"Ah, I'll try harder tomorrow."
In a filthy, disheveled rental room, the unkempt man once again clicked open "League of Legends" on his computer.
Li Ming, twenty-three years old, had originally been an ordinary employee at a listed company. However, due to his timid nature, he endured constant humiliation from his superiors until he could bear it no longer and chose to resign.
Three months had now passed. He had initially planned to learn some useful skills before job hunting again, but the things he needed to learn were too numerous and too difficult—either incomprehensible or forgotten as soon as he grasped them.
In no time at all, he gave up on studying again and decided to play "just a few rounds" of games to relax.
[Li Ming, is work still manageable?]
A WeChat message from his mom popped up. Every time he saw a message from her, Li Ming felt an indescribable ache in his heart because he had never told his parents about his resignation.
[It's alright. The bosses treat me pretty well.] Against his conscience, Li Ming replied.
[Good. You're capable now, and Mom is happy. But you can't always be so busy with work—it's not right that you still haven't found a girlfriend. I saw a really nice girl online—why don't you chat with her?]
[Ugh, stop bothering me, Mom. I'll find one myself.]
Li Ming replied impatiently, then hastily ended the conversation with a [I'm busy] before shutting it down.
Every time the topic came up, Li Ming's heart ached unbearably.
It wasn't that he didn't want to find someone—it was that he simply lacked the means. Worse still, he didn't even have a job now.
Companies these days kept blaming the "tough economic climate," even as the big bosses raked in fortunes. Ordinary job seekers without exceptional skills or connections still couldn't find work.
"Why did I quit...?"
Li Ming growled under his breath, not daring to raise his voice for fear of complaints from the neighbors.
A pang of resentment twisted in his chest. His already frail physique couldn't handle the surge of anger, and he felt as if his heart might burst.
Dragging his 200-pound body, he crawled onto the bed.
The moment he closed his eyes, his entire body seemed to lighten.
So comfortable. It felt as if his organs were being nourished, his blood flowed smoothly, the air turned fresher, and the sunlight grew warmer. He really wished he could just lie there forever.
"Huh? Huh?! Sunlight???"
Li Ming opened his eyes to a blurry scene, but he was certain he was outdoors.
When he took off his glasses, his vision sharpened.
This was no longer his grubby rental room—it was clearly a beachside scenic area.
Before him stretched an azure sky, a sapphire sea, drifting white clouds, and radiant sunshine.
The surroundings were empty, the beach silent except for the sound of waves lapping against the shore. Behind him, however, loomed a sinister jungle so dense that sunlight couldn't penetrate it.
"Wait... my nearsightedness is gone?" Li Ming exclaimed in delight, jumping to his feet.
To his astonishment, the slight jump sent him crashing through the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust before he soared skyward.
He didn't know how many layers of clouds he pierced or how many invisible barriers he shattered—he just kept flying higher and higher.
When his ascent finally stabilized, he could see scattered islands beneath him and a distant continent on the horizon.
Before he could process it, his body began plummeting downward.
"AHHHH, NO WAY!!!!"
His earlier amazement turned to sheer terror—this had to be a drop of over 10,000 meters!
Free-falling at breakneck speed, the friction with the air even sparked flames around him. Yet, Li Ming felt no discomfort. The intense heat was nothing more than a mild sunburn, almost... pleasant.
BOOM—
A thunderous impact echoed as he landed right where he had taken off.
Originally, Li Ming had considered landing in the nearby sea, but he figured hitting water from this height might hurt even more than hitting land. So, he opted for the beach.
Granted, surviving a fall from this height seemed impossible—but then again, he had just jumped that high with a single effortless leap.
When Li Ming landed, the original small crater transformed into a bottomless abyss.
"Pfft!"
With a slight adjustment of his strength, he effortlessly leaped out of the fathomless pit.
"This is amazing. My body's visibly getting more toned too."
Li Ming could see his thick thighs and arms slimming down, becoming leaner yet more powerful.
He walked to the shoreline and splashed seawater on his face.
It had been ages since he'd last washed up. In his rental room, he either gamed or slept—basic hygiene like showers or brushing teeth had long been abandoned.
But outdoors was different. Since there was a chance of running into people, Li Ming suddenly cared about his appearance.
Washing his face might not actually clean it, but the cool water at least gave the illusion of freshness.
"I must have transmigrated. I wonder if I have a system?" Li Ming mused, sloshing the water around.
"Even though I feel incredibly strong, this unknown world probably has even stronger beings, right?"
After what felt like an eternity, Li Ming finally came to terms with reality: he had transmigrated, but there was no system.
"Guess I'll take it one step at a time," he muttered, rubbing his growling stomach.
His gaze shifted to a dense thicket not far away, where a towering structure—roughly fifty meters tall—stood. He had noticed it during his jump.
But given the island-shaking commotion he'd just caused, and the fact that no one had come to investigate, was the place truly deserted?
If so, Li Ming decided he might as well check it out himself.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
CREAK—
BANG!
Li Ming gave the seemingly massive five-meter-tall door a light push, but the loosely-hinged gate toppled over like a staged accident.
"Just to clarify, this door was faulty. I barely used any force."
Li Ming raised his hands defensively, nervous.
Rustle... rustle...
The great hall was dead silent, save for the whisper of flowing air.
The interior was pitch-dark, illuminated only by a few flickering candles.
The architectural style bore an uncanny resemblance to that of a Western vampire castle—eerie and chilling.
A cold sweat broke out on Li Ming's back. Though he felt a slight chill, it wasn't unbearable.
"No one's here?"
Groping his way forward, Li Ming ventured deeper into the shadowy hall. The floor was spotless, without a speck of dust—clearly not some long-abandoned ruin.
Directly ahead stood a grand staircase leading to the second floor.
On the wall beside the stairs hung a portrait of a stunning young woman with wavy silver hair covering half her face. Her pale complexion suggested some kind of illness.
Li Ming wasn't in a hurry to head upstairs. He wanted to scour the first floor first for food—after all, who puts a kitchen on the upper levels?
Along the way, he noticed many bizarre carvings: grotesque demonic figures, murals of devils tormenting humans...
"Does the owner of this castle have mental issues?"
Li Ming even began considering whether he should leave.
"You shouldn't be here."
A cold, emotionless voice cut through the silence.
It belonged to a silver-haired, crimson-eyed little girl clutching a cute teddy bear. Her pale face was more ghastly than a corpse's.
"Return to the underground. Perhaps you'll live a few more days."
Her tone was indifferent, as if his death was already a foregone conclusion.