Chapter 1 White Bread

"Where am I..."

Xia Zhou opened his eyes, his vision blurry. His eyes were swollen and aching, seeing spinning circles of light, making him feel worse than staying up all night.

His whole body was limp, his arms and legs unresponsive. Only after he had expelled all the air in his chest could he fill it up again.

He lay on the ground gathering some strength, his right hand groping to the wall's root. Sitting up against it, his eyes gradually straightened, gazing incredulously at the sight before him.

It seemed to be a prison cell, with bars the thickness of wrists blocking the way.

Outside in the narrow corridor, there were torn pieces of black bread scattered, next to a bucket of water with impurities floating on the surface.

The air here was damp and cold.

Xia Zhou shivered, hugging his arms to warm up. But suddenly, he froze and slowly lowered his head...

He was wearing a shabby cloth shirt, full of patches of all colors, and it stank.

"What happened?"

His mouth opened and closed, his voice hoarse and dry, an unknown pain in his throat.

In the darkness, whispers reached his ears.

Xia Zhou quietly listened.

The whispers became clearer, as if repeating the same words over and over again in his ear.

"Detecting if the host has awakened.."

"Detecting if the host has awakened.."

"The host is detected to have awakened, starting to scan body data... Scan completed. Starting data transformation... Successful, generating a personal template."

"Personal template??" Xia Zhou exclaimed in surprise, his words turning into a light cough in his throat.

A stream of strange information seeped into his mind.

...

[Personal Template]

[Name] Xia Zhou

[Gender] Male

[Age] 14 years 8 months

[Identity] Commoner (You are the descendant of a commoner, without any special skills or knowledge.)

[Level] LV.1

[Experience] 0/10

[Health] 15/18 (Slightly Poisoned, Starving)

[Strength] 2 points. Strength determines the power of most physical attacks, reduces the action speed penalty brought by wearing heavy armor and carrying heavy objects, and improves blocking and parrying damage reduction.

[Agility] 2 points. Agility decides the character's attack and counter attack speed, and improves the success rate of evasion. The higher the agility, the easier it is to make complicated physical movements.

[Stamina] 3 points. Stamina determines your endurance in running and fighting, and affects your physical recovery speed.

[Vitality] 3 points. Vitality is the source of your life, determining your maximum health and Blood Recovery Speed.

[Perception] 3 points. Perception is the combination of the five senses and intuition. The higher the perception, the faster and more accurately you can observe your surroundings, and better anticipate upcoming dangers.

[Will] 3 points. Will determines your resistance to abnormal effects, whether these effects are mental or physical, your will can provide assistance.

[Spirit] 1 point. Spirit affects your acceptance of Elements and energy. When you control Elements and energy, the higher the Spirit, the less depletion, and the lower the difficulty.

[Charisma] 3 points. Charisma is the manifestation of your appearance, physique, eloquence, etc. The higher the charisma, the better the initial impression on other creatures, and the easier it is to gain favor.

[Special Abilities]

[Immortal Body] Before your health drops to 0, even if you are hit in a vital part you will not die, and any injury will self-repair as your health increases.

...

"Did I... transmigrate? [Immortal Body]... Is this the benefit of being data-transformed by the system..." Xia Zhou stared at the iron bars in a daze.

The information inside his mind changed.

"The host has successfully activated the hacker. Award 1 Free Attribute Point to increase attribute value. Activate the first skill: Detection Spell."

It quieted down in his mind, no new information appeared, it was as if everything prior had been an illusion.

After a few minutes in a daze, Xia Zhou rubbed his face with both hands, covered his eyes and finally accepted the fact of transmigration.

He tried asking in his heart: "What's Detection Spell?"

The self-proclaimed hacker system simply responded:

"Detection Spell: You can use this skill to view basic information of the target. With enough Knowledge Reserve and Perception, more information can be viewed."

Xia Zhou stared at the black bread in the corridor and whispered "Detect."

A line of concise information surfaced: "Black Bread, normal food, can satiate hunger, slightly accelerate the Blood Return speed. After consumption, can gain a small amount of [Experience]."

If food can provide [Experience], can water do so too?

He cast his Detection Spell on the bucket of water. The answer was similar to before, drinking water also gave [Experience], although it was very, very little.

"What are the sources of earning [Experience]?" Xia Zhou asked silently.

"All of the host's actions can earn [Experience]." The hacker's Q&A was presented as information directly, without any emotion.

Xia Zhou picked up the black bread, briefly soaked it in the water, and put it in his mouth.

Sour and hard, it was difficult to chew and swallow, like a stone wrapped in a bread crust.

He used his warm saliva to wrap a small piece of bread, slowly melting it.

Gulped.

The first mouthful of bread went into the stomach.

"Gained 0.01 [Experience], the current level advancement is 0.01/10"

His stomach was stimulated by the food and moved rapidly, the sensation of hunger after a long time of emptiness became more intense.

Xia Zhou broke up a piece of black bread, soaked it in the bucket until it was soft, fought the urging in his stomach, took a small bite of bread with a small sip of water, slowly chewed, and then swallowed it.

After a few bites of bread settled the stomach, the dizzying hunger gradually faded, the spinning stars in his field of vision disappeared, and his vision gradually brightened.

At the end of the corridor, there was a very dim candlelight, barely illuminating the corridor and the edge of the cell.

Xia Zhou didn't shout out loud.

Given that he was kept in a cell, the light from the corridor must have been from the guards. Recklessly causing trouble would only bring unnecessary issues.

He looked around, his gaze falling on a raised dark shadow. It seemed like someone was sleeping with a cover in the cell opposite his.

"Hey…" Xia Zhou, lowering his voice, threw a piece of dark bread as a makeshift stone at the shadow.

The piece of bread hit the straw-woven blanket and then bounced onto the floor, making a series of small bouncing sounds.

He picked up a slightly larger piece of bread and tossed it towards where he thought the head might be.

There was a response this time.

"Xia Zhou, I thought you wouldn't make it..."

The shadow lifted the cover and swayed to the iron bars, starting a conversation with Xia Zhou across the corridor.

"The medicine earlier was much worse than before. You passed out after drinking it; I was the one who carried you back."

Xia Zhou used the Detection Spell on the dirty figure, and other than the nickname, there was no useful information.

"Little Nose, what medicine are you talking about? My head hurts so much it's about to split open, I've forgotten a lot of things." Xia Zhou stroked his head, pressing down on the places that throbbed painfully.

"What else can it be... that alchemist old man only knows how to make those disgusting, bubbling potions."

Little Nose broke the black bread into pieces, putting it into his mouth, mumbling unclearly:

"It gets more disgusting and harder to drink each time, I really don't know how much more I have to drink before I can become his apprentice."

Apprentice?

You're not joking, are you?

Xia Zhou gripped the cold iron bars. Which mentor would keep an apprentice in a cell?

"Are there others here?"

Little Nose flung his snot against the wall and inhaled it back into his nostrils:

"Including you and me, there are 4 people. Did you get dumb from the medicine drinking, and only remember me? The guy on your left is a bit fat, and the one on your right is a thin midget. I'm the only one left in my row, the others didn't wake up after the medicine, and were sent home by the old alchemist."

Being locked in a cell when alive, only able to eat black bread and drink dirty water, and still able to go home when not waking up?

This alchemist old man who feeds children medicine doesn't sound straight at all, it can even be said he's an Evil Old Man.

If he hadn't woken up just now, who knows, he might be buried in the ground by now.

The character template says that I am currently in a Slightly Poisoned state. Then... Isn't the potion that Little Nose said is getting harder to drink indicative of an increasing toxicity?

Xia Zhou's heart clenched, "When is the next medication time?"

"You really do forget everything eh. Now we are eating black bread. Once we start eating white bread, then it's time to drink the medicine."

Little Nose seemed to have used up all his energy, waved across the corridor, silently returned to his bed, and lay down as before.

Xia Zhou, thoughts full in his mind, ate a few more bites of bread and then sat down on his own straw mat.

Now there is 1 free attribute point available. Have to think well, can't waste it.

Although I don't know what the adult character template looks like, obviously having strength and agility of only 2 points on a 14-year-old boy is not much use, let alone not being able to find any weapons here. Adding free attribute points to these two attributes would be a waste.

"Hacker, can the will attribute be used to resist toxicity?"

Xia Zhou silently repeated the question in his mind, waited for a minute, but there was no reply.

What an indifferent hacker, it seems I have to rely on myself... his face sunk, eyelashes lowered, he sighed with resignation.

The description of the spirit attribute is very tempting, and it also indicates that spells exist in this world. But it doesn't serve much purpose in the current situation.

Will, vitality, and charisma, these three characteristics would have some effect.

The first two would help to endure the medication tests and endure round after round of torture.

As for the third characteristic, adding 1 charisma point could improve the relationship with the Evil Alchemist ... After pretending to comply, he would look for an opportunity to escape. This plan could be a possibility.

Just when he was pondering, the candle at the end of the corridor went out. The whole cell plunged into darkness.

Heaviness of drowsiness turned the prickly straw mat into a cradle.

Xia Zhou fell into a deep sleep.

...

The grated sound of a lock being turned woke the young man in the cell. This was followed by the friction of the iron door being opened and footsteps entering the cell.

Xia Zhou opened his eyes and saw a stooped figure pacing back and forth in the corridor.

The old man wore a black robe with stains from spilled potions.

His hair was unkempt, grey, and white, with strands plastered to his head.

His skin was covered with wrinkles, his face haggard and old. He hunched over when walking, supported by a walking stick.

He looked like a malicious old alchemist.

When the Evil Old Man noticed Xia Zhou's gaze, he dropped some pieces of bread in front of the cell bars.

Before Xia Zhou had a chance to use the Detection Spell, the figure hurriedly left the place.

The clang of the iron door at the end of the corridor closing resounded.

Xia Zhou walked towards the cell bars, picking up the pieces of bread, his face slightly pale.

It was soft, sweet, and smelled of milk, just like the ones he used to buy from the bakery.

This was a slice of white bread.

In the past, he could leisurely enjoy their taste, now it felt more like a death sentence signal.

Xia Zhou looked at the nearby ground, only he and Little Nose had received the white bread, the other two received black bread.

"Little Nose, wake up. Why do only you and I have to take the medicine?"

"Am I also given white bread?"

Little Nose jumped out of the blanket, grabbed the slice of bread and put it in his mouth, "Did I not pretend well enough for the Old Alchemist to see through it?"

Xia Zhou hesitated for a moment, then he understood.

The Evil Alchemist would observe how the kids were performing and then decide whether they should be given the medication.

Just now, from my few glances towards the old man's figure, I was selected to take the medicine.

Upon thinking about it, the Evil Alchemist's perception is high, so I will have to be more cautious in the future.

If I recklessly reveal any sign of attacking, I might put myself in danger.