Chapter 1: System, You’re Such a Cheat!
Where is this place?
How did I end up here?
Chen Yun stared, utterly bewildered, at the bustling street teeming with cars and people. He couldn’t make out the words on the shop signs lining either side of the road. The conversations of passersby were equally incomprehensible.
After a brief spell of confusion, Chen Yun finally grasped his predicament.
Did I just transmigrate?!
Just a moment ago, he had been asleep at home, and now, inexplicably, he found himself here. For an ardent novel enthusiast, Chen Yun’s first thought was that he had crossed over to another world!
But others at least have a reason for their transmigration—lightning strikes, car accidents, jumping off buildings. Why is it that not even the barest excuse was given for mine? How did this even happen?
Couldn’t I have at least had some say in the matter? I have a house, a car, money, a wife and children at home—my life was complete, and I had no desire whatsoever to transmigrate!
But now that it’s happened, can someone at least tell me what kind of world this is? Is it the “invincible” genre? Chen Yun pinched himself—ouch! Maybe it’s the “kept man” genre? But where’s my wife then? Or is it a “system” world? Is it some kind of shop system, or a game-leveling one?
“Player Chen Yun, ‘game leveling system’ password correct. Grand Player Game System activated.”
Player Chen Yun’s profile is being created…
Profile created.
Game starts in 3, 2, 1…
The game has officially begun!
Oh my god!
What the heck?!
Startled by the series of voices resounding in his mind, Chen Yun shouted, “Who are you?”
“Player command input error. Please re-enter.”
“What do you want?”
“Player command input error. Please re-enter.”
After two failed attempts, Chen Yun gradually calmed down. Cautiously, he asked, “Introduce yourself?”
“Command accepted. The Grand Player System is a platform that can data-ize the player and everyone and everything the player sees or comes in contact with. Please explore specific features on your own. Player’s three question opportunities have been used. System entering silent standby mode.”
“Wait, explain! What do you mean by ‘data-ize’? ‘Explore on your own’? ‘Silent standby’?” Chen Yun pressed, just as he began to understand, but the system gave no further response.
Silence stretched on.
“Damn it!” Realizing what the last sentence meant, Chen Yun cursed aloud. “So I only get three questions, is that it? And now you’re ignoring me? Even a regular game has a newbie guide! Why do I have to figure everything out myself? I don’t even know where I am—what am I supposed to explore? At least give me a starter pack before you clam up!”
“Player Chen Yun, would you like to claim your newbie starter pack?”
Huh?
Stunned for a moment, Chen Yun broke into a delighted grin. Who would have thought complaining would trigger a starter pack? Of course he had to claim it!
“I want to claim the newbie starter pack!”
“Player Chen Yun has successfully claimed the starter pack: received one ‘Universal History and Language Skill Book of the Celestial Dragon Empire’ and 100 standard copper coins.”
No sooner had the system finished speaking than a book glowing with a faint purple light and a string of copper coins appeared in Chen Yun’s hands.
Is that it?
He waited, but the system offered no further response. Furious, he thought, Aren’t starter packs supposed to be filled with good stuff? Where’s my legendary martial arts manuals? Where are my divine weapons? My miracle pills? How am I supposed to act cool in this world with just this lousy book? System, could you be any stingier?
He slapped the book in his hand in frustration. To his astonishment, the book dissolved into a flash of white light and vanished!
What the—!
Chen Yun was dumbfounded. System, are you really so petty? Just one complaint and you wipe out my last hope?
“Player Chen Yun has learned the purple universal skill ‘Celestial Dragon Empire Universal History and Language.’ Intelligence +5, Spirit +5.”
Blinking, Chen Yun realized that the skill book hadn’t disappeared—it had been used. Apparently, just a slap was enough for the system to recognize it as “use.” How interesting! Just like clicking a skill book in a computer game, it was instantly learned. This Grand Player System is seriously impressive!
But then Chen Yun frowned. If he’d just learned the skill, why could he still not read the shop signs on the street?
No sooner had he thought this than a sharp pain pulsed through his head. In an instant, countless words, languages, and the Celestial Dragon Empire’s history spanning thousands of years flooded his mind. In the blink of an eye, the pain vanished, and to his amazement, he found he could read the names of all the shops and license plates of passing vehicles, and he understood the conversations of the people around him.
Incredible!
Chen Yun marveled. Just one book, and a simple slap had let him master the language of an entire empire and know its history—truly unbelievable.
Sitting on a vividly colored wooden bench by the roadside, Chen Yun closed his eyes, slowly coming to terms with the reality of his transmigration to another world.
This place is called Rugby. Yes, Rugby—not the sport you know on Earth, but an enormous planet in this world.
Why is it called Rugby? That’s a story for another time.
The level of civilization here is roughly comparable to Earth before Chen Yun transmigrated. If not for the different countries, histories, scripts, and languages, he might have thought he never left Earth at all.
On Rugby, there are eight great empires, eighty-eight kingdoms, and eight hundred and eighty-eight duchies.
The Celestial Dragon Empire, where Chen Yun landed after transmigrating, ranks third among the empires, just behind the Star Empire and the Snowfield Empire.
The Celestial Dragon Empire is divided into 180 provinces, 18,000 cities, and 180,000 counties. At present, Chen Yun found himself in Turkey County, an unremarkable district under the jurisdiction of Blue Rhythm City, near the sea.
“Hey! Young man, wake up!”
Absorbing the history of Rugby with his eyes closed, Chen Yun was interrupted by a voice. Looking up, he saw a man in his early sixties, wearing an armband, standing before him.
“Sir, can I help you?” Chen Yun asked in confusion.
“Yes, you can. Stand up!” The elderly man pointed at the bench where Chen Yun had been sitting. “You’ve damaged public property. That’s a fine of 100 copper coins!”
“What?” Chen Yun stood up, utterly baffled. When did I ever damage public property? Wasn’t this bench for people to sit on? The next instant, he turned to look and his face turned green.
A large patch of paint was missing from the previously beautiful bench—precisely where he had been sitting!
“Didn’t you see the freshly painted sign? Didn’t you see the warning?” The old man pointed at a sign toppled in the grass, which read, “Wet paint, do not sit.”
Unbelievable! Chen Yun fumed inside. The sign was half-hidden by grass—how could anyone notice it? No wonder the bench looked so pristine. No wonder he’d felt a sticky sensation when he stood up—it had just been painted today!
“I’m sorry, sir, I really didn’t see it. I accept the fine. Here are 100 copper coins—please take them.”
Chen Yun obediently paid the fine. After the old man left, he took off his jacket and nearly wept at the sight of the paint-smeared mess it had become. He was filled with frustration.
“Player Chen Yun has damaged public property. The system will deduct one reputation point. Since your reputation is below 1, 100 copper coins will be deducted instead. As your copper coins are insufficient, all newbie equipment and items on your person will be reclaimed as compensation.”
In the next instant, all of Chen Yun’s clothes, except for a pair of “never wears out, never falls off” newbie shorts, vanished in a flash of white light!
“Player Chen Yun still owes the system 90 copper coins. Please repay the debt within 24 hours, or all your attributes will be reduced by 1!”
Before Chen Yun could react, a shrill scream pierced the air from the street.
“Ah! There’s a pervert!”
As the crowd turned to stare at him, Chen Yun covered his groin with both hands, left with a single thought in his mind:
System, you’ve got to be kidding me!