Everyone stared straight ahead. It wasn't because a beautiful girl or handsome guy had caught the eyes of these teenagers, whose hormones might have been running wild. Instead, a pale blue screen had appeared before them, displaying all sorts of things that drew their attention.
Yin Kuang was no different. He stared wide-eyed at the blue screen that had appeared before him after he silently repeated, "Personal Attributes."
The screen wasn't large, but it was divided into eight sections arranged like an umbrella. It displayed Yin Kuang's information in great detail. At the center of the umbrella shape was a small holographic image of Yin Kuang. Moving clockwise, the sections were:
I. Information— Name: Yin Kuang. Gender: Male. Age: 19. Personal Profile: A young man from a mysterious mountain village. Beneath his simple appearance lurks the ferocity of a beast. He is filial. Father: Yin Zhiqing, farmer. Mother: Zhang Xiu, farmer. Younger sister: Yin Ling'er, student. Younger sister: Yin Long'er, student. He also has a Second Great-Uncle, a Seventh Maternal Great-Uncle, an eldest uncle, another uncle, various aunts and uncles, and at least twenty other relatives. He has been accepted to "North Xia University." II. Attributes (The text in parentheses is friendly advice)— Lifespan: 34 years (Remember: each time you die, you lose 10 years of lifespan! Commentary: Short-lived isn't your fault, student. Please cherish your life! There are infinite possibilities at "University"!) Health: 15 points (Note: If your health reaches zero, you die.) Energy: 11 points (Note: A general term for energies such as qi, blood energy, magic, and true essence. Once you possess a type of energy, "Energy" will change to reflect that specific energy. For example, if you cultivate an internal energy technique, your energy value will be converted into a true qi value.) Strength: 3 (Explanation: Shows the power and damage inflicted by an all-out attack. Damage inflicted by an all-out attack = Strength.) Agility: 5 (Explanation: Movement speed, chance to dodge, and so on.) Intelligence: 7 (Explanation: The maximum amount of knowledge your currently developed brain can hold, as well as your ability to understand and reason. The rest is for you to discover.) Defense: 2 (Explanation: Your ability to resist damage. Actual damage = Initial damage - Defense.) Dexterity: 5 (Explanation: Shows your reflexes.) Perception: 6 (Explanation: Your ability to detect danger.) Charisma: 4 (Explanation: A special attribute. You know what this means?) III. Data— Study Points (equivalent to currency): 0. Credits (you earn 2 credits for each class you attend. These are the foundation for graduation): 0. Comprehensive Evaluation (special data, details withheld): 0. Level Evaluation (special data, details withheld): 0. IV. Skills— Ability One: Total Concentration (passive ability). Effect: Improves your ability to study, understand, and remember. Evaluation: You must be a conscientious person. Ability Two: Raging Beast (passive ability). Effect: When angry, you temporarily gain Strength +2, Defense +1, Agility -2, and Intelligence -3. It has major side effects, so use it with caution. Evaluation: Anger harms the liver. For the sake of your life, you should control your emotions. Ability Three: Hardworking (passive ability). Effect: When your health falls below 10%, you become immune to damage for 2 seconds. After 2 seconds, damage is doubled. Evaluation: Perseverance brings victory, but steel that is too hard will break. Ability Four: True Affection Protection (passive ability). Effect: When a friend or relative within 2 meters of you is attacked, 20% of their damage is transferred to you. Your friend or relative also gains Defense +1. Evaluation: Cherish every bond you have, because it may be a matter of life and death! Special Skills— Ability One: Mystic Protection (unknown ability). Effect: ??? Evaluation: ???... Child, could this be God's compensation for your short life? V. Equipment (Equipment can increase your base attributes): No equipment. VI. Title: Rookie Student. Title Effect: You may make reasonable requests to your instructor, and they will be unable to refuse. (Yin Kuang thought, *No wonder the Red Queen was so decisive and left as soon as she was done speaking. She was probably afraid we'd make all kinds of ridiculous requests or ask irrelevant questions—and she wouldn't be able to refuse.*) When requesting treatment, you pay only half the Study Points. Your first exchange receives an 80% discount. Evaluation: Young birds are prone to making mistakes. Tolerance and generosity are virtues. VII. Items— Republic currency: 15,000 yuan. Friendly advice: Your money is surrounded by a powerful aura of Celestial Purple Aura and seems to have tremendous purchasing power. You can exchange it for "Study Points." The exchange rate is 100 Republic currency = 1 Study Point. Kitchen God Amulet: An amulet your mother sewed for you. It contains your birth details, a peach pit, a copper coin, and red thread. Your mother obtained it after bowing and kowtowing nine times. It not only contains a faint trace of the Kitchen God's divine power, but is also filled with the purest maternal love in the world. Effect: Hidden attribute Luck +3. Exerts a faint deterrent effect on ghosts and spirits. Can be equipped immediately. Evaluation: How can the humble grass repay the warmth of the spring sun?
Seven of the eight sections were filled with densely packed text and data, while the last was completely blank, with nothing displayed. It seemed to have been left empty for future use.
Yin Kuang took a full ten minutes to read through all his information. When he finished, he was overwhelmed by a jumble of emotions and didn't know what to do.
In particular, when he saw the Kitchen God Amulet in the "Items" section, his nose started to sting, and he even forgot about his short lifespan of just 34 years. He immediately equipped it. The Kitchen God Amulet moved from the "Items" section to "Equipment," where the following attributes appeared:
Accessory: Kitchen God Amulet. Description: An amulet imbued with selfless maternal love and the Kitchen God's faint divine power. Rating: Exclusive special equipment. Requirements: Only Yin Kuang can use it. Effect: Hidden attribute Luck +3. Exerts a faint deterrent effect on spirits.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Li Shuangmu noticed that Yin Kuang looked out of sorts and asked him.
Yin Kuang shook his head. He didn't feel like saying much. "It's nothing."
Li Shuangmu looked at him, nodded, then sighed. "It seems we really have come to an incredibly mysterious place."
"Ha! You can say that again!" Wei Ming suddenly came over and lowered his voice, though he was still visibly excited. "I've got a lifespan of 105 years! I never knew I could live that long. And my Strength is the highest, at 8 points. What about you guys?"
Yin Kuang smiled. "Not bad." He figured Wei Ming's Intelligence stat couldn't be very high. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked such a stupid question. Who would want to reveal their personal attributes?
Li Shuangmu chuckled. "So you're the old-timer here. I can't match you, but I've got a lifespan of 94 years, which isn't bad either. I don't have any other particular strengths, though I do have a special skill called Clear Heart and Calm Mind. It gives me a 20% chance of being immune to damage from mental abilities. I imagine it should be useful."
"Special skill? I have one too," Wang Ning chimed in. "It's called Low-Profile Way. It gives me a 30% chance of evading perception. Of course, the perceiver's Perception can't be more than 5 points higher than mine. I really don't know how I got this skill. I don't think I'm particularly low-profile."
Yin Kuang's heart gave a sudden jolt. If he hadn't spoken, I really might have kept unconsciously overlooking him. What a powerful skill. If he wanted to harm me, I might not even have time to react.
Li Shuangmu commented, "That's a good skill. Very practical. Keeping a low profile really is the way to go."
"Heh." Wang Ning grinned smugly. "Hey, big guy, what about you? Got any special skills?"
"I... mine..." Wei Ming stammered.
"Come on, don't be like that. If you don't want to say, then don't," Wang Ning said.
"It's not that... Just don't laugh at me when I tell you."
"What's there to laugh at? We don't know what these special skills are good for yet, but they seem important. I feel like we've come to a world a lot like an online game. We've got attributes, skills, equipment, and so on. Maybe we'll get a quest next. I think we should prepare ourselves properly." Wang Ning spoke seriously. "The Red Queen said it herself: instead of asking irrelevant questions, it's better to listen, think, and act. Whatever we do, we'll have to rely on ourselves and on friends we can trust."
Before you continue