Data Awakening and the Eye of Probability

My head felt like it was splitting open.

Su Yan's last memory was the glow of his computer screen at 4 AM, the dense lines of code in the compiler, and the cup of instant coffee on his desk, long gone cold and tasting like dishwater. He remembered finally fixing a tricky bug related to the game server's probability algorithms, then his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no familiar office ceiling, no sound of keyboards clacking. Only a strange sky, as if shrouded behind frosted glass, and an unfamiliar air mixed with the fresh scent of grass and trees and a metallic, rusty odor.

He sat up abruptly, finding himself lying on a hard, cold stone road. The surrounding buildings were familiar—it was the commercial street below his company building—but everything was different. The glass-curtain buildings were now covered in a rough, seemingly naturally grown rock texture, and a large plaque emitting a faint white glow hung at the top: [Jiangnan Wilderness · General Store]. The familiar chain convenience store's sign had changed to [Novice Weapon Shop], and standing by the entrance was a shop assistant in a coarse cloth tunic, his eyes vacant, his movements like a marionette.

Wandering the streets were no longer hurried office workers, but people in simple cloth armor, holding wooden clubs or iron swords, their faces etched with fear and confusion. Further in the distance, several "Great Turtles" with fur shimmering with abnormal data stream luminescence and exposed fangs crawled slowly, occasionally making clumsy charges at anyone who got too close.

"What... what is this situation? A holographic prank?" Su Yan rubbed his still throbbing temples, trying to comprehend the surreal scene before him.

Just then, at the edge of his vision, several lines of pale blue, highly futuristic font appeared like a game UI:

[Name: Su Yan] [Race: Human] [Level: 0] [Blood Essence: 100/100] [Magic: 50/50] [Vitality: 50/50] [Stamina: 50/50] [Experience: 0/100] [Sect: None] [Guild: None]

Below this was a row of icons: [Equipment], [Skills], [Items], [Quests], [Friends], [Guild]...

Su Yan's heart lurched. This UI interface was all too familiar! This was the player interface for the classic turn-based MMORPG he had stayed up all night maintaining—Fantasy Westward Journey!

He tried to focus his thoughts on the [Items] tab, just as he would in the game. A virtual inventory grid instantly unfolded. It was empty, except for the first slot, where a simple, ancient-looking book lay, emitting a faint golden light.

[Mysterious Scroll] (Special Item) Description: ??? (Seems to have traveled with you, containing unknown power)

At the same time, a cold, emotionless system notification sounded directly in his mind, its voice grand, as if echoing throughout the entire world:

[Announcement: Welcome to the "Real Fantasy" world. Data integration is complete. The old Earth era has ended.] [Current Area: Jianye City (Novice Protection Zone)] [Basic Rules:] 1. Survival and Evolution: Killing demons and completing quests grants experience and resources. Leveling up and increasing strength is the only way to survive. 2. Data Embodiment: Your bodies have been digitized. Blood Essence reaching zero signifies true death. Treat every battle with caution. 3. Sects and Skills: Joining a sect, learning skills, and mastering production techniques are the foundation for building society and confronting threats. 4. Safe Zones and Wilderness Areas: City core areas are safe zones where combat is prohibited. Wilderness areas are fraught with danger and overrun by demons. 5. World Events and Hidden Opportunities: The vast world holds countless unknown events and opportunities, waiting to be explored and discovered. [Wishing you all... a pleasant journey.]

The announcement ended, and a deathly silence descended upon the entire street, immediately followed by a deafening wave of panic.

"Earth... has ended? Real death?" "What kind of joke is this! Let me out! I want to go home!" "Mom... I'm scared..." "Monster! A monster is coming this way!"

Amidst the chaos, some people tried to attack the dazed NPCs, only to find their attacks pass through them like phantoms. Some ran crying towards the city outskirts, only to be blocked by an invisible wall of air. More people, after their initial breakdown, began instinctively checking their suddenly appearing status panels, searching for a glimmer of hope.

Su Yan forced himself to calm down. As a top programmer, he had an extraordinary sensitivity to data and logic. He quickly analyzed the situation: the entire world had been digitized by some unknown force, with rules similar to Fantasy Westward Journey, but more brutal—real death. This was not a game, but a real, mutated world operating under specific rules.

His gaze fell back on the [Mysterious Scroll]. It was the only "anomaly" on him. He tried to touch it with his mind.

The scroll turned into a stream of light and merged into his body. The next moment, he felt a new layer added to his "vision." Next to his personal status panel, an extremely minimalist, semi-transparent panel, somewhat similar to the underlying code interface he had seen while fixing the bug, quietly appeared:

[Probability Accumulation Panel (Hidden)] [Current Allocatable Accumulation Directions:] · Item Acquisition Chance (Common/Excellent/Fine/Rare/Legendary): 0% · Crafting/Synthesis Success Rate (including forging, monster refinement, potion making, etc.): 0% · Skill Comprehension/Breakthrough Probability: 0% · Special Event Trigger Probability: 0% · Other Unknown Fields: Unlocked

[Current Accumulation Points: 0 (Obtained through survival, combat, exploration, etc.)] [Note: Probability is one of the fundamental codes that make up the world. And you, have glimpsed the authority to modify it.]

Su Yan's breathing suddenly quickened.

A cheat! And such a heaven-defying cheat! It didn't directly grant power, but instead gave him a lever to pry at the fundamental rules of this world—"probability"! In such a data-driven world, the value of this ability was immeasurable!

He suppressed the elation in his heart and began to observe his surroundings. The panicked crowd started trying to team up, cautiously attacking lone "Great Turtles" or "Giant Frogs." Wooden sticks struck shells with dull thuds, damage numbers "-1", "-2" floating up, the process slow and inefficient. Occasionally, a few copper coins or a level one medicine, a "Four-Leaf Clover," would drop, causing a small scramble.

Su Yan noticed that a university student, who looked like an athlete, managed to kill a Great Turtle alone with his relatively strong physique, gaining 10 experience points. A five-person team cooperating to kill one would only get 2 points each. The efficiency was low, yet the risk wasn't small; when someone was hit by a Great Turtle, their Blood Essence would drop by over a dozen points, scaring them pale.

"This is too slow, and dangerous," Su Yan thought to himself. "I need to level up quickly and gain the ability to protect myself."

He didn't blindly attack monsters like everyone else, but instead walked towards the dazed shop assistant at the [Novice Weapon Shop].

"Young Hero, what do you need?" the shop assistant repeated in a flat tone.

Su Yan opened the purchase list:

[Wooden Sword]: Damage +5, Price 100 Copper Coins.

[Iron Sword]: Damage +10, Price 500 Copper Coins.

[Cloth Armor]: Defense +2, Price 80 Copper Coins.

He was penniless. But he noticed that the shop assistant also had a [Quest] icon. Clicking it, there was only one quest:

[Novice Trial]: Kill level 0 creatures 'Great Turtle' or 'Giant Frog', collect 10 [Complete Turtle Shells] or [Tough Frog Legs]. Reward: 100 Experience, 500 Copper Coins.

"As expected, just like the early game," Su Yan knew what to do.

He didn't accept the quest immediately, but first headed outside the city to observe the distribution and attack patterns of the level 0 creatures. He noticed that near the bushes by a small stream, several Great Turtles spawned relatively concentrated, and there weren't many people around.

This is the place.

Su Yan took a deep breath and allocated the small amount of "Accumulation Points" he had gained from observation and simple activities to [Item Acquisition Chance (Normal)]. The panel's value jumped from 0% to 3%. He wanted to verify the effect of his cheat.

He picked up a suitable stone from the ground, aimed at a lone Great Turtle, and threw it with force.

"-1" (Physical Attack)

A pathetic number floated up. The Great Turtle was enraged and slowly crawled towards him.

Su Yan retreated while continuing to attack with the stone. His movements were agile, always managing to dodge sideways just as the Great Turtle was about to hit him. The process was tedious and slow, but his eyes remained calm.

Finally, after the seventh stone hit, the Great Turtle let out a mournful cry, disappeared into specks of white light, leaving behind 2 copper coins and... two [Complete Turtle Shells]!

One drop, double the quest items!

Su Yan immediately looked at the panel: a small "(-0.1%)" appeared behind [Item Acquisition Chance (Normal)], and it slowly began to recover from 2.9% to 3%.

Effective! And the effect was immediate!

A strong sense of confidence surged in his heart. He followed the same method, specifically looking for lone Great Turtles, using a kiting strategy to kill them without taking damage. With the slight boost from [Probability Accumulation], his efficiency in collecting 10 turtle shells far surpassed others. Almost every two to three kills, he would reliably get a shell, and even a few [Four-Leaf Clovers] dropped additionally.

When he returned to the weapon shop with 10 turtle shells to complete the quest, a white light rose from him.

[System: Quest 'Novice Trial' completed, gained 100 Experience, 500 Copper Coins.]

[System: Congratulations on reaching Level 1! Blood Essence +10, Magic +5, gained 5 Potential Points (can be freely allocated to Constitution, Magic, Strength, Endurance, Agility).]

Su Yan unhesitatingly added all 5 potential points to "Strength." In this early stage, attack power meant more efficient monster-killing speed and lower danger. His damage attributes immediately improved.

He used the 500 copper coins to buy an [Iron Sword] and equipped it, his damage increasing by a full 10 points. At this moment, holding the Iron Sword, his attributes far surpassed those level 0 Players still holding wooden sticks or even fighting bare-handed.

He didn't stop, and continued to accept the next cycle of the [Novice Trial] quest. This time, killing Giant Frogs and Great Turtles was even easier. The Iron Sword dealt around "-15" damage, doubling his efficiency. He continued to invest the newly acquired accumulation points into Item Acquisition Chance, which soon increased to 5%.

While others were still struggling to gather 10 quest items and working hard to save money for an Iron Sword, Su Yan had easily reached level 3, with over 2000 copper coins and a considerable amount of low-level medicinal ingredients accumulated in his backpack.

He passed by a group of people discussing a "Mutated Sea Hairy Caterpillar" of a special color.

"Mutated pet! An early-game top-tier item in the game!"

"Can't catch it, not high enough level, and no pet!"

"Just kill it, maybe it'll drop something good!"

"Let's go together!"

That Mutated Sea Hairy Caterpillar was much tougher than ordinary monsters, and could knock out more than half of a level 3 Player's health in a few hits. A group of people attacked it, flustered and narrowly escaping danger.

Su Yan looked at the colorful Sea Hairy Caterpillar, and a thought struck him. He remembered the [Crafting/Synthesis Success Rate] on his cheat panel. Did this include the success rate of "capturing"? In Fantasy Westward Journey, capturing summoned beasts was itself a probabilistic action.

He didn't join the fray for now, but turned and walked towards the area where the [Pet Fairy] was located. He used 500 copper coins to buy the most ordinary [Pet Talisman].

When he returned to the vicinity of the Mutated Sea Hairy Caterpillar, the group had just managed to kill it with difficulty and were arguing over the drop of a [Level 10 Exquisite Belt].

Su Yan quietly walked away, looking for the next one. He knew that with his cheat, his goals shouldn't be limited to such low-level mutated pets. His sights should be set further. Should he forge a glowing weapon with no level restriction to shock the early game, or capture a rarer and more powerful Mutated Hibiscus Fairy? This no longer seemed like an unattainable fantasy.

Just as he was contemplating his next plan, a scroll marker, distinctly different from other quest markers and emitting a dark gold light, suddenly appeared in his vision.

[Hidden Quest (Prologue): Abnormal Data Fragments]

[Description]: Near the patrolling officer 'Li Shanren' in Jianye City, a trace of disordered data fluctuations, incompatible with this world, seems to be detectable. Investigating this matter may reveal some clues about this world.

[Reward]: Unknown.

[Hint]: This quest is extremely rare and may involve the deep secrets of the world.

Su Yan's gaze sharpened abruptly.

He thought this was just a single-player game where he would crush everything with his cheat, but now, this hidden quest, unrecorded even in official guides, had actively sought him out.

Behind this "Real Fantasy" world, something was indeed hidden. The chilling truth seemed to be quietly revealing its first tendril beneath the calm of this seemingly novice village.

Su Yan tightened his grip on the Iron Sword, glanced at the dark gold quest marker, and stepped forward without hesitation.

His journey had only just begun. And the veil of mystery surrounding this world was waiting for him to lift it.