System Loading Rate: 99%...
Lin Zhibai adjusted his glasses, staring blankly at the translucent red subtitles floating before his eyes. This enigmatic progress bar, embedded in his vision, had been loading from scratch for three days.
Three days prior, Lin Zhibai celebrated his seventeenth birthday with his family. After the festivities, he returned to his room for an afternoon nap. However, soon after lying down, he was beset by a familiar headache—an old affliction stemming from a severe head injury inflicted by a gang three years earlier. This trauma had left him with persistent dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, night sweats, memory loss, and frequent headaches.
Doctors diagnosed his condition as a consequence of severe brain injury, resulting in intracranial pressure imbalances that contemporary medicine could not effectively treat. To spare his family from worry, Lin Zhibai took a painkiller and hoped for the best. This time, however, the pain was more intense than ever before, accompanied by nausea and severe tinnitus. As he tried to call for help, he lost consciousness.
He awoke an hour later, groggy and disoriented, with a startling realization—he had unlocked memories from a past life.
"Am I time-traveling?" he wondered, overwhelmed by confusion. It took some time to calm down and piece together his thoughts. It wasn't time travel; he had lived on Blue Star for seventeen years. Perhaps this was reincarnation.
The mysterious progress bar in his vision appeared after these memories surfaced. As he pondered, the loading bar silently reached 100%.
Ding Dong!
A mechanical voice broke the silence: "System loaded successfully. Scarlet at your service!"
"System?" Lin Zhibai asked tentatively.
"The host can call this system Scarlet," the voice responded.
Lin Zhibai's heart skipped a beat. He tried to focus on the progress bar, but his vision blurred. Blinking furiously, he found his sight deteriorating even further, his head spinning.
Instinctively, he removed his glasses.
Shua!
His vision cleared instantly. He could now see everything in the room with perfect clarity, even the fine print on distant posters. His eyesight had miraculously recovered.
The mechanical voice resumed, "During the system loading, it detected severe sequelae from brain trauma affecting the host's physical condition. The automatic protection program was activated, performing comprehensive treatment. The host is now fully restored to health, including normal vision."
Regaining his health left Lin Zhibai in stunned silence. The system continued:
"Scarlet will now introduce its functions. The host can gain prestige admiration from others through various means. Accumulated admiration will provide opportunities to draw from the system's vast repository of literary and artistic works from Earth."
Earthly works? Lin Zhibai's heart raced. His memories of Earth were hazy, recalling only fragments of songs and their melodies. With Scarlet, he could access a treasure trove of cultural artifacts.
"In addition to prestige admiration, the system will occasionally issue random tasks. Completing these tasks will earn the host skill points."
"Skill points?" Lin Zhibai inquired.
"Skill points measure talents like singing, playing instruments, or other life skills. The host will understand their specific effects in due course."
Lin Zhibai pondered this. Skill points seemed to enhance one's innate abilities. Just then, the system provided another prompt.
"Host information detected."
Several lines of translucent red text appeared:
Name: Lin Zhibai
Age: 17
Reputation: 86
Piano: 48
Guitar: 46
Painting: 35
Calligraphy: 30
Summary: Despite limited talent due to poor health, the host shows diverse interests.
Lin Zhibai had once pursued piano, guitar, painting, and calligraphy. His parents had supported his varied interests until his injury derailed his progress.
"Do I have a task now?" Lin Zhibai, who hadn't felt passionate about anything for years, asked eagerly.
Ding Dong!
"The novice task is being released. Please check the text description."
Italicized subtitles appeared:
Task Name: Restart Your Life
Task Content: Begin anew as a composer. Release your first song.
Task Note: The system will provide a starting work for the host.
Friendly Reminder: The starter package is stored in the system warehouse, accessible via a silent command.
A starter work? Lin Zhibai silently commanded "Check the warehouse." An interface resembling an online game's inventory appeared, categorized into songs, scripts, novels, variety shows, manga, and games. All but one category were empty. Under songs, a single title stood out: "Dissipating Sorrow."
While the title seemed familiar, Lin Zhibai couldn't recall the melody or lyrics. Yet, upon seeing it, a wave of clarity washed over him, and he remembered every detail of the song.
"Accept the mission?"
"Accept," he affirmed.
At that moment, Lin Zhibai felt truly reborn, stepping out of years of fog into the sunshine of a promising future. His heart beat with a renewed vigor, ready to embrace whatever lay ahead.