Chapter Two: Am I an African?
Wang Xiao went to sleep with regret.
If only the inflatable doll hadn’t...
Dawn came, and the mist lingered just as thickly as before.
A new day had begun.
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the region chat log.
“I’m exhausted. Let’s pick one lucky friend to take all my burdens (laughs).”
“Dream on (aggressive).”
“ヾ(。￣□￣)ツ”
“Follow the boss, starve nine meals out of ten—anyone willing to give me a bite to eat (pitiful)?”
“I’ve got some energy bars, want one?”
“I have iced tea (smirking).”
“……”
“Another day courting death (helpless).”
“Courting death is about pushing the limits of life—keep going! Energy bars!”
“Just killed a monster—sigh, I’m too weak.”
“Tch, is this a humblebrag?”
“Wow, big brother is amazing!”
Staring at the two skill books in his backpack, Wang Xiao hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to learn them both.
“Better than having no skills,” he consoled himself.
Name: Wang Xiao
Combat Power: 11 (An artist with two skills.)
Skills: [Spitting (Excellent), Effect: Absolute Taunt], [Body Art (Epic), Effect: Tenfold Combat Power Damage]
Items: One tent (Ordinary), one baseball bat (Ordinary), two bottles of Ice Dew.
Dispel Attempts: 3
Evaluation: Do you deserve it?
Wang Xiao had devoured that piece of chocolate yesterday.
Now, all he could do was drink water to fill his stomach.
Still wielding that same baseball bat in one hand, Wang Xiao made up his mind: if he encountered a monster he couldn’t defeat, he would self-destruct.
Everyone would perish together!
The mist slowly parted, and a figure stood silently ahead.
When the haze cleared completely, Wang Xiao couldn’t help but shiver.
“Damn, it’s a zombie!”
Wang Xiao dared not breathe; he’d watched plenty of zombie movies.
The films always claimed zombies couldn’t see, but could smell human scent.
His heart pounded rapidly.
He decided to ask the chat channel.
“I, Wang Xiao, have run into a zombie. Panicking hard, what should I do?”
“I’d slide right in and kick its ass (scorn).”
“This intense?”
“You must be the luckiest (sigh).”
“Supposedly child’s urine works.”
“Idiot, that’s for ghosts!”
“Accidentally clicked, my bad!”
“Accidentally clicked, my bad!”
“Accidentally clicked, my bad!”
...
Wang Xiao tried dispelling again but found it had no effect.
“Hoo~”
He couldn’t hold his breath any longer.
The zombie suddenly turned toward him, raising both hands.
Its dark, razor-sharp nails made Wang Xiao’s scalp tingle.
“Is it really this terrifying?”
The hand gripping the bat bulged with veins, his knuckles pale.
Sunken eyes, shriveled face, yellowed fangs.
A white vapor gushed from its mouth.
It leaped—three meters in a single bound.
Wang Xiao had no way out.
No more hesitation; he shouted and charged.
“When foes meet on a narrow path, the brave win!”
He smashed the bat down on the zombie’s head with a dull thud—the bat snapped.
In that instant, Wang Xiao pictured himself drained dry by the zombie.
Sharp nails tore several gaping wounds in his chest, blood streaming like broken pearls.
The searing pain made him cry out.
As blood spilled, the zombie’s eyes turned red.
It was ecstatic!
Without a moment’s pause, the zombie’s head pressed close to Wang Xiao’s face.
A sewer stench blasted into him.
His face turned pale.
“Damn, it reeks!”
Seeing the zombie about to bite his neck, Wang Xiao bit its neck first.
It was like biting stone.
A joke—it couldn’t be bitten at all!
A sharp pain flared up in his neck, blood rushing upward.
His head grew woozy.
In a fevered rush, Wang Xiao thought, “If you won’t let me live, I won’t let you live!”
“Body Art!”
He wrapped his arms and legs around the zombie.
Bang!!
A blaze of white light flared—Wang Xiao detonated himself.
The zombie was blown to pieces, red and black painting the clearing’s main theme.
A bronze chest appeared where Wang Xiao had exploded.
After an unknown time, Wang Xiao awoke.
Staring at the red-and-black ground, he was confused.
“Didn’t I blow myself up right here? How am I not dead?”
He fumbled about. “Huh? The wounds are gone?”
“Can I resurrect?”
“Tch, I, Wang Xiao, am about to soar!”
Now, looking at the skill [Body Art] in his skill bar, he was overjoyed.
“From now on, if anyone annoys me, I’ll blow them to bits!”
Wang Xiao went to gather his spoils—a bronze chest!
[Bronze Chest: Can produce decent items.]
---
[You’ve obtained 10 cans, Weapon: Mighty Hammer (Excellent), Combat Power Requirement: 15, Effect: 0.1% chance of instant death. Miracles through brute force!]
“This is the weapon a real man should wield!”
Wang Xiao joyfully took out the mighty hammer—hah, he couldn’t lift it!
“This is pretty frustrating.”
He opened the chat channel.
“I, Hu Hansan, have returned (sunglasses).”
“Eh~? Bro, you’re still alive (amazed)?”
“A true boss (excited)!”
“Boss, got any good stuff (curious)?”
“Big brother~ give me something to eat~”
“Green tea drama in the upstairs comment (watching quietly).”
“Big brother~ I’m good at everything~”
“Gross, you’re a guy, aren’t you (disgusted)?!”
“Boss, need a henchman? Super obedient!”
“I want to be a henchman too!”
“Count me in!”
...
Now Wang Xiao was full of confidence—after all, he couldn’t die.
“Ah, from now on, this world belongs to me, Wang Mangfu!”
“Life is lonely as snow~”
Two more dispels, not bad—no real danger, and even if there was, he wasn’t afraid.
Wang Xiao obtained a Duel Arena Admission Ticket.
[Duel Arena Admission Ticket: Only the strong deserve to stand here. If you’ve got guts, come on!]
He also received two strange fruits.
[Combat Power Fruit (Excellent): Possesses mysterious power, increases combat power by 3.]
Just in time for lunch, Wang Xiao treated these fruits as his meal.
His combat power rose successfully to 17, allowing him to wield the mighty hammer.
He discovered something: souls.
[Soul ×20, Effect: Can be used to craft items.]
“These souls should have come from the zombie.”
Wang Xiao opened the trade channel to see what he might need.
For example, items that trade life for power.
Others avoided such things, but Wang Xiao loved them dearly.
“Selling pepper, message me if interested.”
“Buying souls, will trade for food!”
“Selling cola, only accepting souls!”
“One dispeller, private message.”
...
A huge array of goods was on offer; the most popular were healing medicines.
Every time they appeared, they were instantly bought out.
But Wang Xiao wasn’t at all interested.
He wanted things that would greatly boost his power—life was cheap, as far as Wang Xiao was concerned.