The bright moon hung high, casting a mysterious veil over the forest, making it tranquil and profound.
Tall trees stood upright, their branches swaying gently in the breeze, rustling softly.
Silvery-white moonlight pierced through the treetops, dappling the forest path like a thin layer of frost.
Looking up, every leaf was edged with silver, shimmering with a cold light.
"Finally, I found signs of human habitation."
In a quiet part of the forest, a tattered young man pushed aside the bushes in front of him, moving forward step by step by the moonlight.
He didn't know how long it had been, but he stood on a hillside, gazing at the flickering lights of a distant village.
The young man was Bai Luo, a transmigrator from China.
"Do you know what I've been through this past week?"
Leaving aside the matter of a golden finger, the sudden transmigration allowed Bai Luo to fully experience the joys of wilderness survival.
For a whole week, Bai Luo endured the elements.
If not for his powerful golden finger, which gave him enough combat strength to sweep away everything, Bai Luo would have probably been devoured alive by the tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves of the mountains long ago.
Bai Luo didn't know the reason for his transmigration; he just closed his eyes and opened them to find himself in a forest, accompanied by a golden finger called the Reinforcement System.
"System, open my attributes."
[Bai Luo]
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Abilities: Magic Growth (SR), Magic Control (R)
Items Held: R-tier Reinforcement Card x4
Overall Rating: Seven-digit (Early Stage)
Current Draw Chance: 1/7 (Seventh draw guarantees SR)
Having been in this world for nearly a week, Bai Luo had basically grasped the system's operational mechanism.
First, the system's functions were very singular; apart from displaying current attributes, it only had a reinforcement function.
Reinforcement was divided into two parts: one was one's own abilities, and the other was held items.
And according to the rarity of the item's ability, it could be divided into five levels: N, R, SR, SSR, and UR.
As for whether there was anything above UR, Bai Luo could not judge for the time being.
Additionally, reinforcement opportunities were obtained through daily draws.
Similar to a mobile game's gacha mechanism, Bai Luo would get one chance to draw a reinforcement card every day.
Just like when he first arrived in this world, he only had one ability, 'Magic Growth', and its rating was N-tier.
On the first day's draw, Bai Luo obtained an R-tier Reinforcement Card and used it on Magic Growth, upgrading its quality from N to R.
In the following days, Bai Luo consecutively signed in 5 times, obtaining 4 R-tier Reinforcement Cards and 1 SR-tier Reinforcement Card.
The ability of Magic Manipulation was awakened by Bai Luo himself during the process of sensing and using magic.
Like Magic Growth, the initial rating of Magic Manipulation was also only N-tier.
So, with two reinforcement cards thrown in, Magic Manipulation was upgraded from N to R, and Magic Growth was upgraded from R to SR.
"System, draw."
Bai Luo looked up at the moon, precisely timing his daily draw to the midnight refresh.
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained an SR Reinforcement Card.]
"SR, huh? Not bad, at least there's a guaranteed draw."
Bai Luo was not surprised that he didn't draw an SSR or UR.
According to the system's drop statistics, the probability of drawing an SSR was only 1%, and a UR might not even appear once in a thousand draws.
Fortunately, a low probability didn't mean Bai Luo couldn't obtain UR Reinforcement Cards.
Reinforcement cards had a synthesis function; every 10 R-tier cards could be synthesized into one SR-tier.
By analogy, one UR-tier card was 1000 R-tier cards.
Even if Bai Luo's luck was terrible, at most 3 years, he would still be able to upgrade an ability to UR-tier.
"System, reinforce Magic Control."
Bai Luo didn't have the habit of hoarding reinforcement cards, especially in situations where obvious improvement was possible.
[Reinforcement complete]
[Magic Control: R → SR]
"Hiss..."
The next moment, as the Magic Control skill improved, Bai Luo felt that the previously somewhat sluggish flow and application of magic instantly became more than ten times smoother.
How to describe that feeling?
It was like flowing mud versus free water; the former could be grasped, while the latter was all-pervasive.
"What kind of world is this, anyway?"
Bai Luo spread his hand, and a silvery-white light emerged from his palm.
Then, Bai Luo's thoughts stirred.
"Whoosh~~"
The silvery-white magic bloomed like countless threads, as light as spider silk, yet incredibly tough.
Bai Luo had a feeling that if he wanted to, he could even gasify his magic, making it completely formless and intangible.
"Is this SR-tier Magic Manipulation?"
Bai Luo realized he had underestimated the so-called SR-tier abilities.
He had already realized this when he upgraded Magic Growth from R-tier to SR-tier.
Now that Magic Control had broken through to SR, Bai Luo realized the value of SR even more.
[Magic Growth]
Description: The living beings in this world contain magic, which continuously accumulates as the individual grows and reaches its limit at the peak of physical condition.
In other words, what Magic Growth brought to Bai Luo was not growth starting from zero.
According to the system's description, the Magic Growth skill granted Bai Luo the maximum potential his current body could reach at 20 years old.
Therefore, after the R-tier Magic Growth was upgraded to SR-tier, the magic within Bai Luo's body immediately surged by dozens of times.
Yes, dozens of times.
It was exaggerated, but that was Bai Luo's direct experience at the time.
That feeling of having seemingly infinite energy within him, where releasing just a little could cause immense destruction, almost made Bai Luo lose himself in it.
Fortunately, seeing the seven-digit rating given by the system instantly sobered Bai Luo up.
Invincible?
Don't be ridiculous, it's just a mere seven-digit rating.
According to the reinforcement system's ranking, a single digit was the strongest, and a ten-digit was the weakest.
Bai Luo before transmigration was a common person with a ten-digit rating.
[Bai Luo]
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Abilities: Magic Growth (SR), Magic Control (SR)
Items Held: R-tier Reinforcement Card x4
Overall Rating: Seven-digit (Mid Stage)
Current Draw Chance: 0/30 (30th draw guarantees SSR)
Checking the changes in his attribute panel, Bai Luo quickly noticed the overall rating and the guaranteed draw prompt in the draw chance.
"Seventh draw guarantees SR, 37th draw guarantees SSR."
"Could it be that the system will have a UR guarantee later?"
As Bai Luo was speculating, he suddenly noticed flickering lights in the distant village. He paused slightly, then used precise Magic Manipulation to enhance his brain's and five senses' reactions.
"Ah~~"
"Help, someone save me."
"Dad, Mom, boo hoo hoo~"
"No, don't come over, ah!!"
Facing pleas and wails, what came was not pity, but a bloody massacre.
"Pfft!!"
Blades sliced, blood splattered, dyeing the snowy scene under the firelight a crimson hue.
"What's going on?"
Bai Luo looked at the two groups of people in the village; one group was dressed in black, and each of them looked insane.
Especially the magic these people emitted, it was violent and chaotic, making Bai Luo feel an instinctive discomfort, as if he had encountered something dirty.
As for those being chased, they had beast ears and tails; they were a group of beastmen!
The beastmen here were not the orcs from Warcraft or Lord of the Rings, but rather more akin to the demi-humans found in Japanese-style fantasy worlds.
They were almost indistinguishable from humans, merely possessing some animalistic features.
And in just that short amount of time, the number of surviving villagers in the entire village was already less than 15.
"Was this a bandit raid on the village?"
Without hesitation, Bai Luo leaped down from the hillside, then transformed into a silver stream of light, rushing with astonishing speed towards the village being ravaged by the bandits.
"Swish!"
The man in black killed another beastman, then turned his head and quickly spotted a new target.
It was a girl, about seven or eight years old, dressed in a emerald green kimono, with a pair of light golden cat ears on her head trembling with fear as she frantically fled towards the village entrance.
"Thud!"
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the girl tripped and fell face first into the snow.
The little cat-girl lay sprawled on the ground, watching the man in black catching up to her with terror, crawling backward, "Help me, someone please help me, Mama, woo woo woo~~"
Corpses lay everywhere, blood flowed freely.
The scene before him truly shocked Bai Luo, who came from a peaceful era.
It was then that a sharp sword light descended, a fatal blow aimed at the back of the cat-girl's neck by the man in black behind her.
"What?"
But the next moment, the black-clad swordsman's pupils suddenly contracted.
He watched the scene before him in disbelief, seeing a handsome young man standing between him and the cat-girl.
The blade was halted, and what stopped it was a slender finger!
"Isn't this a bit too much?"
Bai Luo's voice was quite low, subtly tinged with anger, "You don't look like a bandit. Is it necessary to kill everyone?"
Magic Control unfolded, and Bai Luo identified every living person in the village.
Among the fallen bodies, old people, children, women – these people had clearly not intended to leave anyone alive.
He wasn't one to meddle.
However, seeing such a sight, Bai Luo truly couldn't bear it.
"Are there more reinforcements?"
To Bai Luo's surprise, when the black-clad swordsman saw his sword blocked, his first reaction wasn't to retreat, but to strike again with another sword.
"Puff~~~"
Blood gushed from the black-clad swordsman's throat; he felt the world spin, and his vision plunged into darkness.
"Are you sick?!"
Ignoring the head that fell to the ground, Bai Luo had killed countless wild beasts and monsters during his seven days of wilderness survival.
He had long developed a high tolerance for so-called internal organs and blood.
As for killing people...
Bai Luo was indeed a person who liked to reason.
But if the other party was trying to kill him, what was there to talk about?
"Are you alright?"
Bai Luo picked up the little cat-girl who had fallen to the ground; everything had happened too fast for the girl to react.
"Big Brother!"
The little cat-girl saw the headless body of the man in black; she wasn't afraid, but rather, tearfully threw herself to the ground, "Please, save us!"
The girl reacted quickly.
The black-clad swordsman pursued her, Bai Luo saved her and killed the man in black, so Bai Luo was not an enemy.
Moreover, Bai Luo was very powerful.
Although she hadn't seen it, the black-clad swordsman died so quickly, indicating Bai Luo's strength.
"Alright then."
"It just so happens that I also can't stand village massacres."
Bai Luo had already disregarded the grievances between the village and the men in black; he just wanted to feel at peace now.
Furthermore, Bai Luo also wanted to know the extent of his strength in this world.
"Stay here obediently, it will be over soon."
The young man placed his hand on the little cat-girl's head, and streams of silver-white magic power enveloped her, as if draping a thin veil over the girl.
In the blink of an eye, the girl's wounds healed under the silver light.
Her skin was smooth, without even a scar left behind.
The residual magic power was like a close-fitting protective barrier; taking the man in black killed by Bai Luo as an example, even if such a guy were a hundred times stronger, he couldn't harm the little cat-girl in the slightest.
"Swish!"
Having done all this, Bai Luo's figure vanished directly from the girl's sight.
"Big Brother?"
The girl looked at the village, which was ablaze, with some panic; she wanted to tell Bai Luo to be careful, but the young man's speed was too fast.
"Ah!!"
Among the burning wooden houses, a silver-white stream of light seemed to cut through the flames like lightning; wherever it passed, the men in black who had been rampaging fell one after another.
"So weak."
Bai Luo appeared among three men in black; he merely glanced at them indifferently and said with disappointment, "Weak magic power, crude Magic Control, and this chaotic mind, are you really humans? You're practically mass-produced, shoddy products."
Magic Control being raised to SR not only brought abilities but also enhanced Bai Luo's understanding of magic power.
In Bai Luo's Magic Control, the men in black invading the village were very strange.
Firstly, the magic power within them was very chaotic; compared to normal magic power, its control difficulty increased by more than ten times.
As for the amount of magic power...
Bai Luo considered the men in black's magic power weak, but that was in comparison to his current self.
However, compared to the beastmen in the village, the men in black were clearly a cut above.
"Die!!"
Their chaotic brains prevented the men in black from pondering Bai Luo's origin; they attacked him almost instinctively.
"Sigh~~"
Bai Luo had wanted to hold back a bit, at least to leave a few captives to inquire about the situation here.
Now, it seemed there was no need.
"These guys are purely man-made puppets; you won't get anything out of them."
With a slight lift of his finger, invisible threads of magic power bloomed like a storm, slicing the three men in black into several pieces.
In an instant, blood splattered.
But before the blood could drip, Bai Luo's figure vanished from the spot.
He had already locked onto all the survivors in the village and was rescuing them according to their level of crisis.
Since he chose to stand with the beastmen, Bai Luo would leave no regrets.
The remaining dozen or so beast-eared girls, Bai Luo would save every single one!
"Drip, drip."
Soon, Bai Luo stood in a pool of blood; he scanned around, confirming there was no longer any trace of a man in black in the village.
Behind the young man, a group of beastmen huddled together.
There were 12 of them in total, all girls, the youngest still an infant, and the oldest no more than fifteen or sixteen.
At this moment, they were kneeling on the snow, expressing their gratitude to their savior.
Fires flickered, and the air was filled with the smell of charred wood and burning flesh.
The girls cried sadly.
Parents and relatives murdered, village destroyed, families broken – such tragedies were enough to cause despair in any world.
"Do you have any plans?"
Bai Luo told the girls to get up; he didn't know their identities or origins.
But since he had saved them, he naturally had to arrange their next steps, otherwise, wouldn't it have been a pointless rescue?
"You, thank you for your kindness, Sir."
Finally, an older girl stepped forward.
She had long silver-gray hair, and her fox ears drooped; though her clothes were disheveled, they couldn't hide her youthful beauty.
Even Bai Luo, who had seen many internet celebrities and stars in his previous life, couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
"Just call me Bai Luo."
"Lord Bai Luo."
The fox-girl's name was Hongye, the daughter of this village's chief.
"Our village is called Xiawu Village, and like the nearby Yaohu Village and Big Wolf Village, we are common people who have lived for generations in the Beastman Kingdom."
Hongye's mother had married in from Yaohu Village.
In the current situation, she could go to Yaohu Village for help.
But for the others, they had grown up in Xiawu Village, and now that their parents were gone, according to beastman tradition, the fate of those who were plundered was bound to be tragic.
As the chief's daughter, Hongye could not abandon them.
Therefore, Hongye was in a dilemma; her only choice was to take the girls to Yaohu Village together, hoping the villagers there would accept them.