The deep night shrouded the Misty Mountains, where fierce beasts roamed, their roars shaking pine needles from the trees. Alaric sat beneath an oak tree, silently lamenting the vast differences between the Oran Continent and Earth. Across from him, several brawny youths eyed him with contempt. A curly-haired boy shouted, "Outsider, don't just freeload! Go chop firewood!" Alaric stood and walked away, curses following him: "Useless! Weaker than a tribal child. Should be thrown to the Shadow Wolves!" Alaric curled his lip—as a transmigrator from Earth, how could he compare to the Blackstone tribesmen trained in the warrior system?
The Oran Continent was dominated by Lightning Casters and Elemental Mages. The Blackstone Tribe had no high-tier professionals; instead, all tribespeople practiced warrior techniques and tempered their bodies—women and children included. This was the only way to survive in the mountains surrounded by fierce beasts and ancient monstrosities. Even deep into the night, the tribe's young adults (mostly Warrior-tier) hunted in the mountains (night offered more prey but greater danger), while the children gathered in the square to compete: youngsters played with iron stone-locks weighing dozens or even hundreds of pounds, while teens tested their strength by lifting thousand-pound bronze cauldrons—all basic exercises of the warrior system. Alaric had relied on bluster to secure temporary shelter, but his real headache was the "Supreme Faction Leader System" in his mind.
The system's directive chilled him: "Main Quest: Establish this world's premier faction and become its Supreme Leader. Must be completed in phased, time-limited objectives. Failure results in host annihilation!" After a wave of anger, he checked Main Quest 1.0: Recruit 4 personal disciples within 1 year. Failure also meant annihilation. Alaric cursed his lack of resources—no texts to teach, no way to recruit disciples. The beginner's gift pack was delayed, and while the exchange system offered Thunder Potions, enhanced weapons, and lightning spells, they all required Faction Points, of which he started with 0.
Just then, commotion erupted at the tribe's entrance. The hunting party returned empty-handed, having even lost their bronze knives. Alaric pushed through the crowd and heard someone roar, "Kaelen is our tribe's hope! To be beaten so badly by someone from Oakwood Town—this isn't over!" In the center of the crowd lay Kaelen, a high-tier Warrior (among the best of mundane warriors), covered in wounds, his eyes full of hatred. Alaric used the system's "Disciple Aptitude Detector" on him. The result: "Talent too low. Cannot become a personal disciple." He grew even more worried about the quest's difficulty; Kaelen was considered a genius warrior among the local tribes.
Kaelen's grandfather, a grizzled veteran, said with a dark expression, "We seek the mountain treasure first! (There's been strange activity in the mountains lately, suggests an ancient artifact is emerging). Then we settle the score with Oakwood Town!" Alaric had no interest in tribal feuds, but "mountain treasure" caught his attention. Then someone muttered a curse, "That kid from Oakwood Town, not even four years old, actually took down Kaelen!" Alaric's eyes lit up—this child might just meet the system's requirements! Fearful of encountering beasts alone at night, he quietly slipped away from the crowd.
Suddenly, the system chime rang. "Beginner's Gift Pack available. Open now?"
Overjoyed, Alaric found an isolated cave and opened the pack. He received:
Qi Guidance Late Stage cultivation (unlocking four lightning nodes within his body)
1 inactive lottery chance
300 Faction Points
Top-tier lightning codex: Nine Heavens Thunder Canon (lost to the Oran Continent)
Mid-tier lightning spell: 'Thunder Invocation'
A warm current poured from his head into his chest, forcibly opening the four lightning nodes (Qi Guidance Stage required activating nodes; open nodes converted heaven and earth energy into thunder force). Alaric finally had some self-preservation ability, but the ultimate goal of "establishing the premier faction" still weighed heavily on him.
Checking the exchange system, he couldn't help but complain about the high prices:
Primary Thunder Potion: 10 Points
Thunder-Infused Bronze Sword: 30 Points
Lightning-Patterned Robe: 50 Points
Basic lightning spells "Thunder Orb" & "Thunder Shield": 100 Points each
300 points were far from enough. Fortunately, the Nine Heavens Thunder Canon was of such a high grade that it required a system upgrade (triggered by completing quests) to be exchanged directly. He felt lucky to have gotten it randomly in the gift pack.
Alaric asked the tribal children for directions to Oakwood Town and slipped out from the back of the settlement while the tribe was distracted by Kaelen's situation (the Blackstone Tribe and Oakwood Town had a deep feud; he feared causing conflict if recognized). On the road, he spent 50 points on a Lightning-Patterned Robe—wearing it, he perfectly played the part of a Lightning Caster.
Arriving at the entrance to Oakwood Town, Alaric first saw a section of charred, dead wood over ten meters in diameter (struck by lightning years ago, it had withered for a decade, leaving only a nine-meter tall stump, utterly lifeless). An old man leaning on an oak staff approached, coughing. "A Caster from afar, do you need assistance? I am the elder of Oakwood Town." Just as Alaric was about to speak, the system suddenly prompted: "Target suitable for personal disciple detected." He nearly choked. The elder, seeing Alaric's eyes light up as he stared toward the town entrance, took a half-step back, his face full of wariness.
On the grass near the entrance, a delicate-looking child (Thor Stone) was tugging on a large yellow dog's tail, babbling, "No run! No run!" The system panel promptly popped up:
TARGET: Thor Stone
Aptitude: Spiritual Root 10 (Max Earth Affinity), Comprehension 8, Willpower 8, Luck 8
CONCLUSION: Exceptionally high talent. Essential asset to the faction if recruited.
Alaric stared at the "Spiritual Root 10" stat, instantly understanding how the child could defeat Kaelen—it was like a warrior charging into battle with a ninety percent advantage from the start. Although he felt pressure at recruiting such a talented disciple, a calculating grin slowly spread across his face.
✅ SYSTEM:
Beginner's Gift Pack claimed.
Cultivation: Qi Guidance (Late Stage) reached.
Faction Points: 300 - 50 (Robe) = 250 remaining.
Primary Objective: Recruit [Thor Stone] as personal disciple.