Chapter 15: Third in the World?

"So powerful!" Kong Zhe stared excitedly at the numbers on the panel. Every stat exceeded what he’d achieved in his previous life by more than half, especially his Intelligence, which had doubled. He guessed this must have something to do with his rebirth.

At the very top of the panel was a thumbnail of his body, displaying his equipped items. But since he currently had none, the image showed him bare. His strength and speed were now four to five times those of an average person, though that didn’t mean he had become a hulking mass of muscle. Outwardly, his physique was only a bit more balanced, but the unremarkable muscles concealed astonishing explosive power.

[Ding, please select a class...]

A class...

Kong Zhe rubbed his chin. In his past life, he had chosen the swordsman—a class adept at both offense and defense. He had no intention of changing now, as he was already intimately familiar with the swordsman’s abilities and could still use the sword techniques he’d honed before.

Class selection: Swordsman!

Ding, class selected successfully.

Ding, congratulations to player Kong Zhe for becoming the first Awakened in Jin City. You are awarded a Silver Chest.

Ding, congratulations to player Kong Zhe for becoming the third Awakened on Earth. You are awarded a Gold Chest.

Hmm? Kong Zhe was startled by the last notification. He had awakened almost instantly after the apocalypse began and assumed he’d be the first in the world, but he was only the third. What kind of monsters were those first two?

But soon, Kong Zhe had no time to ponder. The thrill of the recent rewards nearly made him jump for joy—a Gold Chest and a Silver Chest at once! In the apocalypse, though it took the form of a game, monster drop rates were abysmally low. Usually, all one got were shabby chests; with luck, perhaps a wooden chest, and if fortune truly smiled, a bronze chest during a big haul. Silver or, even more rare, gold chests were almost unattainable. In his previous life, Kong Zhe had never seen either in three years, and now, at the dawn of the apocalypse, he had them both.

The Silver Chest always yields a purple item, and the Gold Chest guarantees a divine artifact.

Heart pounding, Kong Zhe clicked open the Silver Chest.

A seemingly ordinary gray ring fell into his inventory.

Ultimate Storage Ring: The highest-grade storage item, provides one thousand cubic meters of space. Cannot store living things.

What a treasure! Kong Zhe's eyes lit up. While every Awakened automatically receives an inventory, it’s only one cubic meter—even maxed out, it’s just a hundred cubic meters, nowhere near enough for everyday needs. Thus, everyone sought storage items, but they were exorbitantly priced and rarely available. Most storage rings weren’t spacious; having a hundred cubic meters was already considered large. Kong Zhe’s ring, though, offered a full thousand cubic meters—nearly twice the size of his current house.

He hurriedly equipped the ring, then tried storing the black box inside. This was his most important possession, and carrying it was far too risky.

Steadying himself, Kong Zhe opened the Gold Chest.

Ding, acquired S-tier skill scroll: Divine Persuasion. Would you like to learn it now? Note: Learning consumes one skill point.

“Learn immediately!” Kong Zhe decided without hesitation. S-tier skills were no joke. At level one, he could only learn a few basic swordsman skills, all E-tier. With an S-tier skill in hand, it was obvious which to prioritize.

Ding, learned successfully.

Divine Persuasion: Gain permanent control over one enemy unit. Current level: one. Can persuade one unit whose level is no more than two above your own.

Kong Zhe digested the information, then his face bloomed with joy. Though he could only persuade a single unit now, the number would surely increase as the skill leveled up. He could already envision himself commanding a horde of summons in the new world. Moreover, he noted the skill description specified “enemy unit,” not just magical beasts, as most summoning skills did. Did this mean he could persuade humans? Or even powerful beings of other races? Could he go as far as to persuade dragons?

He couldn’t say for sure yet, but Kong Zhe believed it was possible. After all, S-tier skills were renowned for their limitless potential; none of this seemed out of reach.

“Help! Don’t eat me!”

Suddenly, a scream echoed from downstairs, filled with terror and despair, mingled with the snarling of monsters.

Kong Zhe’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed other beasts had already entered the apartment building.

“That’s Aunt Zhang from the fifth floor!” Xue Feifei recognized the voice and cried out.

Kong Zhe nodded at her. “Go back to your room and stay quiet. Don’t make a sound!”