It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".

[Name: Zhou Zheng]

[Level: 1]

[Class: Rogue]

[Strength: 29]

[Constitution: 18]

[Skeletal Structure: 10]

[Agility: 35]

[Attack: 145]

[Health: 280]

[Defense: 30]

[Speed: 70]

[Experience: 0/500]

The information above is what appeared in Zhou Zheng's mind after he called up his character attributes. It's a very standard rogue attribute set. What made Zhou Zheng want to cough up blood was that this character wasn't his fully leveled 200-level rogue, but rather a rogue character that had mysteriously reverted to level 1.

"How could this happen?"

Seeing that he could really call up his character attributes, Zhou Zheng felt his world had been completely turned upside down.

Staring blankly at the attributes, Zhou Zheng was filled with mixed emotions.

He was sad because his 200-level character was gone just like that. But he was happy because the character from the game, Swordmaster, could actually possess him.

Thinking about the Black Radiance just now, Zhou Zheng's face lit up with joy.

Since the Black Radiance was still there, all his divine artifacts must be there too.

The character was bare, with nothing on him.

However, Zhou Zheng wasn't discouraged. He softly called out, "Open inventory!"

The character attributes disappeared, and then an inventory interface appeared. Countless shimmering lights immediately entered Zhou Zheng's eyes. At the top of the inventory, 13 pieces of equipment lay there, emitting the orange glow unique to divine artifacts. Below these 13 pieces of equipment were a dazzling array of various materials, along with a large number of potions and a few scrolls.

"The inventory hasn't changed."

Zhou Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. The inventory used to have only 25 slots, and it took Zhou Zheng countless efforts to finally expand it to the maximum of 150 slots.

Moreover, all the items in the inventory were there, exactly what Zhou Zheng had carried when he participated in the First Under Heaven competition.

What made Zhou Zheng happiest was that the 13 pieces of equipment hadn't disappeared along with the 200-level character but had instead been removed and stored in the inventory. However, what pained Zhou Zheng was that every piece of divine artifact required a usage level of 180. Seeing this requirement, he felt a crushing sense of frustration.

These pieces of equipment could be taken out, but they couldn't be used.

What troubled Zhou Zheng even more was that, because he was preparing for the competition, he had brought only a lot of potions besides his equipment, with no extra equipment. This meant that Zhou Zheng's current level 1 character couldn't hope to have any usable equipment.

Zhou Zheng tried calling up other functions, but aside from the character attributes and inventory functions, only the skills function could be called up. However, on the skill tree, there was only one initial skill: Weakness Scan, a basic rogue skill that could identify the weak points of a target, ineffective against targets more than 10 levels higher than the character. All other skills were shrouded in darkness, unusable and unlearnable.

No matter how Zhou Zheng tried to call up other functions, there was no response.

A bitter smile appeared. It could be said that this character was a castrated version.

As for why the character from Firmament Continent would travel with him through time, perhaps only the heavens knew, and no one could explain it.

"Still useless!"

Thinking of this title, Zhou Zheng was filled with nothing but anger and frustration.

Just a moment ago, he was thinking that having the rogue character would at least allow him to rise, but reality shattered this idea. A castrated character was still just as useless. With only 145 attack power, what could he do?

A body full of divine artifacts, yet they required level 180 to use.

With the current level 1 character, when could he ever reach level 180?

Moreover, in this New World, there was nothing that could allow him to power level and upgrade. He would probably remain at level 1 forever.

Zhou Zheng felt a bit deflated and lay back on the bed.

After a day of training with Yu Jianzhong, Zhou Zheng, whose body wasn't strong, was already exhausted. After taking a kick from Yu Jianzhong, Zhou Zheng's energy was drained. Without exiting the character, he lay on the bed, and in his fatigue, he drifted off into a chaotic sleep.

***

With no one to disturb him, Zhou Zheng slept until the sun was high in the sky.

Upon waking, Zhou Zheng knew this was the result of his father Zhou Hongqiang's instructions. Otherwise, the guards would have woken him up early in the morning, forcibly taking him to the training ground for training. Then, in the afternoon, he would have a simple lunch and be thrown into practice.

"Have I been abandoned?"

Thinking of his "fake" father's sigh last night, Zhou Zheng's heart felt like a jar of mixed emotions had been overturned.

Before crossing over, Zhou Zheng had also disappointed his parents, showing no ambition and causing them endless worry. Even after his parents passed away, Zhou Zheng didn't become motivated but instead sank into gaming for five years, until today.

The previous owner and himself were so alike.

Feeling a bit bitter, Zhou Zheng was helpless. He was known as a waste.

Following his memory, he got up, brushed his teeth, and went downstairs.

As the leader of Siege City, Zhou Hongqiang wielded significant power, even able to decide a person's life or death. In this New World, order had long collapsed, and the law was a joke. Only the law of the jungle, a forest-like survival rule, remained.

Having a few servants at home wasn't unusual.

On the dining table, breakfast prepared by the servants awaited. In this summer, there was no fear of the food getting cold.

Life in Siege City was still tough. As the leader, breakfast wasn't as lavish as one might imagine. It consisted of a few pancakes and a glass of juice. Milk was out of the question; two years into the apocalypse, dairy products had long expired and were inedible. Having pancakes made from wheat flour was considered a luxury in Siege City, where many people only had two meals a day, with no concept of breakfast.

After only having a bowl of meat soup last night, Zhou Zheng was already starving. He devoured the pancakes in a frenzy.

"What should I do next?"

Zhou Zheng was undecided. For the past two years, his life had been almost entirely fixed, with no room for indulgence. Zhou Hongqiang was the leader, but there were others in Siege City with significant influence, like brigade leader Yu Jianzhong, who controlled half of the city's military power, and chief steward Yan Chuan, who managed the city's food supply.

Looking outside the courtyard, two guards stood at the gate.

Suddenly...

[Zhou An]

[Level: Second-Stage Martial Artist]

[Strength: 77]

[Constitution: 65]

[Skeletal Structure: 67]

[Agility: 50]

This set of information suddenly appeared before Zhou Zheng's eyes, and above Zhou An's head, there was even a health bar, showing green. Zhou Zheng knew that green meant he wouldn't pose a threat, indicating he was an ally.

Another guard, when Zhou Zheng focused his gaze on him, also had a set of data appear.

[Lan Xi]

[Level: Second-Stage Martial Artist]

[Strength: 79]

[Constitution: 71]

[Skeletal Structure: 74]

[Agility: 61]

Also a Second-Stage Martial Artist, but from the attributes, Lan Xi seemed slightly stronger than Zhou An. However, Zhou Zheng didn't know how these numbers were calculated, as he currently had no reference. To calculate what these strength numbers represented in terms of attack power, etc., he needed to compare them with ordinary people and stronger individuals.

Such high strength, as a Second-Stage Martial Artist, meant they could take on dozens of ordinary people with ease.

Constitution was related to vitality, health, disease resistance, and so on.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan