“You want me to find someone who’s willing to put this on within a single day?”
Dongfang Jiang, transported to the otherworld by fate, stared helplessly at the black safe that had appeared before him.
Inside the safe lay seven rings of different colors, refracting seven hues of light under the sun’s rays.
“Yes, Host.”
The System replied calmly, then added, as if to provoke him.
“Host, you have 23 hours and 56 minutes remaining. Please complete the system task in time.”
“You—”
Dongfang Jiang was at his wit’s end.
He cursed the System, lifted the safe, ignored its nagging, took a deep breath, and began strolling through this unfamiliar otherworld.
Finally, the System had no more tricks and retorted with some irritation.
“Host, aren’t you going to react at all?”
At those words, Dongfang Jiang gave a cold laugh.
“Anyway, it’s less than a day. I was supposed to die anyway. Now I’ve got an extra day—what’s not to like?
Besides, once I reach town, I’ll sell these seven rings, have a good meal, and die happy. Isn’t that better than doing your meaningless task?”
Now it was the System’s turn to fall silent.
When Dongfang Jiang first arrived in this world, the System had transmitted the nearby map into his brain via brainwaves.
In other words, what Dongfang Jiang said was entirely feasible.
While the System’s left and right brains wrestled, Dongfang Jiang had already walked a considerable distance.
As he moved, he noticed his physical abilities had increased significantly—his stamina and speed alone were twice what they had been in his original world.
Within three hours, he reached the nearby town, Claire Town.
The afternoon sun slanted across the ochre rooftops, layer upon layer, like an old book spread open.
The roofs were so dense they nearly hid the ground; only the chimneys of varying heights were visible.
In the distance, the spire of a Gothic bell tower pierced through the red, its weather vane glinting in the sunlight like a silver needle pinned to velvet.
Just as Dongfang Jiang was about to enter the town, he was stopped by the guards.
The soldier in charge placed his hand on the sword at his waist, his expression serious but tinged with apology.
“Sorry, sir. Please cooperate with our inspection.”
“Oh, sure.”
Dongfang Jiang complied, spreading his arms as the soldier searched him.
Another soldier opened the safe in his hand, and under the sunlight, the seven rings emitted a gentle glow.
“Valen Ring!”
The soldier inspecting the items changed expression and was about to draw his sword when the other soldier stopped him.
“Wait, Xiao Chong, don’t be rash. These rings have no energy fluctuations… they’re just ordinary rings.”
“You’re right… I was impulsive, Yue Ge. One Valen Ring could throw a country into chaos, let alone seven appearing at once… Sorry, Mr. Dongfang.”
Just as the two soldiers were about to let Dongfang Jiang into Claire Town, they heard the sound of hooves behind them.
Dongfang Jiang leaped lightly, dodging the horse’s charge.
But by the time he reacted, the rings that had been on the inspection table were already taken by the rider.
“Hey, you took the rings—what am I going to eat for lunch?”
Dongfang Jiang was furious over his stolen living expenses.
“Brother, lend me your sword.”
Without waiting for Xiao Chong’s reaction, Dongfang Jiang drew the soldier’s blade and chased after the horse, leaving the bewildered Xiao Chong and Yue Ge behind.
Of course, Dongfang Jiang only took the sword to look imposing—actually cutting someone was beyond him.
Watching the light dot representing his target on the System Map, he came up with a plan.
He deliberately slowed down, letting the rider think he had lost him, then cut through the dense forest on the flank.
The map showed a swamp three li ahead, and all dry routes had to pass through a narrow stone bridge.
Dongfang Jiang arrived at the bridge first, thrust the sword into the ground, and waited with his hands on his hips.
When the rider galloped up, this was the scene before them—a tall, slender young man standing in the middle of the bridge, smiling at her.
“Now can you give me back the rings? Without them, I’d be in trouble. I was counting on selling them for a meal.”
The rider didn’t answer.
Instead, they tossed the safe aside, fiddled with the watch on their wrist, and it transformed into a saber.
“It’s a bit of a hassle, but I’ll just have to deal with you and take the rings to complete the mission.”
Before Dongfang Jiang could react, the rider was already in front of him.
He swallowed hard, and in the nick of time, reflexively blocked her attack.
Relying on his stats, he barely managed to exchange a few blows.
The rider realized Dongfang Jiang didn’t know how to use a sword at all and began swinging faster.
Dongfang Jiang barely dodged her strikes, but he noticed his subconscious movements always helped him evade at just the right moment.
“If you die now, I’ll be in trouble…”
To confirm his confusion, the System’s voice sounded in his ear.
Then, the sword in his hand instantly wrapped in a layer of ice, and it swung at an angle Dongfang Jiang couldn’t comprehend.
The rider was caught off guard by his sudden change.
Before she could react, Dongfang Jiang cut her in two.
The motion was so fast that not a drop of blood stained the blade.
A few snowflakes drifted from the sky, and as they touched Dongfang Jiang, they turned into wisps of transparent energy that entered his body.
“Host crisis resolved. Proxy Combat ended.”
Dongfang Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the safe.
Of the seven rings that had been inside, only three remained.
He froze, then searched the rider’s body thoroughly, but found no rings.
He did find a considerable amount of money, though unfortunately the weapon had been destroyed in the fight—otherwise he could have saved even more.
“What the hell? Where are the rings? I followed this guy the whole way and never saw him drop any…”
As Dongfang Jiang’s head ached, four coordinates appeared on the map in his mind.
His mouth twitched as he questioned the System.
“Did you do this?”
“No. This is a characteristic of the Gaia Ring. Four rings were activated during the fight and have gone to find their own masters.”
“Huh?”
Before Dongfang Jiang could process it, the System, as if confirming its own words, announced in his mind.
“The Swamp Ring has found its master. Your lifespan has increased by one year. See? Isn’t this meaningless task complete now?”
“How am I supposed to believe you didn’t set me up… And why are you so petty?”
Dongfang Jiang carefully put away the remaining rings.
The money he collected from the rider was enough to live on for a while.
The System didn’t respond.
One of the four coordinates turned red.
Dongfang Jiang checked and saw it was at the northwest corner of Claire Town, only a few hours away.
“I’ll head to Claire Town for supplies first. I also need to return the sword to the guard and buy one for myself.”