Chapter 1
Chapter 1: [Occupation] Wind Spirit Moon Shadow
Chapter 1 [Occupation] Wind Spirit Moon Shadow
"You have one year to become a Novice Apprentice. Of course, that's a deadline - the earlier you achieve apprenticeship, the higher your spiritual aptitude must be, and the better treatment you'll receive once entering the School."
...
Luo En felt his memories being tossed inside a washing machine's spinning drum, endlessly jumbled and churned, with fragmented recollections gradually piecing themselves together.
This chaos had persisted for several days before finally completing the soul fusion process.
On one side: an ordinary college student who died suddenly from overworking while gaming on Earth;
On the other side: the fifth son of Count Lalf.
Deprived of inheritance rights, he indulged in sensual pleasures within the castle, spending each day chasing after beautiful maids.
Of course, this blissful life of excess only lasted until his fifteenth birthday.
Luo En massaged his temples. His memories now unfolded like an ink-stained scroll in his mind:
In the grand hall, candle flames trembled within an unnatural silence.
Black candles formed a circle, their flickering lights casting twisted shadows across the white-robed figure's mask.
The white-cloaked sorcerer spoke, their voice like metal scraping without warmth: "Spiritual aptitude - just barely reaching the minimum threshold."
Her slender fingers caressed the crystal ball, within which swirling crimson mists condensed into a symbol of particularly dim coloration.
At that moment, Father's expression froze. His straight spine, always upheld with dignity, now slumped slightly, making him appear a decade older in an instant.
Possessing spiritual aptitude was naturally cause for celebration, but only if that talent shone brightly enough. Otherwise, it merely marked one as expendable test material for the wizards.
"According to the contract, your kingdom's quota of seeds delivered to the 'Black Mist Jungle' was slightly short, so I'll take this one as compensation."
The white-robed sorceress didn't phrase it as a request, only an announcement. Then she faced Luo En, raising her staff.
...
From that point onward, memories became monotonous repetitions. The white-robed sorceress transported him along with other "seeds" from various kingdoms to the Black Mist Jungle, providing only one free resource - the Basic Meditation Manual.
Day after day, he diligently practiced meditation with minimal results.
Luo En gazed at the tattered Basic Meditation Manual before him. Beside it lay well-worn copies of the Abyss Travelogue, Star Gate Chronicle...
Except for the Basic Alchemy Manual, they were all worthless old tomes.
The Black Mist Jungle operated under simple rules: The School provided free housing, food, basic public facilities, and various paid courses, but with a one-year trial period.
Failure to become a Novice Apprentice within a year meant either becoming experimental material or being expelled into the dangerous wilderness to perish.
Only three months remained until the deadline.
"Meditate, focus the will rune", Luo En closed his eyes, attempting to channel spiritual energy as described in the book.
Since completely fusing with the other world's soul, he'd felt his mind sharpen significantly.
Suddenly, an unusual sensation surged within him. A semi-transparent information panel materialized before his eyes:
[Luo En·Lalf]
[Age: 15]
[Current Occupation: None]
[Attributes: Physique 0.4, Spirit 1.1, Mana 0.1]
[Skills: Basic Meditation (Beginner), Slime Splash (Beginner), Basic Alchemy (Beginner)]
[Unique Talent: Dual Soul (enhanced comprehension; enables dual casting when spiritual energy reaches certain thresholds)]
[Power Level: Ordinary Human]
"This is... my unique advantage?"
Luo En felt immense joy, though not particularly surprised.
Since he'd already experienced the bizarre phenomenon of reincarnation in another world, possessing a game-style interface as an advantage didn't seem particularly shocking.
"It looks exactly like the character interface from the game I played back then. I wonder if the effects match my expectations."
Studying the displayed character information, he quickly felt familiar with it.
He began experimenting with mental operation, expanding the skill interface:
[Mastered Skills:
Basic Meditation (Beginner 22/100), Slime Splash (Beginner 19/50), Basic Alchemy (Beginner 5/50)]
Since the system displayed experience point accumulation, the interface must function as he imagined. He decided to test it through meditation.
Adjusting his breathing according to the countless meditations he'd practiced in memory, Luo En entered a meditative state.
Within his dark consciousness space, the method for cultivating spiritual energy involved carving the most fundamental rune - a simple symbol composed of three overlapping crescent arcs.
According to the manual, this rune symbolized gathering scattered spiritual energy into form.
"Deep breath, empty your mind, visualize the rune's shape..."
His consciousness transformed into an invisible brush, carefully sketching in the darkness.
The first arc twisted and dissipated as soon as drawn, forcing him to restart.
After dozens of attempts, all three arcs finally maintained their shape within his consciousness, though they trembled like candle flames in the wind.
At this moment, Luo En sensed a faint spiritual energy responding to the rune's summons, slowly converging toward his consciousness sea.
This sensation felt like discovering a tiny flame in the depths of a cold night - irresistibly drawing him closer.
"So this is what increasing spiritual energy feels like..."
As time passed, sweat beaded on his forehead. Maintaining the rune required intense concentration; the slightest distraction would undo his efforts.
Finally, when he could no longer focus, a notification appeared on the panel:
[Basic Meditation Experience +1]
[Current Progress: Basic Meditation (Beginner 23/100)]
[Daily Cultivation Limit Reached - Recommend Rest]
Luo En exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Though only gaining 1 experience point, he clearly felt his control over spiritual energy had advanced.
"This is the advantage of the panel system - clearly seeing one's progress and solidifying improvements."
Yet given his current situation, this ability fell far short of the lifesaving solution he'd hoped for.
Studying the data on the panel, Luo En frowned: "At this rate, I doubt I can reach the next stage before the deadline. Meditation only works once daily - this is really problematic..."
Time remained extremely tight. Only three months remained until the deadline, while Basic Meditation's experience had barely surpassed the fifth mark.
Failure to complete advancement before the deadline meant only two options:
Become someone's sacrificial offering, or be cast into the wilderness teeming with mutated creatures.
Luo En inhaled deeply, refocusing on the Basic Alchemy Manual before him.
This book represented the most valuable item currently in his possession, aside from the Basic Meditation Manual, costing him considerable mana shard fragments.
[Basic Alchemy (Beginner 5/50)]
[Lifestyle Occupation - Apothecary Apprentice (One Star)
Upon Class Change:
1. Attribute Growth:
Mana Growth (One Star)
Physique Growth (Half Star)
Spirit Growth (One and a Half Stars)
2. Unlock Basic Occupational Skills - Potion Brewing, Herb Identification
3. Special Bonuses:
Increased Experience Point Gain for Alchemy-Related Activities
Accelerated Spiritual Energy Accumulation
Enhanced Mana Affinity]
Luo En finally exhaled in relief. This occupational interface represented one of the game's most distinctive systems.
He recalled how, in his previous playthroughs, there existed hundreds of unique occupations ranked from low to high, with progression paths as complex as a Digimon evolution chain.
If his memory served correctly, he'd even hacked a backdoor into his player interface using cheat devices...
Feeling both nervous and excited, Luo En mentally touched his occupation panel.
"Wind Spirit Moon Shadow - Activate!"
Instantly -
[Current Career Slots: 0/∞]
"I originally thought this cheat function wouldn't carry over with the occupation interface..."
"This is incredible!!!"
Luo En knew his grin must be wider than an AK-47's recoil at this moment.
In the game, players could select at most three occupations, which became permanent once chosen - only advancing upward through evolution.
Yet for himself, the available career slots were... infinite!
Though existing within a pseudo-fantasy world, I apologize for any awkwardly localized expressions. If the narrative feels too distant, please imagine yourself as a higher-dimensional observer.
(End of Chapter)
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