"Hiss!"
"Ow! It hurts so much!"
Hajin struggled to sit up from the ground, rubbing his head with his hand.
Why does my head hurt so much?
When Hajin opened his eyes, he was greeted by a vast, green grassland. Looking up at the sky, he saw blue skies and white clouds, with the occasional migratory bird flying past.
Huh?
Hajin froze for a moment. Wasn't I at the maid café, chatting with the girls over coffee? How did I suddenly end up here?
An endless green meadow… Could it be that I've been "cheated on"?
Wait, that doesn't make sense! I don't even have a girlfriend!
As the throbbing in his head subsided, a flood of information poured into his mind.
It turned out that Hajin had transmigrated into the world of Sword Art Online. The game had just launched, and Akihiko Kayaba had already announced the rule that death in the game meant death in real life.
Fine, as a modern youth familiar with all the "five poisons" (gaming, anime, novels, comics, and dramas), Hajin was no stranger to the concept of transmigration. He just hadn't expected it to happen to himself.
Huh?
Hajin felt puzzled, and a thought flashed through his mind.
Since I transmigrated into this world, my original self on Earth should no longer exist, right? So if I die in the game, would I just die again?
Or could I transmigrate back to Earth?
Just as Hajin was eager to test this theory, a cold voice echoed deep in his mind.
[No, you will not. If you die in the game, you will vanish from existence across the entire universe.]
"Who's there?!"
The sudden voice startled Hajin.
[I am the system that every transmigrator comes with. You've read so many novels, yet you're the worst host I've ever had.]
What the hell? A system? So I've got a system, too? Hajin was delighted but also found this system to be a bit… unconventional.
"System, what abilities do you have? Where's my cheat?"
[Detected host's desire for a cheat. Initializing task generation. Ding! Task created.]
[Unlock System Tasks]:
1. Kill 10 wild boars.
2.Stay alive
(because if you die, I'll have to find another host. Honestly, it's exhausting.)
PS: Right now, you're not even a rookie. Staying alive is your top priority.
"What?! The system has to be unlocked? Are you kidding me? And 10 wild boars? Look at this grassland—there's not even a rabbit!"
[Ding! Host's request detected. Wild boars are being generated… Wild boars generated!]
[As this is the host's first time in this world, you are granted a starter gift package.]
[Granted initial skill: Eye of Truth.]
[Eye of Truth]: Allows you to see the basic information of monsters up to 10 levels higher than your own and full information of monsters up to 5 levels higher. For humans, you can see basic information of those within 5 levels and full information for those at your level or below.
As soon as the system's voice faded, ten wild boars suddenly descended from the sky, landing around Hajin and surrounding him.
"Huff, huff..." The heavy breathing of the wild boars was deafening.
Immediately after, the wild boars began to charge.
Hajin glanced at himself—blue shirt, brown pants, and a pair of gloves. Nothing else.
No time to think—just run!
Hajin started sprinting for his life, muttering under his breath.
"What the hell! What the hell!"
"How did wild boars fall from the sky? System, are your boars tree climbers?! And there aren't even any trees on this grassland! What the hell!!!"
"I don't even have a weapon, and you want me to kill ten wild boars?! And all at once! Don't you know that in MMORPGs, you're supposed to pull them one by one?!"
[Ding! Detected host insulting the system. If you do not apologize, the difficulty level will increase tenfold. Countdown: 5, 4, 3—]
Hajin was stunned. Did I insult you? What did I say?!
[Based on the language of this world, "what the hell" is a censored phrase. You definitely insulted me!]
Fine, I won't swear anymore, okay?!
This is ridiculous! Hajin wanted to curse but didn't know what to say. "What the hell" was one of the few phrases he actually used!
How can I insult someone without swearing, so the system doesn't detect it?
Urgent—help needed!
Can you blame him? The wild boars were already close to ramming his backside! Things were bad enough without having the difficulty level increased!
As he ran for dear life, Hajin clutched his rear and shouted, "I'm sorry! I was wrong! System Daddy!"
[Ding! Detected "Daddy" as a term of respect. The system acknowledges your sincere apology. As a token of "Daddy's" goodwill, here are some tips!]
[All items acquired by the host will be stored in the inventory. You can access it with your thoughts. Hearing the host's request, a beginner's iron sword has been gifted.]
[All skills can be upgraded, also accessible through thought.]
[Your attribute panel, map information, and more can also be accessed via thought. There are many features, but I'm too lazy to explain. Figure it out yourself.]
Such a capricious system!
Hajin really wanted to curse, but… he didn't dare!
"System, open inventory," Hajin said in his mind.
[Ding! Inventory opened.]
When Hajin opened the inventory, he found only two items: a beginner's iron sword and the starter gift package.
Even the iron sword was something he had to ask for himself!
"You call me your worst host, but you're the stingiest system I've ever seen!"
[Ding! Detected "stingy" as a derogatory term. Now—]
"I was wrong! System Daddy!"
Hajin apologized decisively. After all, this wasn't his first time groveling. Once you do it enough, it stops feeling so embarrassing.
"Open the starter package!"
Hajin opened the gift, and a set of armor appeared in the inventory: a breastplate, knee guards, a belt, and three health potions.
No weapon, only armor, and just three potions! Was the system expecting him to let the wild boars trample him, heal his wounds, and then get trampled again?
Hajin was on the verge of a breakdown! Truly, this was the most "generous" system ever!
Heh, Hajin thought he was clever now. The system couldn't detect sarcasm, could it?
[Ding! Detected "generous" as a positive term. It seems the host is very satisfied with the system's arrangements. Future rewards will follow this standard.]
Hajin: …
No more smart remarks!
As Hajin ran, he used his thoughts to quickly equip the weapons and armor, then said in his mind, "System, open my personal stats panel."
[Ding! Personal stats panel opened.]
[Host Name]: Hajin
[Class]: Not even a rookie yet; too lazy to name it.
[Level]: 2 (Level 1 didn't sound good, so I bumped you up a bit.)
[Strength]: 12
[Intelligence]: 0
[Defense]: 16
[Spirit]: 6
[Summary]: With a little more effort, you might qualify as cannon fodder.
Hajin automatically ignored the system's snide remarks. The panel followed a typical MMORPG four-attribute template: strength increased physical attack, intelligence boosted magical power, defense reduced physical damage, and spirit reduced magical damage.
He also noticed that this world had no mana consumption. As long as you had stamina, sword skills could be used infinitely. The only downside was that everything felt painfully real. After running for so long,Hajin's legs were already starting to ache.
"Activate Eye of Truth!"
A flash of blue light crossed Hajin's eyes. As he focused on the wild boars, he could clearly see their HP bars and detailed stats.