Chapter Summaries

Gan Ming, an unregistered Lower District resident, chose to risk awakening rather than continue living without an identity or reliable means of survival. After passing the qualification review, he entered the awakening room and was told to hold a bloodied heart.

• Gan Ming burned his notebook beneath a broken bridge despite Old Zhou warning that awakening was deadly.
• Gan Ming traveled to the Awakened Affairs Management Center and submitted his waiver for review.
• Gan Ming explained that he wanted to awaken because life in the Lower District already forced him to gamble with his life, and the review specialist approved him.
• Gan Ming entered the awakening room, approached a beating heart on a porcelain plate, and heard the review specialist tell him to hold it.

Gan Ming awakened with the Soul Snatch talent, which let him inspect other people’s abilities. After registering his attributes, he prepared to answer the auditing officer’s question about his talent.

• Gan Ming assimilated the heart and awakened as a First Tier level 1 Awakened with the Soul Snatch talent.
• The auditing officer welcomed Gan Ming to the Awakened and led him back to the interrogation room to complete registration.
• Gan Ming used Soul Snatch to inspect the auditing officer, discovering his second-tier status, Judgment talent, and numerous combat skills.
• Gan Ming noticed the Interrogation Stone’s information panel, including its truth-detecting effect and its ineffectiveness against Awakened people.
• Gan Ming reported his attributes, and the auditing officer asked him to state his innate talent.

Gan Ming registered as a First Rank awakened person by claiming his innate talent was Iron Wall, concealing Soul Snatch. He received a temporary identity card and a recommendation to visit the Dawn Guild, while the review officer filed him as an ordinary case.

• Gan Ming told the review officer that his fabricated Iron Wall talent had a 5% chance to reduce damage for three seconds, and the officer recorded it without further questions.
• The review officer gave Gan Ming his temporary awakened identity card and explained how to collect his newcomer subsidy and qualify for full registration at Level 60.
• Gan Ming said he planned to visit the Awakened Association, so the review officer recommended the Dawn Guild and gave him a business card and guild card.
• Gan Ming accepted the cards, thanked the review officer, and left the room.
• The review officer placed Gan Ming's file in the blue Ordinary Files compartment and called the next applicant.

After two and a half years surviving without an identity in the Lower District, Gan Ming received his temporary awakened identity card and confirmed that his Soul Snatch ability was his cheat. He collected his starter equipment and 3,000 living allowance, then faced a choice of one free basic active skill.

• Gan Ming reflected on his struggle to survive in the Lower District without an identity and celebrated finally receiving a temporary awakened identity card.
• Gan Ming examined his attribute panel, recognized Soul Snatch as his cheat, and headed upstairs to claim his newbie subsidy.
• A middle-aged woman at the supplies counter gave Gan Ming a storage ring containing a basic shortsword, leather armor, and recovery potions.
• Gan Ming learned that 3,000 had been deposited into his identity-card account.
• The woman offered Gan Ming one free basic active skill from a list of six and told him to choose carefully.

Gan Ming chose Healing as his first skill, collected his starter gear, and studied how attribute allocation affected equipment and future growth. After leaving the center to visit the Awakened Association, he was treated with disgust by people at a bus stop, as he had been in the past.

• Gan Ming chose Healing over the other offered skills and learned it from a skill book.
• Gan Ming signed for his supplies, equipped his short blade and leather armor, and read the Beginner Route Guide.
• Gan Ming learned that early attribute points should prioritize Strength to meet equipment requirements and decided to postpone choosing a specialization.
• Gan Ming left the center and headed toward the Awakened Association to learn more before choosing a guild.
• At the bus stop, a middle-aged man and a young woman moved away from Gan Ming and reacted to him with disgust.

Gan Ming traveled to the Awakened Association and saw how displaying his Awakened Identity Card changed the way ordinary people treated him. After verifying Gan Ming’s temporary card, a guard let him into the association.

• Gan Ming boarded a bus after showing the driver his Awakened Identity Card, and the driver directed him to the reserved seats.
• Passengers who had avoided Gan Ming on the platform greeted him politely or made room for him once they saw his status.
• Gan Ming got off at the Awakened Association station while the passengers exhaled in relief after he left.
• Gan Ming reached the Awakened Association entrance and used his temporary identity card at the security booth.
• Gan Ming inspected the guard’s abilities, and the guard verified his identity and allowed him inside.

Gan Ming studied the association’s live Fallen Zone reports and asked a staff member where he could earn Contribution Points. After learning he had only a short sword and breastplate, he was shown equipment bundles costing up to 8,000.

• Gan Ming examined the lobby screens, which listed Fallen Zone invasion progress, combat conditions, and Awakened requirements.
• Gan Ming spoke with an association staff member who had identified him through his scanned identity card.
• Gan Ming asked which areas suited him for earning Contribution Points and said he was a combat-type Awakened who had not joined a guild.
• The staff member checked his equipment rating and learned he had only an iron short sword and crude leather breastplate.
• The staff member showed Gan Ming equipment bundles, including a full set priced at 8,000.

Gan Ming bought basic armor with his subsidy while the Awakened Association repeatedly tried to steer him toward a guild, a loan, and paid membership. He received a list of nearby Fallen Zones and asked whether membership could be used in other cities.

• Gan Ming rejected the staff member’s offers to join a guild and take out a loan, then bought a Standard-Issue Iron Helmet and Standard-Issue Leg Guards for 1,400 yuan.
• Gan Ming equipped the armor and received an exploration guidance form listing five Fallen Zones with their distance, danger rating, and recommended levels.
• Gan Ming asked for detailed information about monsters and Fallen Zones, and the staff member offered him a basic membership for 750 yuan a month.
• Gan Ming calculated that membership would leave him with only 850 yuan and asked whether it could be used in other cities.

Gan Ming rejected the Awakened Association’s membership and loan offers, deciding to avoid guilds and debt and explore the Fallen Zone on his own. He reached West City Outskirts Woodland, where two Second Tier security officers checked his identity and asked whether he was a freelance Awakened.

• Gan Ming recognized that the association and guilds both profited from new Awakened through fees, loans, and equipment deals, so he resolved not to borrow money or join a guild.
• Gan Ming chose West City Outskirts Woodland as his first destination and left the association without looking back, while a staff member began offering another newcomer a support loan.
• Gan Ming rode the bus to the woodland’s terminal and walked to the metal barrier marking the Fallen Zone’s boundary.
• Gan Ming used his Soul-Stealing Panel to inspect the two Second Tier security officers guarding the entrance, then handed over his identity card.
• The security officer checked Gan Ming’s card and asked whether he was a freelance Awakened.

Gan Ming entered a low-level Fallen Zone after learning its hours and rules, and ignored the guards’ implied demand for money despite their warning that Awakened could prey on newcomers. He walked into the woodland prepared to test [Soul Snatch] and encountered movement in the trees.

• A guard told Gan Ming the woodland closed at four o’clock so its monsters and invasion progress could recover overnight.
• The guard attached a communicator to Gan Ming and warned him to evacuate immediately if it issued a notice.
• A guard cautioned Gan Ming that other Awakened might attack him and hinted that payment could earn the guards’ help, but Gan Ming refused to pay.
• Gan Ming entered the Fallen Zone and walked deeper into the woodland with his blade ready and Healing on standby.
• Something moved among the tree shadows ahead of Gan Ming.

Gan Ming fought and killed a level-three Iron Bristle Wild Boar whose four skills made it a difficult opponent. He tried to Soul Snatch its corpse, but the attempt failed.

• Gan Ming spotted the Iron Bristle Wild Boar and examined its four skills before approaching it.
• The boar ambushed Gan Ming, stunned him, and badly wounded him with its tusks.
• Gan Ming fought the boar for five minutes, using Healing, weak-point strikes, and nearby trees to outlast its attacks and regeneration.
• Gan Ming killed the Iron Bristle Wild Boar and gained 120 experience points.
• Gan Ming attempted to Soul Snatch the boar's corpse, but the skill failed.

Gan Ming stole the Iron Bristle Wild Boar’s Fanged Charge skill and pushed deeper into the woodland, where he found a Withered Wood Treant with powerful defensive and healing skills. He began fighting the treant to claim those skills, but the battle was still underway.

• Gan Ming failed to steal a skill twice before successfully taking Fanged Charge from the level 3 Pig Monster and activating it.
• Gan Ming rested until his mana recovered, then followed the Iron Bristle Wild Boars’ tracks deeper into the woodland.
• Gan Ming spotted two Iron Bristle Wild Boars together and avoided them, deciding to return after he had gained a few levels.
• Gan Ming discovered a level 5 Withered Wood Treant and coveted its Bark Armor and Woodland Affinity skills.
• Gan Ming attacked the treant, endured its Rotten Root Entanglement, and used Fanged Charge to break off pieces of its bark.

Gan Ming killed a Withered Wood Treant and gained Bark Armor and Woodland Affinity, then returned to face the two Iron Bristle Wild Boars with his new defenses. He defeated both boars, reached Level 2, and acquired several more skills through Soul Snatch.

• Gan Ming killed the Withered Wood Treant with Fanged Charge and used Soul Snatch to acquire Bark Armor and Woodland Affinity.
• Gan Ming activated Bark Armor and Woodland Affinity, then returned to the two Iron Bristle Wild Boars.
• Gan Ming stood his ground against both boars, whose attacks could no longer break through his defense, and killed them with repeated Fanged Charge strikes.
• Gan Ming reached Level 2, assigned five attribute points to Strength, and used Soul Snatch on the boars to acquire Ambush, Gluttonous Recovery, and Potential Stimulation; duplicate Fanged Charge acquisitions became Talent Proficiency.

Gan Ming leveled up Soul Snatch, gained and activated more skills, and fought his way to level 8 in the woodland. As he prepared to use Soul Snatch on another boar, a hidden attacker shot him, leaving him critically wounded and taking cover while he healed.

• Soul Snatch leveled up, and Gan Ming added Ambush to his active skills.
• Gan Ming used Ambush and his other skills to kill boars and Tree Spirits, gaining levels and converting duplicate skill draws into proficiency.
• Gan Ming reached Soul Snatch level 4, activated six skills, and continued deeper into the woodland.
• Gan Ming reached level 8 and realized he was unlikely to reach level 10 before the instance closed.
• An unseen attacker shot Gan Ming in the waist, dropping his health to 10, and he rolled behind a tree, used Healing, and drank a Lesser Life Recovery Potion.

Gan Ming survived a deliberate arrow attack by a Level 13 archer and weighed the risks of fighting back. The archer apologized and offered potions, but Gan Ming stayed behind cover as both attackers cautiously waited.

• A potion and his passive recovery restored Gan Ming's health after an arrow struck his waist.
• Gan Ming spotted a Level 13 archer in excellent-quality gear and a Level 10 swordsman approaching together.
• Gan Ming decided not to attack because he doubted he could defeat them and feared the security personnel might be bribed to intervene.
• The archer claimed he had mistaken Gan Ming for a boar monster, apologized, and offered him two intermediate recovery potions.
• Gan Ming remained behind the tree and noticed that the archer and swordsman were also being cautious after their shot failed to kill him.

Gan Ming survived an archer’s ambush in the Fallen Zone, uncovered his scheme to prey on newly Awakened newcomers, and headed back toward the Woodland entrance. The archer and his swordsman companion went to confront the entrance guards who had supplied information about visitors.

• The archer apologized and invited Gan Ming to team up, but Gan Ming declined, stored the Pig Monster’s corpse, removed the arrow from his waist, and left with it.
• After Gan Ming disappeared into the forest, the archer rejected the swordsman’s suggestion to have the security guards stop him and decided not to pursue him.
• The archer realized Gan Ming had survived a Piercing Arrow despite wearing poor gear, then headed with the swordsman to demand an explanation from the entrance guards.
• As he walked back, Gan Ming deduced that the archer hunted newly Awakened newcomers using information from the guards and that his Bark Armor and Woodland Affinity had saved him.

After escaping the Woodland, Gan Ming concealed his anger and pretended to be a successful newbie while returning his communicator to the security officers. He planned to grow stronger before taking revenge on the archer who had humiliated him, and left intending to sell his loot and return the next day.

• Gan Ming avoided an Iron Bristle Wild Boar and resolved to wait until he was strong enough to kill the archer who had treated him like an animal.
• Gan Ming reached the Woodland entrance and changed his furious expression into one of cheerful exhaustion.
• A security officer recognized Gan Ming and asked why he had returned early, then questioned how many monsters he had killed and what level he had reached.
• Gan Ming claimed he was Level 5 and let the security officers assume he was hiding a powerful innate talent.
• Gan Ming returned the communicator, said he would sell his materials and clean up, and left for the city.

After Gan Ming left the Woodland, the security officers discussed why he had dared to enter despite his poor equipment. Xue Ping then reported that his Piercing Arrow had failed to kill Gan Ming, but the officers dismissed the incident and Xue Ping returned to hunt Pig Monsters.

• The security officers agreed that Gan Ming had knowingly risked his life by entering the Woodland and joked that Young Master Xue had failed.
• Xue Ping emerged from the Woodland and accused the security officers of giving him inaccurate information about Gan Ming.
• Xue Ping explained that his Piercing Arrow struck Gan Ming at close range, but Gan Ming survived and quickly restored his health.
• The security officers suggested Gan Ming had a defensive or recovery talent and argued that their entry-record information had been accurate.
• Xue Ping dismissed the matter and went back into the Woodland to kill more Pig Monsters.
• After Xue Ping left, the security officers speculated that Gan Ming might have lied about his level.

Gan Ming went to the Awakened Association after leaving the Woodland, where a taxi driver tried to steer him toward the Civilian Commerce Association. After selling his monster materials for a meager forty Contribution Points, Gan Ming headed to the second floor to inspect weapons.

• Gan Ming questioned the taxi driver’s offer to visit the Civilian Commerce Association, then watched him speed away after dropping him at the Association.
• Gan Ming sold twelve Iron Bristle Wild Boar corpses and two damaged Withered Wood Treants for forty Contribution Points.
• Gan Ming went to the second-floor trading area and stopped at the weapon racks.

Gan Ming upgraded his damaged shortsword to a stronger Edgesteel One-Handed Sword, then chose the Eastern Suburbs Ruins Zone as his next hunting ground. He left the association planning to steal monster skills there and aim for level 15.

• Gan Ming bought an Edgesteel One-Handed Sword for 35 Contribution Points after trading in his damaged iron shortsword, raising his physical attack to 85.
• Gan Ming checked the prices of larger Storage Rings and Contribution Point exchange rates, then decided the storage upgrades were too expensive.
• Gan Ming reviewed the exploration guide and ruled out the Woodland, Tunnel Zone No. 7, and higher-level zones for the rest of the day.
• Gan Ming chose the low-risk Eastern Suburbs Ruins Zone, where he planned to hunt for several hours and steal every monster skill he encountered.