November, 1248.
Deep in the Blue Mountains.
Towering peaks stood pale in the cold air, while thick snow covered the trees in the valley, like a painting draped in silver and white.
The occasional sound of wind blowing snow from the trees broke the silence of the valley, peaceful and serene.
An icy chill filled the air, as though the entire world were enveloped in cold.
On the snowy ground, a cute snow hare was foraging for food.
Its body was snowy white and fluffy, like a soft ball of cotton, and its long ears stood upright, as though constantly watching its surroundings for approaching danger.
What it failed to notice, however, was the boy hiding in the snow just ten meters away.
The boy had short hair as black as midnight. He wore a cold-weather coat and moleskin gloves, with a white cloak fastened over everything.
The color of the cloak and the snow that had fallen on him made him blend almost seamlessly into his surroundings.
His eyes remained fixed on the foraging hare as he slowly and gently drew a hunting knife from his waist.
Just then, the hare seemed to sense something and bolted.
The boy hesitated no longer. He drew the hunting knife and whipped his arm forward!
A streak of silver flashed.
The knife's blade pinned the hare to the snow.
Hot blood spilled onto the snow, as crimson as the fine wine Summer Red.
The boy walked over and pulled out the knife.
Then he stabbed down hard.
He ended the hare's suffering.
At that moment, a barely perceptible warm current flowed along the weapon into his body.
The sensation was faint.
Without paying close attention, he might even have missed it.
Panel, the boy said silently.
Rows of golden text immediately unfurled before his eyes like a waterfall:
Lynn Skills: School of the Wolf Swordsmanship (proficient) Attribute points: 1 (99%) → 2 (0%)
"Finally."
As Lynn looked at the flashing golden plus sign beside the skill on his attribute panel, an indescribable anticipation filled his heart.
But he suppressed the urge to spend his points, grabbed the hare by its ears, and carried it back the way he had come.
"Time really flies. Before I knew it, I'd already spent two and a half months in this world."
When he had first transmigrated, it had taken him several full days to accept that he had arrived in another world.
And into the body of a child who had just passed the Trial of the Grasses, at that.
"Who would've thought that after posting a paragraph comment on the Qidian app, I'd wake up from a nap in the world of The Witcher?"
Lynn naturally knew very well how dangerous this world was.
Not only were monsters everywhere, but wars between the human kingdoms never ceased.
Never mind ordinary people living without knowing whether they would survive the day-even kings often couldn't find their heads, literally.
Compared with the world he had called home in his previous life, this world was far more dangerous.
But the silver lining was that Lynn was not entirely without something to rely on.
On the very first day after his transmigration, he had discovered that he was bound to an attribute panel exclusively for witchers.
As a modern person who had grown up with all kinds of video games, he had understood the moment he saw the attribute panel that it was the foundation for taking control of his own destiny in this world.
If he did not want to become an expendable resource for others to exploit, he needed to learn more skills and raise their levels.
And to do that, he needed to accumulate attribute points.
After some time experimenting, he had found a way to obtain attribute points:
Killing living creatures.
The stronger the creature, the more experience he gained.
Once his experience filled up, he would receive an attribute point.
Upgrading his only current skill, School of the Wolf Swordsmanship, required a full two attribute points, and after two and a half months, he had finally gathered them.
Half an hour later, a dilapidated castle came into Lynn's view.
It was Kaer Morhen, the headquarters and school of the School of the Wolf witchers.
Even in its present state of disrepair, traces of its former glory remained.
In its heyday, the castle had bustled with voices, from its interior to the training grounds outside.
Now, only the cold wind howling past like a blade welcomed him home.
Crossing the remaining planks of the bridge over the moat, Lynn entered the castle's great hall.
An aroma reached him along with the old witcher's voice.
"You're just in time. I was about to go out looking for you. Sit down, child. It's time to eat."
The hall was spacious, with a huge fireplace connected to a chimney. A fierce fire burned in the hearth, lighting the entire room.
A heavy, long table stood in the center of the hall, with room for at least ten people, but there was only one there now.
An elderly man greeted him as he set dishes of food on the table.
This old man was Vesemir, the highly respected grandmaster of the School of the Wolf.
The other witchers of the School of the Wolf regarded him as a father.
No one knew exactly how old Vesemir was.
It was said that he had witnessed the laying of Kaer Morhen's very first stone, as well as the siege it later suffered.
Yet although Vesemir was older than Kaer Morhen itself, his body was still strong enough to make young men envious.
"Yes, Master Vesemir."
Lynn nodded.
First, he took the hare to the kitchen and washed his hands.
Only then did he return to sit at the long table.
Vesemir had already portioned out the food.
Meat, bread, and vegetables.
The portions of bread and vegetables on his plate were the same as Vesemir's, but Lynn's plate held considerably more meat.
"Eat, child. You're at an age when you need nourishment. Have plenty."
Warmth filled Lynn's heart.
A witcher's life was austere.
Supplies were extremely scarce at Kaer Morhen.
Although witchers often risked their lives hunting monsters, the pay they received was meager.
Vesemir had bought all this food with his earnings, trading in the villages at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
Yet Vesemir always gave him as much of the meat as possible, as though caring for his own child.
After dinner, Lynn volunteered to take care of all the washing up.
Once he had finished washing the dishes, he returned to his room.
In this world without internet or electricity, there was naturally no nighttime entertainment either.
When night fell, it was time to sleep.
Tonight, however, Lynn had no intention of going to bed.
He still had something very important to do.
Back in his room, Lynn silently said, Panel.
A mass of golden text appeared before his eyes:
Lynn Skills: School of the Wolf Swordsmanship (proficient) Attribute points: 2 (0%)
Lynn rubbed his hands together excitedly.
Then he hesitated no longer.
He imagined an invisible finger pressing hard on the plus sign beside School of the Wolf Swordsmanship!
The attribute points at the bottom changed from 2 to 0.
The word "proficient" beside School of the Wolf Swordsmanship blurred, and when it became clear again, it had changed to "expert."
Lynn could not help sucking in a sharp breath.
A vast quantity of memories related to swordsmanship was now pouring into his brain.
The entire process did not last long.
Once the transfer was complete, his mind held a wealth of experience and techniques, as though he had personally acquired them over many years.
Not only that, but he could also feel that his body had changed.
He casually picked up the training sword by his bed, assumed the proper stance, and swung hard.
The blade sliced through the air with a whistle.
Lynn estimated that upgrading School of the Wolf Swordsmanship had increased his strength and speed by roughly five percent.
Satisfied, he put away the training sword.
If someone won a hundred million, they would probably feel just as Lynn did now.
Before, he had only been speculating, but now he had genuinely experienced the attribute panel's ability to make him stronger.
In this world of lurking dangers, what could be more precious than this gift?
The next day, on the training grounds.
Morning dew still clung to the wooden bodies of the training dummies, but two figures were already fighting on the training grounds.
"Good. That's enough."
At Vesemir's words, the two stopped and drew apart.
"How did I do, Master Vesemir?"
Early that morning, Lynn had sought out Vesemir, hoping he would serve as his sparring partner.
Judging by Lynn's previous progress, Vesemir had felt that he would need to practice with the dummies for some time yet before he was ready to spar with a real person.
Still, youthful energy was a good thing, so he had not refused.
But once he crossed swords with Lynn, he could not help feeling surprised.
Lynn's School of the Wolf Swordsmanship had improved even more dramatically than he had expected.
At just thirteen years old, Lynn had actually reached the level of a full-fledged witcher in swordsmanship alone.
Could this child really be a genius?
A smile of surprise and delight appeared on Vesemir's face.
Still, he cautioned him.
"Although your swordsmanship has improved quickly, you mustn't grow arrogant or complacent. There are still areas where your swordsmanship needs improvement. I hope you'll remain levelheaded and keep honing your skills."
Lynn did not let Vesemir's words go in one ear and out the other. Instead, he said earnestly, "Yes, Master Vesemir. I know there's no limit to how much one can improve."
If anything surprised and pleased Vesemir more than Lynn's swordsmanship, it was undoubtedly his humble attitude.
A satisfied expression appeared on Vesemir's face.
"Very good. Keep practicing, then. We'll begin our lessons on monster lore this afternoon."
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