Chapter 16

Last night was the most peaceful sleep Luo Liang had since he arrived here. After two nights filled with the threat of death, and last night's all-out battle, he finally fainted from exhaustion. The tension in his nerves finally relaxed. It could be said that after these two days and three nights, Luo Liang had gradually adapted to the current environment, both physically and mentally.

Looking out the window at the green scenery, Luo Liang got up from the tatami (which looked more like the floor), stretched his limbs slightly, and immediately heard a series of "cracking" sounds from his bones.

Looking around, he was in a small wooden mud house. The walls were made of a mixture of mud and thatch (fine bamboo strips and thin wooden strips wrapped with thatch, then bound tightly with larger bamboo poles or tree trunks, and coated with a layer of mud, which was then dried). Due to frequent rain, the thatch had turned black and emitted a pungent odor. The roof of the wooden mud house was also thatched.

There was only one window in the wooden mud house, about three inches wide and long. Sunlight shone through the small window onto the mud floor, or rather, the mud floor covered with thatch.

It seemed that life in this small village was quite miserable. Although Luo Liang had read some information about the Sengoku period in Japan online and was mentally prepared, he still felt a wave of depression when he saw the actual conditions.

"Well, I should first check my physical condition," Luo Liang thought. Immediately, he entered a meditative state, and a gray interface appeared before his eyes. Yes, this was the game system he had played in the hotel. Due to special circumstances, the system had prompted him whether he wanted to personally experience the game when he was about to advance to a swordsman. At that moment, Luo Liang had moved the mouse to the "Yes" option, and just as the mudslide struck, he clicked the mouse in panic. Then, the system mysteriously followed Luo Liang through the time travel.

At first, Luo Liang did not know that such a system existed in his mind until he encountered a herd of wild boars in the forest.

Here's what happened. After Luo Liang woke up and tidied up, he followed the direction the deer had disappeared in. On the way, he did not see the deer but encountered a herd of wild boars. When Luo Liang discovered the wild boars, he was already very close to them. The wild sow, feeling threatened, charged at Luo Liang. Seeing the long tusks, Luo Liang wisely chose to run. The problem was, how could he outrun wild boars in the dense forest? Luo Liang was quickly caught up, and although he tried to avoid vital areas, his buttocks were still hit by the wild boar's body, sending him flying several meters and rolling a few times before stopping at the base of a large tree.

With no choice, unable to outrun the wild boars, Luo Liang picked up a thick branch nearby and watched the wild boar, which had turned around and charged again. At this critical moment, Luo Liang's mind went dizzy, and an interface similar to the game appeared. Luo Liang naturally used a move called "Vajra Force" on the charging wild boar. Although the tough-skinned wild boar was not injured, it was startled by the heavy blow, knocking the branch out of Luo Liang's hand. It did not immediately attack again but instead looked for an opportunity to strike. Luo Liang took the chance to climb a tree. The wild boar circled the tree several times, unable to attack, and finally returned to the herd, unwillingly.

Of course, Luo Liang eventually benefited from this misfortune, discovering the game system in his mind. Surprised, Luo Liang immediately focused his mind and opened the game system.

First, he saw the main interface: Character, Experience, Skills, Upgrade.

Luo Liang clicked on "Character," and his current status immediately appeared:

Name: Luo Liang

Physical Attributes:

Leadership: 50 (62), body adapting. The higher the leadership, the easier it is to command subordinates.

Strength: 65 (76), body adapting. Strong strength is the foundation of self-protection.

Politics: 50 (66), body adapting. Politics is the assistance for survival.

Wisdom: 62 (83), body adapting. Superior wisdom allows you to leverage your strengths.

Charisma: 80 (80), system adjustment complete. Charisma makes you more easily accepted and admired.

Skills:

Sword: Thunder Blade (1st rank sword skill, greatly enhanced defense. Proficiency: None. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Vajra Force (3rd rank sword skill, concentrates strength in the arms, significantly increases attack power. Proficiency: Intermediate. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Riposte (3rd rank sword skill, can counterattack close-range enemies. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Continuous Slash (3rd rank sword skill, continuous slashes, significantly increases attack power. Proficiency: Advanced. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Spear: None

Firearm: None

Bow: None

Ninjutsu: None

Stamina: 80 (100). Abundant stamina is the foundation for handling all problems.

Physical Condition: Adapting. Note: Overusing skills during the adaptation process can lead to fainting.

Reputation: 0 (100). Reputation reflects the degree of admiration you receive.

Equipment: None

Title: Swordsman

After reading his information, Luo Liang felt a bit puzzled. He could confirm that this data interface was from the original game, but there were significant differences. First, the information content was different from the original game, and second, the system had become more intelligent. For example, the physical attributes showed the optimal state in parentheses and the current status in real-time.

Luo Liang estimated that these data could be improved, and he would know after reviewing the entire interface. With this in mind, Luo Liang immediately clicked on the "Experience" interface next to "Character."

The interface opened, showing:

Current Experience: 50. Experience can be increased through battles. The ways to gain experience will increase as the system upgrades.

Why 50? Luo Liang felt strange. It should be zero, right? Could it be from the battle with the wild boar? To confirm, he would need to test it later. For now, he continued to check the other interfaces. Luo Liang then clicked on "Skills."

The "Skills" interface opened:

Sword: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Spear: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Firearm: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Bow: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Ninjutsu: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Seeing the information, Luo Liang was stunned. This was the skill learning interface, and it was clear that learning skills required experience, attributes, and certain skill requirements. Luo Liang reluctantly opened the last interface, "Upgrade."

After the interface opened, two more interfaces appeared: "Attributes" and "Skills." Luo Liang first clicked on "Attributes," which showed:

Leadership: Current maximum attribute 62. Insufficient experience to upgrade.

Strength: Current maximum attribute 76. Insufficient experience to upgrade.

Politics: Current maximum attribute 66. Insufficient experience to upgrade.

Wisdom: Current maximum attribute 83. Insufficient experience to upgrade.

Charisma: Current maximum attribute 80. Insufficient experience to upgrade.

Upgrade Conditions:

Attributes 50 or below: 50 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 50-59: 100 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 60-69: 200 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 70-79: 400 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 80-89: 800 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 90-99: 1600 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 100-109: 3200 experience per attribute point.

Attributes 110-120: 6400 experience per attribute point.

After reading the long list of upgrade requirements, Luo Liang was stunned again. This was ridiculous! The early stages were manageable, but later on, upgrading would be extremely difficult. Reluctantly, Luo Liang opened the "Skills" upgrade interface. He carefully examined it, and it showed:

Skills:

Sword: Thunder Blade (Beginner, 50 experience, 60 strength attribute)

Spear: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Firearm: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Bow: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Ninjutsu: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Luo Liang's eyes lit up, finally finding a skill he could upgrade. The 1st rank sword skill "Thunder Blade" could be upgraded in proficiency, requiring 50 experience and a strength attribute of 60 or higher. Excited and nervous, Luo Liang selected this skill for upgrade. As he clicked to upgrade, he felt a surge of warmth throughout his body, but it quickly disappeared. Luo Liang jumped down from the tree, moved away from the wild boar herd, and picked up a broken branch from the ground. He instantly used the "Thunder Blade" skill, and it felt good, though he couldn't compare it to the beginner version since he had never used it before. Checking his personal status, he saw that the proficiency of "Thunder Blade" had indeed become "Beginner," and his experience was now zero.

In summary, improving personal physical attributes and skills primarily required experience. Different physical attributes and skill upgrades had specific conditions, and the higher the attribute or skill level, the higher the requirements. Despite this, Luo Liang felt a sense of wonder. He had ended up here for no reason, and now he had this mysterious system in his body, which was truly unbelievable and even a bit scary. But since this was the reality, he had to accept it. As for his physical condition, he would need to find a trusted doctor friend to help him check (at this point, Luo Liang did not know he had traveled to the Sengoku period in Japan). With this in mind, Luo Liang did not dwell on the origin of the system, gathered his thoughts, and continued forward.

This was the initial discovery of the game system. Now, with a thought, an interface appeared in his mind. In fact, this was the third time Luo Liang had opened the system. The second time was in the morning when he had just left the forest and defeated two bandits. At that time, Luo Liang was pleasantly surprised to find that the experience, which had been reset to zero, had suddenly increased to 520 after his journey and the battle with the bandits. Luo Liang used 520 experience to learn a 4th rank sword skill called "Kiriotoshi" (4th rank sword skill, slightly higher attack power than "Continuous Slash." Learning conditions: 520 experience, 65 strength attribute, and the skill "Continuous Slash" at advanced proficiency, requiring a small amount of stamina to use). This reset his experience to zero again.

Today, Luo Liang opened the system for the third time. He first clicked on the experience interface and was shocked. Last night's battle, though life-threatening, had been very rewarding, with his experience suddenly increasing to 1520. Luo Liang quickly opened the "Skills" interface, as skills were crucial for survival. The interface showed new changes, with several new skills available to learn.

"Skills" interface:

Sword:

Counter (2nd rank sword skill, can counterattack close-range enemies, a more passive skill. Learning conditions: 280 experience, 62 strength attribute, and the skill "Thunder Blade" at advanced proficiency, requiring a small amount of stamina to use)

Tengu Copy (3rd rank sword skill, greatly enhanced defense. Learning conditions: 350 experience, 65 strength attribute, and the skill "Thunder Blade" at advanced proficiency, requiring a small amount of stamina to use)

Spear:

Yoroshi (2nd rank spear skill, can nullify the opponent's attack. Learning conditions: 500 experience, 60 strength attribute, no skill requirements, requiring a small amount of stamina to use)

Battotsu (4th rank spear skill, strong attack power. Learning conditions: 1300 experience, 65 strength attribute, no skill requirements, requiring a small amount of stamina to use)

Firearm: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Bow: None. Insufficient experience, attributes, or skills.

Ninjutsu:

Kunai (2nd rank ninjutsu skill, throwing weapons in battle. Learning conditions: 200 experience, 50 strength attribute, no skill requirements, requiring a small amount of stamina to use)

Tonko (3rd rank ninjutsu skill, stealth and hiding based on the environment. Learning conditions: 280 experience, 60 strength attribute, no skill requirements, requiring a small amount of stamina to use)

Luo Liang was initially excited about the increased experience, but after reading the skill learning requirements, he felt like he had fallen into an icy river. With only a small amount of experience, he needed to carefully consider how to distribute it for the best effect. For close combat, Luo Liang had already learned the powerful "Kiriotoshi," and the new close combat skills would not significantly improve his combat power in the short term, so he decided to temporarily ignore the sword skills. There were no long-range combat skills available, so he considered the spear skills. Two spear skills were available, but "Battotsu" was too powerful and required too much experience, so he reluctantly excluded it. As for ninjutsu, the experience cost was low, and it could provide some auxiliary benefits, so he considered it.

After much consideration, he decided to learn the 2nd rank spear skill "Yoroshi" and the 3rd rank ninjutsu skill "Tonko." The 2nd rank spear skill "Yoroshi" was chosen for its defensive capabilities, and the 3rd rank ninjutsu skill "Tonko" was chosen for its utility in escaping, as the saying goes, "Thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best." This skill would greatly increase his chances of escaping safely.

Learning the spear skill "Yoroshi" and the ninjutsu skill "Tonko" cost a total of 780 experience, leaving him with 740 experience. Luo Liang decided to upgrade the proficiency of "Kiriotoshi" to the highest level, as it was currently his most powerful skill. Opening the "Upgrade" interface and clicking on "Skills," he saw that the proficiency upgrade standards for the sword skill "Kiriotoshi" were: Beginner (500 experience), Intermediate (550 experience), and Advanced (600 experience), with a strength attribute requirement of 70 or higher for each level. Luo Liang gritted his teeth and upgraded "Kiriotoshi" to Beginner, costing 500 experience, leaving him with 240 experience.

After some thought, Luo Liang upgraded the proficiency of the 2nd rank spear skill "Yoroshi" to Beginner, costing 200 experience (Beginner requires 200 experience, Intermediate requires 250 experience, and Advanced requires 300 experience, with a strength attribute requirement of 64 or higher for each level), leaving him with 40 experience.

Seeing the experience value drop to a low number again, Luo Liang felt like he had suddenly gone from a wealthy farmer to a poor one. He quickly closed the "Experience" interface to avoid the sight. Reopening the "Character" interface, he found some comfort. After two days and three nights of adaptation, his physical attributes had significantly recovered. His leadership had increased by 6 points, strength by 7 points, politics by 5 points, and wisdom by 8 points. Now, Luo Liang's personal status was:

Name: Luo Liang

Physical Attributes:

Leadership: 56 (62), body adapting. The higher the leadership, the easier it is to command subordinates.

Strength: 72 (76), body adapting. Strong strength is the foundation of self-protection.

Politics: 55 (66), body adapting. Politics is the assistance for survival.

Wisdom: 70 (83), body adapting. Superior wisdom allows you to leverage your strengths.

Charisma: 80 (80), system adjustment complete. Charisma makes you more easily accepted and admired.

Skills:

Sword: Thunder Blade (1st rank sword skill, completely defends against any attack. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Vajra Force (3rd rank sword skill, concentrates strength in the arms, significantly increases attack power. Proficiency: Intermediate. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Riposte (3rd rank sword skill, can counterattack close-range enemies. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Continuous Slash (3rd rank sword skill, continuous slashes, significantly increases attack power. Proficiency: Advanced. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Kiriotoshi (4th rank sword skill, slightly higher attack power than Continuous Slash. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Spear:

Yoroshi (2nd rank spear skill, can nullify the opponent's attack. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Firearm: None

Bow: None

Ninjutsu:

Tonko (3rd rank ninjutsu skill, stealth and hiding based on the environment. Proficiency: Unskilled. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Stamina: 80 (100). Abundant stamina is the foundation for handling all problems.

Physical Condition: Adapting. Note: Overusing skills during the adaptation process can lead to fainting.

Reputation: 0 (100). Reputation reflects the degree of admiration you receive.

Equipment: None

Title: Swordsman

After using the system for some time and experiencing it himself, Luo Liang gradually gained some insights and found answers to the questions he had at the beginning.

The system's prompt "body adapting" meant that the system was further integrating with his body, reflecting his actual physical condition. It was not transferring the data of the character he played in the original system to his current body, as the character in the original system had attributes of 90 or higher and multiple skills, while Luo Liang's current data was much lower but more accurately reflected his actual physical condition.

Skills were divided into ranks from 1 to 8, with higher ranks having greater power. Each rank of skills was further divided into proficiency levels: Unskilled, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. When a skill was first learned, it could not be used proficiently and had the weakest power. The higher the proficiency level, the more powerful the skill would be under the same ideal conditions.

Experience could only be gained through battles, with real battles providing more significant increases. Daily combat training could also increase experience, but the increase was negligible. The system seemed to have the potential to upgrade, and the ways to gain experience would increase after the upgrade, though the specific methods were unknown.

Physical attributes were very important. For example, a higher strength attribute meant greater power for the same level of skill, and a higher wisdom attribute made it easier to come up with good strategies.

Each skill required a certain amount of stamina to use, so the more powerful the skill, the greater the burden on the body. Frequent use of skills also placed a significant burden on the body. For example, last night's battle with the bandits, where he frequently used skills, led to his body exceeding its limits and fainting as a self-protection mechanism.

This was Luo Liang's understanding of the system's usage over this period