Game Start

"Hm? What's up?" Ryker asked.

{Didn't you see the notification? If you abandon Long Meiling here, there's no way you'll become her friend!} their captive disembodied voice cried out from within Mini C's housing unit.

"Well, yeah... what's up with that, anyway? What's the 'Friend System' supposed to be?"

{I'm glad you asked!}

A young girl's face appeared on the display, pushing Mini C off screen to the side with a loud bang. She had strawberry blonde hair styled in a wavy bob, and her straight bangs hid her eyes just like Mini C, funnily enough.

{The Friend System is your one way ticket to becoming the strongest, all with the help of your friends!} she spouted with a big smile.

{You'll be able to use the system to call upon their strength and use it as your own, and you can even summon a copy of them to fight for you!}

[Did you really just create an avatar for yourself?] Mini C asked as he dusted off his shoulders, zooming out the display to show both of them on screen.

{Of course, you won't be able to use all of these features right away, and the catch is you have to become friends with them, first,} the system went on, ignoring him.

{So, will you do it? You'll even get this cool beginner's package to help you get started!}

[...And what if, theoretically, we didn't complete these tasks?]

{Please! Pleasepleasepleaseplease do the tasks for me!!!} the little girl instantly started begging with tears streaming down her face.

{If I mess up with my first host, my boss will yell at me and I'll lose my job and I'll become a laughingstock and--}

"Alright, alright!"

Ryker held up a hand to stop the girl's sudden wailing, looking up in thought while tapping his chin with his finger.

"Hm..."

[I'm against helping,] Mini C said, looking at Ryker sternly.

[There are too many unknowns, including her origins and the many functions of this 'system'. The motives of whoever created something like this are suspect, at best.]

"Yeah, it *is* pretty suspicious... buuuut why don't we open up that beginner package first and see what it is!" Ryker's eyes lit up at the thought of free stuff, causing Mini C to heave a sigh.

{Y-yeah! I promise it'll be something you'll like!} the system avatar exclaimed, before bowing her head to Mini C.

{Um, Mr. Mini C, sir, now that you have control over the system's functions, I'll have to ask you to open the package...}

Mini C simply looked at her in disdain before snapping his fingers, causing a bright light to appear in front of Ryker from which three items slowly appeared: two ancient looking booklets and a long, iron staff, capped with a silvery metal on both ends.

At the same time, the holoscreen on his arm lit up with the following text:

| Congratulations on opening your Beginner's Package! |

| Received: Cosmic Unity Scripture x 1 |

| Received: Fierce Yaksha Cudgel Technique x 1 |

| Received: Sturdy Iron Cudgel x 1 |

"Woah, nice stick."

Ryker reached out to take the staff that popped up out of nowhere, while Mini C snapped his fingers again, making the booklets disappear with another flash of light.

[Careful, we still don't know how these things were even created. I'll analyze the system functions to see what I can find out about them, and keep these booklets in your dimensional pocket, in the meantime,] he said, walking off screen to presumably do just that.

{W-w-wait! Isn't he gonna need those cultivation techniques?!} the system's avatar cried, following behind anxiously.

"The what techniques?" Ryker asked as he looked back to Long Meiling's group, who were just now having to contend with the smaller Red Vipers approaching.

"Well, whatever. I just need to help out that Long girl, right?"

With a grin and a flourish of his new staff, he hopped down to the ground, leaping straight into the fray.

--

"Protect the young Miss!!!"

The guards protecting Long Meiling roared with gusto, swords flashing as they fended off the Red Vipers now surrounding them.

They had to break their previous formation to deal with the incoming vipers, leaving only the guard captain and a few of their best fighters to deal with the giant serpent that initially ambushed them.

"D-don't let them near Meiling!"

The young masters that had followed along roared with considerably less gusto, nervously holding their weapons at the ready in the middle of the guards' encirclement. Being without any experience in live combat, they'd been ordered to simply surround Long Meiling and defend, acting as body shields.

Long Meiling herself also stood with her sword ready, prepared to step in and fight at any moment.

She knew her guards well, and this situation shouldn't be more than they could handle; the only variable that caused her concern was how many of these Red Vipers would continue to assail them.

And, of course, the large aberration of a viper her elite guards were struggling to hold back.

'Red Vipers are usually a solitary predator... could that huge one over there be the cause of this...?' she thought, gripping the hilt of her sword anxiously.

Just as she was considering giving the order to retreat, however, she saw the young man who called himself Ryker running towards them, much faster than any mortal could have moved.

Closing in on the viper nearest to him, he swung the staff down like a baseball bat, crushing the snake's head instantly as it turned to attack him.

"Hey, come get some!" he shouted, a wild grin on his face.

More and more of the vipers switched their focus to him, but they were each quickly dispatched with a single strike from his staff, the weapon almost moving too fast for Long Meiling to follow.

He didn't seem to have any sort of technique as he swung, though he handled the weapon with great speed and dexterity despite his lack of skill, and the snakes were seemingly unable to dodge or resist as he flailed around with abandon.

Any attempts at countering him were met with a swift strike or kick, and he avoided their fangs with ease.

The defending guards looked on in shock, but quickly regained their composure, tightening the circle around the young nobles to better protect them, and letting Ryker run amok.

'What's with this man's strength? There's no way he's just a mortal...' Long Meiling thought to herself as she watched his rampage.

It should be noted that even a newly ascended Qi Gathering expert would be able to take on dozens of the strongest mortals in combat at once. And a peak Qi Gathering expert would be able to simultaneously take on ten fighters in the first realm of Qi Gathering.

These Red Vipers were creatures that no cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm would even dare to confront alone, not to mention how many of them were present! Their deadly venom and swift attacks were infamous among demonic beasts.

Just how was he killing them so easily?

However, seeing him fight, she thought she felt some strange form of energy gathering around him, though she couldn't tell what it was with her spiritual perception. Perhaps...

"Hey, you," she shouted, causing Ryker to look up from his latest kill. His casual glance caused a chill to run up her spine now, for some reason, but she ignored it as she spoke.

"Are you confident in your ability?"

Ryker scratched his head, then smiled confidently while thrusting the staff behind him, blowing the head off of a viper attempting a sneak attack.

"Well, not to brag, but I've never lost a fight, back home," he boasted, pointing a thumb to his chest with bravado.

[Actually, there are several recorded instances of you losing a fight in Greyson Shores,] Mini C corrected in his usual monotone.

"Hey, running doesn't count as losing! We talked about this..." Ryker harshly whispered back, killing another viper with a casual swing.

Long Meiling ignored this exchange, pointing her sword at the giant snake her guard captain was currently engaging.

"Can you do something about the big one, over there?"

Ryker just nodded and gave her a thumbs-up with a smile, whacking a few more snakes as he rushed over to where the scuffle was happening, in the distance.

"... He's a strange one," she muttered under her breath. Was it really such a good ide to rely on him...?

--

{Wh... huh? How are you so strong?!} the little system's avatar finally cried out, overcoming her initial shock at Ryker's battle prowess.

"Uh, aren't these things just kinda weak?" Ryker said, sending another viper flying to the side with a sweep.

"I thought they'd be a little tougher with how those guys were struggling, but... they're just, like, regular snakes."

[Just be careful with that venom. We don't have anything to treat you, on hand,] Mini C chimed in, decidedly unworried by the current situation.

"Haha, they gotta bite me, first!"

{No! How can you be so casual about this? Aren't you supposed to be a regular person?!} the system avatar shouted. She definitely confirmed that Ryker had no traces of cultivation when he was transported to this world; could it be that she had messed up right from the start?

"Uh, pretty average, I guess?" he answered, "Ah, but I did get into more fights than your average teen, huh?"

[You averaged 2.73 fights a week in your senior year, alone. Your win ratio was 32%, with 3% of fights ending in a draw. 65% of fights had you 'running'...]

"Okay, that last part was unnecessary."

Ryker rolled up his jacket sleeves as he approached the skirmish between Long Meiling's captain and the giant Red Viper, getting ready for a (potentially) tougher fight. It wasn't as if he'd fought any huge beasts back home, but... in the end, it was just a bigger snake, wasn't it?

"Let's show this thing who's boss!"