Death Flagged Beastmaster: Gaining Sentience As A Side Character!

The sun was shining brightly in the sky.

The ship swayed as crashing waves pushed against it.

"Captain.. Are you okay?"

"Where am I?" Zuriel opened his sleepy eyes, his expression revealing a hint of weariness.

A pungent smell assaulted his nostrils, catching him off guard. He squinted as the sunlight distorted his vision before it faded, making his vision more apparent.

Soon, he realised he was lying on a wooden floor, with an unfamiliar man in a strange attire staring at him.

The man appeared to be middle-aged. He wore a fitted double vest over a loose linen shirt with his sleeves rolled up and a single gold hoop earring in his left ear. Below, he wore black trousers, complemented by a green sash tied around his waist, which held a sheathed blade.

"Thank goodness… You haven't suffered a concussion," the middle-aged man sighed in relief. Then, a surge of anger suddenly emerged on his face. "That bastard! I'll punish him for daring to attack you!"

As the man spoke, Zuriel paid no attention to him. Sensing a heavy sensation on his stomach, he lowered his head.

Sitting on his stomach was a tortoise with a smooth, streamlined shell adorned with glowing wavelike patterns and yellow lightning bolts. A small blue jewel was at the centre of its forehead.

Huh! Zuriel stroked his hand on his eyes before narrowing them on it. He was sure the tortoise wasn't from Earth.

"Monster!" Zuriel exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.

Several complex emotions—fear, disbelief, and nervousness—emerged on his face in an instant.

The last thing he remembered was he was in his room, and then at the next moment, a bright light flashed against his eyes, sucking him into his smartphone screen.

He couldn't grasp how he had awakened outside his room and encountered such a monster.

"Did you say something, Captain? " The middle-aged man refocused on Zuriel and asked, his tone filled with concern and uncertainty.

At that moment, Zuriel experienced a severe headache. Unable to contain himself any longer, he screamed out in pain, "Arrghh!"

"Captain!"

Those were the last words that reverberated in Zuriel's ears as he clenched his head in pain and fainted on the floorboard.

…...

Zuriel's eyes fluttered open. He sat upright on the bed, his left hand propping him up and his right hand supporting his head and messaging it.

He paused and brought his hand towards his line of sight.

"This isn't my body," Zuriel said, his voice tinged with agitation. "Wait, a minute! This isn't my room!" Looking around the room he was resting in, he swallowed.

Zuriel shivered unconsciously, and his expression morphed into anxiousness. He brought his right hand forward and pinched his other arm with his two fingernails.

"Ouch!" Sensing the sting on his arm, Zuriel realised that this wasn't his VR gear simulation. Even though it had incredible realistic graphics, he had never turned on its pain receptors.

"Ahh!" A sudden surge of memories appeared in Zuriel's mind.

Zuriel remembered reviewing a novel called 'Tower of Extinct Beasts,' which participated in a global writing contest. The story had terrible pacing, three main characters, none of whom were interesting, and a tiresome deux-ex Mahina plot progression, turning it into a convoluted mess.

It felt like the author hadn't planned for anything beforehand and was making up things. 

Unfortunately, his review was so well-written and detailed that even the editors cited it as a reason the novel did not win the contest. Minutes after the winners were announced, he received a personal message from the author.

To his surprise, the message was simple: it asked him to read the re-edited version of the novel, which was better than the previously released novel and provided a link.

Although Zuriel was sceptical about how the author had re-edited the entire novel within a few minutes, he didn't think about it too much. It was on a weekend, and one of his favourite things was to read novels and play simulation games with his VR gear.

So, Zuriel clicked on the link without hesitation. If it wasn't a re-edited version, he had planned to leave another review to save the readers the stress from such an undignified author.

Strangely, when he clicked on the link, terms and conditions appeared on the website's homepage.

And like every average human aware that some companies copy and paste these things from others, changing only a few things within to match their taste, he swiftly scrolled to the bottom and clicked the agree button.

Zuriel thought it was simply a contract that prevented him from exposing the novel's contents, as the author had yet to release it fully. Contrary to his expectation, at the next moment, his phone screen transformed into a frightening suction force and sucked him into it.

When Zuriel opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the wooden floorboard before an unfamiliar and unnatural beast sitting on top of him. Then, he collapsed again due to an excruciating head-splitting headache assaulting his mind.

Zuriel's expression twisted into a deep frown as he began to piece the truths together. Even though he was excited to experience the famed transmigration, he preferred his life back home.

He had a sizeable inheritance from his parents, which allowed him to live as he wanted and work various jobs without caring about the pay or getting fired. Most of all, he was only good at absorbing knowledge online, reading novels, and playing VR games.

Zuriel understood that if he was indeed in the world of that novel, a world with dangerous beasts and powerful humans roaming at every corner. He could only wait in silence for his death if he encountered any of them.

Suddenly, a bright blue light flashed before Zuriel's eyes, sending him into shock and almost causing him to leap out of bed.

'Huh, this is a status screen!' Zuriel thought.

Realising he wasn't under attack, Zuriel calmed down and focused on the blue status screen before him.

As an avid VR gamer, Zuriel was familiar with a status screen. He almost believed this was a prank, but his eyes widened in disbelief at its contents.

"It's a letter", Zuriel muttered. He swiftly read through it.

[ To reader R.Y.R,

Well, well, well. Look at you. You must be feeling quite pleased with yourself. "The plot is too convoluted," you said. "The characters are flatter than a straightened plank." And oh, my personal favourite. "Did this author even plan the beast's evolution path?"

Ahem.

Allow me to enlighten you, dear reader—err, inhabitant. Writing is not an easy task! Yet, you chose to deliver a harsh critique that convinced the editors to snub me, thegreatquill, in their competition!

But I found your critique accurate.... painfully so. So I did what any self-respecting divine being does: revamped my entire work. As a token of my endless divine generosity, I decided to allow you to share in the new and improved version. You are welcome!

Now, as you wander through this world, you might notice a few changes. The rules and plotlines you once knew differ slightly from the novel's original version.

The same way you dissected my plot, you will now experience it firsthand. Those beast evolution paths you complained about? Let's see how you deal with them in practice. Oh, and about those convoluted main characters? Congratulations, you are now one of them!

Still, I am merciful. So, I will give you a head start with a slightly overpowered- (but not broken, I promise) ability. You will need it. The world is a living, breathing story; you are its protagonist- or at least one of them. The others... well, you will meet them soon enough.

And no, I won't answer your questions about the ending. You will have to figure it out yourself.

Good luck taming beasts, conquering dungeons, and keeping your sanity intact. If you survive long enough, just maybe, you will understand the true depth of my narrative genius.

P.S. Don't die too quickly. That would be boring.

Signed and sent by thegreatquill. ]

Zuriel realised his judgement was correct. He hadn't transmigrated into just any world but into the novel he had criticised.

'If I had known, I would have been less hasher,' Zuriel thought, depressed. But he swiftly picked himself back up because there was no use in crying over spilt milk. 

[ Ding! Initialising system….

Loading system... 90% complete...

Please wait patiently. System delays are a feature, not a bug. ]

[ Welcome to the Beastmaster Editor System…

The Beastmaster Editor system allows you to manipulate and enhance the status of any beast under your control through the system interface using the (EP) editing points, which can only be obtained by interacting with the story's main characters and other notable characters.

For example, you can unlock hidden potential and enhance or create unique evolution paths and skills. 

(thegreatquill: You can choose to go into hiding, but ask yourself, how long can you survive?) ]

...

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