But just as the wooden stick was about to hit its scalp, the goblin seemed to sense something and suddenly spun around!
“Crap!”
With a clatter, the stick struck the hard leather armor, its force dampened as it slid off.
The goblin reacted with lightning speed, swinging its bone club back at him!
Unable to dodge in time, Bai Xuan took the hit directly on his left arm. A crisp crack echoed as a wave of agony surged through his entire limb, making his vision swim.
“Argh!”
Ignoring everything else, Bai Xuan forced himself through the pain in his left arm, channeling his mana frantically into his limb.
【Redemption Strike】!
A faint golden light enveloped the stick as it whistled through the air, smashing squarely into the goblin’s face!
Green blood splattered as the goblin’s head deformed under the impact. It collapsed instantly. The thick wooden stick, finally reaching its limit, snapped in two.
【Pleasure +1】
Bai Xuan clutched his left arm, his face contorted in pain. The sensation of his fractured bone made him shudder uncontrollably.
He quickly activated 【Holy Light Catalyst】. As his fingertips touched the wound, a gentle warmth immediately enveloped his left arm, and the stinging pain from the fracture rapidly receded.
The swelling and throbbing soon subsided, followed by a distinct sense of exhaustion.
He checked his mana on the status panel; it had just naturally recovered by one point.
【Mana: 6/25】
“This... this healing skill actually costs 10 mana!” This was far more than Bai Xuan had expected.
Just then, the howls of various monsters echoed from the surroundings. Dense black shadows were closing in; the noise from his earlier blunder had drawn the creatures from the village outskirts.
Not daring to push forward, Bai Xuan turned and bolted back, eventually retreating to the main hall of the church.
...
His back hit the cold stone altar. He slid down against the stone wall and sat on the floor, the broken wooden stick falling by his feet.
I'm completely screwed...
His mind was a mess.
He had just transmigrated and hadn't even had a bite to eat before facing death. In his previous life, he worked himself to death; was he really going to end up as monster food in this one?
Bai Xuan thought of the status panel in his mind again. He hadn't even gotten used to his “cheat” yet, and he hadn't even tried a single gacha draw!
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He hurriedly opened the interface.
【Current Pleasure: 20, Draws available: 1】
Seeing that he had enough Pleasure for one draw, hope flared in his heart.
“Draw! There’s bound to be some beginner’s luck for the first draw.”
With a final sliver of hope, he confirmed the draw in his mind.
【Draw Successful. Obtained: Broken Compass that Always Points North x1】
【Broken Compass that Always Points North: Has no function other than always pointing north.】
A flash of golden light later, a cold, rough sensation appeared in his palm—a rusty, old compass.
“...”
The last of his hope vanished. He angrily stuffed the item into his shirt. “What a piece of junk!”
“Awoooo—!!!”
A roar suddenly erupted outside the church. The sound was so loud it made Bai Xuan’s eardrums ache, and the hair on his arms stood on end.
He scrambled to a cobweb-covered window and peered through the glass.
In the distance, a humanoid creature with bruised-blue skin and muscles like piled boulders was lumbering toward him.
It brandished a small tree as a weapon with one hand. With a boom, it smashed into a stone house blocking its path. A massive hole appeared instantly, sending debris flying as more than half the house collapsed!
Tense all over, Bai Xuan suddenly remembered his 【Digitalization】 trait. He held his breath and stared intently at the monster.
Information flashed before his eyes:
【Ogre Lv.6 (Practitioner)】
【Status: Controlled (Controller: Zane Cross)】
【HP: 890/930】
【Mana: 40/60】
【Potential: 2-Star (Squire)】
At the same time, a wave of dizziness from overusing his mental energy hit him. He swayed for a moment before processing the information:
An Ogre Lv.6? 930 HP?!
Bai Xuan was stunned.
Compared to his pathetic 40 HP, he probably wouldn't survive a single slap.
Then his gaze shifted to the status bar.
“Zane Cross...”
Seeing the name after “Controlled,” he understood immediately.
So this disaster was orchestrated by this person!
Bai Xuan etched the name into his memory.
After calming himself, he returned to the main hall and began fumbling along the walls, searching for a hidden exit.
The altar, the pews, the shattered stained glass... As he checked more places and the Ogre's roars grew louder, Bai Xuan’s heart sank.
Just as he was about to give up, a small line of text popped up at the edge of his vision: 【Contact Surface: Movable Stone Slab】
His despair vanished instantly; it was like catching a final lifeline!
He braced himself and pushed against the slab with all his might.
“Creeeeeak—”
A heavy grinding sound echoed as the stone slab slowly moved aside, revealing a dark hole just wide enough for one person. A musty, cold draft blew into his face.
Bai Xuan scrambled inside and pressed his back against the slab, using the last of his strength to push it back into place.
As the last sliver of light vanished, an imperceptible distortion rippled through the space, and the Ogre’s roars were instantly silenced.
In the darkness, with only the sound of his own heartbeat and breathing, his body and mind—which had been taut with the struggle for survival—finally began to relax.
An overwhelming drowsiness washed over him, and Bai Xuan slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Darkness...
Bai Xuan felt himself sinking slowly, a series of images flashing before his eyes.
Code...
Dense black characters scrolled across a screen. Fingers tapped rapidly on a keyboard, wrists aching.
The office lights, the night outside the window.
His head grew heavier, his chest feeling tight.
Faces...
His mother’s retreating back, blurred and indistinct.
His father lying on a hospital bed, his skeletal hand gripping Bai Xuan’s, lips moving but making no sound.
Finally, an empty house and a death certificate.
Then more code...
Gacha algorithm flowcharts, probability distribution curves, player top-up data reports... They spun and twisted, turning into a glowing vortex.
From the depths of the vortex, another face emerged—blonde hair, blue eyes, a sweet smile.
Julia White.
She held “his” hand, asking about the village in an intimate tone, while her eyes carefully scrutinized him.
The scene shifted to outside the old priest’s room.
“He” heard a voice from within:
“...Two gold coins should be enough to buy this ‘toy,’ shouldn't it? Priest, don't be ungrateful.”
The old priest’s voice trembled. “My Lady, he is just a child, not a...”
Bang!
A palm slammed onto the table, followed by a guard’s low warning: “Priest, watch your words.”
Outside the door, “his” heart sank to the bottom. A toy...
Then came fire, screams, and the green eyes of monsters.
The Shadow Imp’s claws pierced his chest—a cold, sharp pain as his life ebbed away with his warm blood.
His vision blurred as darkness rushed in...
But before sinking completely into the dark, one last name flashed on the panel: Zane Cross.
Rate on N.U.
