Later that morning, in the Yun Hills.
Xuan dropped the last sack of grain onto the pile and straightened his back with a yawn.
He wiped his hands on his clothes and glanced toward the house.
"I'm going to the woods for firewood," he called out.
From inside, his father's voice came quickly, "Alright. Be back before dusk. And take the big axe."
He paused for a second before adding, more serious this time, "If anything approaches you... don't hesitate. Slam it down with the axe."
Xuan gave a small nod even though his father couldn't see him. "I will."
He knew what that meant. Wolves. Wolves that wander around the forest occasionally.
As he walked away, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Ever since gaining his Earth memories, he couldn't help but acknowledge how brave they were.
'They really go into the forest like this? Despite knowing there are wolves?'
'Foolishly brave'
Despite the danger, his parents entered the forest often. Even he, when younger, used to wander in just to watch birds and calm down his mind.Back then, he hadn't thought much of it.
Now, it felt reckless. Way reckless.
He reached the side of the house and picked up the axe his father had mentioned.
It was large and heavier than what he was used to.
Adjusting his grip, he started walking deeper into the forest.
---
After some time, Xuan stopped in front of a thick tree.
He looked up, squinting slightly at its height, then let the axe rest against his shoulder.
"This should do."
He took a step back and loosened his grip, putting down the axe at the side.
He reached out his hand. And thought of something. Without warning, a different axe appeared in his hand.
The handle was wooden, but the hilt and blade were covered with a faint blue metal that gave off a subtle sheen, reflecting with sunlight.
Xuan blinked once, then looked down at it.
He tightened his grip slightly. He glanced at the tree again, then back at the axe.
"The quest just says to chop logs" he muttered. "Do I just start?"
As if responding, the screen flickered in front of him.
[Reinforced Axe (Uncommon): An axe strengthened with reinforced arcane materials]
Effect: Each swing lands... then lands again a heartbeat later.
---
Xuan stared at the words, pondering a little.
"Lands again.. a heartbeat later?"
He tilted the axe slightly, lowering the axe.
"Guess I'll just try it."
He swung down. With a considerable amount of strength.
Thud!
The axe struck true. Upon impact, the tree shook. Seeing how good this Axe was.
Xuan pulled the axe back, ready for another swing, but then he paused.
"...What?"
For a brief moment. Like an afterimage of the Axe. A second strike followed the exact same path. Hitting at the same place, carving the wood deeper.
Xuan's eyes widened a little.
"...It really hit twice."
He stepped back slightly, staring at the mark on the tree.
Then, slowly, a small smile formed.
"So that's what it meant. By another land a heartbeat later"
"It's multihit."
He adjusted his stance again. Preparing to swing again.
"Let's try again," uttering he swung this time with more strength.
The tree shook violently upon impact, and just like before, having the same momentum, another afterimage appeared, hitting the tree once again.
"Alright, I get it now."
A hint of satisfaction showed on his face.
"With, this'll be easy."
He felt satisfaction, also appreciating the system he got.
Yesterday, after waking up in the middle of the night, he had spent hours testing the system, asking questions, and trying to understand how it worked.
And he discovered something crucial.
About how his gacha system actually works. He can sign into any place he wants. Once every day activating the gacha.
Giving him one free pull. He tried it out. At his farm house again ended up getting a wooden board.
Putting that aside,The Credit points were the lifeline of the system!.
Every single question he asked was answered with the same blank blue screen:
[The required information will cost 10 credit points. Proceed?]
Xuan's expression had turned stiff at the time.
Every question, even the most basic ones, required credit points. The cost varied depending on the question. Some were small.
Others had so many zeros he couldn't even count them properly.
"What a scam," he had muttered back then.
But after the frustration settled, he realized something else.
The system responded to every question. No matter what it was. No matter how stupid it sounded.
As long as he could pay, it would answer. Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That means it can answer anything."
That part made it worth it. Very worth it.
Another thing that caught him off guard was the items.
At first, he thought they were just ordinary tools. He was wrong.
Every single item he obtained had some kind of strange, almost broken effect; each one was designed for a specific purpose.
And more importantly.
They could be upgraded!. He doesn't know how that works or what the upgrade would do, but it was still something.
Of course it wasn't free, that also required credit points.
He continued striking. Each swing was followed by another.
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
It didn't take long before the tree began to give way. With a final strike, it fell down with a loud thud.
Xuan let out a small breath and lowered the axe.
"That was fast."
He smiled for a brief moment before gazing down.
"Now the logs."
He placed his foot against the trunk to steady it, then brought the axe down repeatedly.
He stopped, looking at the result.
The large tree trunk had already been split into two sections. He would have to do it again two more times to make them usable.
With this Axe it would be quite easy. He thought.
He opened the system before entering the quest.
•Chop logs using the Reinforced Axe 30x (2/30)
---
Xuan's eyes lit up slightly.
"So it counts like that." He wasn't expecting that him doing that would also count as one.
He let out a short chuckle. That changes things, now he would be able to finish the quest in no time then.
"Good."
As the sun lowered, golden light spread through the forest.
Xuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, breathing steadily.
"One more."
He lifted the axe again and brought it down.
Thud. Thud.
The last tree fell. He stood still for a moment, then let out a long breath.
"Finally done."
The screen appeared again.
[Quest: Fragile Body, Strong Will (Common) Completed.
• Chop logs using a reinforced axe (30/30)
• Fetch a bucket of water using the Sturdy water bucket (10/10)
[Ding, you have been rewarded with 300 credit points and a common tier upgrade module.]
Xuan's tired expression shifted instantly. A grin appearing for a moment.
"Now that's a proper reward."
He straightened up a little, adjusting the bundle of wood on his back.
"Worth it."
After returning home freshing up and having his meal togather. Xuan right away shut himself within his room.
He put aside the Farmanted Grape wine aside. They had unique effectm
[Farmanted Grape Wine (Uncommon): Farmanted grape wine, clustered through arcane cultivators.
Effect: Boosts sensitivity for a few hours.
Xuan had tested it last night. He couldn't help but set it aside carefully,it had a surprisingly good taste.
Even though he didn't have a Qi cultivation technique yet, he could at least meditate. The wine's effect enhanced his sensitivity, making him feel Qi more accurately.
"300 credit coins...it's time to get some answers." Uttering that, he asked the most basic question that had been bugging him for a long time.
Slowly, he spoke, "How can I cultivate Qi in this world?"
In truth, he really knew nothing about cultivators or anything related to them.
He had only seen them occasionally in the city down by the caravans, nestled among the mountains,the City of Clouds, Yun City.
All he really knew was that the city lord was a cultivator, and a strong one at that. Being just a farmer's boy, there was very little he could learn on his own.
The system screen flickered.
[The question will cost 20 credit points. Proceed?]
With some anticipation, Xuan nodded, uttering, "Proceed."