Desolate World: Starting with [Selection Option] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Metamorphosis

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Shuo focused his attention on the Primordial Chaos Skill.

Instantly, rows of information extended down.

[Primordial Chaos Skill]

Stage 1: Foundation Establishment (Basic Mastery)

Description: Nourish the five viscera to establish a firm foundation and cultivate the soul.

Breakthrough Requirements: 1. Physique 3-4, Breakthrough Pill (Yellow Tier) x1; 2. Physique 5-6

“Two breakthrough requirements?”

Wang Shuo rubbed his chin in deep thought. Since stage one was Foundation Establishment, it had to be for establishing a solid foundation.

Logically, the stronger the foundation, the more beneficial it would be for future cultivation.

The first set of requirements seemed like a shortcut, so it wasn’t the preferred option.

But it was still early for these considerations. Wang Shuo opened the forum again.

By now, most of the players had already snapped out of their confusion.

Many of them were showing off what they received from the Newbie Starter Pack.

Most of the items were lower yellow tier, and middle-grade ones were a rarity.

Occasionally, when any higher tier items appeared, a flood of envy immediately welcomed them.

“Hey, I realized that everyone got lower or middle-grade stuff. Am I the only one who got something upper-grade? I got the [Rampage Sword Technique (Upper Yellow Tier)].”

“So obviously humblebragging… Get out!!!”

“What a bitch. Karma will get you for flaunting.”

“What the heck… I’m so envious. If only my [Damascus Blade (Upper Yellow Tier)] was a cultivation technique instead…”

“Alright… Stop bragging. This sucker here only got a [Healing Pill (Lower Yellow Tier)].”

…

“Feels awesome!”

As expected, the best pleasures were highlighted through comparison.

Seeing the flood of yellow-tier items, Wang Shuo felt exhilarated.

At this moment, a new topic caught his attention.

“What the hell. That was scary. I just went out to find food, and a wolfdog pounced at me out of nowhere.

“If I hadn’t drawn a [Bronze Sword (Middle Yellow Tier)] and chopped its head off in one fell swoop, I would have definitely died.”

“What the shit. There are monsters here?”

“Why else would the game give out free equipment and skills the moment we spawned? For us to laze around and do nothing?”

….

Wang Shuo’s eyes fleeted to the number of players online, and his heart skipped a beat. 944/1000

“Have people died already?”

For him, who had never been in a fight since childhood, the sudden life-and-death situation sent panic surging through his mind.

However, he was no coward, and he soon calmed down.

“If someone can survive with a middle yellow-tier sword, there’s nothing for me to fear. With my superior start, I can survive easily!”

Suddenly, pangs of hunger struck.

Wang Shuo remembered that other than the small breakfast he had in the morning, he hadn’t eaten anything at noon and played games all the way until evening.

It had been almost 12 hours since he ate anything. No wonder he was starving.

“Shit, there’s not a single damn thing growing here. Where the hell am I supposed to find food?”

Suddenly, an idea struck Wang Shuo. He remembered that someone mentioned he killed a dog on the forum just now.

“Do we have to solve the food issue from monsters? But where do I find them?”

[The system has detected that the player has opened the Newbie Starter Pack. The First Trial begins!]

The next instant, a yellow furball-like creature materialized out of thin air not far away.

As soon as the yellow monster appeared on the ground, it rolled about on the spot. Then its body shook a little before pouncing straight at Wang Shuo.

At the same time, the fur on its body suddenly pulled back, revealing blood-red jaws.

Surprisingly, Wang Shuo wasn’t the least bit worried.

This furball wasn’t moving as fast as he expected. On the contrary, it was a little slow.

“No, it’s my reaction and motion perception that has improved.”

This feeling was peculiar. It was as if he were watching a movie playing at half speed.

Wang Shuo had enough time to observe the yellow furball’s appearance.

He found that this furball had legs, but they were extremely short. These four tiny and thick limbs were shrunken and hidden within the long yellow fur, and only the four grayish-yellow soles were poking out.

When the yellow furball finally ‘floated’ in front of him, Wang Shuo calmly sidestepped. Then he slammed his foot clad in size eight Nike sneakers right into the yellow furball’s abdomen.

With this kick, Wang Shuo deeply realized his changes.

He experienced an unprecedented sense of strength and coordination; he felt the clear tension with each movement when his skeletal muscles stretched. He was euphoric.

Bam!

With the dull and deep boom of a powerful blow, Wang Shuo keenly perceived three crisps snaps where his toes rammed.

The yellow furball’s fluffy and round body instantly caved in like a sandbag.

Then the force exploded. The yellow furball, which was a diameter of nearly one meter, shot out like a football. It flew out for six meters before crashing and rolling for another six meters, where it laid groaning and struggling without the ability to move.

“Instant kill?”

Wang Shuo was slightly surprised. Then he ran over to the monster.

In the process, he found his body had become extremely light and agile, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden compared to before.

It felt like he was drifting along with a gust of wind.

“As expected. The improvement of your Physique is a comprehensive strengthening of the body. Moreover, it’s not as simple as just doubling your stats. Strength, coordination, speed, reaction, motion perception… all of them have broken through the limits of the body and undergone a qualitative transformation.

“Looks like I have to familiarize myself with this ‘new’ body.”

About two meters in front of the yellow furball, Wang Shuo carefully observed every detail of its body.

This monster wasn’t completely dead. Its body was still making faint ‘groans’ unconsciously, but it was weak and on the brink of death.

To be honest, putting aside the big hideous mouth, this yellow furball monster was actually quite cute.

It looked like a large pufferfish with fur. Seeing its miserable appearance, Wang Shuo stood motionless.

After hesitating for a while, he finally hardened his heart. Just as he was about to land the finishing blow, a notification suddenly popped up in front of him.

[You killed Slappy Duck.]

The next second, the groaning of the yellow furball, oops, the slappy duck stopped abruptly, and it turned into particles of light and disappeared.

[You receive White Treasure Chest x1.]

[White Treasure Chest: The lowest-level treasure chest in the Desolate World. Do not have high hopes for the items within.]

Wang Shuo was dumbfounded, his excitement doused.

“That thing was actually a duck? This world is full of wonders…”

He opened his Attributes Window and found a grey treasure chest in his inventory.

Compared to the Newbie Starter Pack he opened earlier, there was a noticeable difference.

Although the Newbie Starter Pack was also white, it was engraved with dense, intricate patterns, making it look exquisite.

But this White Treasure Chest was pieced together by a few pieces of white wooden boards, giving it an aura of shoddy quality.

[The player is undergoing a random draw. [Selection Option] automatically activated.]

[Here are the options…]

[Five Grains Pill x1]

[Five Grains Pill x2]

[Five Grains Pill x3]

[Water Droplet x1]

[Water Droplet x2]

[Water Droplet x3]

[Duck Feather x1]

[Duck Feather x2]

[Duck Feather x3]

Without hesitation, Wang Shuo chose ‘Five Grains Pill x3’.

He was ravenous at this point. Since the Five Grains Pill had the words ‘five grains’, it definitely had something to do with food.

[Please make your next choice.]

“I can still choose?”

Wang Shuo was pleasantly surprised.

After some thought, he chose ‘Water Droplet x3’.

[Please make your next choice.]

“Awesome!”