He opened his eyes, his entire body aching as if he had just gone through some kind of high-intensity workout.
The scene before him left Feng Hao utterly confused. The magnificent buildings were of a bizarre style, the plants and flowers were oddly shaped, and streaks of light occasionally shot across the sky. Everything seemed completely alien.
'Did I fail to log out? But I don't think this map exists in *Mage*.'
Feng Hao was completely baffled. As a top player in the new-generation VRMMO *Mage*, he had never seen this map before. Moreover, the architectural style of the city didn't match anything in the game.
'Don't tell me I've transmigrated?' Feng Hao's heart skipped a beat.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He had been casually exploring in the game when the world channel was suddenly flooded with messages about the apocalypse. He had clicked on a few videos and found the content was all more or less the same: countless terrifying alien creatures descending from the sky, wantonly destroying the world he knew.
Alarmed and suspicious, Feng Hao had decided to log out to check the situation. But the moment he confirmed his log-out, a strange electric current knocked him unconscious. When he came to, he was here.
He had read plenty of transmigration novels before, but he never thought it would happen to him—a full-body transmigration, no less.
Glancing around at the strange world, Feng Hao couldn't help but smile wryly.
Still, he thought, 'Since I'm here, I might as well accept it.' He decided to figure out his situation first before worrying about anything else. After all, this was another world; who knew what kind of strange things could happen?
After scouting the area, he realized he was in what looked like a manor, specifically in a relatively quiet rear garden.
'Is no one here?' Feng Hao wondered, his brow furrowed in thought.
The words had barely left his mouth when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. A low voice came from behind him. "Hey, buddy. You here on business too?"
'Holy crap!' Feng Hao's heart leaped into his throat. He was nearly scared to death. He whipped around to see a sleazy-looking young man in tight-fitting black clothes staring at him with a mocking gaze.
"So you're just a newbie who just joined the trade." The sleazy youth pursed his lips, his eyes filled with a deeper meaning. "Say, you're just an ordinary person. You dare take a job at the Xiyue Mansion? Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Once he confirmed he hadn't run into a ghost, Feng Hao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He said awkwardly, "Brother, I just stumbled in here by accident."
"Oh, come on. We're in the same business. Cut the act." The sleazy youth seemed a little annoyed. "I'll be straight with you: I've already handled the business here. Don't waste your energy!"
"Uh... Brother, you've misunderstood. I really did just wander in here by accident." Feng Hao felt helpless. Although he didn't know what the sleazy youth was talking about, he was sure it had nothing to do with him.
"I don't care if you did or not. Anyway, my advice is to get out of here, fast. The Xiyue Mansion has already started rounding people up." The sleazy youth waved his hand impatiently and turned to leave.
Feng Hao quickly ran after him. "Brother, can you get me out of here?"
"Right. An ordinary person like you probably couldn't escape the Xiyue Family's pursuit." The sleazy youth mused, "Forget it. It's your lucky day to run into a senior in the business like me. Your big bro will give you a hand today."
"Thank you, big bro!" Feng Hao said, pleasantly surprised.
"Shameless little thief, where do you think you're going?"
Just then, a beautiful figure rushed toward them, her pretty face filled with shame and anger. She was leading a group of guards, and they looked menacing.
"So you have an accomplice! Good. This young lady will personally cripple both of you little thieves today!" The girl was dressed in colorful clothes, breathtakingly beautiful. The sword in her hand bloomed with ice flowers, and a brilliant frost instantly swept toward the two of them.
"Whoa, the beautiful girls in this Otherworld are something else," Feng Hao praised in amazement. It felt like watching a movie.
The sleazy youth shot him an annoyed glare, grabbed him, and began a swift retreat with light steps. As he fled, he didn't forget to shout a few taunts. "Miss Xiyue, this isn't over. Maybe I'll have business with you again in the future!"
"Bastard! Stop right there!" The colorfully dressed girl trembled with rage, but unfortunately, the shameless little thief was too fast. She couldn't catch up at all.
Watching the two of them disappear, Xiyue Frost stomped her foot in anger.
"Miss, I think we should let it go. We can figure something out when the master returns," the guards said helplessly as they caught up.
"Hmph, a bunch of useless fools!" Xiyue Frost snorted coldly, grinding her silvery teeth before turning and storming away.
The guards were all helpless. As guards of the Xiyue Mansion, they were all Mages. But this little thief today was just too strong, especially in terms of speed. They couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes, let alone catch him.
...
Feng Hao only felt the air WHISTLING past his ears before he was dizzily dropped to the ground. He was in a secluded dead-end alley with a pitted, old stone-paved floor.
"Hey, kid, we're out," the sleazy man's voice sounded by his ear.
He shook his head to clear it and got to his feet, only to see the sleazy man looking at him with a faint smile.
"Brother, you're incredible! Were we flying just now?" Feng Hao's eyes lit up. What had just happened was so magical; he had only ever seen such things in movies, TV shows, and games.
"Flying?" The sleazy man's eyes flickered, and he pursed his lips. "I'm still a long way from that."
Feng Hao gave an awkward smile. Scenes of his transmigration replayed in his mind, and his heart pounded with excitement. He wondered if he, too, would have the chance to possess such a miraculous power.
"Brother, can you teach me? I want to be like you!" Feng Hao said, his eyes full of yearning.
The sleazy man was taken aback. "At your age, you should have already gone through the Magi-Core Awakening, right?" he asked, surprised. "People without Magi-Core talent can't become Mages."
"Um... what's the Magi-Core Awakening?" Feng Hao asked.
"You don't even know about the Magi-Core Awakening? Kid, you didn't come from some remote mountain wilderness, did you?" The sleazy man grew even more astonished. "Fine. I'll help guide you a bit. Whether you can awaken your Magi-Core is up to you."
Feng Hao was about to ask for more details when he saw the sleazy man's faintly glowing palm press against his glabella.
Immediately, a cool stream of energy flowed into his mind. His vision suddenly blurred. After an unknown amount of time, a ball of faint light exploded in his dim mind, illuminating his sea of consciousness.
A small, fluorescent green sapling appeared in the center of his sea of consciousness. It felt familiar and intimate, like a part of his own body.
Opening his eyes, a familiar screen of light made him both shocked and delighted. It was the game panel from *Mage*! Although it was missing many of the game options, it was definitely the game panel.
'Could it be that I've transmigrated into the world of *Mage*?' Feng Hao wondered with surprise.
Transmigrating to another world with a game panel—that was the kind of treatment only a web novel protagonist gets! At this thought, Feng Hao's mind started to wander, fantasizing about his own journey of conquest in another world, reaching the pinnacle of life and marrying a beautiful, rich woman.
"I didn't expect you, kid, to actually have the potential to become a Mage." The sleazy man hadn't expected it to succeed either and sounded slightly surprised.
Feng Hao snapped back to reality, his heart already blooming with joy. He asked, "I still don't know your name, Brother."
"Lin Luo," Lin Luo replied with a smile.
"I'm Feng Hao. Thank you, Brother Lin, for helping me awaken. I'll be sure to repay you generously in the future," Feng Hao said gratefully. After all, it was his good fortune to meet a benefactor right after arriving in this Otherworld.
"Hm, you're not a bad kid. Just for calling me 'Brother,' I'll have to give you some proper guidance." Lin Luo laughed heartily, once again placing his palm on Feng Hao's glabella and closing his eyes to sense something.
After a few breaths, he opened his eyes with a strange expression. "Little brother, what race are you? Your Magi-Core aptitude is a bit too poor. Almost all your aptitudes are at rock bottom."
"What do you mean?" Feng Hao asked hurriedly.
"Look." Lin Luo didn't waste words. He waved his hand, releasing a ball of cyan energy that, to Feng Hao's astonishment, coalesced into a cyan light screen. It looked exactly like his own attribute panel:
Strength: 1 (Force +5, Hidden Strength +2)
Spirit: 1 (Magic Damage +5, Divine Sense +2)
Meridians: 1 (Hidden Strength +10, Gang Qi +5)
Physique: 1 (Qi Blood +100, Defense +2)
Spirituality: 1 (Magic Power +10, Magic Damage +2)
Constitution: 1 (Gang Qi +5, Force +2)
Tenacity: 1 (Defense +5, Vitality +1)
Agility: 1 (Speed +8, Attack Speed +2)
Perception: 1 (Divine Sense +5, Divine Sense Strength +1)
Concealment: 1 (Breath Control +5, Weak Point Enhancement +1)
"This is your Magi-Core aptitude. Aside from Meridians and Agility, all your other aptitudes have hit rock bottom." Lin Luo looked at him with a regretful expression. "Fortunately, your potential for the Hidden Strength system is pretty good, so you'll be decent enough once you've developed."
Feng Hao stared blankly at the cyan light screen, then looked at Lin Luo with suspicion. "Brother, have you ever heard of Earth?"
That's right. From the moment Lin Luo had summoned the attribute panel, Feng Hao had suspected he might be from the same world, that he had also transmigrated here.
"Earth? What's that? Can you eat it?" Lin Luo shook his head, a strange expression on his face.
"Oh, it's nothing." Feng Hao shook his head in disappointment. He looked up and asked, "By the way, Brother, how did you pull up all this data?"
"It's simple. You'll be able to do it too once you learn to use your Magi-Core's abilities," Lin Luo replied casually, his gaze growing even stranger. "It seems you really did come from some remote mountain wilderness. You don't even know this basic stuff."
"Um... something like that. The place I used to live didn't have this kind of knowledge," Feng Hao said awkwardly.
"I have some introductory books here. You can take them and study on your own." Lin Luo nodded in understanding and, from out of nowhere, produced several worn-out books.
Feng Hao took the books in pleasant surprise, but his eyes were fixed on Lin Luo's finger. "Brother, is that the legendary Spatial Ring?"
"It's a Spatial Ring, yes, but it's nothing legendary. They're quite common." Lin Luo chuckled, then casually took out an exquisite black ring and tossed it to Feng Hao. "Here. This is that Xiyue Mansion young lady's Spatial Ring. There are some Magic Crystals and stuff inside. It should be enough for you to get settled in Rongcheng."
Receiving the Spatial Ring, Feng Hao was overjoyed, but he quickly realized something was wrong. Why would that beautiful young lady's Spatial Ring be with him?
Recalling his experience at the Xiyue Mansion, he seemed to understand something. "Brother, you're not... a thief, are you?"
"What do you mean, 'thief'? Your brother here is a high-ranking thief of the Thief God Hall," Lin Luo said, slightly displeased.
"Alright." Feng Hao was speechless. He asked curiously, "So, Brother, what business did you... uh... handle at the Xiyue Mansion? That beautiful lady seemed really angry."
Lin Luo's eyes filled with a sleazy light. "Oh, nothing much. Someone recently offered a high price for Xiyue Frost's 'original flavor' underwear. I saw that no one dared to take the job, so I took it for fun."
"'Original flavor' underwear?!" Feng Hao was dumbfounded. No wonder that beautiful young lady had been so furious. Anyone would be pissed off to death.
But that Thief God Hall organization was really something else, daring to take on such a... risqué job.
"Heh heh, I have it on me right now. Want to get a whiff of the Xiyue Mansion heiress's scent?"
"No, no!" Feng Hao quickly shook his head. He wasn't a pervert.
"We're both young men. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Lin Luo said with an exceptionally sleazy expression.
"..." Feng Hao was speechless, a dark cloud hanging over his head.
Lin Luo dropped his teasing, mischievous smile and said seriously, "We've talked enough. It's time for this brother to take his leave. If you run into any trouble, you can look for me at the Thief God Hall. I'll be active in the nearby cities for a while."
Feng Hao was just about to say a few words of thanks and farewell, but he found that Lin Luo had already vanished. A sense of loneliness and melancholy couldn't help but well up in his heart.
Stepping out of the secluded alley, he gazed at the rows of neat, magnificent buildings and the diverse crowds bustling along the streets. A blazing fighting spirit surged within Feng Hao's heart.
'Since this is an Otherworld similar to *Mage*, I will definitely reach the top again!'