Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

The family tree was so convoluted that Felix couldn't make sense of it. At the top were unknown entities from 11 different races and a named phoenix, merging their lines to create two beings known as "The Transcended Singularity" and "The Great Guardian." The Singularity was the main family line, while the Great Guardian branched off into another section.

Felix's ancestor, the Transcended Singularity, married an elven singularity, who bore 12 children. Each of these children founded their own kingdoms and civilizations. Felix's direct lineage came from the Void Phoenix Race. In an interesting twist, one of the Transcended Singularity's sons married Priscilla, the named phoenix who was one of the original 12 entities that created both progenitors.

This union led to the formation of the secondary main family, known as the "Iridescence Phoenix Line."

Felix, however, belonged to a relatively insignificant branch of the family. Among the 12 children, one faded into obscurity. The chart labeled this branch as "Deceased and Reincarnated." A long, thin line broke away from the main family tree, leading to a distant bottom corner with only one detail: "Universe #420." Beyond that, there was no additional information.

"So, one of my ancestors died, got reincarnated in my universe, and then started a family there? I get that, but what does this have to do with fate crystals?" Felix asked, confused.

Jessica highlighted several individuals on the family tree, all of whom had no descendants. She explained,

<If you look at those marked as 'Deceased and Reincarnated,' you'll notice two different variants. The first group, marked with an asterisk, includes members like you who left for other universes. The second group, however, is different.>

Felix followed the clues and noticed additional descriptions for some of the deceased family members. Instead of their bloodlines ending, an X mark crossed over their faces, replaced by new persons with a different appearance. A note usually followed: "Returned As," along with the person's new name. These individuals continued their bloodlines as if they had never been gone.

For a family of gods or immortals, these reincarnations and changes in appearance were already complicated. But Felix noticed something even more unique among the returnees. There were little detail underneath their portraits.

[Sky Fate - Foresight]

[Heavenly Fate - Redemption]

[Heavenly Fate - Revenge]

[Earth Fate - Pure Luck]

[Earth Fate - Second Chance]

[Sky Fate - Indomitable Will]

[Entity Fate - Awakened Potential]

The list seemed endless. Though the fates had different names, all those who had undergone an appearance change shared one thing in common—they all possessed a fate crystal. In contrast, the other category had no fate-related comments.

Jessica clarified, <Fate crystals have a hidden function in the afterlife. When a fate crystal owner dies or exhausts their lifespan for any reason, their soul retains all the memories from their previous life. Upon reincarnation, they can choose to either unlock new abilities in their new body or regain the powers from their former life.

This allows them to cheat death, but at the cost of a fate crystal.>

"In short, it's like a free pass to get a head start in the next life."

<Correct.>

"And if someone still alive has one, they can choose to use any of the three effects that the system detailed."

<That's also correct.>

Felix nodded, finally grasping the significance and value of fate crystals. This made him think of Diana, who hadn't hesitated to give him one.

'I guess she was sincere. Tsk.'

Felix smacked his forehead, cutting off the thought. Refocusing on his surroundings, he began searching for any orbs to clear this stage.

.

.

The emperor stroked his chin, surprised by the outcome. He dryly laughed, regretting that the mirror couldn't broadcast their conversation.

"What a pity. I was curious to see what she would do with him, especially since she had enough power to break the artifact's functions. Who would have thought she'd commit suicide right there?"

Tanaka glanced at Felix's screen. Upon seeing the youthful, handsome face of a teenager, he scoffed, disliking the existence of other men.

"Heh. He's just lucky, Your Majesty. He's not someone worth your attention."

The emperor snorted. "At least he hasn't failed the trials of 'Pride' and 'Lust' like you did."

Tanaka flinched and bitterly laughed, closing his mouth.

Ignoring the lecherous sword master, the emperor continued observing Felix, intrigued by his character. He also noted how Felix made items disappear into his jacket.

…

Jane nearly had a heart attack when Zhu Xin Ci's shadow was about to fornicate with her husband. Fortunately, Felix had been decisive and ruthless, shooting down them and ending the drama.

Yet, the mysterious woman who had intruded on Felix's test earlier made Jane's heart stir. Her instincts screamed that their interaction was a threat to their relationship.

Jane didn't know why, but she hated Katrina. She also swore to give Felix a good scolding when they got back.

…

Felix continued exploring the forest and came across a plain field where he had erected an oil derrick. However, in this mirror world, the system structure didn't exist.

Curious, Felix walked toward the empty field and scooped up a handful of soil to check. It was oily and sticky, just like oil, but it smelled like the urine of a wild beast.

Felix got up and stared to the east, which should be the inverted location of the Black Forest. He wondered if the clue would be there. Bracing himself for danger, Felix started traveling east, heading into the dark forest with nothing but giant trees and tall vegetation.

Entering the dangerous area, Felix found nothing but massive trees and 10-foot-tall blade-like grasses. He pushed through the thick grasses while he glanced at the system map, staying alert for any potential threats.

Nothing appeared on the map yet, and Felix felt relieved.

After an hour of traveling east, Felix began to hear the sound of water—perhaps a stream or river. Following the sound, he trekked closer to the heart of the Black Forest.

After walking half a mile, Felix reached a stream, as he had predicted. However, the water was pure black.

Felix rubbed his hands together and brought the system screen closer, preparing to scoop some of the mysterious water into his inventory to take home.

But as soon as he opened the window, the description of a new item flashed before his eyes.

- Mark of Charity

"…?"

Felix read the description silently, his expression blank. Then, he looked at Jessica.

"Err, what's this?"

<An advanced result, I believe.>

"Is this the result of this stage?"

<I doubt it. The setting isn't related to greed. It's something deeper and more personal.>

"Something personal?"

Felix frowned, counting his fingers as he went through a process of elimination. He had gone through the trials of lust, greed, sloth, and wrath. Only three sins remained—envy, pride, and gluttony.

Gluttony seemed unlikely since there was nothing to eat around here. Envy didn't seem to fit either, as there was no one around to be envious of.

That left only one sin—pride.

Felix scratched his head. Pride was the most difficult emotion for many humans to overcome, including Christians. He wondered how the mirror world would test him.

Knowing that every action could affect the test result, Felix pulled the system window away from the oil-like substance and followed the stream, heading deeper into the unknown.

…

Another hour passed. Felix checked the time and glanced at the clock, starting to sweat. "What time is it now?" Felix asked Jessica to be sure.

<It's 9 PM. You have less than 9 hours to finish the remaining three tests.>

"Alright. We have plenty of time."

<I think not. If this stage is pride, the envy and gluttony tests might be harder than you imagine.>

"Meh, do I look like a glutton or an envious person?"

<You never know.>

"…"

Felix scratched his head and pursed his lips, getting used to Jessica's random roasts. He no longer minded it.

Shifting his attention away from Jessica, Felix glanced at the system map again. Then, his eyes widened in shock as over 10,000 green dots suddenly appeared around him.

Felix spun around, looking in every direction. He discovered countless dark silhouettes of sexy Lamias bowing to him. Among them was Diana's shadow. Although her entire body was shrouded in black smoke, Felix could tell that her figure was still as attractive as ever.

Diana's shadow looked up. Like Zhu Xin Ci's shadow, she communicated with him telepathically.

[Welcome home, Your Majesty. Would you like to have dinner, take a bath, rest, or partake of us first? We're here to serve you.]

"…"

Once again, the stage tested his moral integrity. It was a mix of greed and lust in the same trial.

Mentally prepared, Felix rejected their offer. "I'd rather remain a commoner, thank you. I don't want to be your king."

[Does that mean you wish to abandon us?]

As soon as Diana said that, many shadow entities began crying. Several young Lamias wailed as if they were about to be abandoned by their parents. This made Felix feel bad for these women.

Trying to soothe the shadow entities, Felix negotiated with them. "Why do you want me to be your king?"

[Because we need your great wisdom, Your Majesty. Without you, we are defenseless. We don't know if the people from the other side of this world will come and invade us like they did to our brethren.]

"What?"

[You might not know this, but we are not the aggressors. The Dragoon Empire is the one suppressing us. We never wanted to invade human towns or harm innocent people.]