The First Step!

Thud!

Within the cosmos, a meteor streaked across the void, plunging from chaos into the universe, hurtling straight toward a realm where vitality and chaos intertwined.

This disturbance quickly drew the attention of certain existences.

Soon, a grand gaze projected over, accompanied by waves of music that rose and fell in succession.

Thus, the meteor was drawn in, merging into the fold.

A novel syllable, never before seen, was born from this, circling outside the Great Music, accentuating the melody—original, yet perfectly harmonious.

"Permitted."

The owner of that gaze withdrew their attention.

Whoosh—

[Achievement Unlocked: "Step into Middle-earth!"]

"Description: Enter Middle-earth."

Huh?

The sound of wind, grass, rustling leaves, birds chirping...

And a warm sensation on his face.

Li Wei opened his eyes, the sunlight piercing his nerves so sharply that he was forced to squint immediately.

After a long while, he finally adapted to the light and began to survey his surroundings.

The first thing that caught his eye was a line of small text floating before him.

"Achievement?"

This art style felt so familiar.

Middle-earth...?

Li Wei stood up and took a deep breath, feeling an incomparable freshness, the faint scent of grass and soil filling his lungs—far better than his dilapidated room back home.

He was currently standing under a tall oak tree, looking out over a vast expanse of green fields in every direction.

Li Wei was certain that there was absolutely no place like this anywhere near his home.

Had he been kidnapped, or had he sleepwalked onto a plane and flown abroad?

Li Wei felt a moment of confusion; he tried hard to recall everything that had happened before, but he couldn't remember a single thing. His mind was a complete blank.

His last memory seemed to be... playing Minecraft at home?

Minecraft, a famous sandbox game suitable for all ages.

This game had accompanied Li Wei for half his life; from the first time he touched it until now, he had been playing for ten years.

Even though he faced nothing but repetitive pixelated blocks all day, he had never once felt bored.

Wait!

Li Wei suddenly froze, staring at the line of text before him.

The text was turning translucent and slowly fading, but as he focused his attention, it instantly reappeared.

"Isn't this the achievement system from MC?"

Shocked by this discovery, Li Wei suddenly noticed a transparent prompt in the top right corner of his vision:

"Tutorial: Open your inventory."

Inventory?

As Li Wei whispered the word in his heart, a familiar interface opened.

Three rows of inventory, one row for the hotbar.

There was also a slightly stiff image of Li Wei's full body in the top left corner, with four armor slots beside it.

Closing the inventory, Li Wei discovered that a row of health and hunger bars had appeared in his field of view.

Perhaps because he had been unconscious for too long before waking up, his hunger bar had already dropped by half.

Have I transmigrated into the game?

Just as Li Wei was wondering whether he should try punching a tree to craft a Crafting Table, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Hey, um, hello?"

[Language Module loaded]

As the voice arrived, a prompt box appeared once more.

Li Wei was startled, looking left and right, but he saw no one.

What the hell.

"I'm down here, sir."

A hand waved twice before his eyes.

Li Wei lowered his head and found himself locking eyes with a, well... a little person.

"Are you alright, sir?"

Li Wei did not respond immediately, instead eyeing the person before him with a hint of confusion.

First, there was the height, which only reached his waist.

Judging by the voice, the mature face, the sensible attire, and the fish tucked into a belt at the waist, this person did not look like a child at all. There was only one possible explanation—

Dwarfism.

Li Wei straightened his expression and nodded.

"Hello."

"Er, Mister Human, are you experiencing some kind of trouble? I mean, are you lost or something...?"

Mister Human?

What a unique way to address someone.

Although it felt a bit strange, the appearance of this short fellow still brought Li Wei a sense of relief.

At the very least, this was not some uninhabited wilderness.

"That is the case; I am indeed lost. Could I ask you where this is?"

The short fellow blinked and replied, "Oh, this is the Shire. To be more specific, it's Hobbiton."

No way.

What on earth, the Shire?

A surge of memories flooded his mind.

The Shire... The Lord of the Rings...

Li Wei froze on the spot.

He hurriedly looked down, scrutinizing the person before him who only reached his waist.

Child-like height, large feet covered in hair, and slightly pointed ears.

A Halfling.

Or rather, a Hobbit.

So this is Middle-earth?!

Li Wei was stunned once again, unsure whether to be happy or worried.

Middle-earth—also known as the center of the world—was a place he had dreamed of living in while watching the Lord of the Rings movies. It was a land of infinite beauty, filled with all sorts of interesting people and events.

But that was just a fantasy.

Li Wei had enough self-awareness to know that with his limited abilities, even if he arrived in Middle-earth, he would just be an ordinary person.

And to be honest, life for an ordinary person in Middle-earth was far from peaceful. If you weren't careful, you might find yourself slaughtered by Orcs or some evil force that popped out of nowhere.

This land was not a place of peace.

Seeing Li Wei staring blankly again, the Hobbit before him scratched his head.

This human looked a bit dim-witted; could he have bumped his head?

Hmm... black hair, strange clothing, soft features—he looked quite different from the humans he had seen before. He must have come from very far away.

The Hobbit examined Li Wei with curiosity, thought for a moment, and spoke up again.

"Sir, if you are looking for a place to stay, perhaps you could check the tavern in the village. Also, if you head east from here, you'll reach Bree. There are many humans there; perhaps you would prefer that?"

"Ah, thank you, I understand..."

Grumble...

Before he could say much more, Li Wei's stomach suddenly churned, letting out an uncooperative sound.

The atmosphere turned slightly awkward.

The tall one and the short one looked at each other.

The Hobbit glanced at Li Wei, then looked down at his stomach.

"Er, I happen to be making fried fish and potatoes tonight. Would you like to come to my home and eat with me?"

Li Wei wanted to decline the polite gesture, but the hunger pangs already gnawing at him had clearly thickened his skin.

If his hunger meter bottomed out, he would start losing health.

He immediately replied, "Then I shall impose upon you."

The Hobbit was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Li Wei to actually accept.

Judging by his slightly conflicted expression, he clearly regretted being so polite.

"Then please, follow me. However, the ingredients I bought earlier are probably only enough for one person, so I'll need to make another trip to the market. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to come along..."

The Hobbit chattered on as he began to lead the way.

Li Wei followed him with a thick skin, and before long, the unique cave dwellings of the Hobbits appeared before his eyes. After crossing a bridge and walking a short distance further, they reached a bustling market where a crowd of Hobbits moved to and fro.

Li Wei trailed behind the Hobbit, his height standing out starkly among the Halflings, forcing him to constantly duck his head to watch his path.

Humans were a rare sight in the Shire, and in the lively market, one curious gaze after another swept over Li Wei.

"Are you a wizard?"

Finally, a Hobbit child could not help but run over, blinking large eyes as he asked with curiosity.

A wizard? He must be talking about Gandalf.

"No, I am not." Li Wei waved his hand, but before he could say anything more, the child was pulled away by his parent.

By now, the Hobbit who had invited him to dinner had finished his shopping, called out to Li Wei, and began walking toward the edge of the market.

Finally leaving the noisy market behind, Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief; he could finally stop keeping his head bowed.

After a while longer, the two stopped in front of a Hobbit hole.

"This is my home, sir."

The Hobbit opened the door and walked inside, not forgetting to look back and say, "The ceilings might be a bit low for you humans, but you should have no trouble coming in and sitting down."

"It is still a bit early for dinner, but it will be teatime soon; perhaps we can have something else first."

Li Wei stooped to enter, closed the door gently, and widened his eyes, looking around the small house with curiosity.

Why does this feel... a bit familiar?

Li Wei's attention was drawn to a small wooden chest by the door.

Hm?

He suddenly spoke up, "Pardon my manners. My name is Li Wei; I haven't asked for your name yet."

The Hobbit had just finished placing his groceries in the kitchen. Seeing Li Wei introduce himself, he turned around and said formally, "Oh, hello, Li Wei."

"I am Baggins."

"Bilbo Baggins."