Ethan was looking at everything in speechless silence.
"Why the heck is my physique rank blank? I thought it was something cool, but it seems like an unranked thing, not even a low-grade one."
Ethan became instantly depressed, but he didn't ask Elder Rey anything because everyone there would make fun of him. So, he entered the portal with everyone else.
With a blinding flash of light, they vanished from the hall.
Ethan opened his eyes after a while and found himself standing in a dense forest.
"This entire thing feels so real. I can feel the wind, smell the environment, and even breathe fresh air. And the air is not polluted at all. What a realistic game. Those creators really nailed it. Let me see what that elder NPC gave us… a cultivation technique?"
He took out the technique Elder Rey had given earlier.
"Learn."
Instantly, he felt countless memories being implanted in his brain.
[Ding! You have learned a low-grade cultivation technique. It absorbs cosmic energy according to the cultivation talent of the cultivator. Works only when sitting in a lotus position.]
There were additional sub-details below, so Ethan clicked on the details section.
[Low-grade talent: 1 AU per breath
Mid-grade talent: 2 AU per breath
High-grade talent: 4 AU per breath
Top-grade talent: 8 AU per breath
Legendary-grade talent: 16 AU per breath
Epic-grade talent: 32 AU per breath
Mythical-grade talent: 64 AU per breath]
"Whoa! This is ridiculous. The mythical one has sixty-four times the absorption rate than the lowest talent. How will we even level up?"
Thousands of questions appeared in his mind. So, he took out the guidebook and started reading. After three hours of reading and asking questions, he finally got some answers, at least for now.
In this game, there was no leveling system. Instead, there was a cultivation power-up system. The cultivators were called martial artists.
The cultivation realms were as follows:
Martial Student
Martial Warrior
Martial Master
Martial Grandmaster
Martial Lord
Martial King
Each cultivation realm was divided into nine levels, and to break through each one, players needed to cultivate using techniques. There was no experience system for killing monsters.
"It's like a real life inside a game. Let's find out where we are first, then we can start cultivating."
Ethan looked for a map, and instantly, one appeared before him. It was blank except for a single label: "West Continent."
After discovering his location, Ethan sat under a tree to start cultivating. He crossed his legs into a lotus position and activated the cultivation technique.
[You have activated the cultivation technique for the first time. Your cultivation point system is unlocked.]
[First level Martial Student: 1/1000 AU]
(2/1000)
(3/1000)
...
...
1 hour later.
(1000/1000)
[You have enough energy to break through.]
[You have broken through to Level 1 Martial Student.]
[All Stats +10 and +5 Blank Attributes.]
"It took one hour to break through to Level 1 Martial Student. If I had a higher cultivation talent, I could have advanced faster."
Ethan felt his strength increase greatly. It was a fascinating feeling, something he had never experienced before.
He looked at his status panel.
[Name: Ethan Moriarty
Cultivation: Level 1 Martial Student (1000/2000)
Bloodline: None
Physique: Infinite Devouring Physique
Cultivation Talent: Low
Strength: 15
Spirit: 35
Speed: 14
Blank Attributes: 5]
Ethan was curious about the blank attributes, so he clicked on the description.
[Blank Attributes: You can add these points to any of your stats, including technique mastery.]
"Technique mastery can also be elevated?"
Ethan knew the term. High-level techniques had several stages, and advancing required mastery of the previous level. Each stage would make a technique more powerful.
"These blank attributes are the most important things here."
Ethan had read many novels, so he knew that mastering a technique was thousands of times harder than simply increasing strength.
"Let's save them for now. I'll add them to my basic stats if needed. Let's continue cultivating."
One hour later:
[2000/2000]
[You have broken through to Level 2 Martial Student.]
[All Stats +15 and +5 Blank Attributes.]
Another two hours later:
[4000/4000]
[You have broken through to Level 3 Martial Student.]
[All Stats +20 and +5 Blank Attributes.]
He was submerged in the exhilarating pleasure of growing stronger and almost forgot about time.
Just as he was about to start cultivating again, a system notification appeared in the sky.
[World Announcement: In one hour, your novice player protection period will end. Monsters will be able to sense your presence. Prepare for battle.]
When he saw that, Ethan finally understood why he had been able to cultivate so peacefully till now, even though the pixie fairy said the world was being ravaged by monsters.
He had thought he was just lucky to arrive in a quiet place.
Ethan had planned to become as powerful as possible here, then go out and show everyone that even with a low cultivation talent, he could still become a top player.
But his dream was shattered cruelly by the system announcement.
He checked his status panel again.
[Name: Ethan Moriarty
Cultivation: Level 3 Martial Student (4000/8000 AU)
Bloodline: None
Physique: Infinite Devouring Physique
Cultivation Talent: Low
Strength: 50
Spirit: 70
Speed: 49
Blank Attributes: 15]
His strength was now ten times greater than before. If he had such power in real life, he could easily become a world boxing champion.
"I don't have enough time to break through again. Let's prepare for battle. Those with higher cultivation talents are already much stronger than me. I need to use my brain if I want to survive."
Then he remembered something strange—his physique was now written in bold letters, which wasn't the case before he broke through to the Martial Student Realm. He hadn't noticed it earlier, being too focused on his newfound strength.
He clicked on the physique.
[Infinite Devouring Physique: You can devour anything that contains energy to become stronger.]
It was a simple line, but Ethan knew it was anything but simple.
He started looking around to test it out. There were only grasses and dried leaves on the ground. Nothing else.
So, he picked up a leaf and swallowed it.
[Infinite Devouring Physique is activated. You have gained 0.000001 Blank Attribute.]
"Holy shit! I can gain blank attributes just by swallowing anything with energy? Who said my physique is useless? It's a supreme physique, hahahahaha!"
But then he remembered that he didn't have much time left to prepare. What if a powerful monster appeared before him?
If he died, he would lose his cultivation base and have to start over.
"I don't have any weapons right now. I'll fight with bare hands. I'm much stronger than before anyway. Besides, I don't have time or the means to search for a weapon."
Ethan thought for a moment, then began practicing hand-to-hand combat moves he had seen in movies, games, and anime. Though he couldn't recall all of them, he remembered enough to start familiarizing himself with the movements.
Time passed quickly, and soon fifty minutes had gone by. Ethan was drenched in sweat. He was surprised that even in this game, he could sweat like this.
[Attention all players. Your presence is now known to monsters. Best of luck.]
Another notification appeared in the sky.
"Let's go."
Ethan began walking cautiously.
"Roar!"
A sudden roar echoed from his left.
He turned and saw a tiger-like creature emerging from the shadows. It was far larger and more terrifying than any normal tiger.
[Name: Mastiff Tiger
Rank: Low-Grade Beast
Talent: Low-Grade Strength]
Beasts were monsters with power equivalent to the Martial Student Realm, and low-grade beasts ranged from Levels 1 to 3.
That meant it had roughly the same strength as Ethan, who was now a Level 3 Martial Student.
Though he reminded himself it was just a game, fear still crept into his chest.
"Let's fight. What else can happen? I'll just start over. It's not like I've come too far anyway."