"Where am I…?"
Arthur looked around, his brow furrowed in confusion. He found himself lying beside a circular lake, surrounded by a dense expanse of thick and tall trees.
"How did I end up here?"
Just a moment before, he was in his room, immersed in a video game on his computer. Then, a sudden wave of drowsiness engulfed him, and in the next moment, he found himself in this unfamiliar place.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly examined his body.
An incredulous expression appeared on his face when he saw that he was no longer wearing his boxers and t-shirt. In fact, he found his own body unfamiliar.
Currently, he was clad in pure white silk robes, reminiscent of the attire from the eastern fantasy novels he'd read.
Even more shocking was the transformation of his physique. His skin had turned fair and smooth, a stark contrast to the unhealthy pallor he'd carried before. His once-pudgy stomach was now flat, his limbs were shorter, and he seemed a lot younger.
"Don't tell me… I've… transmigrated?" He muttered in shock, his voice barely audible.
Then another peculiar sight drew his attention. Floating in front of his eyes were strange, glowing letters. But he could still read them.
[Silken Robes: (Quality: High)]
[Required level to equip: None]
[Durability: 8/10]
"Hm? This is… my clothes' information?" He stared at this game-like information, his mind racing.
"Am I inside a game?" he wondered before immediately shaking his head. The ground, the musky scent in the air, his body, his clothes and the sensation of breathing in pure air, everything was real with no doubt.
Gradually, he accepted that he had indeed transmigrated to a different world, and also had a system.
"Hahahahaha…!"
Upon realizing this, he couldn't help but burst into a loud laughter.
Wasn't it every otaku's dream of transmigrating to a fantasy world or get a system? Now that he got both, how could he not be happy?
Back on Earth, he had no family, well he had but he wasn't in contact with them anymore because of certain reasons, no girlfriend or wife. There were only a handful of friends who he rarely saw due to their busy lives. So, he was all alone, living a shitty life.
He was either slaving away at his marketing job or was cooped up in his one-room apartment. There was no colour in his life. That was why he felt no regret for leaving that world behind and immediately readied himself to embrace this new one.
'This system, even though I don't know if it'll be as helpful as those systems in fantasy novels, should be able to help me live a comfortable and free life, right?' he mused.
'Besides, these high-quality silk robes indicate that I belong to some affluent family. So, no more worrying about scraping by, I suppose. And most importantly…'
He stood up and approached the nearby lake, gazing at his reflection in the still water. The image that stared back at him was that of a young man, no older than 18, with a strikingly handsome face, clear blue eyes, and shoulder-length black hair.
"With my current looks, I won't have any problem getting a girlfriend or two." Arthur grinned.
On Earth, despite being 35 years old, he had remained a virgin due to his below-average looks and empty pockets. He could have lost his virginity at any brothel after he earned some money from his job, but he found the idea of doing that deeply disheartening.
So, he remained a 'proud' until the end. Now, however, things were going to be different.
'But why do I have no memories of the person whose body I now inhabit? I don't even know his name or how he died,' he pondered, a hint of concern clouding his excitement. The absence of memories might pose some challenges.
'Well, no use in worrying about it. I'll just have to manage everything somehow,' he shrugged, shifting his attention to the system.
"Hello, system, can you hear me?" He asked, trying to communicate with it. After all, it was going to be his main support in this world. However,
-_-
Silence greeted him.
"What kind of system are you?" he pressed on.
-_-
"Can you help me become stronger?"
-_-
He continued with his questions, each met with silence.
Frustrated, he grumbled, "At least show me my status."
This time, as soon as he spoke, a floating window materialized before him.
[Name: Arthur Dragonheart
Age: 18
Race: Human
Level: 0
Spirit Qi: 0/10
Health: 1/10
Strength: 4
Agility: 6
Stamina: 5]
'Level 0 and health only 1 point?' Arthur's eyes widened when he saw this and thought, 'According to how games worked, if I somehow lose this point too, I would be dead, right?' He couldn't help but shudder at this horrifying thought.
Keeping himself from freaking out, he assessed his other attributes and only met with disappointment.
'And this 'Spirit Qi?' He looked at it speechlessly and thought, 'Does it mean I'm in a cultivation-type world? …Seriously?"
He had just planned to live a leisurely life just a moment ago, but his plans were cruelly shattered.
Cultivation worlds, as he knew from the Chinese novels he'd read, were dangerous places. The powerful ran rampant and did whatever they wanted. While the weak were oppressed and struggled to survive and after seeing his status, he knew well enough he fell on the latter category.
Even if his family was powerful, they wouldn't be able to keep him safe always. The original owner of his body's death was the perfect example of this.
"Fuck! Now I have to worry about becoming stronger," Arthur cursed and his depression deepened when he realized that the body he inhabited had no talent for cultivation, which was clear by the absence of spirit Qi in his body and his level.
'Fortunately,' he thought, 'I have the system. It will help me grow stronger, right?'
Just then, a line of red, strange, incomprehensible text flashed before his eyes. But strangely enough, he could understand it.
[Mission: Return to Dragon Abode City.]
- Time limit: Before nightfall
- Reward: Low-grade health potion (Restores health)
- Risk of death upon failure.
"Oh?" Arthur perked up as he read the mission details. As soon as he completed the mission, he could restore his health and wouldn't have to worry as much about suddenly dying as he was now.
'But the most important question is… can I leave this forest without dying? And where is this city?'
His optimism waned as he considered the dense, ominous forest around him. With only one point of health, even a stumble could prove fatal, and a chance encounter with a beast would spell certain death.
Just then,
Crunch!
A sound of someone or something stepping on the dried leaves a few meters behind him sent a shiver down his spine, freezing him in place.