In another life, Alex had worn a soldier's uniform. One mission in particular stood out — guarding researchers deep in the wild, when they were ambushed by an aboriginal tribe infamous for their cannibalistic rites.
In his world, the law was clear: in the face of such an attack, you could use firearms, only run.
Alex had been sent on those missions more than once. But there was a loophole, that he eventually exploited, use the same weapons as the attackers. It was poetic, in a way.
One day, the tribe learned the hard way that they'd picked the wrong prey. They still whispered about it — the day they attacked a tiger on the mountain. The day they met the White Demon with the Bow.
That memory guided his hands now.
Jin — Alex — drew, aimed, and released.
The bolt flew fast, faster than he expected, slamming into the zombie's skull with a meaty thunk. It didn't pass clean through as he'd anticipated — instead, it buried itself deep and stayed there.
He frowned. 'That's… different. Bone density almost twice that of a normal human.'
The zombie crumpled to the floor, unmoving. His first kill in the dungeon.
A soft chime echoed in his mind:
+10 EXP
EXP to next level: 60/100
Jin allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. 'One down… and a whole dungeon to go.'
The bowstring thrummed as Jin drew his first arrow. The corridor ahead was dim, the air heavy with the faint stench of rot.
A figure lurched into view — skin grey, eyes clouded, jaw slack.
Observe.
[Observe LVL 1 Activated]
Name: Zombie
Level: 2
HP: 45/45
Summary: A reanimated corpse driven by hunger. Secretly enjoys sunsets.
Jin smirked. '…Weird bios aside, you're still dead meat.'
He exhaled, released — the arrow punched through the zombie's temple. It dropped instantly.
+10 EXP
EXP to next level: 70/100
The second zombie came from a side passage, dragging a rusted pipe. Jin didn't hesitate — one smooth draw, one clean shot to the head.
+10 EXP
EXP to next level: 80/100
The third was faster, younger, its movements jerky but aggressive. Jin's first arrow hit the chest, staggering it. The second found the skull.
+10 EXP
EXP to next level: 90/100
He moved deeper into the dungeon, silver eyes scanning every shadow. Nature Sense hummed faintly in the background, keeping fatigue at bay.
The last zombie of the run shambled into view at the far end of a long hallway. It was slow, dragging a broken chair leg like a club.
Jin took his time. Drew the bowstring back until it creaked. Exhaled. Released.
The arrow flew straight and true, punching through the zombie's forehead. It collapsed without a sound.
+20 EXP
EXP to next level: 10/125
[Level Up!]
You have reached Level 2.
All stats increased by 1.
You have 5 unassigned stat points.
Jin lowered the bow, a grin spreading across his face. 'First level up…'
'And it seems not all Zombies give same EXP, some give more.'
With a thought, he willed ID Escape. The air cracked, reality folded, and the dungeon dissolved around him — leaving him back in his room, bow still in hand.
Jin willed the Status Panel to appear, the familiar translucent window sliding into view.
[Stats Panel]
Name: Xue Jin (Alex Thomas)
Occupation: The Gamer
Level: 1
EXP:10/125
HP: 117/117
MP: 208/208
Strength: (9 + 20%) = 10.8
Dexterity: (11 + 20%) = 13.2
Vitality: (9 + 30%) = 11.7
Intelligence: (16 + 30%) = 20.8
Wisdom: 26
Luck: 6
Unassigned Stat Points: 5
Jin's eyes lingered on the numbers, watching the subtle glow fade from each stat that had just ticked upward.
"One point across the board… ? And extra five free points? I can really remember correctly but it seems in The Gamer manhwa there was not such distribution."
Jin tried hard to recall exactly how point distribution worked in The Gamer manhwa, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became — this wasn't quite the same.
'Fine… whatever. I'll figure it out later.'
He glanced at the system clock. 20 minutes left until his alarm was set to go off — but he'd been smart earlier and added an extra hour to the timer. That meant 1 hour and 20 minutes of free time to play with.
Perfect for training.
The next stretch was pure grind. Push‑ups, squats, shadow‑boxing, balance drills — anything to push his body. Sweat rolled down his face, soaking into his shirt, but he kept going.
At one point, he stumbled onto a better way to structure his exercises — sharper focus, cleaner form, and a rhythm that kept his breathing steady. It wasn't just physical; it was mental discipline.
By the time he finally collapsed onto his back, chest heaving, the Gamer System chimed softly in his mind:
[Stat Increase]
STR +2
DEX +1
VIT +2
INT +1
WIS +2
Jin grinned up at the ceiling. 'Not bad for an hour's work… Hmm... I got Intellagence and Wisdom stats was that because I used brain in training?'
He let his eyes close for a moment, letting Nature Sense quietly refill his stamina. The room was quiet, save for the sound of his own breathing — until a sharp, rhythmic beep echoed from the main door.
His eyes snapped open.
'…Guess playtime's over.'
Door opens.
Standing there was a woman — elegant, poised, and distractingly beautiful. Her servant blue uniform was crisp and tailored, accentuating curves that would've made a lesser man forget his name. Ginger-colored hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, framing a face both refined and unreadable. Her piercing green eyes locked onto Jin with quiet intensity, the kind that didn't blink without purpose.
In one hand, she held a sleek holopad; in the other, the kind of composure that came from years of training.
Jin gulped instinctively — but didn't show it. His face remained neutral, but his thoughts were anything but.
He activated Observe.
[Observe LVL 2 Activated]
Name: Gao Fan
Race: Human (Sacred Blood Evolver)
Level: ???
Title: Maiden, Xue Family Servant
Summary: Raised from childhood as an asset of the Xue Family. Trained in etiquette, logistics, and combat support.
'Another evolver… and she looks like she walked off a fashion runway.'
Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.
'And my Observe leveled up, sence when? Never mind...'
She turned to face him, her expression calm but unreadable. "Xue Jin. I am Gao Fan. I've been assigned as your guardian for the duration of your deployment and stay on Planet Roca. My role is to ensure your survival, growth, and compliance with Xue Family protocols."
Jin nodded slowly, masking the flicker of surprise behind his usual neutral expression. 'So they didn't just send me off with a babysitter. They sent me off with beautiful Terminator in disguise.'
Gao Fan glanced at her holopad, a soft chime marking the time. Her voice was calm, precise, and without room for negotiation.
"You have ten minutes to pack. Then we need to go."
Jin gave a short nod, already moving.
Jin glanced toward the washroom. Not enough time to clean up — just enough to layer up.
He opened his wardrobe, fingers moving fast. Thick thermal pants. A reinforced jacket. A wool-lined hat. Gloves that looked like they belonged to a mountaineer.
From his inherited memories, he knew exactly where he was:
Planet Ice Lotus. An ice-type world. It's cold as hell.
He dressed quickly, pulling on the layers with practiced efficiency. While hidden behind the wardrobe door — out of Gao Fan's line of sight — he slipped extra clothing into his Inventory. Thick socks. A backup scarf.
Gao Fan stood silently near the door, her holopad tucked against her hip. Her piercing green eyes scanned the room with quiet precision.
A hole in the wall. Empty weapon racks. The faint scent of sweat still lingering in the air.
She didn't comment. She didn't need to. Her senses told her everything, boy was training, but even that was not enough for Xue Family.
This boy — Xue Jin — had been discarded. The Xue Family had sent him far away, not to represent them, but to erase him. On paper, he was their emissary to Planet Roca. In reality, he was an exile. A shame to be buried in distance and silence.
Standing before Gao Fan, Jin was bundled in his warmest clothing — thick thermal layers, a wool-lined hat pulled low, gloves snug around his fingers. He looked more like a survivalist than a noble. But Fan didn't comment. She simply observed.
'Yes.' She thought to herself. 'This boy is different.'
Other members of the Xue Family would've shrugged off the cold, their bodies enhanced, their pride unbending. But Jin? He prepared. He adapted. He respected the environment. That alone set him apart.
"All right," she said, her voice smooth and clipped. "I see you're ready. Let's go."
They moved through a labyrinth of corridors — sterile, metallic, humming faintly with power. The walls were lined with embedded conduits and flickering panels.
At the end of the corridor, a massive elevator awaited. Its doors slid open with a hydraulic hiss, revealing a chamber large enough to fit a tank. Jin blinked, surprised by the scale.
They stepped inside, and the elevator began to rise. Fast.
He couldn't tell how deep they'd been — but it had to be at least a hundred meters, maybe more. The pressure shifted in his ears. The walls vibrated faintly. Then, with a final chime, the doors opened.
A blast of cold air hit him like a slap.
Jin flinched, instinctively pulling his collar higher. The chill bit through his layers, sharp and unforgiving. But Gao Fan didn't even blink. Her ginger hair fluttered slightly in the breeze, her piercing green eyes scanning the horizon with quiet detachment.
They had emerged into a city unlike anything Jin had ever seen.
Towering skyscrapers stretched into the sky, their surfaces gleaming with holographic advertisements and shifting light panels. Some buildings twisted in impossible shapes — spirals, crescents, even floating segments held aloft by anti-grav tech. The skyline was alive, constantly moving, constantly evolving.
Above them, hover cars zipped through designated lanes in the air, weaving between buildings with effortless grace. Some were sleek and compact, built for speed. Others were massive, armored transports with glowing insignias and military-grade plating. Drones buzzed overhead, scanning, delivering, patrolling.
Jin's heart thumped faster.
'This… this is a man's romance.'
He'd almost forgotten. The world of Super Gene wasn't just about cultivation and combat. It was about mechs, spaceships, interplanetary travel. It was about technology so advanced it felt like magic. And now, he was here — not just reading about it, but living it.
His eyes roamed the scene like a child in a toy store. A massive mech stomped across a distant platform, its armor gleaming under the sun. A shuttle launched from a vertical hangar, its thrusters roaring as it ascended into the stratosphere. Neon signs advertised gene serums, combat enhancements, and virtual arenas.
On the side, Gao Fan watched him quietly.
She saw the joy on his face — the wonder, the hunger. A slight smile touched her lips.
'Maybe.' She thought. 'This won't be such a bad task after all.'
In front of them, a hover car waited — and it was unlike any Jin had seen overhead.
Where the others were functional, this one was elegant. Sleek curves, polished chrome, a body that looked sculpted rather than assembled. It was the Rolls-Royce of hover cars — understated luxury.
Jin stepped closer, noting the four-seat configuration and the subtle Xue Family crest etched into the side. Fan tapped her wristwatch — a hololink device, capable of planetary communication, data access, and remote control. With a soft chime, the car's doors opened upward like a bird's wings.
She slid into the driver's seat with practiced ease. Jin took the passenger seat, settling into the plush interior. The door closed with a whisper, and the vehicle began to glide upward.
For a moment, Jin was surprised. Fan wasn't operating the controls — not directly. But then he remembered: this was the future. AI-controlled vehicles were standard. Manual driving was a luxury, not a necessity.
The hover car accelerated smoothly, joining the aerial traffic lanes. Jin leaned forward, eyes wide, drinking in the view.
They passed over a sprawling plaza where dozens of mechs stood in row.
The city's lower levels were a maze of walkways, neon-lit alleys, and underground entrances. Cargo transports rumbled along magnetic rails, and robotic workers moved in synchronized patterns, maintaining infrastructure with mechanical precision.
Jin's gaze shifted upward again — toward the sky.
There, streaks of light marked the paths of ships entering and leaving orbit. Some were sleek personal cruisers. Others were massive freighters, their hulls bristling with turrets and shield arrays. A few were military vessels, escorted by drone wings.
He exhaled slowly, eyes gleaming.
'This is it. This is my new world.
Fan glanced at him, noting the quiet awe in his expression. She didn't speak — didn't interrupt. She simply let him absorb it.
The flight took roughly half an hour, but Jin barely noticed the time. His eyes were glued to the view beyond the hovercar's canopy, scanning every detail like a starving man at a banquet.
Ahead, a colossal structure loomed — shaped like a titanic coliseum, but layered with sleek plating and glowing conduits. It wasn't just a building. It was a fortress. A spaceport.
All around its perimeter, automated turrets tracked the skies, their barrels humming with latent energy. Drones zipped through the air in tight formations, scanning incoming traffic, relaying data, and maintaining orbital security.
As they approached, the hovercar dipped downward — entering the spaceport's central shaft. It was like flying into a deep pit carved into the planet's crust. The walls stretched endlessly, lined with docking bays and hangar platforms. Ships of every shape and size moved in coordinated patterns — some launching into orbit, others gliding in for landing, and many resting in standby, their hulls gleaming under artificial light.
Jin leaned forward, breath quickening. 'This place… it's insane. It it like a ants nest or be hive, alive.'
The hovercar spiraled gently downward, passing cruisers, freighters, scout ships, and even a few mechs being loaded into transport bays. The air shimmered with energy fields and propulsion trails. It was chaos — but controlled chaos. A ballet of machines.
Finally, they touched down on one of the side platforms — a wide, open deck with magnetic clamps and refueling stations. The hovercar settled with a soft hum, and the doors lifted like wings.
Jin stepped out, boots clicking against the metal floor. The cold air bit at his cheeks, but he barely noticed.
His eyes locked onto a ship parked nearby — a cruiser, but unlike any he'd seen before.
Its hull was pristine white, accented with elegant gold lines that traced its contours like calligraphy. The design was sleek, aerodynamic, but regal. It didn't just look fast — it looked expensive. Powerful. Untouchable.
Jin turned to Gao Fan, a grin tugging at his lips. "This one's ours?"
She nodded once, her expression calm. "Yes. It's been assigned to you for the duration of your deployment and stay on Roca."
Jin didn't wait. He broke into a jog, boots thudding against the deck as he rushed toward the cruiser for a closer look. His fingers brushed the hull, feeling the smooth alloy beneath his gloves.
'This is real. In a close up it looks even more impresive, they just give to me, dam Xue Family is indeed rich.'
Behind him, Gao Fan watched silently. Her piercing green eyes followed his movements, noting the way his posture shifted — the way his excitement broke through.
A slight smile touched her lips.
Jin's eyes wide with awe. The cruiser stood at roughly 60 meters in length, its sleek hull gleaming under the spaceport's artificial lights. Its body was sculpted like a blade — aerodynamic, elegant, and unmistakably expensive. The white alloy shimmered with a subtle iridescence, while gold lines traced its contours like veins of royalty.
The nose tapered into a sharp prow, and the rear housed twin thrusters that looked capable of punching through orbit in seconds. Along the sides, retractable fins and grav stabilizers hummed quietly, maintaining perfect balance even while docked.
Jin reached out, fingers brushing the hull. 'This isn't just transport… it's a statement, amazing.'
With a soft chime, a seam appeared in the side of the cruiser. Panels folded outward, then upward, revealing a boarding ramp that extended smoothly to the platform. The motion was silent, precise — like the ship itself was alive.
As Jin stepped onto the ramp, a voice greeted him — smooth, feminine, and unmistakably synthetic.
"Welcome aboard, Xue Jin. Passenger status confirmed."
Then the tone shifted, slightly warmer.
"Captain Gao Fan. Command protocols recognized."
Jin blinked, then glanced sideways at Fan. 'Captain?'
She smirked, clearly catching the flicker of jealousy in his eyes. "I'm the one with the license," she said, voice teasing. "And the clearance."
Jin grunted, but couldn't help the grin tugging at his lips. 'Fine. She wins this round. One day I will be a Captain myself, no need to rush.'
Inside, the cruiser was a marvel of design. The entry corridor was lined with soft lighting and polished alloy panels. The floor was cushioned with shock-absorbent mesh, and the walls displayed ambient data — temperature, trajectory, system status — all customizable.
The main cabin opened into a lounge area with plush seating, a holographic interface table, and a panoramic viewport that could tint or clear on command. The color palette was warm neutrals with gold accents, giving the space a regal but modern feel.
Jin turned slowly, taking it all in. 'This is better than any hotel I've ever seen.'
Fan moved toward the command console, fingers gliding across the interface. "The ship's name is Snow Owl. It's a mid-range tactical cruiser — fast, durable, but mainly made for stealth. Comes with a reinforced hull, onboard combat AI, and two types of warp drives for short and long travel."
She tapped another panel, revealing a schematic. "There's a small medbay, two sleeping quarters, a gym, and yes — even a galley."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "A galley?"
Fan shrugs her sholders: "Yes."
Gao Fan led Jin down a softly lit corridor, the walls lined with gold-trimmed alloy and ambient lighting that shifted with their movement. At the end, she gestured toward a sliding door that opened with a quiet hiss.
"This will be your room," she said. "We'll reach Planet Roca in five days."
Jin stepped inside — and stopped.
The room was luxurious in a way he hadn't expected. Expensive white carpet. A wide bed dominated the center, draped in silken sheets with a subtle Xue Family crest embroidered into the fabric. The walls were matte black with gold accents, and one side was a full smart-glass panel that could display stars, system maps, or even calming landscapes.
A built-in console sat beside the bed, offering access to entertainment, ship systems, and personal logs. To the left, a compact wardrobe slid open to reveal neatly folded clothing. On the right door, a private washroom — polished alloy, auto-cleaning surfaces, and a rainfall shower.
"Get comfy. We'll take off as soon as possible," Fan said, her voice calm as ever. Then she turned and left, the door sliding shut behind her with a soft hiss.
Now alone, Jin lay back on the bed — sinking into the plush mattress that felt more like a cloud than furniture. The sheets were cool against his skin, the lighting dimmed to a soft amber glow. For a moment, he just breathed, letting the silence settle.
Then the wall display shifted.
The smart-glass panel transitioned from ambient lighting to a live external feed. Outside, the docking platform began to retract. The cruiser's engines hummed low, barely audible through the ship's soundproofing.
Jin sat up slightly, eyes locked on the view.
They were lifting off.
The platform dropped away beneath them, and the cruiser began to ascend — smooth, steady, and impossibly fast. The city shrank below, skyscrapers turning to specks, hovercars to glints of light. The sky darkened as they climbed higher and higher, piercing through the atmosphere like a blade through silk.
What surprised Jin most was the stillness.
No rumble. No pressure. No G-force slamming him into the bed. Just motion — silent, elegant, and accelerating.
'This is insane… we're flying at orbital speed and I can't even feel it.'
He leaned closer to the display, watching the stars begin to emerge. The planet's curvature came into view, and beyond it — the endless black of space.
'I'm really leaving Ice Lotus…'