His lackeys were so terrified by the sight before them that they stood frozen for a while before finally snapping out of it. They scrambled to carry him to Baron Hamilton's castle for treatment.
In a daze, they thought they heard a strange voice: "System binding successful. Host attributes: Strength: 7, Agility: 6, Intelligence: 5, Charisma: 5, Potential: 0, Unallocated Skill Points: 23."
When Baron Hamilton saw his half-dead son, he flew into a rage. He beat the lackeys until they were wailing for mercy, then hurriedly sent someone to the church to fetch a Priest.
News that Renard had been struck by lightning spread like wildfire. The residents he had bullied praised the great god for opening his eyes and punishing the vile beast, and prayed that he would never wake up.
But as the saying went: Good people died young, while evil men lived for a thousand years.
Though Renard's injuries were serious, several barely competent Priests took turns treating him, and soon he was out of danger. He would, however, need a long period of rest to recover.
When the residents of Saint Brieuc Fortress, who had been praising the gods, heard the news, they immediately clamored to abandon their faith and demanded all the money they had donated to the church back.
Half a month later, Renard awoke from his dazed stupor, his eyes filled with bewilderment. He had had a very long dream. In it, he had become a spoiled young master who bullied men and women and committed every kind of evil.
He raised his head and looked around in silence, reluctantly accepting one fact: he had transmigrated!
Renard had been a hardcore gamer from the Huaxia Nation on Earth. He had suddenly gone numb and passed out while playing a game, and when he woke up, he was here.
He took a deep breath and murmured, "You've got to be kidding me. Sure, I was playing Mount & Blade, but did I really have to transmigrate to the Middle Ages?"
He shook his head hard, trying to clear his thoughts, then spat forcefully on the ground. "Pah! Scumbag! Pah! Fat nerd!"
Renard froze for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "Is this some kind of split personality?"
He rubbed his forehead and began recalling what had happened. He vaguely remembered playing the game Mount & Blade, which a friend had recommended. He had been racking his brains over character creation when he suddenly passed out. He couldn't help wondering: Did I enter the game?
Renard quickly dismissed the foolish idea. After merging with the memories of this body, he had found no information related to the game.
Unable to make sense of things, he grew irritated and began yanking at his hair, looking just like a madman.
A long while later, he took another deep breath and tried to calm himself, reassuring himself: "Don't panic. Think carefully."
Before long, Renard's thoughts returned to the moment he had entered the game.
"Hello, adventurer. Welcome to Mount & Blade. Before the game begins, you must create your character. Please note that the game takes place in a traditional medieval society, where war and politics are generally dominated by male nobles."
"But that doesn't mean you can't choose to play a female character or a commoner. Choosing a male noble will simply make the early game a little easier."
"Women and commoners can achieve just as much, though. In fact, it will make the early game more challenging and bring you even more fun."
Fun? Renard scratched the rolls of fat on his belly, a look of disdain spreading across his face.
As a hardcore gamer, his time was precious. He couldn't waste it on any one game, so he chose a male character without hesitation.
"When you were born on this distant continent many years ago, your father was a..."
"Fallen noble, traveling merchant, veteran, hunter, nomad, thief."
Renard still didn't hesitate. He yawned and chose fallen nobility.
"You were born into a fallen noble family. All that remained was a dilapidated estate, a record of past glories long since faded."
"Though life was difficult, your family still gave you a good education. From childhood, you were strictly trained in proper conduct and manners. Later, as a teenager, you worked as a..."
"Noble's squire, artisan's apprentice, merchant's assistant, street urchin, child of the steppe."
Renard picked his ears and flicked the earwax far away, then used the mouse to select noble's squire.
"Though the gap between the classes was vast, some force still guided you to become a man, and the whole world would be changed by you."
"As a noble's guard, you spent a long time practicing with all kinds of weapons, learning how to strike and parry. You were taught to be loyal to your lord and to take responsibility for those who might one day serve under you."
"Yet while learning about the ideals of knighthood, you also heard from the veterans' stories about its less honorable side—brutal power politics, betrayal and usurpation, and doing whatever it took to achieve your aims."
"After some time, however, everything changed. You decided to set off alone on an adventure in a distant land. The reason you made this choice was..."
"Personal vendetta, the pain of losing a lover, a love of exploration, being driven out of your home, a desire for power and wealth."
Renard lit a cigarette and lifted a huge jug of mineral water, gulping it down. But he lost his grip, and the jug crashed onto his computer desk, splashing water everywhere. He hurriedly grabbed some paper towels to clean up, but accidentally touched the power strip.
Then came sparks and flashes of lightning...
His thoughts slowly cleared. So the culprit behind his transmigration had been cheap mineral water and a shoddy power strip. He couldn't help feeling both amused and exasperated.
As Renard brooded over his bad luck, a familiar interface suddenly appeared in his mind. He stared for a moment, then exclaimed, "The Mount & Blade game interface?"
Before he could recover from the shock, a mechanical voice sounded in his mind again: "The host has not yet completed character creation. Continue?"
Renard didn't answer. He swallowed and tentatively asked, "A cheat?"
The mechanical voice replied as before: "The host has not yet completed character creation. Continue?"
Renard's expression shifted back and forth. After hesitating for a long while, he finally made up his mind. "Confirm!"
"You decide to set off alone on an adventure in a distant land. The reason you made this choice was..."
Renard spent half an hour confirming one more thing: he really had transmigrated to another world, and he had brought the Mount & Blade game system with him.
"Host, please complete character creation as soon as possible!"
After the system's Nth reminder, Renard chose a desire for power and wealth, never realizing that this would mark the beginning of his legendary life.
"Ding! System activated successfully."
Before you continue