Chapter 1 : Golden Cheat Code Activated
"Cough... Fortunately, my limbs are unharmed; otherwise, I fear I wouldn't be able to escape this chaotic maze."
In the dimly lit underground passage, with a height of over five meters, a young man dressed in a deep red shirt and dark jeans is currently tearing off a piece of fabric, grimacing in pain as he tightly wraps it around a savage wound on his neck.
Though he suppresses even the slightest whimper with his strong willpower, the sensation of pain doesn't diminish based on whether he vocalizes it or not; physiological responses remain the same.
By the time he meticulously ties the cloth into an exquisite bow, the young man's forehead is already covered in cold sweat from the agonizing pain.
"Phew... Phew..."
Taking a deep breath to alleviate the pain, Qi Shaoyun casually slings the Qilin Bow, leaning against the stone wall, onto his shoulder. He then takes slow steps forward, reaching a position about five meters ahead.
"This... is amethyst?"
Bending down amidst a pile of shattered stones at his feet, Qi Shaoyun picks up a small, purple crystal the size of a candy bean, spreading his palm and examining it carefully.
However, after scrutinizing it closely, he quickly dismisses the idea.
Natural crystals are usually clear and transparent, often containing mist-like, starry, or flocculent gas-liquid inclusions, often accompanied by tiny fractures.
Yet this crystal before him lacks any semblance of transparency.
Moreover, it's impossible for a crystal to burst out from within a goblin.
Yes, that's right—a goblin!
If this thing were in the real world, it would undoubtedly cause a worldwide sensation, even capable of subverting the cognition of billions of humans.
But it is precisely this fantastical creature that had just attempted to ambush Qi Shaoyun, only to be killed in retaliation on the spot.
However, even in its dying moments, the goblin, standing at less than a meter in height, managed to make a move towards Qi Shaoyun's neck.
"Defeating enemies and obtaining dropped items... This truly has a strong gaming vibe."
Weighing the purple crystal in his hand and unable to come to a conclusion, Qi Shaoyun decides to put it into the pocket of his shirt.
Though he is unsure of what it exactly is, based on his limited gaming experience, Qi Shaoyun believes this item holds some value.
Picking up the arrow that had fallen to the ground when the goblin mysteriously disappeared, Qi Shaoyun squints at the arrowhead, which is stained with blood.
This confirms that he did indeed kill a goblin just now.
"Tsk!"
Rubbing the arrow against the stone wall, he marks it with distinctive symbols for identification, simultaneously wiping away the bloodstains from the arrowhead.
Under normal circumstances...
With a touch of cleanliness and his comfortable financial situation, Qi Shaoyun would simply discard this arrow.
However, now finding himself inexplicably in such a strange place, encountering a fantastical creature like a goblin that one would only encounter in a fantasy world through a transmigration, Qi Shaoyun makes a decisive choice between sacrificing safety or cleanliness.
"I hope I don't come across several of those things at the same time."
After storing the arrow with the wiped-off bloodstains in his waist quiver, he tightens the bowstring of the Qilin Bow on his shoulder.
This Qilin Bow has a poundage of a hundred pounds. While an average adult man might be able to pull it open, being able to hold an arrow between the fingers, draw the bow, and accurately shoot at targets tens of meters away.
That is not something just anyone can do, let alone perform multiple consecutive shots.
Qi Shaoyun mutters softly to himself, "It seems that this mission is not simple. This labyrinth is filled with unknowns and dangers. I must remain vigilant."
He tightly grips the Qilin Bow, scanning his surroundings with a serious gaze. The silent atmosphere of the maze weighs heavily on him, but he shows no intention of backing down.
Filled with determination, he vows to find a way out in this intricate and perilous labyrinth, uncovering its secrets.
Unafraid of challenges and undeterred by the unknown, Qi Shaoyun embarks on his journey, driven by his mission and the thirst for exploration.
Qi Shaoyun's low voice echoes, "It appears that this task is not a simple one. This labyrinth is full of unknowns and dangers, and I must remain vigilant."
He tightly grasps the Qilin Bow, casting a serious gaze around him. The quiet atmosphere of the maze oppresses him, but he shows no signs of retreat.
His heart is filled with determination, to find a way out in this complex maze and uncover its secrets.
Unafraid of hardships and undaunted by the unknown, Qi Shaoyun embarks on his journey, fueled by his mission and the desire to explore.
Even someone like Qi Shaoyun, who often frequents the archery club, would find it difficult to achieve precise rapid fire.
Although the injury was in the neck, when exerting full force to draw the bowstring, it still involves the muscles in the neck, significantly affecting accuracy.
"Click! Click! Clack, clack, clack...!"
Abruptly, Qi Shaoyun, who was cautiously moving forward, halted his steps.
Frowning and listening intently, he swiftly took the Qilin Bow off his shoulder and drew an arrow from the quiver, placing it on the bowstring.
Trembling hands pulled the string to full draw, but Qi Shaoyun was astonished by what he saw.
The cracking sound of the stone wall suddenly shattered, and then a small, green-skinned, sharp-nosed, pointy-eared creature emerged from the broken wall.
This... astonishingly, it was a goblin!
In the brief moment of slight astonishment, Qi Shaoyun, who had experience with ambushes, decisively released the bowstring of his sinew bow.
With a "boom" sound, the arrow shot out at an incredibly fast speed, piercing straight into the goblin's heart.
The reason for not aiming at the head was that the chest area was larger and easier to hit in his current injured state, and secondly, the skull was still very hard.
If it didn't hit the eye area, it would likely fail to deliver a significant blow.
"Spurt! Gah!!"
The arrow sank into the flesh, eliciting a cry of agony from the goblin.
"Tsk!" However, Qi Shaoyun clicked his tongue in annoyance and quickly turned around to run.
The arrow had hit the goblin, but because pulling the hundred-pound bow was a bit strenuous, Qi Shaoyun's hand trembled uncontrollably for a moment as the arrow left the string but was still within the range of the bow.
As a result, the arrow ultimately hit the goblin's body about two centimeters away from its heart.
Although the arrow penetrated the goblin's body, inflicting a serious injury, its death was only a matter of time.
"Gahh!!"
With a snarling and anguished cry, the goblin bared its teeth and claws, chasing after Qi Shaoyun, who had disappeared around the corner of the passage.
In the moment when it exposed itself at the corner, an arrow swiftly sliced through the air and once again struck the goblin's chest, firmly pinning it to the stone wall.
Before it could struggle, its body disintegrated into dispersed black ashes, and a purple crystal of similar size to the previous one fell to the ground.
"Phew~"
Qi Shaoyun, who had turned the corner, took a deep breath and shook his slightly sore arm caused by the consecutive shots.
The next second, a sudden change occurred.
[System Notification: Congratulations, Host, on reaching Level 1!]
[System Notification: Congratulations, Host, on acquiring 5 free attribute points!]
[System Notification: Host panel activated!]
Two game-like notification windows appeared out of thin air in front of Qi Shaoyun, followed by the appearance of the so-called host panel, a personal interface.
[Name: Qi Shaoyun]
[Level: Lv.2]
[Strength: 1 ( )]
[Endurance: 1 ( )]
[Agility: 1 ( )]
[Magic: 0 ( )]
[Free Attribute Points: 5]
[Current Energy Progress: 1%]
----
"This...this..."
Qi Shaoyun stared at the translucent and concise panel in front of him, feeling slightly stunned, yet not completely incredulous.
When he was scratched by the first goblin and fought back, he had already realized that something had happened to him.
Looking through the panel, he glanced at the arrow stuck in the wall and the crystal on the ground. Qi Shaoyun raised his hand and tapped on the strength attribute three times.
He directly increased the original "Strength 1" to "Strength 4," and then slid his finger to the agility attribute below. However, in the end, he didn't tap on it and instead continued to increase his strength to 6 points.
Not sure if it was due to his attention being completely diverted, but at this moment, Qi Shaoyun felt that the wound on his neck didn't hurt as much.
His index and middle fingers of his right hand hooked onto the string of the Qilin Bow, and he cautiously applied some force to pull it.
"Creak!"
The hundred-pound bow, which required a tremendous effort to be fully drawn by both arms, was now being quietly pulled to a full moon by just two fingers, causing the bow to creak.
To avoid the embarrassment of grappling with the goblin later on, Qi Shaoyun slowly released the tension with his right hand, allowing the Qilin Bow to return to its resting state. (Keeping it fully drawn could potentially break the bow.)
"Is this... the rhythm of receiving cheat codes at the start of a dungeon game?" Qi Shaoyun muttered to himself as he lightly plucked the bowstring.
................