[Apocalypse Game loading, loading successful]
[Loading Deep Blue Star module, loading successful]
[Distributing Player Qualifications and Survival Supplies, please be ready to receive]
In his previous life, as someone who had read all sorts of fantastical web novels, when he heard this electronic voice, he did not laugh it off or dismiss it as an illusion. Instead, he quickly went to a nearby observation deck with an open view to investigate.
From here, he could see the tourists hiking on the mountain path below.
But at this moment, the meteor shower twinkling in the sky was even more eye catching.
In a few breaths, the meteors were close at hand, with two flying straight towards him.
Lin Chen moved his backpack to his chest, reached into the bag, gripped the handle of his knife, and cautiously retreated.
Of the two meteors closest to him, one seemed to automatically home in on him, while the other continued towards the center of the observation deck.
After they landed, Lin Chen realized that they seemed to be just balls of light, floating one meter high in the air. The ball of light flying towards him grew larger and larger, gradually reaching the height of a person.
A figure with a tilted head was faintly visible within the ball of light.
He turned to look at the one on the observation deck; it was still palm sized, and there seemed to be a square object inside.
The one on the observation deck looked more like an inanimate object, so Lin Chen picked up a wooden stick and poked the ball of light.
The moment the stick touched the object inside, the ball of light disappeared, and a square wooden token dropped to the ground with a thud.
Lin Chen picked it up and saw: "× lord token."
These characters were not Chinese characters, but rather the common tongue that Bai Lang had taught him before. He could speak it, but he did not recognize many of the characters, only being able to make out the last two words. Beyond that, he could not discern anything else.
At this moment, a nauseating stench wafted over. Lin Chen frowned and turned around; the smell was coming from the humanoid ball of light.
According to the voice from earlier, Player Qualifications and Survival Supplies were to be distributed. If he matched them up, the Survival Supplies should refer to the lord token. Could the Player Qualification refer to this stinky zombie?
Yes, a zombie. From its foul odor and rotting flesh, it was clearly an image copied and pasted from the Resident Evil movies of his previous life.
The zombie writhed in the ball of light, which seemed to restrain it, but the light was thinning at a visible rate and would soon break free.
Lin Chen looked out into the distance. On the mountain path, each hiker had a conspicuous humanoid ball of light beside them, like gold dust among a colony of ants.
Never mind, Lin Chen took a deep breath, held it, circled behind the zombie, pulled out his self defense cleaver, aimed at the zombie's neck, and chopped down with force.
As the knife landed on the zombie's neck, the ball of light completely lost its effect. Fortunately, the zombie's neck was unexpectedly fragile, or perhaps Lin Chen had used too much force, for he cut off half of it with one blow.
The zombie's head tilted even more severely, with only a pinky length layer still clinging on. However, the subsequent electronic voice informed him that the zombie had been eliminated.
[Player Qualification successfully claimed]
[Apocalypse Game logging in...]
[Login successful]
[Player handbook has been issued, please check it yourself]
[This game is developed by the Multiverse World Management Center, and the final right of interpretation belongs to the developer]
A thin booklet appeared before him.
Fortunately, he was the only one on the nearby mountain path, and no other meteors had fallen, so there was no immediate danger. Lin Chen curiously opened the player handbook.
Aside from the cover, the handbook had only five thin pages. Each page had five protruding tabs: Adventure Log, Character Attributes, Spell List, Item Identification, and World Forum.
The inside of each page could be swiped. Rather than a booklet, it was more like a system panel containing five operational interfaces, simply in the form of a book.
He recognized all the words; they were common tongue. But many of them he had clearly never learned, as if he had suddenly become an expert in common tongue.
Only the first page, "Adventure Log," could be opened. All the electronic voices he had heard earlier were recorded within it, along with some other information...
[You have obtained a lord token. Please choose a suitable location to establish your territory.]
...
[You killed Zombie x1, gained Killing Experience x1, Copper Coin x3]
Lin Chen's gaze fell on the ball of light that floated up from the zombie after its death. Indeed, there were 3 Copper Coins inside.
[Based on your first ten panel activations, you gain Free Attribute Point x1]
[Based on your Half Elf race, you can choose Perception or Charisma +1, gained Free Attribute Point x1]
(Note: Attribute points cannot be used consecutively on the same attribute, as this will cause a burden on the body and even affect the digestion of attribute points)
Half Elf? This so called Apocalypse Game even adjusts races?
Lin Chen felt a little strange, and looking further down, it got even stranger.
[Based on your player identity, you gain common tongue]
[Based on your Half Elf race, you gain an additional language, Elvish]
It seemed he had not been mistaken; it was indeed common tongue. Lin Chen was full of questions at this point. Why was the language of this game common tongue? Could Bai Lang have something to do with this game?
He already knew some common tongue, but the other language, Elvish, which he had never encountered, had a deeper impact on him.
Lin Chen recalled slightly and found that knowledge about this language had indeed appeared in his mind out of nowhere, as if his head contained a translator that could convert Chinese into Elvish. However, the pronunciation of Elvish was much more complex than common tongue, and speaking it fluently was still a bit difficult, requiring more practice.
He was certain he had never learned this language and could not help but sigh, "If only Bai Lang could have done this when he was learning Chinese, it would have been great. He can only manage daily conversations in Chinese now and does not recognize many characters. But with this game, I guess he will not have to worry about language barriers anymore."
He continued to read.
[Player attributes read successfully. Your attributes are: Strength 8, Constitution 10, Agility 11, Intelligence 12, Perception 14, Charisma 11 (The average for adult humans for all attributes is 10)]
[Based on your attributes, your Optional careers are ranked by compatibility: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Sorcerer, Ranger, Bard, Rogue, Paladin, Warrior...]
[Please carefully read the meaning of each attribute and choose a profession accordingly]
Lin Chen briefly flipped through the folded attribute information.
[Strength represents a character's muscle strength and physical power, especially important for Barbarian Warrior, Warrior, Paladin, Ranger, and Monk]
[Agility represents a character's hand eye coordination, limb flexibility, reaction, and balance, very important for Rogue. Additionally, Barbarian Warrior, Ranger, Monk, Mage, Sorcerer, and those who wish to become skilled archers also need high Agility]
[Constitution represents a character's health and stamina. Constitution determines the amount of hit points and is important for all professions]
[Intelligence represents a character's learning and thinking ability, very important for spellcasting professions like Mage. A Mage's mana, the difficulty for opponents to resist Spells, and Spell power are all related to Intelligence]
[Perception represents a character's willpower, common sense, sensitivity, and intuition, related to the character's ability to perceive and harmonize with their surroundings. Perception is the most important attribute for Clerics and Druids, and also very important for Paladins and Rangers]
[Charisma represents a character's personality, persuasiveness, leadership, and external attractiveness, a strength of personality rather than just a character's performance in social settings. It is the most important attribute for Paladin, Sorcerer, and Bard]
From the meaning of the attributes, his strongest attribute was Perception, making Druid and Cleric the most suitable for him, although other professions were not entirely out of the question.
There were a total of eleven professions. Lin Chen started with the Druid, which was most compatible with him, and the more he read, the more tempted he felt.
Druids and Clerics were both divine spellcasters. The difference was that a Cleric's power came from a personified deity, while a Druid's power came from Nature.
Druids gained power by communicating with Nature to draw upon natural forces. Their Spells also originated from Nature, making them closer to Nature and animals. Their healing ability was slightly weaker than a Cleric's, but their damage output was stronger than a Cleric's. Their Spell list was shorter than a Mage's, but they had healing and shapeshifting abilities, making them more resilient than Mages.
Their distinctive features included having an Animal Companion from level 1 and being able to shapeshift into animals from level 5. Their abilities covered various aspects such as tanking, healing, ranged magic output, and melee combat, making them a well rounded character.
In a true game, such a profession would mean not excelling in any single aspect, but in reality, such a profession meant having no weaknesses and a higher survival rate.
Why had this world suddenly been magically transformed from a modern urban setting into an Apocalypse Game novel? The Druid's comprehensive abilities gave him a strong sense of security.
Coupled with that mysterious self perception of being a plant nurturing expert and his love for forests, he ultimately chose to become a glorious Druid.
After confirming his profession, and given that attribute points could not be used consecutively and required a certain amount of time to digest, Lin Chen added the Half Elf racial bonus of Perception or Charisma +1 to Perception.
Unlike gaining languages, the increase in attribute points felt much more distinct. He felt the whole world had become much clearer, his vision seemed to have increased, and it was very refreshing and invigorating.
[Based on your Druid profession, you gain an 8 point bonus to Hit Points. According to the Hit Point calculation formula: (Constitution + Bonus x Level - 10) x 10, your Hit Points are 80]
[Based on your Perception attribute and profession level, according to the Mana calculation formula: (Spellcasting Attribute - 10 + Level) x 10, your Mana is 60]
[Based on your Druid profession, you gain an additional language, druidic]
[Based on your Druid profession, you gain the following profession skills: 1. Sense Nature: Druids can gain power by sensing Nature; 2. Wild Empathy: Druids can use body language, tone, and expressions to influence the attitude of animals; 3. Animal Companion: Druids can gain an Animal Companion that grows with you]
The knowledge of these skills was deeply imprinted in his mind, but using them was not as easy as in a real game; it required learning and practice.
With the selection of his profession, the subsequent pages gradually unlocked.
He opened the Character Attributes page.
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Race: Half Elf]
[Profession: Druid LV1 (1/100)]
(Note: Experience points are divided into three types: Killing Experience, Profession Experience, and General Experience; a maximum of 50% of Killing Experience can be used at this level)
[Hit Points: 80/80]
[Mana: 60/60]
[Languages: common tongue, Elvish, druidic]
[Attributes: Strength 8, Constitution 10, Agility 11, Intelligence 12, Perception 14+1, Charisma 11]
[Skills: Sense Nature, Wild Empathy, Animal Companion]
[Spells: None]
[Free Attribute Points: 2]