Just as thoughts of the system crossed his mind, it manifested before him. The system interface remained consistent, and he noticed the 'Tier' option, which he explored. His tier stood at zero.
'Perhaps I'll gain strength as I ascend tiers, just like those novels and games. But how do I actually ascend a tier?' Just as this thought crossed his mind, a message appeared:
[You can ascend a tier by completing quests].
When he saw this, he instantly shifted his attention to the "quests" option, only to see it being locked. His frustration grew,
[This option will unlock at tier one].
'What the f**k?Is this system malfunctioning? How can I reach tier one when I can't even do a quest?'
He vented his frustration inwardly, recalling the seller's words. 'Maybe the seller pawned this off because it was broken,' he muttered, his expression growing serious as he wanted the beat the crap out of the seller.
In that moment, his gaze landed on the "experience points" option:
[You can trade experience points for artifacts, weapons, armor, and more. You gain experience points by defeating creatures. The dropped experience points depend on their Tier].
"I'm familiar with this," he thought, proceeding to the "stats" section.
Strength: 5 (subject to tier-based changes)
Speed: 6 (subject to tier-based changes)
Intelligence: 8 (unchangeable)
Endurance: 4 (subject to tier-based changes)
Stamina: 5 (subject to tier-based changes)
Mana: 0 (subject to tier-based changes)
Extra stat: 0 (usable as a supplementary stat for all stats except intelligence, affecting additional attributes. Obtainable from the chosen God at tier 10.)
"..." These words felt like a bullet piercing through Zilin's soul, He clenched his fists as he thought of him being a weak bum forever in this world. He totally lost the interest to explore the system any further. With a thought, he closed the system. He then decided to take a stroll outside, he wanted to know more about this world.
Exiting the building, he saw the large courtyard in front of him, wind ruffled his pitch-black hair. He glanced back at the towering headquarters of the Xifer guild, he saw many people entering and exiting the headquarters. Most of them were wearing a badge which showed the logo of the Xifer guild on their shoulder.
Zilin had no choice but to look at his unchanged attire from Earth. 'I've lost track of how long I've been recovering here,' he mused, wandering past a blonde-haired youth practicing with a saber.
As zilin approached him,the blonde haired guy stole a quick glance at him before uttering, "It's you…".
"You know me?" Zilin inquired, raising his eyebrows. The response came promptly, "Of course. I was there when you crashed into that Tier-8 fort." The concept of a 'fort' was already familiar to Zilin from Laya's explanation. A fort resembled a dungeon with monsters, puzzles, and treasures. The gate that appeared before Zilin's sight while propelling through the air was the entrance of a Tier-8 fort. When the Xifer Guild crew opened the fort's doors after clearing it, they found him flying across them and colliding into a boulder.
"Thank you for helping me. I'm Zilin," he introduced, extending his hand. "Shean, Xifer Guild's Vice President," the blonde-haired youth responded, shaking Zilin's hand. "The President informed me of your situation. You've lost your memories of this place, only recalling the moment before the incident. I hope you recover soon," Shean mentioned.
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Zilin divulged, "I also retain memories of Earth."
"Earth... It's like a dream now. I haven't seen it in almost three years. I wonder if I'll ever glimpse it again in this lifetime." Shean said with a mixed expression which contained sadness and helplessness
"Wait. Three years? " Zilin was taken aback
"Yes it's been around three years since that incident occurred"
This made zilin realize that there might be some kind of a time difference between the two worlds. He was quiet for a Moment.
"Oh, and where is the president? I wanted to ask for some spare clothes to change. You know, I've been wearing these for quite some time," Zilin changed the topic.
"She's currently occupied," Shean responded, his tone carrying a hint of understanding. "She mentioned that she's on the verge of ascending to tier 10 and is contemplating which God to choose."
Zilin's memory jogged, recalling the system's hint about such a matter.
"Can you explain what a God is? After all, I was just a novice when I found myself here…" Zilin asked with humility evident in his voice.
"sigh... When players achieve tier 10, they have the privilege to select a God to be their patron. It's an irreversible choice. In return for completing the quests set by their chosen deity, players receive unique abilities and can even trade 'extra stats' for valuable items." Shean explained
Zilin's comprehension deepened, yet a pang of frustration seized him. The realization that he might never reach tier 10, never attain the privilege of aligning with a God, weighed heavily on him.He had to become stronger in order to find his sister and protect her.
Shean continued, his words painting a clearer picture. "As for spare clothing, approach the receptionist, Rose. She'll assist you. There's also a designated bathroom for your convenience."
...
With the information gathered, Zilin expressed his gratitude to Shean before making his way back to the guild headquarters. There, he sought out the receptionist, Rose, a warm and friendly presence with a pale complexion and chestnut hair. She provided him with fresh attire and directed him to the bathroom facilities.
While bathing, Zilin suddenly recalled that he still had some features to explore in the system.
With a simple thought, the system materialized before him. His focus shifted to the section labeled 'Occupation Skills.' Just then, the screen displayed:
[The skills based on your occupation will appear here]
The subsequent option was labeled 'Abilities.'
[The abilities which you gain will appear here – including those from your chosen god and your innate abilities]
It was just like those novels that he had read. As he prepared to close the interface, he noticed two small logos positioned discreetly at the top left corner of the window. One resembled a bag, while the other resembled an envelope.
His curiosity led him to explore the bag-like logo first. It revealed a shop-like interface where he could exchange experience points for a variety of items and artifacts. A gleam of excitement illuminated his eyes as he saw the array of offerings. It was akin to stepping into a shop within a game world. However, that excitement quickly dimmed as he took note of the prices attached to the items.
He chose the 'swords' category and went through the selection of blades that he could acquire in exchange for experience points. As he explored, his attention was captured by a particular entry:
[Phoenix Cutter
Tier: High 10
Special Attribute: Frozen Flames
Value: 81,000 experience points]
He gulped down a huge amount of saliva when he saw this. This was the very blade Laya had mentioned earlier.
Zilin was already familiar with the process of acquiring experience points, as the system had previously provided information about it. When monsters were defeated, they would drop experience points as rewards. These values were subject to change based on the tier of the monsters. He suddenly thought about something which led to this explanation.
[Tier-1 : 1 exp point
Tier-2 : 5 exp points
Tier-3 : 25 exp points
Tier-4 : 100 exp points
Tier-5 : 300 exp points
Tier-6 : 900 exp points
Tier-7 : 2,700 exp points
Tier-8 : 8,100 exp points
Tier-9 : 24,300 points
Tier-10 : 72,900 points
Further information is locked.]
Realizing his current limitations, Zilin acknowledged that even taking down a tier one monster would be nearly impossible. The feeling of helplessness washed over him, prompting his decision to withdraw. He then shifted his focus and chose the logo resembling an envelope. In an instant, a message materialized before him:
[There are unclaimed mails. Would you like to accept?
Yes
No]
With a mix of surprise and curiosity, he promptly selected 'Yes'.
[Congratulations on becoming a Spectator. You have gained a skill—View.]
[Congratulations on becoming a Spectator. You have gained a skill— Choose me! ]
[Congratulations on becoming a Spectator. You have gained a skill—Communicate]
Zilin's eyes glowed with a bright light as he saw these words in front of him.