Since returning from the Sunset Mountains three days ago, Qian Jin had locked himself in his room, refusing to see anyone no matter how much his roommates pleaded.

"So humiliating... this is utterly humiliating!"

Three days prior, Oakland Academy had arranged an examination for the junior class freshmen, held within the Sunset Mountains.

Among the participating freshmen, Qian Jin was unquestionably among the top tier.

Having been enrolled for less than a year, he had already achieved the level of a Third-Tier Warrior. Even Rodriguez, an instructor in the Warrior Department at Oakland Academy and a Fifth-Tier Warrior himself, had once remarked—among this batch of freshmen in Junior Warrior Class Two, Qian Jin showed the most promise; talented and hardworking, this kid might just surpass this old bone of mine in a few years...

Who knew that barely after the instructor's words had left his mouth, something happened to Qian Jin up in the Sunset Mountains.

Qian Jin, the promising talent of Junior Warrior Class Two, was inexplicably knocked unconscious by something before he could even take the exam.

And what knocked him out? It was a hat that fell from the sky!

The incident was spread around as a joke and quickly became the hot topic throughout Oakland Academy.

By now, almost everyone at Oakland Academy knew there was a "face-crime" individual among the junior freshmen. Rumor had it that this person's appearance was so offensive it provoked divine wrath, causing a hat to descend from the heavens during a mere examination and knock him senseless right on the spot.

Thinking about how he would be known as the "face-crime" guy for the next several years, Qian Jin seriously considered dropping out.

"This life is unlivable..."

In Qian Jin's hand lay the very culprit that had knocked him out that day.

It was a sky-blue hat, wide-brimmed and tall-crowned—a standard mage's hat, the kind almost every student in the Magic Department at Oakland Academy wore.

And precisely because of this, Qian Jin could not fathom how such an ordinary mage's hat could manage to knock him out cold.

As he pondered this in deep confusion, the door to his room was pushed open again.

Entering was Rollin, one of Qian Jin's best friends at Oakland Academy.

"Hahaha! I heard our academy has produced a figure of 'face-crime'... Huh! Qian Jin, why does your face look so terrible?"

"Damn it!"

"Qian Jin, you look so awful, could you be sick? Should I go get you some potions from Professor Ross? Oh, right, I heard Professor Ross led that examination that day. I wonder if he recognized that guy..."

"You know that guy too."

"Really?"

"I, your old man, am that 'face-crime' guy!"

"..."

After chasing Rollin out, Qian Jin grew angrier the more he thought about it. He simply snatched the hat, covered his face with it, and buried himself in sleep.

............

Qian Jin had been standing outside the blacksmith shop, lost in thought, for quite a long time.

"What in the blazes is this place..."

Qian Jin had asked himself this question more than thirty times over the past two hours.

And the voice calling itself the System Spirit had patiently explained it to him just as many times.

"This is the Endless World, a virtual game space constructed using third-generation virtual technology."

But Qian Jin still didn't understand what "third-generation virtual technology" meant, or what a "virtual game space" was.

He knew "virtual"—it was a term frequently used in Illusion magic.

He also knew "game"—like the annual Oakland Cup ball tournament.

But putting the two words together left him utterly bewildered. A ball game like Illusion magic? Hell! What nonsensical rubbish was this...

So, the System Spirit had to explain further: the so-called virtual game was essentially a world constructed of numbers. This world appeared incredibly real, yet in reality, it was merely a space made of digits. To clarify further, the System Spirit even provided a string of numbers to explain what a digital space was.

Profession: Warrior Level: 1 Strength: 18 Agility: 15 Stamina: 18 Intelligence: 15 Spirit: 1 Health Points: 180/180 Mana Points: 110/110 Energy Points: 180/180

Qian Jin knew this string of numbers was real. Only those closest to him knew about his innate deficiency in spiritual power. If not for this reason, how could he, from a family specializing in both martial arts and magic, end up in this remote school and choose the Warrior path as his profession?

Standing outside the blacksmith shop, Qian Jin felt a massive headache coming on.

Ever since the Sunset Mountains examination, strange things had been happening to him one after another.

First, being knocked out by a hat falling from the sky—not only did the exam get ruined, but he earned the notorious title of "face-crime." Then, trying to hide in his dorm room for a sleep, he accidentally slept his way into another world, and a virtual world composed of some kind of numbers! This was truly hellish...

If the voice calling itself the System Spirit hadn't mentioned that players would automatically return to the real world after eight hours of real time, Qian Jin would have wished for death.

Of all the explanations the System Spirit provided, perhaps only this single statement brought Qian Jin a sliver of relief.

It was only eight hours anyway; he might as well treat it like a bad dream...

With this thought, Qian Jin finally calmed down a little.

While calculating how to pass the time, Qian Jin looked at the blacksmith shop before him and asked, "Why do we have to come here?"

"Because before starting the game, you still need to select a Life Skill." The System Spirit's voice was pleasant, but Qian Jin was in no mood to appreciate such melodious tones.

"Life Skill?"

"Correct."

Before Qian Jin could give it more thought, the System Spirit transmitted the data on Life Skills to him.

Looking at this data, Qian Jin began to vaguely understand what the so-called digital world meant.

From smelting to forging, from herbs to potions—dozens of Life Skills, each independent yet influencing the others. Through the combination criteria provided by the System Spirit, Qian Jin could easily synthesize countless Life Professions. Smelting plus Forging naturally creates a Blacksmith, but if one were to add knowledge of Magic Formations on top of the blacksmith foundation, this ordinary profession would instantly transform into an Arcane Forger capable of crafting enchanted equipment!

However, combining Life Skills wasn't simply adding them together indiscriminately. Besides requiring mutual complementarity, the combination also came with rather strict conditions.

The Life Skills being combined must have reached the Grandmaster level or higher.

Qian Jin found this restriction unsurprising; it was no different from reality. Only after reaching the pinnacle of one's own domain could one qualify to integrate characteristics from other fields, forging a path never trodden before.

The nearly infinite possibilities stirred a flicker of interest within Qian Jin.

ps: A new book is out, so I ask all my brothers and sisters, young and old, to give it a look! Member clicks are all the rage now, so please log in and click, haha. Feel free to toss me your recommendation votes too. I sincerely thank you all here. This new book will surpass my previous ones, exceeding them in every aspect, you can be absolutely sure of that. Whether it's the fervor, the plot, the character development, or the sense of exhilaration, there will certainly be improvements. Finally, asking for member clicks, asking for recommendation votes! And asking for collections! Hmm, collections are very important!