THE BLACK CULTIVATOR

The last thing Chris remembered was arguing with a danfo driver over incomplete change.

“Oga, why my change no complete?!” Chris gripped the driver’s collar tightly.

“No be me tell you say transport na two thousand naira? Now you dey argue with me!” The driver fired back, his own hand locked on Chris’s trousers.

The Lagos sun beat down mercilessly.

“This man, you sabi lie o! You talk say na one thousand five hundred…”

“Pum-pum-pumm!”

A trailer lost control while reversing and slammed into both of them.

Chris groaned. His eyes slowly opened.

*Where am I?* He pushed himself up into a sitting position. *Why everywhere fine? I been dey trailer park — bus stop — minutes ago, right? Why green grass come cover everywhere?*

“Welcome to the land of the dead, Chris.”

A lady in a short, figure-hugging red gown casually manifested before him. The fabric clung to her curves like it was painted on. She stood a few feet away from him.

“You died a few minutes ago.”

“Ehn — you say wetin?!” Chris sprang to his feet, heart hammering. “You dey joke, abi?”

“To put it plainly, Chris, your foolish argument over small money brought you here.”

*Snap.*

She snapped her fingers, and an office desk with a computer system materialized. The lady walked over and took a seat.

“No be lie! My mama been warn me oh. She talk am say one day — change go kill me.” Chris shook his head, eyes pinned to the ground. “E don finally happen.”

“Don’t feel sad, Chris,” she said, pulling out a long, dust-covered book from the drawer. “According to God’s plan, it wasn’t yet your time.”

Chris laughed softly. “Naija dey follow God’s plan?”

“Yes, Chris. It was pride and greed that cost you your life.” She opened the book, and dust escaped into the air.

“So I make heaven, or after all the suffer for Naija, na hellfire I dey go?” Chris approached the desk.

“What you have heard about heaven and hell — some of it is wrong. You’re not facing judgment. Rather, you’re going to be reborn in another world.”

“Wait. You mean am I fine, woman?” A smile lit up Chris’s face.

She nodded. “In a few minutes, you are going to wake up in a world totally different from your old one. It’s a world of cultivation.”

Her eyes finally met his.

“Cultivation? Na farming I dey do for another world?” Chris sighed. “So I go reborn again to still begin my suffer from the beginning? Chaii. Nothing balance anywhere.”

“It’s not farming, idiot. It’s almost the same as those Chinese anime you enjoy watching so much — *Swallowed Star*, *A Will Eternal*.” She answered, tearing out a piece of paper.

“SHARP!” Chris chuckled. “Everywhere good! E go hard oh, but I go become god for that world so that anything I want, I fit do am.”

“Well, I don’t doubt that. Nigerians are hard workers,” she said, “and over time have proven to be smart in many ways. Still, this is no longer your world.”

She stood to her feet and closed the distance between them. “To help you survive your arrival, a system will be granted to you until you reach the Half-Body Immortal Realm.”

*Omo, jokes aside. This lady get yansh oh. See beauty. See breast. Chaii.*

Chris thought.

A smile lit up her face. “Chris…”

“Yeah, what’s up?” He returned the smile.

“I can hear your thoughts,” she said, her smile disappearing.

“Na bad thing I talk? You no get yansh? You no get breast? You no fine?” Chris met her gaze head-on.

“This is the first and last time we will see each other. Thank you for the compliment.” Her expression remained neutral.

“Okay, so how am I going to get to this new world? Where will I follow?” Chris glanced around.

“You’re funny, Chris.”

*Snap.*

Chris’s body shattered instantly like raindrops.

*Everywhere is getting dark again… My new world. I vow to become a god. I don too suffer.*

Chris reincarnated into the body of Li Yan — an outer sect disciple of the Lion Clan who had just died from exhaustion after being framed and chased into Void Mountain by his seniors.

Chris gasped violently. Sweat formed on his face as his eyes snapped open. Sand covered his body. He pushed himself up and shook his head, throwing off the grains.

The sky was a deeper blue than Earth’s. Two suns shone brightly above.

“Finally, Naija boy don land for cultivation world oh!”

Chris stood to his feet and took his first step in his new body.

“Ahhh!”

He screamed, both hands clutching the top of his head. Li Yan’s memories crashed into his own like a danfo in Lagos traffic — full of pain, betrayal, hunger, and fear.

He dropped to one knee, sweat cutting lines through the red sand on his face. The pain lasted for a few minutes.

“Person just arrived, una wan use headache kill am,” Chris muttered, returning to his feet.

This body belonged to an orphan named Li Yan. *This boy suffer oh. But no worries, guy — I will one day punish those who did this to you.*

Just then, a dark system interface appeared before him.

[Supreme Hustle African System Activated!]

[Reincarnation Successful!]

[Host: Chris — Special Talent Detected]

[Special Talent: Nigerian Heritage Activated!]

[Special Traits: Undying Courage (Extreme), 5x Recovery & Breakthrough Speed, Rhythmic Combat Intuition]

[Main Quest: Become A God Over This World. No Time Limit. Failure: None (You Will Never Give Up No Matter What)]

“This is clean shit!” Chris clenched his fists. “Listen well, System. I just don’t want to survive — I want to become a god above all gods, and nothing go stop me.”

[Quest Accepted]

[Reward: Undying Courage boosted. All future breakthroughs will be faster and more powerful when driven by willpower.]