Chapter 4: Teleportation and the Beginner’s Gift Pack

The two of them joked around, cheering each other up, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

After finishing their meal, they changed into action suits made of tough material with special joint protection, and sturdy boots. Instantly, they both felt more capable and sharp.

“Hey, not bad, it fits pretty well. Kind of has that Longzu agent vibe!”

Xu Chaoyun struck a pose in front of a decorative mirror in the room, thinking he looked cool.

Shi Hanfeng ignored him, sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting.

His consciousness sank into that light screen, studying the abilities granted by the [Player Talent]. For now, [Noble Fourth Calamity] and [Task Reward Change] didn’t show any noticeable effects—only [Player Store] and [Backpack Space] could be operated.

Backpack Space. With a thought, he “saw” a cubic meter of space inside, where time seemed frozen—completely empty.

He tried to put items from the surroundings inside, but nothing happened. He wondered if there were restrictions on item types.

The Player Store was still inaccessible—probably it would only unlock after entering the Novice Quest World. Destiny Point count was a glaring zero.

Time ticked by in silent waiting.

Xu Chaoyun gradually quieted down as well, imitating Shi Hanfeng by leaning on the sofa and absentmindedly stroking the fabric of his new clothes with his fingers.

Suddenly, without warning—

Buzz!

An invisible, irresistible force yanked Shi Hanfeng violently!

Everything in front of his eyes—the sofa, the coffee table, the Monstera, even Xu Chaoyun’s face frozen in shock—melted and distorted like wax under high heat, then completely blurred out!

All that remained in his vision were wildly spinning, chaotic colors, swirling together in a mess.

His body felt as if thrown into a super-high-speed centrifuge, every organ protesting the displacement!

Weightlessness, dizziness, tearing pain…

A flood of awful sensations drowned all his senses in an instant.

Then, it felt as if he had pierced through a thick, sticky membrane—the spinning stopped abruptly.

Shi Hanfeng opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

Those few seconds of teleportation easily made it into the top three worst experiences of his life.

It was dim all around.

The air was heavy with the smell of earth, rotting leaves, and a hint of wild beast musk.

The crackle of burning wood filled his ears.

Dim firelight flickered, outlining a crude temporary camp.

In the center was a barely-maintained campfire, with a few large rocks serving as seats.

[Novice Quest World Loading Complete]

A translucent light screen unfolded before Shi Hanfeng’s eyes as he recovered from the teleportation dizziness.

[Mission Name: Goblin Must Die]

[Mission Objective: Within one month, destroy a small goblin tribe within the forest.]

[Mission Reward: Destiny Points ×1000, Destiny Experience x100]

[Failure Penalty: Remain trapped in this world.]

Goblins?

This newbie mission was so classic it bordered on cliché.

But a small tribe?

Are you serious?

You need at least three for it to count as a tribe. Sure, enough ants can bite an elephant to death, and goblins are way tougher than ants. Is this really considered easy difficulty for newbies?

Is Destiny overestimating me?

I’m just a weak, helpless newbie!

Shi Hanfeng could only hope that the goblins here weren’t too strong—the weakest variety would be best.

Then he pulled up his personal info.

[Destiny Apostle: Shi Hanfeng (LV1) (0/300)]

[Skill: Common Language (LV1)]

[Possessions: None]

[Base Attributes: Strength 12, Agility 11, Constitution 11, Intelligence 11, Perception 12, Charisma 13]

Just as he was about to complain that this info panel looked like it came straight out of a cheap web game, a golden icon representing the [Player Talent] in the depths of his consciousness suddenly flashed.

A new line of lively, celebratory text popped up, covering the cold mission description above:

[Dun dun dun dun! Congratulations, noble player, on stepping into a new world for the first time! First-time login bonus activated! The Novice Gift Pack has been delivered to your exclusive player backpack! Please check and claim it quickly to begin your legendary journey! (≧∇≦)/☆]

Shi Hanfeng:

What’s with this sudden emoji!?

Does your talent’s family know you’re this mischievous?

Wait, actually, its family seems to be me, so never mind.

He immediately focused his mind on the backpack space.

Sure enough, in the center of that frozen cubic meter, a flamboyant red gift box tied with a golden ribbon was floating.

[Open!]

The moment his will touched it, the gift box exploded in a dazzling burst of virtual golden fireworks.

[Congratulations, you have obtained: Novice Weapon: Blunt Sword x1]

A simple, sturdy one-handed longsword with a thick, unsharpened blade appeared in a backpack slot.

Shi Hanfeng’s eye twitched as he looked at the familiar shape.

So I’m a Descender now too?

But I don’t have a blonde little sister.

[Congratulations, you have obtained: Random Character Template Gift Box x1]

Huh?!

Shi Hanfeng perked up!

Character template?

Time to test my luck!

[Would you like to immediately draw and activate a random character template? Yes/No]

Is that even a question?

My turn!

Draw!

The gift box in the backpack instantly turned into a streak of golden light, shooting upward. Countless fragments of light swirled and assembled before his eyes, finally locking into place.

Endless golden radiance! BGM seemed to echo from nowhere! An indescribable aura of nobility washed over him!

Wow!

A golden legend!

Shi Hanfeng’s heart skipped a beat!

Did I just draw gold?

The golden glow slowly faded.

A tall, elegant figure emerged from the light. Iconic golden hair shimmered like moonlight, a pale and handsome face as flawless as a sculpture, emerald green eyes deep and serene, as if containing the mysteries of the stars.

Dressed in an ornate white and gold formal suit exuding the aura of a classical noble, he stood quietly, holding a magnificent rapier in his right hand. A sacred, compassionate yet distant aura surrounded him…

Shi Hanfeng’s expression grew increasingly complicated.

That outrageously handsome model…

That blonde hair…

Those green eyes…

That flamboyant, over-the-top outfit…

“Rochet?”

Shi Hanfeng never expected to meet this guy in another world.

Good news: First gold pull from the newbie pool! Luck maxed out!

Bad news: The gold card was a healer—and with a tongue-twisting name, at that.

He stared at the lifelike, impossibly handsome virtual image of Rochet on the light screen, a swirl of complex emotions rising—thirty percent ecstatic (it’s gold, after all!), thirty percent bewildered (Healer? The newbie mission wants me to be a healer?), forty percent resigned (Though called a healer, judging by the background, he’d probably still beat me up even as support).

“Bro, the heavy task of slaying goblins from here on out…”

Shi Hanfeng let out a long, long sigh, looking at the dazzling golden-haired healer in his consciousness, his gaze filled with the weary resignation of “life has finally turned on me.”

“It’s all up to you now!”

A crisp system prompt sounded again:

[Character Template (Rochet) acquired!]

[Load template? Yes/No]

Shi Hanfeng glanced at the bright red Goblin Tribe mission timer ticking down in the lower right corner of his vision, feeling the chill of the forest night seep through his thin combat suit.

He had no choice.

“…!”

As he confirmed with his will, a gentle power flooded his entire body!

Unfamiliar knowledge poured into his mind.

Judgement Church Standard Swordsmanship, Bounty of Blessing, healing and purification…

Halfway through, as the words Plan of Abundant Fall surfaced in his head, the template loading abruptly froze, then ended.

?

So I’m not worthy of hearing about this plan?

Shi Hanfeng tugged at his now much longer golden hair, looked down at his significantly paler hand, and flexed it gently.

Unfortunately, without anything reflective, he couldn’t tell if his face had changed.

A green glow rose in his palm, with illusory flowers blooming within.

“Ahem,”

A cold, melodious voice with a strange rhythm flowed from his own lips, echoing through the silent camp.

“From today on, this handsome man is Rochet.”