The snow crunched beneath Wei's feet as he walked alone. He looked up at the gray sky and let out a long breath.
"Six months… just like that," he murmured. Time had passed quickly, yet he felt the weight of every moment he had spent surviving, practicing, and preparing.
Despite everything, he had made quite a lot of progress. His system panel reflected it clearly:
Name: Wang Wei
Age: 21 / 50.001
Strength: 17
Stamina: 15
Agility: 14
Ability: Poison Resistance (1/100)
Ability: Carpenter
Ability: Blacksmith
Wei's fingers brushed over the panel as he continued walking.
"And I've gotten used to Qi absorption… but I still don't know how to use it," he muttered to himself. He could feel the energy inside him—it was raw, potent, and filled him with strength—but he didn't know how to fully wield it.
Wei's mind drifted as he considered his options. He knew the path ahead was dangerous. The monsters outside were growing stronger every day, and only by facing them could he test his strength and improve.
Soon, he found himself standing before the barrier. The last time he had stepped outside, it had been five months ago. Back then, he had barely survived the Poison Worms. Now, after countless hours of training, building, and experimenting with Qi, he felt ready.
"This is it," Wei whispered. "Time to hunt. Time to become strong enough… strong enough to survive… strong enough to protect humanity."
He tightened his grip on his sword and took a deep breath. The cold wind stung his face, but it only sharpened his senses.
With a final glance back at the safety of his hut, Wei stepped beyond the barrier. The snow crunched under his boots as he disappeared into the wilderness,
After leaving the barrier, Wei began searching for monsters. However, he was very careful. He knew that fighting a monster close to other monsters could be extremely dangerous. In the worst case, they could surround him and kill him.
So Wei moved slowly through the snowy forest, always watching his surroundings.
After some time, he finally spotted a monster wandering alone.
Wei quietly climbed up a nearby tree. From there, he took out his bow and arrows from his inventory and prepared to attack.
He drew the bowstring and released the arrow.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew through the air, but it missed.
Wei fired again.
And again.
Most of the arrows missed their target. Wei was not a perfect archer yet. However, one arrow finally struck the monster, making it roar in pain.
That was Wei's chance.
Without hesitation, he jumped straight down from the tree with a spear in his hands.
"Now!"
The spear pierced directly through the monster's body, killing it almost instantly.
Wei quickly stored the corpse in his inventory and began searching for another target.
The hunt continued.
Monster after monster fell to Wei's spear and sword. By the end of the hunt, he had killed twenty monsters.
After returning to safety, Wei absorbed the energy from the monster bodies. As he absorbed them, he could sense the Qi flowing into him. One monster alone provided him with almost a month's worth of Qi cultivation.
During this process, a familiar sound appeared in his mind.
Ding! New Skill Acquired: Sword Master
Wei's eyes widened.
Another message appeared.
Ding! Reward Received: Sword Manual — Basic Techniques
Without hesitation, Wei accepted the reward.
The manual dissolved into light and flowed directly into his mind. Instantly, Wei gained knowledge about basic sword techniques—how to hold the blade properly, how to stand in a balanced stance, and how to strike with power and precision.
He finally understood the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
Wei opened his system panel.
Name: Wang Wei
Age: 21 / 50.021
Strength: 24
Stamina: 22
Agility: 19
Ability: Poison Resistance (21/100)
Ability: Carpenter
Ability: Blacksmith
Ability: Sword Master
"My Qi is surging…" Wei murmured.
"But I still don't know how to use it."
He thought for a moment.
"Hmm… can I use it like in the novels? Maybe coat my body or my blade with Qi?"
Wei immediately tried it.
But he failed.
Again.
And again.
Every attempt ended the same way. The Qi inside his body would not move the way he wanted.
Several days passed as he continued experimenting, but eventually Wei stopped trying. It seemed that he still lacked the method needed to properly control Qi.
By this time, the winter snow had begun to melt.
It had been ten months since Wei first arrived in this strange world.
By now, Wei had become a master at killing the worm monsters. His strength had grown greatly over the past months. What once required all his effort was now easy for him. He could kill a single worm without any real difficulty.
As the winter snow finally melted, Wei looked around the forest and sighed.
"After the snow melts, I need to build a new hut… and I should make a proper bed this time," he muttered.
Saying that, Wei stepped outside the barrier. Hunting had now become part of his daily routine. The fear he once felt when facing monsters had almost disappeared.
In fact, he had started to forget something important.
In this world, worm monsters were not the only creatures that existed.
Wei walked through the forest, searching for another lone monster. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise coming from nearby.
He immediately became alert.
Quietly, Wei moved closer and hid inside a thick bush to observe.
What he saw made his eyes widen.
A frog-like humanoid creature was dragging several human children along the forest path.
The children had no clothes. Their hands and necks were bound tightly with rough ropes, and their bodies were covered in bruises and injuries.
Seeing this, Wei's fists clenched tightly.
Anger surged through his body.
His teeth ground together as rage filled his chest.
"They're children…" he whispered under his breath.
The frog-like creature croaked loudly as it dragged the children forward without any care.
The creature stood almost two meters tall. Its skin was dark green and covered in slime, and its wide mouth stretched across its face like a cruel grin.
Wei wanted to rush out immediately and save them.
But he forced himself to stay still.
"This monster is different," he thought.
His system quickly analyzed the creature. Monster Detected: Frog Brute
Class: Commoner Wei's eyes narrowed.
"Commoner class…"
That meant it was likely much stronger than the worm monsters he had been fighting. Worse, this monster clearly showed signs of intelligence.
It wasn't just a beast. It was something far more dangerous.
Still, as Wei looked at the frightened children being dragged away, his anger only grew stronger.
"No matter what…"
he whispered quietly.
"I'm not letting you take them."