(Must-read: this world has a largely Western setting, but the prose is not [translationese]. It leans toward [planned prose], commonly called [Chinese style];
So I have not mechanically translated phrases into Chinese. For example, [medicinal catalyst], which appears in this chapter, would normally be translated from English as [medicinal adjuvant]. I adapted it into a term better suited to Chinese reading habits. There will be more vocabulary and sentences like this later.
If you really cannot accept that, I suggest you swipe away now to avoid growing resentful as you read on.)
Towering woodland, a soft dirt path.
Cramped, silent, damp.
The grassy scent mingled with soil and fallen leaves was easy to smell.
Dick stood still, staring ahead in a daze.
Where was I?
He suddenly felt another tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he met a young child's bewildered gaze.
"Mr. Dick, didn't you say you were taking me to buy spun-sugar treats? Why did we come here?" The little boy tilted his face up.
Blond hair, plain clothes-he looked Western.
And he spoke neither Chinese nor English, yet Dick could understand him.
A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through Dick's head, and fragments of memory surged forth in response:
He had transmigrated into a large single-player game from his previous life called The Witcher:
It was a world that resembled medieval Europe in certain respects, where different races had distinct customs and monsters abounded;
The player played a white-haired witcher who slew demons and monsters, while also "collecting" alluring sorceresses...
Plural.
[Witcher] was a profession, also known as a monster hunter, whose duty was to slay monsters.
He had no ties left in his original world anyway. Since he was here, so be it.
But the problem was that the person with his name whose identity he had assumed was pure villainous cannon fodder, a foil for the protagonist.
No, he did not even qualify as a foil.
Just withered weeds by the roadside.
He had watched playthroughs of this game and knew some of its early content:
In the game's first stage, the protagonist discovered the original owner's many evil deeds, then punished him by cutting off his head with a single stroke.
"What a great start!"
No sooner had he finished mocking himself than Dick's pupils contracted. A translucent panel had appeared before his eyes-the very same panel used by the game's protagonist:
[Combat]: Swordsmanship (Proficient) [Signs]: Mind Shockwave (Novice) [Alchemy]: None [Talent]: School of the Lynx Witcher (1.5 times the physique of an adult male, with further enhancements to reflexes, movement, and nerves; greatly enhanced smell, hearing, and vision, with night vision. Witcher senses can be activated at will.) (Notification: first panel activation. Reward: Energy Points X100)
The panel was exactly the same as in the game. Slaying monsters and completing monster-hunting contracts earned Energy Points, which could then be used to upgrade and acquire skills.
Skills were divided into Novice, Proficient, Professional, Elite, and Master.
Upgrading from Novice to Proficient required 100 Energy Points, and the cost doubled with each subsequent rank.
Dick felt somewhat reassured:
It seemed he now had something to rely on, but the panel had pitifully few skills.
Moreover, both of those skills were at very low ranks.
The original owner had been far too weak.
But that was not the most important matter right now.
"Child, I took the wrong path. The treats are sold at the market in town. Come with me," Dick said gently, looking down.
"All right. Since I've walked so far, can I have an extra little treat as a reward?"
Only a three- or four-year-old child would fail to question why buying treats required leaving the castle. Anyone a little older would not have been fooled.
"Sure, sure!"
The little boy looked delighted. His small hand gripped two of Dick's fingers, and the two turned around, intending to return to [Odinburg].
But after only two steps, rustling leaves sounded from the lush woodland ahead.
An enormous red nose emerged first from behind the leaves, followed by an old woman's face.
She had a pointed chin, a face furrowed with age, and an absurdly long nose. Wearing a robe and holding a broom, she looked over with a broad grin.
"Witcher, didn't we agree you'd give me the 'medicinal catalyst'?
"What! Leaving already? Don't you want the money~?"
Her voice was sharp and grating, her words full of suspicion.
This monster was the other party in the transaction.
Witchers were supposed to hunt monsters and keep ordinary people safe, yet what was happening now was the complete reverse.
Dick knew this was another of the original owner's "good deeds." Shielding the little boy, who had already frozen in terror, behind him, he silently drew the silver sword from his back.
Witchers generally carried two swords:
Silver for monsters, steel for wicked men.
The former could inflict more damage on monsters.
The old woman before him was one of the game's monsters, known as a "Broom Witch."
Their origins had always been a mystery, but some rumors claimed they were the result of apprentice sorceresses failing to advance, then trying to become sorceresses through concocted magical potions, only to fail again.
Their brooms, made from special materials, could channel their magic and also serve as mounts, allowing them to fly through the air.
Seeing Dick draw his sword and brace for battle, the Broom Witch raised her eyelids and shouted furiously, "You damned mutant! You dare break our agreement!"
With that, she flicked her left hand, and the broom shot toward Dick as swiftly as a sword.
Dick held his sword across his body to block it. A clang of metal against stone suddenly rang out, but the broom struck with unexpected force, sending him flying beneath a tree in an instant and shaking leaves all over the ground.
Dick sat sprawled on the ground, dizzy and in such pain that his whole body felt ready to split apart. He had not expected the old woman to possess such power in a single strike!
The old woman recalled her broom, smiled scornfully, and walked slowly over to the little boy, who was now trembling uncontrollably.
Forcing the corners of her mouth into what she considered a kindly expression, she said, "Child, don't be afraid. Being my 'medicinal catalyst' will only hurt for a little while. Don't worry."
At her words, the little boy shook uncontrollably and turned his head stiffly toward Dick, his eyes brimming with tears.
Dick hesitated no longer and put the points straight into [Mind Shockwave]. In an instant, the changes to the skill became clear in his mind:
Originally, this skill only delivered an impact that could briefly halt an ordinary person's movements;
But after upgrading to [Proficient], it would also carry a mental attack that could leave an enemy briefly dizzy and disoriented.
That was...
Enough!
He forced himself upright with his sword in hand and charged at the old woman.
The old woman's face filled with disdain:
This witcher was so pathetically weak. He could have lived a little longer if he stayed put, but since he was so eager to be reincarnated, she could only oblige him.
She waved her hand again, sending the broom flying at Dick once more.
This time, however, Dick ignored the broom about to strike him. Instead, he opened his left hand and thrust his palm forward.
A translucent current of air burst from his palm in a cone, aimed straight at the Broom Witch.
The current raced through the air, sweeping up a mass of fallen leaves like a venomous snake dancing in midair.
Its fangs "bit" into the old woman in an instant.
She had not expected the witcher, previously so weak, to have mastered a new move. Caught off guard, she was struck immediately. As the current buffeted her robe, her eyes went blank for a moment.
At the same time, the broom lost its wielder's guidance. Like a kite with its string snapped, it careened haphazardly down onto the dirt.
Mind Shockwave worked!
Dick naturally would not let this opportunity slip. In the blink of an eye, he was before the old woman.
Only then did she recover from the mental impact, but it was too late.
Dick stared straight into the old woman's fear-constricted pupils and, without hesitation, swept his sword horizontally.
A flash of steel streaked past.
Whoosh!
An ugly head flew into the air as dark red, hot, wet blood spattered across the ground.
Notification: Broom Witch X1 slain. First kill of a [Relicts]. Additional Energy Points X15 awarded. Total Energy Points gained: X30.