With a casual clench.
After extinguishing the burning wood fragments in his hand.
Xi Shenlian quickly tested the strength he currently possessed, and a sense of doubt and curiosity gradually rose in his heart.
I wonder what level of aptitude I count as among the Awakened...
Although the existence of the Awakened had long since become common knowledge.
Detailed information, however, remained a secret that ordinary people could not casually access.
As far as ordinary people were concerned, only relatively superficial and popularized information was widely circulated.
For example, the Awakened were divided into several completely different strength levels, so the strength and aptitude of each Awakened naturally varied quite obviously.
The lowest level of the Awakened was called the Initial Awakening Stage.
In practical terms, this meant they had only just begun to awaken, like infants who had just been born.
Next came the Mature Stage.
This meant that all of an Awakened person's bodily functions had finished awakening, as though they had developed into a normal adult...
On top of that.
Xi Shenlian still had not fully tested his exact strength.
So.
Having neither complete information nor a target to compare himself against, he could not help feeling curious about what level his aptitude actually reached among the Awakened.
He was also somewhat curious about what high-level Awakened were really like.
Still.
If he thought about it.
His aptitude should not be considered poor among the Awakened...
Because, according to what he knew, low-level Awakened were still the type that could be effectively harmed by the modern weapons of the current world.
And judging from his current state, having only just awakened.
Once he fully awakened.
He should not be too far behind them.
By then.
Aside from those strategic weapons with enormous destructive power, he should be able to withstand or evade all kinds of conventional weapons.
In his view.
If his aptitude was excellent.
Then in this life, he would have obtained the Genius Path script.
He could completely let himself go in the future, perhaps even finding a way to establish his own faction and become a king or hegemon.
After all.
Many of his predecessors had already managed to start dozens of World Wars.
With his excellent aptitude, after cautiously developing until he matured, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to become a regional overlord who could run wild without anyone being able to control him. It could not be called excessive in the slightest.
If his aptitude was merely average or relatively poor...
Then becoming a king or hegemon would obviously be somewhat difficult.
He could hide away in some impoverished backwater and become its local tyrant.
But there would not really be any need.
Rather than spending all that free time struggling alone toward a visible limit.
He might as well rely on his identity as an Awakened, along with his good background and excellent appearance, and join some powerful faction where he could eat and drink for free.
For example, he could simply become a live-in son-in-law in some large faction. Would that not be wonderful?
One had to know that an Awakened identity was incredibly useful!
Simply registering with the Dongying Government after awakening would entitle him to a state subsidy equal to thirty times the country's average monthly salary, no strings attached.
If he went to work for a major faction as well, all kinds of high salaries and generous subsidies would be waiting for him.
They might even give him a car and a house in minutes!
Take Xi Shenlian right now, for example.
Setting everything else aside.
Even if he made the stupidest possible choice and went to haul bricks, he could still do the work of dozens of people.
Calculating based on the average salary of 250,000 yen earned by most workers in Dongying.
That already meant a monthly salary starting at ten million yen.
Furthermore, many ancient and prestigious families had a tradition of recruiting Awakened into their own ranks to improve their bloodlines...
Given this situation.
Xi Shenlian's status as an orphan was practically the chosen gift from heaven in the eyes of those great families!!
His background was clean and verifiable, and he had no ties holding him back!
Once brought over, he would be a true member of their own family!!
For every faction, this entire package could be called the ultimate finishing blow—a super gift package moving around on its own!!
It was only slightly inferior to someone raised and trained from childhood.
Therefore.
Any great family that laid eyes on Xi Shenlian would praise him as excellent and wonderful. Even if his aptitude was nothing special among the Awakened, they would still exclaim that they desperately needed such a rare talent and offer him preferential treatment!!
To put it bluntly.
On this planet's live-in son-in-law market.
Xi Shenlian's popularity was beyond question!!
There was only one minor problem with the whole matter.
Would Xi Shenlian be willing to put aside his pride and marry into another family?
And the answer... had long since been decided!
As someone who did not care about trivial details, how could he be the sort of person who would give up a life of idleness over a little pride and dignity?
Forget about having his children take the woman's surname after marrying into her family.
As long as the conditions were right, he would even be willing to change his own name and take her surname!!
In any case, he had chosen this name casually in the first place. He could do whatever he liked with it.
It did not carry even the slightest bit of hereditary significance.
He did not care.
It was all perfectly stable!
Besides, what was there to fear about marrying into another family?
Nothing more than the fear of having no status afterward.
Eating the woman's food and using the woman's things would indeed make it difficult to have much standing in the family under normal circumstances.
But he was an Awakened!
An Awakened whom any faction would support after he casually joined them!
Even if he joined a government department, he could immediately switch careers into the cadre class. He would be an Awakened who could sit in an office and play games every day while collecting a salary!!
Did he need to fear such things?
Even if he really married into another family and joined some great clan, he would at least count as bringing capital into the partnership.
His say might not be particularly weighty.
But he would certainly have some authority, more or less.
He would not need to worry about anyone showing him attitude, and his life as a parasite would be perfectly secure!!
Thinking of this.
Xi Shenlian could not help generating all sorts of unrelated fantasies.
Speaking of improving bloodlines... I don't care about that at all. I just wonder whether those great families have many beautiful unmarried women... They probably do, right? They are great families, after all... If I married into one, would they mind if I took several beautiful female relatives from the woman's side as wives...? When it comes to improving the bloodline, I feel that I could perhaps shoulder more responsibility. Helping the woman's side would be my duty, too...
As his thoughts delved deeper into the matter.
Xi Shenlian, who was planning to enjoy the benefits, thought of the major responsibilities he might have to shoulder in the future.
His bent back.
Involuntarily straightened.
He felt that his future was truly promising!!
No matter how he looked at it, he had a bright future ahead of him. He absolutely had to stand tall and make something of himself!!
Once he put on the identity of an Awakened, the Genius Path, the ordinary path, and the Trash Path would all offer benefits!!
It was practically as if every road led to Rome. Every kind of life script was excellent!!
In other words, as long as one's thinking did not go astray, there were always more solutions than difficulties!!
As for concealing his identity and revealing none of his strength, living the life of an ordinary person forever?
Xi Shenlian had never considered such a thing.
After all, he was not an idiot looking to get beaten for no reason.
Nor was he the classic fool who gained power only to shout, "No, I just want to live a simple life!!"
My power was meant to let me enjoy life...
There was nothing wrong with enduring hardship.
But enduring pointless hardship.
That would simply be stupid.
It was at this moment.
Xi Shenlian was pondering which life script he had obtained and which path he should follow when he suddenly heard a sound.
Ding~
"?"
In an instant.
As that crisp sound, so vivid and immediate, echoed through his mind.
A strange premonition immediately welled up inside him.
He also subconsciously formed a vague guess about what was happening.
Life Winner System activated: Thank you for using the system!
In that brief moment.
Facing the pop-up window and notification sound that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
Amid his astonishment, he immediately understood with extraordinary clarity that he had not obtained some Genius Path or Trash Path life script at all, but rather a system-path script...
"Whoa, that's kind of flashy~"
Before you continue