The Goddamn System

Going against the beast tide was definitely one of the most thrilling—and suicidal—decisions Lin Kun had ever made.

Countless rats, venomous snakes, and centipedes surged past his feet like a black tide, producing scalp-crawling rustles and hisses. A foul stench assaulted him, and several times, panicked Spirit Beasts nearly slammed into him or tripped him.

"Good lord! This is more crowded and terrifying than rush-hour subway trains in my past life!" Lin Kun pushed Basic Movement Technique Mastery to its limit, weaving through wave after wave of impacts like a fallen leaf in a gale. His mind was taut with focus, Insight Skill fully activated as he predicted the gaps in the beast tide ahead of time.

The academy teachers in the distance watched with their hearts in their throats. They nearly fired their signal flares several times. "Has this kid gone insane?! Charging into the beast tide? Is he throwing his life away over a few stalks of Wind Whisper Grass?!"

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect scouts were equally dumbfounded as they recorded everything at top speed. "The target's behavior is extremely abnormal. He may have been bewitched by some unknown existence and is voluntarily seeking death? Or does he possess some peculiar fetish? (Meaning he likes being trampled by Spirit Beasts.)"

Lin Kun had no time to care what others thought. He was holding on purely through greed—and the Book Spirit's intense longing. That speck of white light flickered faintly behind the chaotic beast tide, like a beacon guiding his way.

The farther in he went, the thinner the beast tide became. However, the remaining Spirit Beasts were clearly older. Quite a few were several decades old, and some were even nearing a hundred years, their eyes far more savage.

Lin Kun's pressure surged. Several bloody cuts had already appeared across his body. He gritted his teeth as his Mental Power drained wildly to maintain his movement technique and Insight Skill.

At last, he broke through the densest part of the beast tide, and the view before him suddenly opened up. In a clearing deep within the valley, the sight made him suck in a cold breath!

At the center of the clearing, a strange little tree was withering at a visible rate! Its branches and leaves had turned charred black, as though some force had drained all life from within it. At the base of the dying tree lay a fist-sized, pure white object that emitted a soft yet pristine glow... an egg?

Natural, intricate, and mysterious silver patterns covered the egg's surface. The pure spiritual energy that had attracted the Book Spirit was emanating from within it! The surrounding Spirit Beasts' frantic flight also seemed to stem from their fear of some power that might be released when this egg hatched—or shattered.

"What kind of Spirit Beast egg is this? Its energy is so pure and powerful!" Lin Kun was both shocked and delighted. The Book Spirit's longing practically pierced the heavens, its light crystal flashing madly as if telling him this was an enormous opportunity!

Just as he prepared to step forward for a closer look, the white egg suddenly began to shake violently! The silver patterns on its surface blazed with light!

Crack!

A tiny fissure appeared at the top of the shell! An even purer surge of spiritual energy erupted from within, carrying a trace of unstable, violent aura!

The Book Spirit sent an urgent warning:

Warning! High-energy reaction detected! An unknown Spirit-type Spirit Beast is about to hatch! The energy is unstable and may generate a Spirit Shock!

Lin Kun's expression changed, and he instinctively wanted to retreat. But at that moment, the goddamn system notification rang out again at the worst possible time:

Ding! Rare special event detected: Birth of an ancient Spirit-type Spirit Beast. Extreme mission triggered: Soul Companion. Mission requirement: Establish an initial spiritual link with the Spirit Beast at the moment it hatches. (The host must comprehend the method independently.) Mission reward: Unknown Spirit Beast companion (extremely high growth potential), 500 Plot Breakdown Points, special skill Spirit Resonance. Failure penalty: Suffer intense spiritual backlash, resulting in soul damage, becoming an idiot (70% probability), or immediate brain death (30% probability). Mission tip: Feel with your heart, connect with Mental Threads, and use your Mental Power to embrace it! Let's go!

Lin Kun: "???" To hell with your "Let's go"! Could any carbon-based life form come up with a failure penalty like that?! Either become an idiot or die outright?! Wasn't this just a death trap?!

Watching the cracks multiply across the eggshell and the spiritual fluctuations grow increasingly unstable, Lin Kun fell into an intense struggle.

Run? He might still make it, but missing such an incredible opportunity hurt too much, and the Book Spirit seemed to crave it desperately. Go for it? The cost of failure was far too brutal! This was a gamble with his life!

"Damn it! Fortune comes with risk! I'm doing it!" Thinking about the double pressure he would still have to face from Tang San and Ning Rongrong when he returned, a ruthless spark rose in Lin Kun's heart. "Isn't it just a spiritual link? I've got Mental Threads!"

He charged forward, releasing every last one of his Mental Threads. Like gentle tendrils, they cautiously reached toward the egg that was about to shatter!

The instant his Mental Threads touched the eggshell—

The egg completely cracked open!

There was no earth-shattering boom, only a silent shriek violent enough to tear apart the soul! A tangible spiritual storm abruptly spread outward from the point where the shell broke!

"Pfft—!" Lin Kun took the full brunt of it. He was struck as if by a heavy blow and spat out a mouthful of blood. It felt as though billions of needles had savagely pierced his brain. His vision went black, and he nearly passed out on the spot! His Mental Threads were instantly torn to pieces!

Though they were farther away, the academy teachers and sect scouts also felt a powerful wave of spiritual dizziness, their faces turning pale in horror!

"Not good! It's a Spirit Shock!" Enduring the discomfort, the academy teacher was about to rush over to save him!

But within that destructive spiritual storm, Lin Kun relied on his powerful will to survive and his newly enhanced Mental Power to forcibly retain the last shred of clarity! He felt the Book Spirit erupt with unprecedented radiance, desperately protecting the core of his consciousness!

"Connect... link..." His hazy thoughts struggled as he recalled the system's nonsense about "feeling with your heart, connecting with Mental Threads, and embracing it with Mental Power."

He gave up all resistance and made his remaining Mental Power as gentle as possible, like a warm current of water. He no longer tried to connect; instead, he tried to "embrace" the weak consciousness at the heart of the storm, newly born and equally filled with fear and confusion.

"Don't be afraid... don't be afraid..." He conveyed vague goodwill with his thoughts.

The violent spiritual storm seemed to pause slightly. At its center, a palm-sized little creature opened its eyes. It was snow-white and fluffy, looking somewhat like a tiny fox and somewhat like a little ermine. Its crystal-clear blue eyes were filled with newborn bewilderment and fear of everything around it.

It sensed Lin Kun's weak yet warm thoughts. Like someone grasping driftwood in a raging sea, it instinctively moved toward that consciousness.

In a flash of inspiration, Lin Kun condensed another tiny Mental Thread and gently touched the little beast's forehead, as though caressing it.

This time, there was no resistance and no storm. A faint yet incomparably clear sense of closeness and connection was established through the Mental Thread.

The spiritual storm slowly subsided.

Ding! Extreme mission Soul Companion completed! Reward: Spirit Beast companion (unnamed), 500 Plot Breakdown Points, special skill Spirit Resonance issued.

Lin Kun collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. His entire body was soaked in cold sweat and blood, and his head felt as though it might split apart, yet a wildly ecstatic smile appeared on his face!

He had done it! He had won the gamble!

The snow-white little beast staggered out of the eggshell and curiously tilted its head at the collapsed Lin Kun. Then it let out a faint "chirp," wobbling over to his face and rubbing its fluffy little head against his cheek. A cool, gentle stream of spiritual energy entered Lin Kun's mind, easing his headache.

"Little guy... I'll call you Little White from now on..." Lin Kun smiled weakly. Then his vision went dark, and he finally passed out from exhaustion.

In the distance, the academy teacher and the sect scouts looked at one another, each seeing utter shock in the other's eyes.

Academy teacher: "That just now... was that... a spiritual link? He tamed that Spirit Beast?" Sect scout: "The target... appears to have successfully formed a contract with an unknown high-level Spirit-type Spirit Beast?! Intelligence classification: top secret! This must be reported to the young lady immediately!"