"Beep! Upgrade System activated. You have received a Starter Pack."
When Garen first tried the Qi-Gathering Stance, he spent over ten minutes listening to his father's instructions. Just as he finally entered that mysterious state, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind, jolting him out of it.
"Smack!"
A faint pain shot through his arm.
His father had struck him with a wooden stick.
"Garen, remember this: ordinary people like us have to train hard from a young age if we want to live well. You need to build up your body and strength. Otherwise, when you grow up and go to war, it'll be hard to survive. Understand?"
With that, Clark took off his short-sleeved shirt, revealing his upper body. A long, terrible scar crossed his chest, and many other scars mottled his skin.
"If I hadn't been a Level 5 Warrior back then, I would've died on the battlefield after taking all those wounds. We aren't nobles, and we don't have powerful Battle Qi Secret Manuals. We can only rely on ourselves: focus, train hard, and take it one step at a time."
"Understood, Father. Don't worry. I'll train hard and become a powerful warrior."
Garen saw the wounds on his father's body and was startled. Then he replied with confidence.
Before, he wouldn't have had any confidence at all. But he'd just heard the system's voice, and he could still sense the glittering golden pack in his mind. He didn't feel the slightest burden saying that now.
"Good. Do as I told you: concentrate, stay calm, breathe naturally, and hold the right posture."
Garen struggled to suppress his excitement. Ten minutes later, he finally managed to enter the Qi-Gathering Stance again.
Hua Dong had been an ordinary high school student in the twenty-first century. After the college entrance exams, he'd let himself go, playing games for several days straight without enough sleep. When he finally woke up, he'd transmigrated to this world. His name in this life was an amusing one: Garen.
He'd been born as a baby, carrying the memories of his previous life, and had lived peacefully in this world for six years.
After hearing his parents mention Saint Realm experts, nobles of the Rhine Empire, and the Yulan Festival, Hua Dong had realized what world he'd come to.
The Coiling Dragon World.
It was the setting of an incredibly popular novel, one that could supposedly even help people kick drug habits overseas.
Two hours later.
"All right, Garen. From now on, I'll bring you here to train for two hours every morning. The early morning, when the sun is just rising, is the best time to exercise. Don't slack off, understand?"
"Understood, Father."
Garen answered obediently.
"Good. Let's go home. Your mother should have breakfast ready. This afternoon, I'm taking you to the provincial capital for your magic test."
Not far away, at the foot of a mountain and beside a stream, stood a fine wooden house where their family of three lived.
The scenery here was truly beautiful. It was practically a secluded paradise.
When they entered the courtyard, they saw a young woman in her twenties with fiery red hair, smooth skin, and lovely features. She was Garen's mother, Irene.
"You're back! How was it, son? Was your first workout tiring? You must be hungry."
Seeing the two of them, his mother hurried over and crouched down to stroke Garen's head, asking with concern.
"I'm not tired. Don't worry, Mother. I'll train hard."
"My son is the best! Come on, let's have breakfast."
She took Garen by the hand and led him into the wooden house.
Garen ate distractedly, still thinking about the system and the pack. His parents' words went in one ear and out the other.
As soon as he finished eating, he made an excuse about wanting to rest for a while and hurried into his room.
Once inside, Garen shut the door. He was worried that examining the system, or opening the pack, might cause too much commotion.
Sitting on the bed, he focused on the system space.
Upgrade System Functions: 1. Level up by killing monsters (killing magical beasts or humans grants experience, which can be used to level up) 2. Map Function (displays the terrain within ten meters, friendly targets, and hostile targets; warns when hostile targets approach; can be upgraded.) 3. Issue quests (random quests; completing them grants experience. Quests are divided into main quests and side quests.)
Garen silently thought, Open quest list, and saw that the system had already issued several quests.
Main Quest: Transcend the Subsidiary Universe (Reward: Unknown) Side Quests: 1. Kill a magical beast or human once (Reward: 100 experience) 2. Kill a full-strength magical beast or human above your level (Reward: Unknown) 3. Rescue Doehring Cowart and make up for a regret. (Reward: Unknown) 4. Liberate Beirut. Beirut is being threatened by the Chief Sovereign of Light, and his Sovereign clone doesn't dare enter the Higher Plane. The Yulan Continent is one big family; we can't let outsiders bully us. It's our duty to liberate Beirut. (Reward: Unknown)
He opened the Character Panel.
Garen Warrior Level: Level 0 (Experience: 1/100) Magic Level: Level 0 (Experience: 0/100)
He already had one point of warrior experience. It seemed to have come from practicing the Qi-Gathering Stance, which meant he didn't have to kill monsters to level up.
He'd gained one experience point from just two hours of practicing the Qi-Gathering Stance today. Reaching Level 1 as a warrior shouldn't be difficult early on. At most, it would take a hundred days of training.
The Character Interface was quite simple. There wasn't much to examine; everything was clear at a glance.
Finally, Garen looked at the glittering pack inside the system and silently thought, Open.
Beep! You have received a Space Ring with a capacity of twenty-five cubic meters (can be upgraded).
Beep! You have received a sturdy Steel Blade that can inflict heavy damage on magical beasts below Level 4 (can be upgraded).
Beep! You have received a set of leather armor with decent protection against magical beasts below Level 4 (can be upgraded).
Beep! You have received a Wind-Style Super Talent Card.
Beep! You have received ten thousand gold coins.
Damn, not bad! It was better than he'd expected. Sure, he hadn't gotten a Sovereign Spark or Sovereign Artifact right from the start, but Garen had been living in this world for six years and had started to doubt he'd ever get a cheat. Just getting the system was already great.
The Game Inventory, starter weapon, starter armor, super talent card—it had everything he needed.
A Space Ring was hard to come by in the early days on the Yulan Continent. The starter weapon and armor weren't especially powerful, but they'd serve him for a long time. Besides, they could be upgraded, so perhaps he'd get the chance to improve them later.
As for the ten thousand gold coins, that went without saying. Gold had considerable purchasing power on the Yulan Continent. A normal family could get by on a few dozen gold coins a year, so ten thousand would go a long way. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about money in the early stages.
And then there was the Wind-Style Super Talent Card. No need to say more—the system's products were bound to be awesome. Magic users were one in ten thousand on the Yulan Continent. With this Wind-Style Super Talent Card, as long as his spiritual power met the requirements, his path as a mage ought to be smooth.
He didn't know how much experience killing a monster would give him. Hunting magical beasts sounded dangerous. Beasts of the same level were generally stronger than humans, and whether in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Sunset Mountain Range, or the Dark Forest, even the outermost areas seemed to have Fifth-Level Magical Beasts roaming around.
For now, it looked like he'd have to train diligently on his own. With the Upgrade System, he'd develop rapidly in the middle stages, then dominate everything in the late game. Heh heh.
After making a rough plan for the future, Garen left his room.
Before you continue