The God-Tier System Arrives

A splitting headache, as if someone had driven red-hot iron needles into Jiang Che's temples, or spent the entire night hammering away at his skull with a heavy sledgehammer.

Every throb felt like his head was about to explode; his eardrums were buzzing, and his very eyeballs ached in sympathy.

Jiang Che blinked.

His eyelids felt heavy as lead.

He could feel himself lying on the ground; the surface beneath him was cool, and his back felt sticky, much like soil that hadn't quite dried after a rainstorm.

The air was filled with a strange scent—indescribable, but definitely not the smell of his cramped rental apartment, which usually reeked of instant noodles and sweat.

This scent carried notes of grass, pine, and a damp, cool freshness that left him unable to tell if it was refreshing or merely alien.

He felt as though he were trapped in a quagmire, his mind a chaotic mess, struggling desperately to wake up.

Just then, a cold, electronic voice suddenly detonated in Jiang Che's mind—

"God-tier Exchange System loading..."

The voice was so frigid it felt as if it had crawled out of hell, sending a shiver straight down his spine.

"System loading 50%..."

Jiang Che's head began to hum, and blinding blue-white light spots flickered before his eyes, as if someone were jabbing glow sticks into his vision in the dead of night.

"System loading 80%..."

That icy sensation burrowed deep into his brain; he could feel something winding its way along his nerves, like countless data streams racing through his mind, weaving together into a vast web.

"Loading complete."

"System initialized!"

A blue light "popped" into existence from Jiang Che's forehead. In that instant, he saw dense strings of code flashing before his eyes, like glowing symbols from a sci-fi film.

"New host detected. Newbie starter pack generated. Does the host wish to claim it?"

...What the hell?

Jiang Che's eyes snapped open, and he sprang up like a coiled spring.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for air, feeling as though he'd just been fished out of a pool after ten minutes of drowning.

Then, he froze.

The scene before his eyes jolted him completely out of his dazed state.

The look of shock on his face was likely terrifying—bewilderment, surprise, and disbelief all tangled together.

This was no cramped rental apartment cluttered with noodle cups and bedsheets as wrinkled as old newspapers, nor were there dust-covered windowsills or cobwebs in the corners.

He was standing on a vast, open hillside covered in lush grass; as the wind blew, the grass rippled in wave after wave.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patches of gold across the grass and damp earth, scattered like broken gold.

The leaves rustled softly in the breeze, and not far off, birds chirped—a crisp, lingering sound.

In the distance, rolling mountain ranges were veiled in a deep blue mist, rising and falling; the horizon looked like a long ink-wash scroll painted by a master's hand.

The sky was an unreal shade of blue—clean, transparent, as if washed a hundred times by rain, without a single cloud in sight.

Jiang Che stood up slowly, his movements stiff.

He looked down at his hands.

They were pale and luminous, slender with distinct knuckles—not the same hands he remembered.

He splayed his fingers, clenched them into a fist, and turned them over, confirming the reality of it all bit by bit.

When his fingertips brushed his palms, the skin was so delicate it gave him goosebumps.

"This..." Jiang Che pinched his face hard, hissing in pain. It felt so real, as if someone had actually pinched him with all their might. "This isn't a dream?!"

Jiang Che's breathing quickened.

Beneath his feet was soft, thick turf that felt like treading on cotton.

He took two steps, the grass blades rustling underfoot, leaving two shallow footprints behind him.

The air was a mix of floral, earthy, and grassy scents—all fresh, clean smells he had never encountered before.

Wait... what was that voice just now?

A system?

A newbie starter pack?

If you grew up watching Dragon Ball and had binged countless fanfictions, you would be just as familiar with the concept of a "system" as Jiang Che was.

Since he was a kid, he'd spent his time doodling Super Saiyan hairstyles on his desk, hiding under his covers at night to read web novels about protagonists transforming and sweeping the field, often laughing like an idiot at the climax.

Transmigration, systems, god-tier exchanges... they were all tired, overused tropes.

But now, it was Jiang Che's turn to experience them?

He spun around, scanning his surroundings.

On one side of the hillside lay a deep, shadowy forest; on the other, a small stream gurgled, the sound of the flowing water invigorating just to hear.

There were no paved roads, no utility poles, no neon signs – none of the urban markers he was familiar with.

"I've really transmigrated..."

The words trembled as they left his lips, half from fear, half from an indescribable excitement.

Jiang Che raised a hand to his chest, his heart pounding, faster with each beat.

Just then, the cold electronic voice echoed in his mind again, this time accompanied by a line of golden text hovering before his eyes:

"Newbie Gift Pack generated. Contents: [Super Saiyan God] bloodline activated. [Dragon Ball World Basic Combat Power Adaptation] complete. [System Mall] unlocked. Host, do you wish to claim it?"

Jiang Che lowered his head, staring at his hands.

They were still unfamiliar hands, now with skin as pale and smooth as porcelain, fingers long and strong, knuckles clearly defined. They looked nothing like his original, shut-in gamer hands.

It felt as if these hands were born to draw swords and throw punches.

He casually ran a hand over his palm, the sensation so real it made him feel a little dazed.

The clothes he wore were not his cotton pajamas with the alpaca print, but a form-fitting black combat suit.

The fabric felt smooth and sturdy, clinging tightly and outlining every muscle line with sharp definition, like a layer of close-fitting shadow.

There were no zippers or buttons on the collar, as if it had grown directly from his skin.

Jiang Che raised his hands, turning them over and over, then glanced at his shoulders and chest.

This body was so much stronger than his original scrawny frame.

Muscles lay hidden beneath the battle suit, brimming with explosive power.

A feeling, neither entirely familiar nor entirely strange, washed over him: it was him, yet it wasn't.

Jiang Che reached back to scratch his head, his fingertips brushing against his hair roots, only to touch something soft, warm, and furry.

It was soft, elastic, connected to his scalp at the base, thinning as it went down, and it actually moved.

That's right, it was a tail—a Saiyan tail.

The image of Dragon Ball flashed in Jiang Che's mind—the monkey-like tail that all Saiyans were born with, familiar to everyone.

Now, this tail rested comfortably behind his head, swaying slightly with his breath, its feel so real it was a little unnerving.

He took a deep breath, fresh air filling his lungs, the dampness of plants and the scent of earth mingling, indescribably refreshing.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the colors of the world seemed brighter, he could even discern the flow of the wind, the movement of ants beneath his feet, the sound of leaves falling in the distance... these sensations had all come at once, becoming clear the moment he awakened.

"Host, do you wish to claim the Newbie Gift Pack? If no response is given, it will be considered a voluntary forfeiture."

The system's voice suddenly reappeared, cold and devoid of emotion, like a detached customer service representative, patiently awaiting Jiang Che's reply.