[Advent ended]
[Settlement for this Advent is in progress— Results: Discovered the living beings of Purple Prison Mountain: Exploration +8. Discovered Moon Gazing Lake, a special location on Purple Prison Mountain: Exploration +6. Discovered Purple Bamboo Forest, a special location on Purple Prison Mountain: Exploration +5 Discovered Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit: activated the Special Character panel and earned an Exploration reward of 50. Calculating exploration results. Rewards for this exploration: 1: Soul Strength +5 2: Special Character panel unlocked 3: Received one random soul Congratulations, Summoner.]
In the Soul Blossom space, Li Ke took a deep breath and looked at his personal panel.
[Name: Li Ke]
[Race: Human Soul]
[Soul Strength: 7.3 (Scattered Soul)]
[World Exploration: 1%]
[Current Item: Unknown Soul Stone]
Li Ke swung his arm and felt a subtle change in his body. The discomfort in his chest had eased considerably. Having grown up in Zaun, he had never undergone any alchemical body modifications. He had no money, and he refused to join another gang, so his physical condition had been terrible.
Poor Zaunite children were all malnourished, and Li Ke was no exception. The heavy gray haze in Zaun had also damaged his respiratory tract, and quite a few of his internal organs had problems as well. Under normal circumstances, whether Li Ke would live past forty was a big question mark. But now, his body felt healthy.
Was this the effect of Soul Strength?
Had it changed his constitution?
Li Ke looked at one corner of the panel. There was an icon resembling a pouch. When he opened it, he found a blue stone inside, glowing with a faint green light. It was beautiful.
[Unknown Soul Stone (Bound)] [Quality: Blue (Spirit Body)] [Use Level: None] [Description: A stone formed from an unknown soul in the Soul Blossom world. It possesses mysterious and powerful abilities.]
Li Ke: "..."
Holy shit, this really was getting more and more like a game!
He pressed Use and froze the next moment.
His mind was struck by a flood of information. In an instant, Li Ke absorbed countless pieces of knowledge.
[Using Soul Stone] [The Unknown Soul Stone has released its power—] [Acquired the memories of an unknown soul.] [Extracted skill from [Memories of an Unknown Soul]: Spirit Body Level Fist Technique] [Congratulations, Summoner]
Coming back to his senses, Li Ke clenched his fist. Knowledge that didn't belong to him surged through his mind.
How to clench his fist, how to throw a punch, how to breathe.
Footwork, moves, all kinds of strange yet familiar memories churned in Li Ke's mind.
He looked at the panel and saw a new line on his personal profile.
[Current Skill: [Fist Technique (Spirit Body Level/Restricted)]]
Spirit Body Level. What kind of level was that?
As for "Restricted," Li Ke immediately understood what it meant. His current Soul Strength wasn't enough to unleash the fist technique's full effect.
He looked at his Soul Strength again. The words "Scattered Soul" stood out clearly, and an idea came to him. Maybe the next level after Scattered Soul was Spirit Body Level?
Li Ke scratched his head. Even if Spirit Body Level wasn't the next rank, "Spirit Body" was clearly related to Soul Strength.
His Golden Finger came from the Soul Blossom world, so naturally, he had to view everything through the lens of that world.
Then Li Ke looked at the other panel, the one that had activated after he encountered Thresh.
On the canvas of the Shan Hai Scroll, a heart-shaped icon had appeared. When he opened it, he saw nothing but dark silhouettes—except for one bright purple portrait. Thresh wore an extremely sinister smile in the frame, but his gaze wasn't like the Thresh Li Ke had met. It wasn't as terrifying or sinister.
[Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit—Thresh] [Soul Strength: ???] [Personality: ???] [Stage: Obsession] [Status: Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit is searching for you]
"?"
Come on, you're still not done?
Li Ke sucked in a breath, convinced that Thresh was one hell of a bastard!
No, what was this "Obsession" stage supposed to mean?!
Li Ke carefully studied the panel. Then he nearly passed out.
The Special Character affection system seemed to be an extremely important part of his Golden Finger.
He discovered that when a Special Character's affection reached a certain stage, he could receive support in the form of their corresponding abilities.
The stages were as follows:
Encounter (0)
Acquaintance (100)
Intimate Friend (600)
Life and Death Friendship (1200)
And the stage that was locked for male characters: Intimate Friend (2000).
So what was this "Obsession" stage?
It wasn't listed among the stages, yet Thresh was at the Obsession stage with him?
Li Ke was completely baffled.
There was another character, though: a hazy figure unlike the other dark silhouettes.
Li Ke looked closer and saw the silhouette of a fox sitting down.
[Unknown Mysterious Deity—???] [Soul Strength: ???] [Personality: ???] [Stage: Encounter (0)] [Status: Excitedly chasing butterflies in the Soul Blossom world~]
"Heh. 'Unknown Mysterious Deity.' I can't even be bothered to comment."
Li Ke was speechless. He wasn't all that familiar with the League of Legends lore, but it wasn't as if he knew nothing at all. He at least knew what the champions' skins looked like!
"So the one who saved me earlier was Ahri?"
Li Ke rubbed his chin, curious.
He remembered that when the Spirit Blossom Festival event had come around, the League client had launched a special event: a little Galgame-style game featuring the first group of Soul Blossom champions.
Back then, Li Ke had collected Ahri, Lillia, and Kindred's icons and emotes. The Spirit Blossom Festival really was one of Riot Games' best skin events, so Li Ke was quite familiar with Soul Blossom Ahri.
How to put it? The Ahri in the little game was cute, with a playful tone and a lively, bubbly personality.
Thinking back to the ethereal voice he'd heard earlier, Li Ke could suddenly picture it.
"Ah, Thresh, it's been a while! Have you figured out how many souls you've collected lately~?"
Yeah, it really was a lovely, adorable voice.
"Shit, I haven't claimed my rewards yet!"
Thinking of Ahri, Li Ke suddenly remembered. He hurriedly opened the Illustration Book and found the Purple Great Serpent.
After activating it, Li Ke claimed two points of Stamina and two points of Strength. But after collecting them, he saw that his Soul Strength was still 7.3.
That gave Li Ke a new theory about Soul Strength.
It wasn't a value that simply increased through addition.
Once he'd finished everything, Li Ke left the space.
He still had another chance to descend, but he decided not to do so again for the time being. Thresh was searching all over the Soul Blossom world for him, so he definitely couldn't descend into that world again anytime soon.
All right, exit!
Waking up in bed, Li Ke reached for his neck and tugged gently on the chain. A pocket watch popped out. It was cute in style, decorated with pink and blue monster graffiti.
He opened it and checked the time.
He then realized that time in the Soul Blossom world passed differently from time in the Material Realm. He'd spent nearly two hours in the Soul Blossom world, but less than ten minutes had passed in the Material Realm.
Li Ke rolled over and went back to sleep, no longer dwelling on it. He'd already had more than enough excitement and surprises for one day!
Early the next morning, Li Ke left home with the money pouch Malson had given him. As usual, he planned to look for work in Zaun. The morning had brought a lull in the chaos, but plenty of "corpses" still lay in the streets of Black Alley. Beggars could be seen in the streets and alleys, wrapped in rags with broken bowls set in front of them. Their exposed limbs were sometimes purple and wrinkled into lumps—horrifying to look at.
Li Ke tried not to look at them and leaped over them with an easy stride.
He moved faster and faster, realizing that his body really had changed dramatically. It was visibly in better shape, but what were his limits?
He had no clear idea of how strong he was or how fast he could move.
So he decided to find somewhere empty and test himself.
Walking through the morning haze, Li Ke headed for the outskirts of Black Alley and made his way toward the Abandoned Industrial Zone.
He really was curious about how much he'd changed.
By the time Li Ke returned to Black Alley, it was nearly noon. He came back looking excited, his black hair damp.
"Insane. Absolutely insane!"
I'm really this strong now?
Li Ke thought it was ridiculous!
He'd assumed that a Soul Strength of 7.3 would probably only make him a little stronger than an ordinary person. But after testing himself just now, all he could say was that he wasn't ordinary anymore!
An ordinary person?
He could take on ten ordinary people!
Could an ordinary person crush rocks with their bare hands?!
His speed, jumping ability, and even his reflexes had all improved.
With a body like this...
Thinking about it, if he saw Malson again, it might actually work to have him take Li Ke along to fight in the ring. After all, boxing paid well.
Li Ke found a restaurant in Black Alley. Ignoring the pungent smell of the food and the stench coming from the people around him, he wolfed down his meal.
Bloody frog meat and fish had been mashed together. It was soggy in his mouth, with a bizarre texture and terrible taste, but Li Ke kept gulping it down. In Zaun, finding food that was still reasonably warm was already a good thing. And after his "workout," Li Ke was starving.
As Li Ke ate, a group of people suddenly barged into the restaurant.
The server behind the counter saw them and quickly shrank back. The owner, who'd been leisurely inhaling purple spray behind the counter while some kind of substance floated in front of him, hurried to his feet. With a fawning smile, he stooped down and approached the group.
"Honored sirs, what a rare visit! What brings you here?"
"Quit wasting my fucking time. Have you seen this person?" The tattooed man at the head of the group shoved a piece of paper in front of the restaurant owner and demanded loudly.
The owner looked down and hurriedly shook his head. "No, no. I've never seen him."
"If you do, notify us. This person is important."
"Yes, yes, I understand. Should I keep this picture and put it up in the restaurant?"
"Put it up my ass! You think he's a wanted criminal? He's an important person to Lord Silco." The tattooed man kicked the restaurant owner in the stomach, then led his people out of the restaurant.
The owner clutched his stomach and spat. Then he went back behind the counter and inhaled the spray he'd left there.
His weary expression changed at once. He twisted his head and said:
"What a fucking piece of shit. Ever since his people came to Black Alley, life here's gotten worse every single day!"
"The world's getting more chaotic by the day, the bastards. Sigh." The owner shook his head and muttered as he inhaled the spray.
Li Ke finished eating, pulled down his hood, and stood up. He quietly left the restaurant.
Outside, a crowd had filled the streets of Black Alley. They were going around questioning people, asking everyone the same questions they'd asked in the restaurant.
Li Ke lowered his hood, kept a low profile, and slipped along the edge of the crowd, leaving like a ghost.
Zaun under Silco was more extreme than it had been under Vander.
During Vander's rule, Zaun had been poor, but at least it hadn't been chaotic. Most violent incidents happened late at night, and few dared to cause trouble during the day. Zaun under Silco had certainly grown wealthier, but that wealth belonged only to the Alchemical Barons and those with power. The poor had gotten poorer, and their living conditions had worsened. Now, gangs could be seen smashing things in broad daylight.
Li Ke shook his head and left Black Alley.
It looked like there was no way he'd find work there.
If he could, he'd love to sneak across to the Upper City. Even the Dance Hall would do, since at least things weren't as chaotic there.
At night, Li Ke returned to Black Alley after a busy day.
Keeping his hood low and a low profile as usual, Li Ke headed down the alley toward home.
Another day of wasted effort. There were practically no jobs in Zaun for ordinary people anymore. Even the odd jobs were handed out by gangs, and there was no such thing as honest work.
When he reached the alley, Li Ke took off his hood and started up the creaking staircase. But after a few steps, he froze.
The staircase in front of him had been painted in strange colors. In the dim light, the fluorescent shades stood out all the more.
Blue and pink crossed over each other. Without thinking, Li Ke touched his chest.
The colors on the pocket watch inside his shirt were the same, and the graffiti style was exactly like the designs on the stairs.
"..."
Li Ke swallowed, a thought suddenly forming in his mind.
No way.
Could it really be her?
Li Ke stood outside his house, staring blankly.
Tsk. He couldn't take that chance. If it really was her, then he definitely needed to stay away!
She was a lunatic!
Sure, she was popular in the anime and the game, but in real life, who'd want to be friends with a lunatic?
With that thought, Li Ke stepped back, intending to leave.
But just as Li Ke took one step back, the door to his house was kicked violently open.
A slender, fair-skinned leg appeared in front of him. She wore shorts, and an old bandage was stuck to her pale pink knee in an X shape. Her clanking boots were even more over-the-top, with metal plates attached to their thick toes. They hit the floor with a clack.
"If I were you, I'd cover your mouth right now and come inside quietly."
A pleasant, lilting voice rang out. Li Ke took a step back as a metal pistol covered in colorful graffiti pointed at his head beneath the dim yellow light. She took two more steps forward, her face coming into view.
She wore a tactical crop top, baring a pretty, toned stomach. She had plenty of lovely blue cloud tattoos, but they weren't overwhelming. What was interesting was that she was a typical Zaun kid. You could tell from her tattoos, and also from her undernourished little chest. Beneath the tight crop top, there was only the slightest hint of a curve.
Damn, Thresh's chest was way more spectacular than hers!
On either side of her body hung two blue braids that nearly reached the floor. Looking at her face, Li Ke saw a small, adorable, still-childlike oval face. Beneath her pert little nose was a mouth that seemed to smile at him, and above it, a pair of clear, bright blue eyes.
Huh.
Wait,
Blue eyes?
Not pink?
Looking at the girl before him, Li Ke slowly raised both hands. A greeting slipped from his lips:
"Jinx?"
Before you continue