Luke ignored all of the other rewards, his eyes landed on the 'Search card' and the 'Buy items from one rank up card'. Being able to search for anything he wants in the store would be game-breaking. And he didn't need to scroll so far just to find what he wants. The only downside is that he only has twenty seconds of it, but on the bright side, he is able to pause the search function at will, meaning that if he paused it, the twenty seconds wouldn't be wasted and would be frozen instead.
"What's the difference between ranks and realms?"
[Ding! A rank in simple terms, is if a number from 1-9 is added, that is called a rank. Realms, on the other hand, is Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, etc.]
Luke nodded his head as he finished reading the message, "Then what is my mission now?"
[Ding! Main Mission: Reach Foundation Establishment. Rewards: ?]
...
[Ding! Successfully killed Horned Rabbit, Gained 10EXP]
[Ding! Congratulations. Host has successfully reached Qi Condensation 5th level.]
As there weren't any monsters in the cave, Luke got down and began venturing inside the forest not far from the mountain. At first, he felt weird since he has a pistol, but he got used to it real quick. The pistol looked similar to a Glock and it weighed the same too. The only difference with his and the pistols in earth is that his doesn't need physical bullets, he only needed to add spiritual Qi and then the pistol would aid him in materializing his Qi into the shape of bullets.
Luke has been killing monsters day in and day out, he needed to level-up before he proceeds to go outside the forest. There was no guarantee that the forest only has creatures the same level as the lion earlier, making preparations beforehand is the ideal choice for him right now.
He got back to his shack and laid down on the bed, then he went to check his status,
[--Status--]
Name: Luke Forrester
Level: 5 [Qi Condensation 5th Level]
EXP: 0/2,000
Cultivation Technique: Forbidden Devouring Scripture
Items: 29x Cultivation Manual, 3x Cauldrons, 9x Qi Gathering Pills, 9x EXP Card multiplier x10(1 hour), 1x Access to Store card (1 Minute), 1x Access to Search Function card (20 seconds; pause is permitted), 1x One up card (1 minute), Lion Hide, Lion Meat, 10x Ox Hide, 10x Rabbit Hide, 10x Ox Meat, 10x Rabbit Meat, Deer Antlers, Deer Hide.
Game Funds: 1,438,923(300)
Store
"Is Qi Condensation Fifth Level strong?" Luke hadn't fully tested his strength yet because the pistol he got as a reward was pretty useful and powerful. Only one bullet was needed to kill rabbits in half-step Qi Condensation, which was the same for the Oxes which were at Qi Condensation 1st level and the Deer which was Qi Condensation 2nd level.
[Ding! No.]
"Then what level is strong in the mortal world?"
[Ding! Spirit Transformation Realm.]
Luke only let out a sound as a reply, he began dozing off to sleep. The fatigue he had accumulated while venturing out in the woods earlier took a toll on his body and mind. Even though he was already a Qi Condensation 5th level, his mental strength is pretty weak and his body was the same state as his mind. He was mediocre compared to true cultivators that trained their body.
...
Luke was woken up by the bright ray of sunshine piercing through one of the holes in his shack's roof. He didn't know the exact reason why, but he felt energetic as if the fatigue from yesterday was wiped away. Another thing that he noticed is that his body felt somewhat 'strong' compared to yesterday.
"W-What happened?"
[Ding! Due to the sudden leap in Host's cultivation, the system took the initiative and paused it to avoid further damage in Host's body. As of now, there is no need to worry since the Host's cultivation has turned back to normal. Do take caution when leveling up as it will damage the Host's body.]
After reading the long paragraph, Luke went outside to test out his new-found powers. Luke thought it was a good idea for the system to pause his cultivation and continued it when he fell asleep. Not only did he get straight to Qi condensation, he also went straight to Qi Condensation 5th level, so it was normal that there would be backlash from breaking through ranks consecutively.
He went towards the left side of the mountain and walked towards the large rock placed near the edge. The rock was about two to three times larger than the mountain lion he fought with yesterday, so it was the perfect testing material. Without much further thought, he threw a punch. His knuckle landed directly on the surface of the rock, it immediately exploded into tiny pieces.
Testing his strength on a rock didn't give him an accurate answer to his current strength, but seeing that he broke the giant rock into pieces easily, he was pretty satisfied. Compared to his strength yesterday, his strength now is leaps and bounds compared to what it was.
"System, do you know how I could upgrade my pistol?" While venturing the forest yesterday, this thought came to his head. If he faced a higher-ranked opponent, then his pistol would be useless in fights, at most, it would only scrape his opponent.
[Ding! Host doesn't need to upgrade your spirit tool as it was already bound to your soul the moment you received it. The binding means that you don't need to upgrade it as its power will reflect the Host's cultivation rank. The higher the Host's cultivation rank, the stronger the spirit tool will become.]
"Then what about the cultivation manual I'm using? The name itself gave me the creeps, and as its name implies, will my soul also be devoured by the cultivation manual?"
[Ding! No, Host's soul is protected by a sliver of ******** the ******** ***** left.]
Instead of a straight forward answer, the system usually gives, it gave Luke a vague one. He furrowed his eyebrows, his curiosity was piqued. Somewhere in the vast universe, there was an entity akin to a god that created such a cheat and gave it to him. Luke became excited, but at the same time terrified.
If there really was a creator, did 'it' gave the system to him in 'its' own accord, or was the system just lost and bound to him?
Luke shook his head and dismissed the thought entirely. He couldn't even solve his problem of leaving the forest unscathed, much less think about the problem of there being a god-like being that created the system.
He jumped off from the mountain and landed in the forest, letting out a loud *bang* sound as he landed. Luke didn't need to slowly but safely go down the mountain like he did yesterday, it was already stated by the system that he would also gain tremendous defence if he cultivates.
The forest was of course, full of trees in its surroundings. Luke's mission as of now is to venture as deep as he could before night time arrives. Due to the fact that he came from earth, his cowardice was still lingering inside him, and that's why he didn't dare to go too far from his safe haven which is the mountain.
Though, the memories that resurfaced in his mind last night when he was dreaming gave him the courage to venture out. It was a vague dream about how it all came about, how the person that previously owned the body was sent to the mountain. The memories would resurface randomly, albeit vague, it would still answer Luke's questions about the previous dream. He felt like he was watching a TV series once the memories of the previous owner resurface, a tragic TV series.
As of now, Luke only had a name, a couple of names that came from the previous owner's body. The previous owner was also named Luke with their last names only being the difference. The previous owner, Luke2, was the typical trash of a Xianxia novel. Though, he wasn't from a previously renowned family, he was only a normal kid that started cultivating independently.
Luke2 wanted to cultivate so that he could fend off the bullies that were picking on him, by the time that he reached Qi Condensation 1st level and got revenge to the bullies, the bullies called for their older brothers and beat him up until he was half dead. The bullying didn't stop there, it was only later that Luke2 knew of the status of his bullies. He wasn't all that informed about the happenings inside the village, all he knew was that he wanted revenge.
Revenge on the man named William, Ivy, and James. These three treacherous bastards sentenced him to the Mountain of Despair. This was what Luke pieced together with the information he got with the memories that resurfaced in his dreams. Though, he still needed to dig deeper before he gets into conclusions. As Luke walked deeper into the forest, he came across a few 1st to 3rd level Qi Condensation beasts and killed them using his pistol.
Now that he's a 5th Level Qi Condensation cultivator, his pistol also has the power the same as his cultivation, making him kill monsters below his rank easily. He wanted to laugh at how pathetic he was yesterday, being suppressed by a mere 1st level Spirit beast. As Luke took another step deeper into the forest, the system rang like crazy.
[Warning! A powerful creature is detected nearby, please take caution.]
[Warning! A powerful creature is detected nearby, please take caution.]
[Warning! A powerful creature is detected nearby, please take caution.]
...
A grin could be seen in Luke's face, the more warnings he receives, the wider his grin is.
The adrenaline rush kicked in and his heart beat faster than ever, he didn't know why, but he felt excited when seeing new, powerful monsters. It might be the cause of the memories and the previous owner's thirst for revenge, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Luke muted the system notifications and slowly walked towards the silent but audible footsteps he heard a while ago. The footsteps were brief, but Luke heard it clear as they before the system warned him like crazy. 'System, is my aura concealed?'
There wasn't a ding sound like usual, but there was a word in his vision that said, [Yes.]
Not only did the memories give him a motivation to continue doing this, but it also gave him a little information about the world outside the forest. Cultivators have a unique aura in them that would alert other cultivators of their presence. That was why Luke always hid his aura to conceal his presence from his prey.
He slowly walked in a direction where he feels the creature is hiding. All of a sudden, in the corner of his vision, is an interface, similar to the home screen that would let him view his status.
[--Appraisal Eye--]
Entity: Ravaging Wolf
Species: Wolf
Cultivation: Inconclusive (Roughly at Qi Condensation Peak or Foundation Establishment)
Additional Information: These creatures are very aggressive towards other creatures except for their own kind. They would often be seen in pacts. Their hide is full black with a few furs being red, giving the creature a look akin to a demon. Once born, they have a cultivation level of Qi Condensation 5th level...
The description of the wolf was pretty detailed, though, his appraisal eye didn't give him an accurate answer regarding the wolf's cultivation level. Still, that didn't stop him, since the wolf's rank is either at Qi Condensation Peak or Foundation Establishment, it gave him a motivation to fight it more. If the wolf was at Golden Core realm, he would definitely run away, he is only ambitious, not foolish.
Before he fights, he wanted to scout the surroundings first. In the information, it stated that the Ravaging Wolf would often be seen in pacts, the one he saw was alone. The reason he believed it was alone is that if it had other companions, his appraisal eye wouldn't just show him one description, but a dozen. And also because of the system warning, it only said 'creature' not 'creatures', a system that could make him strong by just killing monsters wouldn't be stupid enough to mistake singular and plural.
Luke jumped on top of a tree branch and focused on where he saw a trace of the wolf. Not only did he become strong by cultivating, but his senses were also boosted. His vision landed on a black fur visible in the tiny gap of the tree leaves that were covering him. Luke swiftly, but silently jumped from tree to tree to get closer to the creature.
Jumping from tree to tree is the skill he gained while killing monsters, and the longer he does it, the more proficient he became. He could already make his jumps silent just by training for only a day. Though, his rapid development in using the skill was maybe because of the interference of the system.
As he got closer, he also got a good look at his opponent. The description could only give him so much information, but seeing it in person amazed him. The wolf indeed has black fur, and the red fur looked as if it was placed one by one to give the wolf a fiercer look.
'Too bad you're gonna die.'
He felt an ache in his heart seeing the cool-looking wolf die, but it was a kill or be killed world after all. If he doesn't kill all the things blocking his way, there is a chance that he would be killed if he begins his journey to exit the forest.
"System, how many percent do I have in winning against this creature?"
[30%]
'Thirty percent... too little...' At this point, Luke didn't know whether to stay and fight the monster or just leave because he still has the opportunity to leave unscathed. "System, what recommendations do you have for me?"
The system didn't reply but instead showed him his inventory. Luke's eyes widen all of a sudden as his gaze landed on the 'Access to Store' card, 'Access to Search function' card, and the 'One up' card. if these three cards were combined, they would be the most heaven-defying item that Luke currently owns. It doesn't matter if he has an absurd amount of game funds to spend if he couldn't even use the store.
"Are there special bullets that are able to penetrate beasts in Foundation Establishment realm?"
[Yes.]
Even though the system replied coldly, Luke was still ecstatic. His cultivation was still too low to be able to materialize bullets that could penetrate a Foundation Establishment beast. He went to the homepage and inhaled deeply. 'Activate the three cards.'
This is the most stressful part of the process since he needed to utilize all of the time he has to buy items. He only has a minute to use the store and the one up card, and he only has twenty seconds to use the search function. If he wasted even a second, it would be detrimental not only to him but also to the future ahead of him.
The Store did the usual golden hue, but Luke didn't bother to wait and immediately clicked it. His eyes landed on the search function of the store and he immediately typed what he needed in succession. The page loaded instantly and he furiously spammed the buy button for the Foundation Establishment Ammunition.
At this point, he only has ten seconds left for the search function, realizing that, he paused it immediately lest to waste the precious time he has left to use it. The page that held the items he searched instantly disappeared and went straight to the home screen of the store. To avoid him wasting the One up card, he bought all of the things listed since the things listed on the homepage of the store would be filtered from strongest to weakest.
After finishing the stressful work of buying, he sold all of the materials he got from killing beasts yesterday. The store didn't only sell things, but in the bottom left corner, there was a sell function that would give him game-funds. Although Game-funds aren't what he needed right now, he still sold it to free up space in his inventory. It wasn't guaranteed that he would have infinite storage.
He silently loaded up his gun with the ammunition he bought and the creepy grin once again appeared in Luke's face, his menacing eyes glowed a shade of red as he stared at the Wolf laying down on its stomach.