1 Demon King System

- At the Ruijin Hospital of the Demon Capital -

Having just been discharged from the hematology department, Lin Ye gazed at the sunlight spilling onto the street with a feeling that several decades had passed by.

In only half a year, he had lost both his money and girlfriend, so as he was coming out of the hospital, he felt like his body had been sucked dry. From the look of things, his life was a tragedy. 

"Eh… I have to make money somehow. How am I going to make it past the coming days?"

Lin Ye ruffled his messy hair, and his brows were furrowed as he muttered to himself hopelessly.

After being discharged from the military, he felt like he had been visited by the God of Misfortune as nothing he did went smoothly.

Now, with his wallet and love life both destroyed and with the possibility of a soon-accumulating debt, how was he going to support himself in such a bleak and hopeless situation?

...

Life was so cruel; was it really forcing him to inherit his family business, marry a rich girl, and then proceed to reach his life's peak? [TL Note: This is a meme in China.]

Impossible!

His life was valuable, but love was worth more!

When Lin Ye was considering subletting his apartment and moving back to his dorm at the University of Finance and Economics, a metallic-sounding voice rang in his head. 

"Ding!"

"Initiated Player Unknown Battlegrounds' Demon King System."

"Confirm binding?"

"[YES] or [YES]?'

"..."

Suddenly, Lin Ye felt himself falling into a trance. When he recovered a few seconds later, he couldn't help but question, "Just now… was someone speaking into my ear?"

He turned and looked up.

Lin Ye scanned his surroundings. To his surprise, there wasn't a single pedestrian within ten meters of him.

"Forget about it; I might've been too stressed lately. I'm going to go home and sleep it off." Lin Ye shook his head, seemingly dissatisfied with his current state.

...

"Ding!"

"Initiated Player Unknown Battlegrounds' Demon King System."

"Confirm Binding?"

"[YES] or [YES]?"

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, the familiar voice sounded again.

Lin Ye was silent.

It was quiet.

Quiet.

It was dead silent.

This time, Lin Ye finally confirmed that there was nobody speaking into his ear. This strange voice sounded directly within his head.

He turned around and began walking.

Lin Ye silently walked back to Ruijin Hospital, lined up for a registration window on the first floor, and spent twenty yuan to book an appointment with a specialist in the psychiatric department. Having developed a careful personality from his time in the military, Lin Ye was severely skeptical of what just happened.

"I really am unlucky. I think I developed a delusional disorder after losing everything…"

Ten minutes later, Lin Ye got his number and followed the signs through the hallways and staircases. He found the psychiatric department on the third floor and quickly pushed open the door to the doctor's office.

He entered and saw that there were only two people in the office - a female doctor in a white lab coat and a person with a dark brown mushroom head. They were sitting down and chatting leisurely, but the topic of the conversation was very strange. It seemed to be about fertilizers and plant watering; it thoroughly confused Lin Ye.

Seeing Lin Ye enter, the female doctor pointed at a stool on the side, signaling for him to sit and wait.

After fifteen minutes or so, the person with the dark brown mushroom head stood up and turned around. Lin Ye saw that she was actually a pretty girl, but she was wearing a strange-looking mushroom hat that gave him an eerie feeling.

"Shiitake mushrooms… Shiitake mushrooms… Shiitake mushrooms," the pretty girl recited as she passed by Lin Ye with her big mushroom hat, and she did not even give him a glance on her way out.

"Uh…" Lin Ye softly muttered.

He couldn't understand it.

When the mushroom girl left, the female doctor said in a pitying tone, "That girl there, she went through trauma when she was younger. That's why she has a delusional disorder and thinks that she is a Shiitake mushroom. Eh, what a poor child…"

After a moment of silence, Lin Ye nodded in agreement, feeling strangely sympathetic towards her.

"Handsome young man, what's going on with you?" The female doctor looked up and felt her eyes lighting up uncontrollably. It was because Lin Ye looked too handsome.

He had delicate yet perfect facial features, skin pale enough to make women jealous, and a slender and upright figure. The young man sat there silently, and she couldn't help but gaze at him. His temperament was graceful and he was handsome like a celebrity, almost like he had just walked straight out of an idol drama.

Anyways, he was an incubus who made women feel pale in comparison.

"I've been feeling under the weather lately; there are some strange voices echoing in my head. I feel like I am delusional…" Lin Ye described the situation, and the female doctor took him to do the checkup. 

Maybe she was judging him based on his looks because through the entire checkup, the female doctor kept her voice gentle and soft, seemingly afraid of scaring Lin Ye.

After performing the Psychotic Symptoms Rating Scale (PSYRATS) and the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS) evaluations, the doctor strictly told Lin Ye that he showed no symptoms of schizophrenia or delusional disorder. She told him that he was just stressed out. From now on, he should stop overthinking, go home, and relax.

In conclusion, he was very healthy.

Seeing the diagnosis, Lin Ye finally heaved a sigh of relief. He thanked the doctor and left the hospital.

- 45 minutes later -

Lin Ye arrived at his apartment in a cab. He took a deep breath and asked with anticipation, "System?"

There was a 30-second silence.

"Initiated Player Unknown Battlegrounds' Demon King System."

"Confirm binding?"

"[YES] or [YES]?"

That familiar voice sounded in Lin Ye's head again. However, by the third time, the system sounded like it was doubting life as well. It didn't even bother to make the ding sound. 

"YES," Lin Ye confirmed without a second of hesitation this time.

"Ding! Binding system…"

"Binding successful."

"Welcome, Host, to the world of Player Unknown Battlegrounds."

Lin Ye pondered before saying, "System, by Player Unknown Battlegrounds, do you mean the really popular game called PUBG?" 

As Lin Ye had said, PUBG was one of the most popular games in the world at the moment. The daily player count had already surpassed the five million threshold.

Globally, PUBG was an extremely influential game. Countless celebrities, legendary professional gamers, and well-known streamers were loyal fans, as well as tens of millions of ordinary players. The game was exploding in popularity.

Furthermore, for the past two years, a myriad of competitions had sprung up. From an esports standpoint, PUBG had formed a very complete ecological chain, allowing professional players and streamers to rise to fame overnight and cash in.

"Yes, Host," the System quickly replied. "After binding with the Host's identity, the System will help the Host increase his strength and overall skill level, allowing him to become the world-feared demon king.."

"Sounds good, but I feel like it's useless…" Lin Ye lacked interest and complained. Although he was a loyal player of PUBG, he lacked the money to keep himself afloat at the moment. Awakening a system that only knew how to play video games was quite excessive and useless.

"Host, you will receive a regular chest upon winning a game in PUBG. You could receive a cash reward between ten to fifty thousand yuan, but there's a possibility of getting nothing."

"Completing the System's hunting missions will give you a chance to receive a rare-level chest. Upon opening the chest, you will receive a cash reward between a hundred thousand to a million yuan, as well as a chance to receive a Demon King Talent."

"Completing the System's side missions will give you a chance to receive a mythical chest. Upon opening the chest, you will receive a reward in the millions and a chance to receive a Demon King Talent." 

"Finishing the System's main missions will give you a chance to receive a legendary chest. Once you open the chest, you will receive a reward worth hundreds of millions and a chance to receive a special item."

"..."

Seemingly sensing Lin Ye's doubts, the System quickly explained everything.

"I can open chests from playing this game and even get cash prizes?" Hearing those words, Lin Ye's eyes suddenly lit up. If he lacked something at the moment, it was definitely money. If what the System said was true, it would be like receiving charcoal on a snowy day.

"Yes, Host. However, keep in mind that Demon King Talents and abilities are the most important rewards. The money is only a base reward in the chests.

Lin Ye nodded, but he didn't understand what Demon King Talents and abilities were. So, right now, the money from the chests seemed more alluring.

"Right, is there a newcomer gift pack?" Lin Ye asked anticipatingly.

He had read many web novels before and wasn't a stranger to systems. According to the typical plot, after the awakening, he should receive a newcomer gift pack.

Silence.

The silence lasted ten seconds.

"Ding! Opening the newcomer gift pack…"

"Congratulations, Host. You have received the Demon King Talent [Sniper Rifle Mastery]."

"..."

"Sniper rifle mastery?" Lin Ye paused when he heard those words, but soon a glimmer of joy flashed across his eyes.

When asking about the most popular weapons in PUBG, the names of three sniper rifles would immediately surface in the minds of countless players.

AWM, M24, and Kar 98K...

In the game, these three sniper rifles have skyrocketed in popularity.

These guns were known for being able to kill an enemy in ten steps and allowing the wielder to be unrivaled within hundreds of kilometers.

The pleasure of headshotting someone from hundreds of meters away gave many players an obsession with sniper rifles. Lin Ye was a loyal PUBG player, and he was no exception.

Of course...

Whatever the System gave him must be the best!

The Demon King Talent [Sniper Rifle Mastery] sounded very strong and excited Lin Ye. He couldn't even wait anymore.

"From now on, if I can get a chicken dinner in game, I'll receive a regular chest?" Lin Ye anticipatingly asked as he turned on his computer's power supply.

"Yes, Host," the System quickly answered.

"Mmm, I see." Lin Ye nodded. He excitedly sat in front of his computer and pressed the power button.