Zhang Ye looked around at the scene resembling an ancient forest, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Did I... travel through time?"
Just a moment ago, he had been standing on the rooftop watching the sunset. He blinked, and the next thing he knew, he was here.
There was no build-up, no warning—just a sudden change, so abrupt that he hadn't had time to fully process it.
"But when others travel through time, they get a special power, right? What about me?" He scratched his head.
Before he could finish his thought, a mysterious voice echoed in his mind.
[The Divine Gift System has been bound.]
Zhang Ye froze for a moment.
"What system?"
[The Divine Gift System.]
"Divine Gift what?"
[The Divine Gift System.]
"What the hell are you talking about?"
[... ]
"Speak, will you?"
[Divine! Gift! System!]
Zhang Ye smacked his palm: "Oh!"
Then there was silence.
Finally, the voice in his head couldn't take it anymore.
"Don't you have anything you want to ask?"
Zhang Ye replied, "I was waiting for you to explain."
"Well, ask then!"
"Well, you speak first!"
"How could I speak if you don't ask?!"
"Shouldn't a proper system introduce itself first?" Zhang Ye muttered. "Otherwise, your intelligence seems pretty low."
[You... dumbass...]
Zhang Ye blinked. "Wait, you can curse?"
"A system that curses isn't a proper one. Based on the usual plot in these stories, you're probably a being of some importance turned into a system, right?"
[... ]
"How did you know?"
"Do you think I haven't read enough novels?"
[... ]
[Fine, since you've guessed it, I won't hide it anymore!]
In the next moment, greyish light gathered in front of him, slowly forming into a small figure the size of a palm.
The little figure looked extremely cute, with short grey hair, grey eyes, a chubby face, pointy ears, two small black horns on her forehead, and fair skin. She wore a tight-fitting grey skirt, and behind her were two pairs of grey, semi-transparent, leaf-like wings.
She looked just like a little fairy.
"I am the Goddess of Time!"
"Aira Diyarsha!"
"Behold, mortal!"
Zhang Ye looked her up and down, and then his gaze lingered on her chest.
"So... are you male or female?"
Aira: "..."
She looked down at her flat chest, her face flushing red with anger as her cheeks puffed up.
"What kind of person are you?!"
"Male or female? What kind of question is that?!"
"I am a... a goddess!"
"And you, starting with such disrespectful questions, how dare you!"
"Do you believe I will punish you for this?"
Zhang Ye: "I don't believe it."
Aira: "..."
Zhang Ye shrugged: "You bring me to this weird place, and now you're threatening me with punishment? Doesn't make sense."
"And according to the usual rules, you should be some kind of guiding spirit for the system."
"So, I don't think you have that kind of power."
"Of course, if you're one of those malicious systems that erase their host at the slightest provocation, forget I said anything."
"But I'm not afraid of you. Even if I fall, there are a thousand others like me who will rise again!"
Aira: "..."
She stared at him in shock, momentarily speechless.
Because... Zhang Ye was right.
No matter how she was a goddess, right now, she was just the guiding spirit for Zhang Ye's system. She really didn't have the power to punish him.
Her cheeks puffed up as she angrily huffed, "Who said I don't have that power?! Don't look down on me!"
Zhang Ye nodded: "Alright, I won't look down on you."
Aira blinked: "Huh?"
Zhang Ye grinned: "After all, you're a goddess. You're probably stronger than me, so of course, I won't underestimate you."
Aira fumed: "Then why did you just insult me?!"
Zhang Ye scratched his head: "I'm just speaking the truth. Besides, I really couldn't tell whether you're male or female. After all, with so many trans people nowadays..."
Aira: "o(*≧д≦)o!!"
Seeing Aira about to explode again, Zhang Ye quickly said, "Alright, alright, let's get back on topic. Why did you become the system, what's its purpose, and why did I end up here?"
With those three questions, Aira's expression softened.
"I'm not the system, I'm the guiding spirit for the system... But I was once the Goddess of Time!"
"So you're not the system, then what is the system?" Zhang Ye asked.
"I don't know. My memories have been sealed. All I know is that I'm now a guiding spirit, and my job is to help you use the system correctly."
Zhang Ye nodded: "Alright, what exactly does the system do?"
"The system has four functions."
"Translation, Analysis, Copying, and Cultivation."
"Translation is a two-way translation that allows you to communicate with any intelligent species without barriers. It's the foundation for you to navigate this world."
Zhang Ye nodded: "Oh, I thought everyone in the universe spoke beautiful Chinese."
Aira: "..."
She ignored him and continued.
"Analysis means analyzing everything, such as living beings, dead objects, and magic."
"Magic?" Zhang Ye's eyes lit up. "This world has magic? What does analysis do?"
"It helps you understand and master your target."
"Does that mean if I analyze a magic spell, I can master it?"
"Exactly, and you'll have full control over it!" Aira nodded.
"Copying means copying abilities, whether magical or natural talents. Once copied, you can use those abilities, but the duration depends on you. Once your copying slots are full, you'll have to wait until they expire before copying more, and you can't manually cancel a copied ability until it's finished."
"But you don't have any copying slots yet, so you can't use that feature."
"How do I unlock copying slots?"
Aira replied, "By leveling up. I'll explain that in a bit."
Zhang Ye nodded.
Aira continued, "Cultivation, as the name implies, helps you cultivate."
"The system automatically absorbs, refines, and guides surrounding energy, like magical power. So, you won't need to do these steps yourself. You can absorb magic to enhance your own strength, and you'll be able to level up much faster than normal."
Zhang Ye grinned: "This is great!"
"As for why you're here, it's the world's choice."
"The world's choice?" Zhang Ye was stunned.
"Yes, you were chosen by this world, so you were summoned here. As for why the world chose you or what it wants from you, I don't know."
"But as you grow stronger, the mystery will be revealed."
"My job is to guide you in using the system correctly and growing stronger!"
"Also, what I just mentioned are the basic functions of the system, not all of them. The finer details and uses will be for you to discover."
Zhang Ye nodded eagerly: "Got it! Let's begin!"
"How do I start cultivating?"
Aira flew up to Zhang Ye and said, "Hey, hey, you don't want to start cultivating right now, do you?"
Zhang Ye blinked: "Is that a problem?"
Aira replied, "Of course! This is the Wild Beast Forest, filled with magic beasts. Cultivating through meditation requires an empty mind, and when you're empty-headed, that's when you're the most vulnerable. If you run into even a low-level beast, it could end your life!"
Zhang Ye nodded: "What should I do then?"
Aira said, "You can try finding human settlements first, then start cultivating. Or..."
"Or?"
"Or you can cultivate right here in the Wild Beast Forest!"
"Of course, I'm not talking about regular cultivation, but something different—basically, grind monsters to level up!"
Zhang Ye's mouth twitched: "You can level up by killing monsters?"
"Of course! As long as you can kill a magic beast, the system's cultivation function will automatically extract the beast's life and soul power to enhance your body and soul."
"The stronger your body, the better your physical attributes—strength, agility, reflexes, etc."
"The stronger your soul, the better your mental attributes—mental power, resistance, psychic perception, and more."
"Then, the magic core in the beast will provide you with magic power, increasing your magic capacity and quality."
"Unless you find a magic-rich cultivation spot, killing magic beasts is the fastest way to level up in the early stages!"
Zhang Ye's face lit up with excitement. "You can level up by grinding monsters? Can others do that too?"
"Of course not," Aira replied. "This is a special treatment just for you. Others can only absorb magic from crystal cores, and without the system's refinement, their absorption rate is much lower than yours. That's why most people choose to absorb magic crystals for cultivation, not crystal cores."
Zhang Ye nodded. "Got it, got it. Let's get started!"
Aira quickly stopped him. "Wait!"
"What now?"
"You're such an idiot. Even though hunting magical beasts can speed up your progress, do you think they're that easy to kill?"
"Forget about anything else. With your current physical condition, you wouldn't even be able to beat a first-tier magical beast, the Sharp Fang Rabbit!"
"Huh…" Zhang Ye blinked and scratched his head. "Really? Ordinary people can't handle a first-tier magical beast?"
"Of course they can. Ordinary people can, but you can't."
"People in this world have much stronger physical bodies than those from your world, and they also have weapons, so they can hunt first-tier magical beasts. But you're unarmed—what are you going to do? Slide-tackle them?"
Zhang Ye pouted, feeling a bit offended. "Who are you looking down on? You might not believe it, but with just a slide tackle… I could feed them till they're full!"
Aira: "…"
Zhang Ye cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'll just go for weaker beasts. What's below first-tier?"
"Sub-tier magical beasts. But hunting these would have almost no effect on your body's growth, so I recommend you find a populated area, level up to tier three, and then start hunting magical beasts. That would be safer," Aira advised.
Zhang Ye gladly accepted Aira's advice. After all, she was the guiding spirit, so her suggestions were bound to be correct. Plus, as a newcomer with no enemies, there was no need to rush leveling up. He decided to take things slow and prioritize safety.
"Alright, then let's start by finding a settlement!"
He thought for a moment. "I remember from Bear Grylls' Survival in the Wild that moss grows on the shady side of trees, which would be the north side. So, the side of the tree with moss is the north. Although I'm not sure if this rule applies in this world, it's always good to confirm the direction."
Zhang Ye looked around at the trees and indeed found that the moss was growing on one side.
"Now, let's head north and see if we can find a river. Human settlements are usually located near water sources, so following the river could increase our chances of finding people," Zhang Ye said.
Aira landed on his shoulder and patted his cheek with her tiny hand, smiling. "Not bad. I thought you'd rely on me to teach you everything."
Zhang Ye chuckled. "If I rely on you and the system for everything, it'd be so boring."
"To conquer the otherworld, I have to rely on myself, or else there's no fun in it, right?"
Aira nodded. "Not bad, you've got the heart of a strong person. I'm rooting for you!"
"Of course, I'm the guy who's going to dominate this otherworld!" Zhang Ye grinned proudly.
Suddenly, the grass ahead rustled, and Zhang Ye was startled.
"Is it a magical beast?!"
In the next moment, a pink jelly-like creature rolled out from the grass, accompanied by a soft, cute sound.
"Gu Jiu~"
Zhang Ye froze for a moment, and then a look of immense curiosity spread across his face.
"This is… a slime?"