Chapter One: There Is an Expert Called the System

Divine Descent—World of Divine Descent, Lieshan City, Western Outskirts

Ye Chen glared at the three red-named players from the Fierce Tiger Clan who surrounded him, his face twisted with both fury and helplessness.

“Kid, I just told you, this area’s been taken over by the Fierce Tiger Clan. If you won’t leave, don’t blame us for being ruthless!” The swordsman from the Fierce Tiger Clan grinned, waving his longsword. The blade shimmered with a blood-red glow—evidence of the swordsman’s level 20 skill: Bloodthirst.

As he advanced on Ye Chen, he laughed to his two companions, “You guys just watch. This level 15 rookie is mine to deal with. I love nothing more than bullying the weak.”

Ye Chen gripped his staff tightly, his knuckles whitening, eyes locked with burning hatred on the sneering swordsman closing in. This guy had to be at least level 20, while Ye Chen himself was only level 15—a fragile spellcaster at that. It was nothing short of blatant bullying.

Glancing quickly at the other two Fierce Tiger players who were eyeing him hungrily, Ye Chen realized he had no way out. A flash of resolve shot through his eyes. He jerked his staff and, after a brief incantation, a black fireball shot from the staff’s tip, whistling toward the swordsman just a few steps away.

With a splat, -45! The black fireball struck the swordsman, but the damage was pitifully small.

“So weak! Pathetic! Is that staff of yours just a fire poker?” The swordsman laughed, ignoring Ye Chen’s attack, not even bothering to strike back. He strolled toward Ye Chen, letting the black fireballs land harmlessly on him.

One step, two steps, three, four, five—the swordsman stopped right in front of Ye Chen, shot him a mocking look, and with a flourish, swung his blood-glowing sword. “Kid, time to head back to town.”

Smack—instant death!

Ye Chen’s vision went black. When he opened his eyes again, he was already back at the city’s resurrection point.

“Ding, you were killed by Fierce Tiger Howl. Your level has dropped to fourteen.”

As the system notification rang in his ears, a fire of frustration burned inside Ye Chen. He’d lost a whole level—a level that had taken him two days of hard grinding to earn!

He was furious, yet helpless. He wanted vengeance, but lacked the power. His enemies were high-level players from a major clan, while he was just a logistics worker for a small studio—a level 15 rookie, a tragic amnesiac.

Ye Chen stood dazed at the resurrection point for a full quarter of an hour before exhaling softly. He had no heart to keep leveling tonight. Glancing at the time, it was past nine. He didn’t log off immediately; as someone with no memory, he yearned for contact with society. And in this game, the best place for that was the rowdy, bustling tavern. So, before logging off every night, he made it a habit to sit there for a while.

He made his way toward the tavern in the city’s west. Crowds swirled around him, the air filled with shouts and haggling. Looking around, there were orc berserkers, elven archers, gnome elementalists, red dwarf knights, little giant swordsmen, vampire rogues—every race, every class, every style imaginable. It was as if he’d stepped into another world.

This wildly popular game was called Divine Descent, boasting a global player base of 1.8 billion. Its history was long, having been open for over twenty years, but it operated on a five-year server cycle. Ye Chen was in the fourth server, open for just over half a month. Leveling wasn’t fast in Divine Descent; the highest players were just over level 30. As for Ye Chen, this rookie had only reached level 15—no, now dropped to 14. And that was with the early-level acceleration; otherwise, he’d be lucky to have broken level 10 by now.

Ye Chen’s class was Dark Priest, a devotee of the Dark Demon God. He could use healing magic, but specialized in powerful dark spells—capable of both healing and offense. It sounded impressive, but any veteran knew the class was far less formidable than it seemed. Their spell damage couldn’t match elementalists, their healing paled before that of Light Priests, and though they were welcome in parties, they had no outstanding strengths. It was hard for them to become true experts.

In truth, Ye Chen didn’t much care for this class. He preferred the imposing berserkers or the dashing elven archers. But as a support worker in the studio, he had no choice but to follow orders and play a Dark Priest, commonly known as a “second-string healer.”

Lost in thought, he soon arrived at the tavern on the city’s west side.

The tavern’s name was quaint: The Somewhere Tavern.

Ye Chen entered, ordered a bottle of wine and a couple of side dishes, and took a seat in a quiet corner. The prices were low—just a few dozen silver coins for a meal. The wine tasted like wine, the dishes tasted like real food; it was almost magical.

He ate and listened to a group brag and banter nearby.

“So, who’s the strongest in the Divine Descent fourth server right now?”

“Of course it’s Magic Howl, the one they call the Mad Mage. He’s number one on the rankings.”

“Nonsense. Aside from his level, what does he have? I say it’s still One-Sword Lingchen—he’s a veteran from the main server.”

“Rubbish! He only came to the fourth server because he couldn’t cut it in the main one. A beaten dog like him dares call himself number one?”

“Then who do you say is the best?”

“I say it’s Blade and Laughter—he’s got a hidden class, high level, good equipment.”

“Haha, you make me laugh! He just got wrecked by One-Sword Lingchen the other day, didn’t you hear? Are you living under a rock? Clearly, One-Sword Lingchen’s still the top dog!”

“In my opinion, you’re all wrong. I know a true legend, stronger than anyone you’ve mentioned—even in the main server, no one dares challenge him.”

“Oh? Who? Tell us!”

“The System! The almighty System! Is there anyone stronger? It’s omnipotent!”

“Haha! You’ve got a point. Super experts, god-tier bosses—they’re nothing before the System. It wipes them out with a wave of its hand.”

“Exactly! If you could befriend the System, you’d be unstoppable—gold, gear, anything you want. In short, it can do anything!”

The System? The almighty System?! Ye Chen’s eyes lit up. Who was this master? How had he never heard of such a formidable figure?

The tragic amnesiac clearly had no understanding of the term “system” in a technological context; he took it for a player’s name.

His life was so miserable—should he ask this System for help? If the System took pity and lent him a hand, wouldn’t he instantly escape his wretched fate and become rich?

Ye Chen’s eyes sparkled.

He’d heard that you could send letters to anyone, even strangers. Why not write to this so-called System? If luck was on his side, he might just strike it big!

He never expected that by accident he’d stumble across such a secret—there was actually such a figure hidden in the game! The more Ye Chen thought about it, the more excited he became. No, he had to write to this System right away. With so many people in the tavern, someone else might beat him to the punch.

With this thought, Ye Chen hurriedly paid his bill and dashed out of the tavern, heading straight for the nearest mailman.

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