Gan Ming

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Gan Ming (干明)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Independent Awakened; unaffiliated with any guild 9 22
Occupation/Role	Awakened; solo Fallen Zone explorer
Status	Active 50
First Appearance	Chapter 2
Rank	First Tier 2

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First Tier, Level 1; Soul Snatch Lv. 1	2 12	Awakens after absorbing the heart. Soul Snatch begins with three active-skill slots.
Level increased (exact level unstated)	13	Defeats two Iron Bristle Wild Boars and assigns the gained attribute points to Strength.
First Tier, Level 7; Soul Snatch Lv. 4	14	Reaches six simultaneous skill activations after extensive hunting in the woodland.
First Tier, Level 8	15 20	Has invested 35 earned attribute points into Strength; equipping the Edgesteel One-Handed Sword raises his Strength to 50 and physical attack to 85.
Soul Snatch Lv. 5	25	Duplicate skills convert into talent proficiency; active-slot limit rises from six to seven.
First Tier, Level 13; Soul Snatch Lv. 6	28	Killing a Level 15 Grayrock Giant Lizard grants five attribute points and raises active slots from seven to eight.
First Tier, Level 15; Soul Snatch Lv. 7	37 39	Defeats the Red-armored Elite Giant Scorpion and reaches Level 15. His skill suffixes rise to +7, and he later possesses nine active slots and 47 total skills.

Background / History

Gan Ming was an undocumented resident of the Lower District before awakening. His tattered clothes and ingrained Lower District smell initially caused ordinary citizens to avoid him, but displaying his temporary Awakened identity card immediately changed their behavior. 2 6

After awakening as a First Tier, Level 1 Awakened, Gan Ming concealed his true innate talent by registering a fabricated talent called Iron Wall. He accepted the standard beginner supplies but chose the support skill Healing over offensive options, reasoning that survival and reduced potion costs mattered more while he waited to acquire combat skills through Soul Snatch. 3 5

He refused guild recruitment, loans, and association membership schemes, recognizing that independent newcomers could be trapped by debt, equipment purchases, and exploitative mission arrangements. He instead entered the West City Outskirts Woodland alone to build strength and collect skills. 8 9 10

Gan Ming’s first monster battle was a five-minute struggle against a Level 3 Iron Bristle Wild Boar. After successfully Soul Snatching Fanged Charge, then acquiring Bark Armor and Woodland Affinity from a Withered Wood Treant, he rapidly turned the woodland’s monsters into manageable targets and reached Level 7. 11 14

After surviving an attempted killing by the archer Xue Ping, Gan Ming chose not to seek immediate revenge. He instead focused on widening the level, equipment, and skill gap until he could guarantee a decisive kill. 15 18

In the Eastern Suburbs Ruins Zone, Gan Ming expanded his skill library through sustained monster hunting. When Xiao Jing and three fellow guild members attempted to steal his Elite Giant Scorpion kill, he detected their ambush, killed the group, seized their skills and equipment, and later finished the Elite Monster. By the time he left the Ruins Zone, he possessed 47 skills. 31 39

Gan Ming subsequently entered Tunnel Zone No. 7, where he tested an assassin-oriented nine-skill configuration and used Shadowmeld to move unnoticed among other Awakened. 48 50

Appearance

Gan Ming initially appears in patched, tattered clothing, carrying the grime and smell of the Lower District after going several days without bathing. After cleaning himself and changing into clothes obtained through Zhou Sheng, he is described as not especially handsome, but no longer resembling an unkempt drifter. 6 44

• His visible Fallen Zone equipment is automatically concealed once he leaves a zone’s boundary. 39
• In the Ruins Zone, he wore an iron helmet, leather armor, leg guards, and an Edgesteel One-Handed Sword. 22
• At Tunnel Zone No. 7, he visibly wore chainmail armor, chainmail greaves, and carried his Edgesteel One-Handed Sword, making him appear poorly equipped compared with guild teams. 49
• His prolonged hunting often leaves him covered in monster blood, scorpion fluid, dust, sweat, and other odors intensified by Beast Scent. 28 38

Personality

Gan Ming is cautious, calculating, and strongly self-reliant. He evaluates equipment prices, debt terms, guild incentives, enemy formations, and the legal realities of Fallen Zones before acting. His refusal to borrow money or join a guild stems from a deliberate effort to avoid becoming a disposable newcomer exploited by stronger organizations. 8 9 32

He is highly adaptable in combat and willing to change his active skill loadout for each situation. He replaced woodland-specific skills in the Ruins Zone, adopted a crossbow setup after killing Xiao Tong, and later built a melee-assassin configuration for Tunnel Zone No. 7. 24 35 48

Gan Ming can act convincingly when needed. He successfully hides Soul Snatch behind the false registration of Iron Wall and later feigns the demeanor of an excited but harmless Level 5 rookie when dealing with suspicious security officers. 3 17

He is patient about revenge but ruthless once he concludes that an opponent intends to kill him. After Xue Ping’s attack, he resolves to wait until the archer cannot escape or retaliate rather than pursue a risky immediate confrontation. 17 39

Abilities & Skills

Soul Snatch

Gan Ming’s innate talent allows him to inspect Awakened and monsters through a translucent information panel, then seize skills from eligible killed targets. 2 11 12

• Displays a target’s type, tier, level when readable, innate talent, specialization skills, and ordinary skills. 2 6
• Cannot be used on living Awakened; Gan Ming must kill the target before attempting to take their abilities. 23 34
• Success rate is affected by the level difference between Gan Ming and the target. 26
• Can acquire multiple skills from one corpse; he gained eight of Xiao Jing’s nine skills and ten of Old Li’s eleven. 34 37
• Duplicate skills convert into Soul Snatch proficiency rather than being retained separately. 25 35
• All acquired skills scale upward as Soul Snatch levels up. 23 28 37
• Active skills are limited by activation slots, though he may freely swap his equipped skills outside combat. 13 24 48

Healing

Gan Ming selected Healing as his starter skill before acquiring combat abilities through Soul Snatch. 5

• Restores health to himself or an ally; with his initial spell power, it restored 51 health rather than the listed base 40. 5 11
• Serves as his early survival tool and reduces his dependence on purchased recovery potions. 5
• Helped him survive the arrow ambush in the woodland and injuries sustained while fighting the Elite Giant Scorpion. 14 31

Melee Combat

Gan Ming initially fought with an iron short sword, but later developed a high-damage melee style built around strength investment, Fanged Charge, dual wielding, and Lock-On. 11 20 48 50

• Fanged Charge — Every three normal attacks, triggers a charged strike; at +7, it deals 285% physical damage. 12 50
• Dual-Wield Mastery and Double Blades — Improve attack speed, accuracy, and damage when wielding two swords. 48
• Lock-On — Marks a target and increases accuracy and critical-hit rate by 28%; Gan Ming confirmed it functions in melee as well as ranged combat. 48
• Gan Ming assigned his early level-up attributes to Strength, allowing him to meet weapon requirements and substantially increase physical attack. 13 20

Defense and Recovery

Gan Ming’s survivability relies on layered defenses and regeneration acquired from monsters. 13 14

• Bark Armor — Raises defense by 140% for 14 minutes at +6; Gan Ming keeps it active before dangerous fights. 28 48
• Hard Shell — Reduces incoming physical damage by a fixed amount; at +7, it reduces each physical hit by 24 points. 26 48
• Woodland Affinity — In woodland environments, increases defense and restores 1% health per second. 13
• Potential Stimulation — Provides repeated health recovery after taking damage. 14
• His defensive skills were the reason he survived Xue Ping’s arrow attack with only 10 health remaining. 14 16

Stealth, Mobility, and Detection

Gan Ming can scout, evade, and ambush through a skill combination taken from monsters and defeated Awakened. 24 34 48

• Beast Scent — Detects living creatures, distinguishes scent types, and identifies approximate direction; its range exceeds 90 meters at +7. 24 48
• Shadowmeld — Renders Gan Ming nearly invisible to First Tier Awakened without specialized perception abilities. 49
• Shadowstep — Teleports a short distance behind a target, allowing rapid assassination attempts or repositioning. 48
• Swift Dash — Provides a short burst of movement and was used to evade Xiao Jing’s Shadowstep Backstab. 25 34
• Beast Scent allowed Gan Ming to detect Xiao Jing despite Shadowmeld and anticipate his attempted ambush. 33 34

Ranged Combat

Gan Ming gained a complete crossbow package after killing Xiao Tong. 35 36

• Cold Crow Repeating Crossbow — Looted from Xiao Tong and used to kill Old Li and Old Wang from elevated ruin positions. 35 36
• Crossbow Mastery — Instantly provided the muscle memory needed to use the crossbow effectively. 35
• Tracking Shot and Lock-On — Enabled Gan Ming to kill Old Li in under two seconds. 35 36
• Ammunition Enhancement — Raises ranged ammunition attack power by 12%. 35

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Storage Ring — His original ring holds 50 cubic meters of items. Storage Rings cannot be placed inside one another. 5 34
• Edgesteel One-Handed Sword — Obtained by trading in his iron short knife; grants +3 Strength, +2 Agility, +1 Endurance, and raises his physical attack by 25. 20
• Cold Crow Repeating Crossbow — High-quality crossbow taken from Xiao Tong and used during the Ruins Zone conflict. 35 36
• Standard Dual-Blade Short Swords — Paired weapons used with Dual-Wield Mastery and Double Blades; each has 19 physical attack before skill-based bonuses. 48 50
• Standard-Issue Iron Helmet and Leg Guards — Purchased for 1,400 yuan after awakening. 8
• Chainmail armor and chainmail greaves — Worn when entering Tunnel Zone No. 7. 49

Relationships

• Xue Ping — A Level 13 archer who shot Gan Ming in the woodland and later attempted to kill him with Piercing Arrow. Gan Ming intends to settle the score only after securing overwhelming strength. 15 17 18 39
• Zhou Sheng — Taxi driver who repeatedly transports Gan Ming, buys him fitting clothes, and waits early in the morning to take him to the Association. Gan Ming remains wary but accepts his assistance. 39 44 48
• He Yuan — Veteran Awakened of at least Level 65 who offers Gan Ming contact information, guidance, and an invitation to meet. Gan Ming keeps the relationship polite and distant. 41 47 48
• Xiao Jing — Assassin and member of the four-person looting party. He tried to ambush Gan Ming with Shadowmeld and Backstab, but Gan Ming detected, killed, and Soul Snatched him. 33 34
• Xiao Tong — Iron Arc Guild crossbowwoman killed by Gan Ming in the Ruins Zone; her crossbow and skills became part of his ranged arsenal. 35
• Old Li — Healer from Xiao Jing’s party, killed by Gan Ming with Lock-On and Tracking Shot. 36 37
• Old Wang — Frontliner from Xiao Jing’s party, killed after charging Gan Ming’s elevated position. 36
• Lu Guangshan — President of Iron Arc Guild and Xiao Tong’s father. He begins searching for his missing daughter, placing Gan Ming at risk of eventual discovery. 43 45

Notable Quotes

“Other people calculate damage per second. I calculate damage per minute.” 11

“Killing was easy, fencing loot was hard.” 44

Trivia

• Gan Ming’s registered innate talent, Iron Wall, is a deliberate fabrication; his actual talent is Soul Snatch. 3
• Within roughly eight and a half hours of awakening, he accumulated 47 skills: four innate talents, ten mastery skills, and 33 regular or passive skills. 39
• He considers skill flexibility more valuable than committing early to a single specialization path, believing Soul Snatch can let him fill whatever role his stolen skills support. 5