Several hours passed, and the man finally left, having taken all the grass in the area.
At that moment, the boy just managed to rise from the nearby corpses. Trembling, he cast a fearful glance at the severed head of the large goblin a short distance away.
"Luckily, I didn't run off too soon," he murmured, wiping the sweat from his forehead while scanning his surroundings, especially the lawn before him.
According to what he remembered from the book, this grass would wither if not harvested within an hour.
"So, it was true."
A few seconds later, his gaze shifted to the goblin's corpse, and he slowly moved toward it.
He recalled the creature had pulled out a pouch of grass—something he desperately needed.
Still, not everything went his way.
"Damn bastard! So damn greedy," he growled, digging through the carcass in frustration.
When nothing turned up, he realized the man must've looted everything useful.
But this time, fortune smiled on him.
"Oh… There it is," he muttered with faint amusement as he stumbled upon something of value.
He retrieved a blood-soaked pouch from the goblin's remains.
A bit more rummaging revealed two additional items.
"Five blades of grass and a knife?"
He scratched his chin, sighing.
"Yeah… What else could I even ask for?"
Then, he inspected one of the grass pieces closely.
"This one should do," he thought.
Without hesitation, he popped a blade into his mouth and began chewing like an ox.
Mere moments later, his face twisted into a grimace.
"It's bitter!" he cried out.
Instantly, a chilling energy surged through his body, flowing into his bones, muscles, and every nerve. It felt like a complete rebirth.
His wounds vanished, and even his hunger faded, replaced by a comforting sense of fullness.
"Incredible," he gasped, wide-eyed. "I'd better save the rest for when it really counts."
He tucked the pouch away carefully and gave the place one final glance.
"This isn't exactly the best spot to gather my thoughts."
With that, he exited the factory safely, unlike his chaotic arrival. Now that his body was restored and he understood the threats here, everything felt more manageable.
Most importantly, he was buzzing with anticipation.
After all, this world was the setting of a fantasy novel written by that lunatic patient.
Luckily, he had already read it, though something about it felt… off.
The book, to be honest, was garbage—predictable and packed with clichés. The story followed the usual overpowered protagonist who crushed his foes, leveled up endlessly, and was adored by an army of gorgeous women. But what truly caught his interest was the world's unique system, split into five ranks:
Novice,
Adept,
Elite,
Ascendant,
Mythic.
To progress, each person had to undergo a trial issued by the Equilibria world at age fifteen. Those who succeeded would eventually receive an invitation to the next stage at a random time.
What happened afterward depended on one crucial detail: the number of contenders summoned from two opposing realms. These realms were Elysium and Noxoria—sworn enemies, like fire and water. Only one could endure.
Fortunately, fate had seemingly placed him on the dominant side. Humans, under the protagonist's lead, would wipe out all monsters.
If he played his cards right, he could insert himself into the main plotline. But for now, he needed strength—just enough to stand on his own. Then, maybe, he could even marry a beautiful girl.
After all, the women here were breathtaking. Even the least attractive among them outshone the most stunning ones back on Earth.
The first step of his journey was to locate a skill coin—a vital artifact for anyone seeking to grow stronger, especially for someone like him: inexperienced, fragile, and ill-equipped to face monsters.
This item could balance the scales by granting abilities he lacked. But the choice had to be wise—there would only be one chance.
"Let's see," he murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I've already met that goblin. This must be Equilibria—the place where the first trial begins."
Equilibria was a convergence of two worlds, teeming with diverse races. Though it was a simulation, the stakes were real. If someone died here, they would perish in the real world, too.
In short, Equilibria was so enigmatic that it defied explanation—or at least, that's what the lunatic's book had claimed.
"Still, I need to locate the arena to receive my challenge," he murmured, glancing around in confusion.
The surroundings were an endless expanse of grey, but his special eyes allowed him to see clearly.
"A desert? How am I supposed to discover an arena in a place like this?"
The young boy trudged through the brown sand, exhaustion creeping into his steps. After walking a considerable distance from the factory, he finally allowed himself to rest.
"Forget it. I need to concentrate on the task at hand."
"What is the identity of this body?"
"System, respond to me."
As the words left his lips, a slow, resonant sound echoed around him.
Actually, he had a few reasons for summoning the system only now.
It was the standard feature granted to everyone from birth.
Moreover, it only had one function: displaying information about the person using it. There was no way to cheat, and he appreciated that.
However, it often distracted him during dangerous situations. If this body belonged to a villain or was somehow connected to the main character, he would be furious.
After all, any fate tied to the protagonist was bound to serve as a stepping stone for him.
At this moment, though, it wasn't a concern at all.
Suddenly, a large screen appeared in front of the young boy.
—--------------------------------------------------
Name: Hector Lyder
Sex: Male
Bloodline: Maiyan (The eyes were enhanced by mana)
Age: 15 years old
Level: Newbie
Coin: Lysander
Skill free: Shoot coins
Skill 1: Mana Attribute (closed) - Request: Overcome the threshold of the life-and-death line. (Progress: 0.00%)
—---------------------------------------------------
"Hmm! Hector Lyder?" Hector stared at the system screen in confusion.
"That's my first name, but the last name doesn't sit right."
"Well, at least I can still go by my first name. As for the surname..." He paused, focusing on the screen, scratching his head thoughtfully.
"Lyder… Lyder… Hmm... Ah! That's it."
"Lyder Clan—one of the three most powerful clans in the Elysium world."
Hector rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the details.
"But the Lyder Clan was destroyed long before the story began. It's impossible for anyone from this clan to have survived. Even during the plot, no member of this clan ever appeared. This body definitely shouldn't exist in the world."
He sighed after a few moments of silence.
"Anyway, I only read the main character's POV. It's possible that a few individuals from this clan survived. As long as I'm not the main character or anyone related to him..."
"Maybe."
"Now, onto my bloodline," Hector muttered as he shifted his gaze from the system screen.
"Maiyan? … So, this explains why I can see everything so clearly. But… is that it? How could they reach their peak with just this ability?"
"Fucking patient! You should've written more about this clan in your book!" he growled, frustration etched across his face.
Hector sighed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Forget it. I'll never think about that lunatic again—it drives me insane."
"Let's hope the next thing I read will be more entertaining," he muttered, refocusing on the system screen.
"Lysander? Wait, I already have a skill coin? Incredible!"
"That means… this body is holding it." Hector quickly began inspecting himself, checking every corner with urgency.
After a few seconds, his fingers finally brushed against something.
"It's you!" he exclaimed, clutching the coin hanging from his neck with intense concentration.
In contrast to what he imagined as something luxurious, it was a shabby black coin engraved with intricate runes, shaped like any other cheap token.
Hector looked at his coin with a slow grimace.
"Well, I probably shouldn't judge by appearances. Let's see what skills it holds."
Yet, when he checked his abilities, his expression twisted with a mixture of countless emotions.
He sat down on the sand, trying to steady his pounding heart.
"I don't know whether this coin will bring me fortune or disaster. But one thing is clear: my coin belongs to the Legendary level."
As he uttered those words, his tone turned angry, laced with sarcasm.
"The very first skill already demands I cross the line between life and death? Seriously?!"
"Why don't you just say, 'You have to die,' huh?"
He paused, glaring at the coin in frustration before adding,
"Can I even do anything with a skill like shoot coin? It's not like it'll deal any real damage!"
"All I wanted was to be a normal person! Couldn't you at least give me an Enhanced coin instead?"
Even though his complaints changed nothing, Hector still felt the need to voice them.And truly, he wasn't wrong.
The coins were divided into three tiers:
Basic Coin: One skill.Enhanced Coin: Three skills.Legendary Coin: Five skills.
The higher the coin's level, the more potent its abilities. But, naturally, it wasn't that simple.
The difficulty of using and mastering those skills increased proportionally with the coin's rank.
In the entire story, the only person capable of activating all five abilities on a Legendary coin was the main character—with the help of some blatant cheating.
For others from prestigious clans, unlocking three skills was considered impressive, thanks to their clan's support, remarkable talent, and sheer luck.
Naturally, Hector had none of those advantages.
"Maybe I should just sell this coin," he muttered. "It would probably fetch a fortune and help me survive. Anyway, there are only four coins of this level in the entire world."
Feeling slightly drained from overthinking, Hector finally decided to stop his negative spiral.
He moved his legs, brushing off the sand as he stood.
Taking a deep breath, he sighed.
"I'll deal with all of this later."