh’s map on Aramis, 10 days since his run-in with Kaylatheurge, and his 137th day in the past.

Right now, he was on a Prime World called Denerth, more commonly referred to as Denerth Prime.

This planet was an intergalactic hegemon, and one of the few reasons why the galaxy Evan lived in was called ‘Orithyia’, and not ‘Aidos’ or ‘Gozon’.

While not quite on par with those two great powers, Denerth Prime wasn’t far behind. It was ruled by powerful Cultivator Lords and Kings, backed by tens of thousands of influential clans and noble families.

Their combined might served as a shield against any external threat. No interstellar power dared provoke them, lest they incur the wrath of Denerth and all the worlds flying its banner.

But most importantly, this place was a Cultivation World.

Yes, Cultivators.

The ones who gathered qi and ascended the realms, hoping to defy the heavens and attain immortality, dressed in ornate robes and flying around on swords… yeah, those guys.

This was a world filled with them.

‘But even though it’s a cultivator world, it’s not as ancient or medieval-looking as those comics back on Earth V made it seem.’

Evan glanced up at the sky, watching people zoom by on flying swords and airborne cars.

‘Definitely way more advanced than future Aidos, that’s for sure.’

He felt like he’d stepped right into a cyberpunk game.

‘Wait… no. More like steampunk… but electrified?

…

Which is basically cyberpunk, isn’t it?!’

Random thoughts like that flitted through his mind as he looked around, constantly reminded of how much further behind future Aidos was in comparison.

He glanced at a holographic board displaying fashion models and outfit designs, then turned his head and saw some people step into a public teleportation formation, instantly vanishing in a burst of light as they were beamed to another part of the city.

Silently, he averted his gaze from the window and back to the communication device in his hands.

‘Funny way to say ‘smartphone’.’

As far as Evan was concerned, this was basically a more advanced smartphone that didn’t need a charger, since one could charge it with their magic power.

‘I mean, it’s got a fingerprint scanner on the back, and face recognition too. It’s just like my phone from Earth V.’

Smartphones—those incredibly convenient devices he hadn’t been able to use during his entire time in future Aidos.

Now that he was using one again, he was reminded just how much he missed them. Naturally, the idea of bringing them back to Aidos popped into his head.

But of course, that was easier said than done.

‘I’ve got so much work waiting for me when I get back. I barely managed to get TVs up and running… who knows how long it’d take to introduce phones?’

But the moment he had that thought, Evan froze.

‘Wait a second… who says I have to do it myself?’

It was a simple realisation, but it cracked the door open to a much larger idea.

‘Why not have Artemisia handle it for me? At the very least, she could lay the foundation.’

Thinking of Artemisia reminded Evan of certain tools that already existed in future Aidos. These devices had calling and messaging features similar to smartphones, though they were restricted to the organisations that issued them.

He was referring, of course, to the oddly advanced guild cards used by future Aidosian guilds.

Officially, those cards were said to be created after a Saintess received a vision from the goddess. But Evan knew that was just Artemisia pulling strings behind the scenes to subtly push Aidos forward.

Thanks to the existence of those cards, the people of Aidos already understood the concept of ‘signals’ and even had some knowledge of deploying satellites into low orbit.

That had made Evan’s job of introducing TVs far smoother, since the foundation for communication tech was already in place with the guild cards and magic projection calls.

‘It was still a pain negotiating with national leaders just to get distribution rights in their territories.

The manufacturing process hadn’t been all that bad, especially once Tharvoria’s people got involved.

The thought of the so-called ‘Barbarian Nation’ of Tharvoria brought to mind one of the Eight Disasters Evan still hadn’t taken care of, but he pushed that thought aside and refocused on the topic at hand—smartphones.

‘I could keep guild cards as a separate guild-exclusive thing… maybe upgrade them a little. Then, make smartphones the common device, available to anyone, even those not in guilds.

Kind of like how landlines worked back on Earth V, though that’s probably not the best comparison.’

He continued making his plans as he scrolled through the device in his hand, using a search engine to gather information on the components and structure behind it.

‘If I’m going to make smartphones a thing, I might as well pull Aidos out of the gold coin era too.’

His fingers moved as he navigated to an e-shop app, his eyes drifting to the seven-digit figure displayed in the top-right corner.

‘Credits, huh?

Switching Aidos’ legal tenders from bulky gold coins—hard to carry without spatial artifacts and easy pickings for bandits, even if you have one—to virtual currencies would be a game-changer.

It would also streamline international trade. A universal value would take care of exchange rate headaches, too.

I’ll just model everything after Denerth Prime.’

As noted before, the tech level on Denerth Prime was leagues ahead of future Aidos. CDs, phones, virtual currency—everything was more efficient.

Evan was determined to bring these advancements to future Aidos, pulling the planet away from its old-fashioned ways.

‘But this hinges on Artemisia’s cooperation.

If she agrees to handle the groundwork while I’m in the past, I could wrap everything up once I return.

A success would result in more efficient dissemination of information, especially during wartime.’

He leaned back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling as his thoughts picked up pace.

‘Who knows… maybe we’ll even get social media too.’

Just as he had those thoughts, Evan’s ears picked up a few squeals, prompting him to lift his gaze from the device in his hand and glance in the direction of the sound.

Then, he turned to look at the boy beside him, who had just given a casual wave and a friendly smile to some of the female staff and customers of the clothing store they were in.

“Dude, we’re probably not gonna be here long. Try not to make anyone fall for you.”

“Pfft, what the hell, Evan?”

“What the hell? You’ve got them squealing from just a smile. A little more effort and you might walk out of here with a girlfriend.”

Arthur burst out laughing at Evan’s comment, while Evan gave a wry smile beneath his mask.

Sure, the girlfriend comment was an exaggeration, but it honestly wouldn’t take much for one of the girls watching from a distance to fall for Arthur, especially since his current appearance checked a lot of their boxes.

For context, they were currently in a clothing store, having stopped by to change their outfits. Their original clothes were considered a foreign style in Denerth, so they wanted to switch to something more fitting.

Arthur had gone with a long, flowing robe that draped to his feet. The deep midnight blue fabric matched his left eye, and silver embroidery swirled along the robe’s edges, catching the light and complementing the silvery hue of his hair.

Evan had also adopted a cultivator-style outfit, though his choice leaned more toward subtle elegance. His robe was a muted grey that matched his eyes, with delicate silver accents tracing the seams, highlighting the white streaks in his black hair.

They were on Denerth Prime because of Jamie, who had informed them that he’d found the perfect training location and had designed an ideal training plan for them.

Artemisia and Beatrix were also part of Jamie’s training plan, so before heading to Denerth Prime, the group had made a stop on Aidos to pick the girls up.

They arrived in a city called Fengying, an impressive metropolis where towering buildings combined ancient architectural elegance with futuristic designs.

It didn’t take long after they began exploring the city for them to realise they stood out due to their distinctly foreign clothing. To blend in better, they ducked into the nearest clothing store to change.

Arthur and Evan had already finished picking their new outfits and were now waiting for the girls to step out. Unsurprisingly, their looks had drawn a small crowd inside the store.

As time passed with Evan living in the past, he gradually became less reserved about keeping his face masked.

On the way to Denerth, he’d been cautious because of something a certain Sun Celestial had said. But then he remembered that the location mentioned had been different.

‘Sure, he mentioned Cultivator Lords of Denerth Prime, but the location was in the Infernal Dimension. I’ll just make sure to keep the mask on if we ever head into the Infernal Dimension.’

With that thought, Evan had stepped out of the changing room without his mask, and with Arthur nearby, their combined presence was enough to attract a fair bit of attention.

They mostly ignored the growing crowd of onlookers, though.

That was, until Artemisia and Beatrix finally emerged from their respective changing rooms.

When Arthur and Evan sensed their presence and looked up, they found themselves briefly stunned by the sight before them.

Artemisia was the first to step out. Her long, waist-length black hair had been gathered into a high ponytail, secured by a black-and-gold binyeo hairpin.

The accessory held her glossy strands in place, drawing more attention to her golden eyes and stoic expression.

Her robes were deep midnight blue, lined with subtle gold embroidery that perfectly suited her composed demeanour.

Beatrix, with her shorter but equally eye-catching white hair, was a stark contrast to Artemisia’s cool elegance.

Her bright kimono, decorated with lively floral patterns in shades of pink and lavender, perfectly reflected her cheerful personality.

Her brown eyes sparkled like tiny stars as she spun around in her outfit, the motion causing the hana kanzashi in her hair to sway gently. The delicate flowers on the hairpin mirrored her vibrant energy, and her smile lit up the room as she gracefully stopped in front of the boys.

“How do I look?” she asked with a teasing grin, spinning once more for emphasis.