Chapter 2

Dafei carried a large box back to the dormitory, carefully configured the machine according to the instructions, connected the backup power supply, and put on the holographic helmet. Then he took a shower and smoked a cigarette—before buying lottery tickets, Dafei always burned incense, bathed, and prayed devoutly. This time, it was the beginning of his new career, and he had to take it very seriously!

Brother has bought lottery tickets for so many years and never won. Shouldn't the accumulated luck be off the charts by now? As the saying goes, a tree dies when moved, but a person thrives. It's time for my luck to burst, right? This time, even if I don't draw a 10 million dollar god-level hero, drawing a hero worth a few thousand dollars would be fine! My requirements are really not high; I just want to cover the 1,000 yuan cost of the lottery.

In the game, the first 10 levels are the novice stage, where players run errands and complete tasks in the main city, gradually developing through the rewards of simple tasks and a small number of low-level troops. However, the random lottery is different. The birthplace is usually very remote or even harsh, but that's fine; I'm mentally prepared.

At 12:12:12, the auspicious moment has arrived!

Enter the game!

— System Prompt: Great hero, welcome to the Chinese region of the Hero Continent. Please register your name!

The Hero Genesis is divided into seven independent service areas: North America, EU, Russia, India, China, Japan, and South Korea. Each service area is called the Hero Continent, and except for the map, players in each service area play almost the same game. Then, the seven service areas connect to a super service area, the New World! Players from different countries can meet here, and the New World is also known as the National War Zone, the most exciting part of the Hero Genesis for players from all countries!

The official promotional image is very vivid and simple: a huge planet similar to Earth surrounded by seven smaller Earths. These seven small Earths are the seven service areas, and the large Earth in the middle is the New World. The main theme of the Hero Genesis is the national war of the seven old worlds colonizing the new world.

— Name: Dafei!

— System Prompt: Name valid! Registration successful! The Hero Continent has three major light factions: the Holy Hall, Elves, and Dwarves; three major dark factions: Undead, Orcs, and Demons; and a neutral faction, the Mage Academy, which cannot be chosen under normal circumstances. Each newly born hero can choose their hero specialty and an initial hero skill. Please choose your race, faction, and hero specialty! Or choose a random lottery!

— Random lottery!

The specialties that players can choose themselves are all worthless, common specialties! I'm betting on this one shot!

— System Prompt: Hero! Are you sure you want to entrust your fate to the gods?

Sure! My fate is in the hands of heaven, not me!

— System Prompt: Hero! Please wait for the decision of fate!

A white light flashed before his eyes, and a tall, handsome, and strong human man with a wooden spear and a noble appearance appeared! Well, that's the default human male configuration based on the player's real age! Dafei couldn't wait to open the attribute panel, and his breath stopped!

Unseen icons! Not public common skills!

But what is this strange sailing icon? It can't be navigation, can it? Dafei felt a sense of foreboding and quickly checked!

— Storm Sailing: The safety of the hero's fleet in severe storms is improved. (Note: The prerequisite is that the hero must have a large Galley with good wave resistance. Large Galleys can only be purchased from shipyards if the hero has a certain reputation.)

Dafei was stunned on the spot!

It's not a combat specialty that can't make money! If I were given a random low-level troop leadership specialty, a random public skill specialty, or a random management specialty, I could adapt. But why give me a specialty that depends on the weather? And I need a large Galley, which costs a lot of money and requires reputation to buy? The key is, do I hope for a storm or not? This is a loss prevention specialty, not a profit specialty. Is this intentionally making things difficult for me?

— System Prompt: Hero specialty selection complete. Please use the remaining 1 skill point to choose a hero skill. For your initial development, it is recommended that your first skill match your hero specialty!

Dafei finally came to his senses and sighed deeply. This is the will of heaven! Heaven has arranged for me to run ships and earn gold in the game! My specialty makes my ships immune to the threat of storms, and the remaining pirates and Naga are just matters of human effort!

Yes, I'm not young anymore and don't have time to play with kids. Making money is the way to go! Without hesitation, Dafei chose the public skill—Navigation—with the system-given skill point.

— System Prompt: You have received the Navigation skill book for new players! You can improve your Navigation skill level or learn branch skills recorded in the book after obtaining skill points.

— System Prompt: You have learned Basic Navigation!

— Basic Navigation: The speed of the hero's ships on the sea is increased by 20%.

Now, Dafei's personal attributes are:

Player Level: 1

Occupation: Longspearman (Holy Hall 1st-level unit, normal form, special skill: Long Weapon, Long Spear Formation), 1st-level Explorer (In the game, hero skills are categorized into four types: Explorer, Commander, Lord, and Scholar. Navigation belongs to the Explorer category.)

Reputation: 0 (You are an unknown nobody, and you won't receive special tasks or invitations. Killing players or NPCs from the same faction will reduce your reputation.)

Leadership: 0 (The number of troops the hero can lead. Currently, you cannot lead any troops.)

Tactical Slots: 1 (The types of troops and the number of secondary heroes the hero can lead. Currently, you can only lead one type of troop and one secondary hero.)

Attack: 0 (Increases the damage of the hero and the hero's troops.)

Defense: 0 (Reduces the damage the hero and the hero's troops receive.)

Magic: 0 (Magic can enhance the effects of the hero's spells.)

Knowledge: 0 (Each point of knowledge provides the hero with 10 points of magic.)

Health: 10 (The hero dies when killed.)

Attack Speed: Normal, 10 (10 speed is the standard speed, the reference value for all creatures' attack speed. Units with faster attack speed not only attack first but also have a higher attack frequency. For example, zombies have an attack speed of 5, meaning players attack twice as often as zombies. Phoenixes have an attack speed of 20, meaning they attack twice as often as players.)

Movement Speed: 10 (Maximum movement speed of 10 meters per second. There is a certain chance to dodge enemy attacks while running, and the faster the running speed, the higher the chance.)

Base Damage: 1-3 (Damage is the amount of health points taken from the enemy.)

(Note: Damage varies with the difference in attack and defense. When the attack is greater than the enemy's defense, each additional point of attack increases damage by 5%, and each additional point of defense reduces damage by 5%. The final damage = base damage × (1 + attack and defense difference × 5%). According to this formula, when the attack is 20 points higher than the enemy's defense, the damage is doubled! Therefore, high-level units are very powerful against low-level units.)

(Note: When the attack is lower than the enemy's defense, the final damage = base damage ÷ (1 + attack and defense difference × 5%). When the attack is 10 points lower than the enemy's defense, the damage is 2/3, when the attack is 20 points lower, the damage is 1/2, and when the attack is 40 points lower, the damage is 1/3. Therefore, low-level units suffer greatly against high-level units and cannot even perform at their normal strength.)

Morale: 1 (5% chance of morale boost, increasing the damage and attack speed of the troops by 10% until the end of the battle. No deserters.)

Luck: 0 (No double damage luck effect, no half damage misfortune effect.)

Stamina: 100 (The stamina of the troops decreases during battles or marches. When stamina drops below 10%, the morale, speed, and damage of the hero's troops weaken, and the hero will be in a weakened state after resurrection.)

Character creation complete. The scene changed with a flash of white light, and Dafei appeared in a magnificent and solemn hall. In the air above the hall, a one-winged angel named Safiro sternly looked down at the dozens of players whispering and inquiring about each other.

The Hall of Destiny. This is where players who chose the random lottery arrive, and it is also where they are assigned their roles. Since players chose the random option, their birth and development locations are also random. However, the NPC examiner will ask a question, and the player's answer will determine their destination.

At this moment, the white light flashed continuously, and more players entered the hall. Then, the door slammed shut, and the entire hall suddenly darkened. A stern voice echoed through the hall:

— "Welcome to the Hero Continent, children of destiny, but your luck is very bad to have met me! I hate those who entrust their fate to others, but I love the feeling of controlling others' fates. Now, the exam begins!"

In the dimly lit hall, a spotlight suddenly shone on a player named "Wan'e Xiaobanglang," and dozens of players looked at this first test-taker with pity! It was already the third day of the game, and new players knew how unfair this examiner was. The sacrifices of the previous players would provide valuable information about the examiner's character, allowing the later test-takers to give the most reliable answers.

Safiro said coldly, "You have been blessed by the gods and have a good lord specialty, but I don't think you deserve it. Answer me, what is the most important thing for a lord?"

The players were stunned! Even the NPC said his specialty was good, so he must be lucky!

Wan'e Xiaobanglang coughed and said, "Of course, it's managing mines."

Safiro chuckled, "A very fitting answer for your specialty. I will grant your wish and send you to the haunted mines in the Death Mountains to mine."

"Damn!" A white light, and Wan'e Xiaobanglang disappeared.

Is that a place for new players? The players felt a sense of tension but also a bit of schadenfreude. Now, they had a preliminary impression of how unfair this examiner was.

The spotlight shone on a female player named "Chashafanghua," who jumped in fright.

— "Another lord specialty. What do you think is the most important thing for a lord?"

The female player stammered, "Managing, managing farms..."

Safiro sneered, "A very fitting answer for your specialty!"

The players sighed inwardly. What a waste of a previous example. Why don't you learn from it?

— "Very good, listen to the question. There are 450 chickens and ducks in the farm. After selling half the chickens and buying 30 more ducks, the number of chickens is twice the number of ducks. How many chickens and ducks were there originally? I have limited patience, so answer quickly. If you can't even do basic math, what qualifications do you have to be a lord? I will assign you a suitable position on the farm, like cleaning chicken droppings!"

The players were stunned! He's testing elementary math? But who knows the answer?

Chashafanghua immediately shouted, "384 chickens, 66 ducks!"

The examiner excitedly shouted, "Correct answer, 10 points! Your talent should go where it belongs!"

The players were stunned! Her mental math ability is amazing! The question wasn't hard, but answering so quickly is impressive!

At the same time, ten beams of golden light descended on the female player, and her level instantly rose to 10! Then a white light, and she disappeared!

The players were shocked! Answering an elementary math question directly raised her level by 10. This is too unfair!

Sure enough, a player in the hall shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Unfair! Too unfair!"

The spotlight instantly focused on a young man around 20 years old—Xuehai Kuangtao! Suddenly, everyone noticed he was wearing a steel sword, leather armor, and a large iron shield, making him a Shield Guard! A Holy Hall level 3 unit!

(Shield Guard: Attack 2, Defense 8, Health 20, Damage 2-5, Attack Speed 12, Movement Speed 8, Leadership 2, Special Skills: Large Shield, Shield Formation. If a player chooses to be a Shield Guard, they start with 2 points of personal attack and 8 points of personal defense, which do not affect the troops. Leadership 2 means 2 points of leadership are required to lead one Shield Guard.)

Wow! The players using Spearman units were stunned! His starting attributes are too good! Other players start with 0 attack and defense, 1-3 damage, and 10 health as level 1 weak units, while he has 10 more points of attributes as a level 3 unit! How can he still complain about unfairness?

Safiro smiled coldly, "Fair? You, who entrust your fate to the gods, want to be ahead of others. Do you deserve to talk about fairness?"

Xuehai Kuangtao said coldly, "I paid for the opportunity to be chosen by the gods, and that is fair! As for you, randomly boosting others' levels is unfair!"

Safiro laughed, "When you entrust your fate to others, you shouldn't expect fairness. However, I can give you a fair chance if you can seize it!"

Xuehai Kuangtao said proudly, "I chose the god's selection because I have the ability to control my fate, no matter what it is. My specialty is Admiral, so deal with it!" He then revealed his hero specialty!

— Admiral: The overall combat power of the hero's army on the sea increases with the hero's level.

The players exclaimed, "God-level hero!!!"

The increase is in overall combat power, not just attack and defense! Combat power includes attack, defense, speed, morale, and other factors! Who can beat him at sea?

Dafei's jaw dropped! Are god-level heroes so common? We all chose the lottery at the same time, but why didn't I have such good luck? Both of us have water-related specialties, but mine is just trash compared to his! Nonsense! Unfair! Too unfair!

Safiro smiled coldly, "Very well, the most remote border island of the empire urgently needs a young and ambitious person to defend it. You will be the Admiral there!"

A white light, and Xuehai Kuangtao disappeared!

The players sighed.

The spotlight flashed, and this time it was on Dafei! My turn?

Safiro said coldly, "What is your ambition?"

Dafei's heart skipped a beat! This guy seems to call out players with similar specialties in a row, so after the Admiral, it's my turn with Storm Sailing! But different people have different fates. I won't go to the remote border island; I want to take on tasks in a port city, earn reputation, and buy a large Galley!

Dafei answered respectfully, "I want to be a maritime merchant and contribute to the prosperity of the empire's commerce."

Safiro said calmly, "Is that so? The most remote border island of the empire urgently needs a young and ambitious person to develop it. You will be the maritime merchant there!"

"Damn!" A white light, and Dafei disappeared!

The scene changed! Blue sea, blue sky, seagulls flying.

— System Prompt: You have arrived at the novice training area, the Island of Miracles!

Then, naturally, there was another person looking around, Xuehai Kuangtao!

(Note: Galley, the most mainstream large ocean-going sailing ship of Western maritime powers from the 16th to the 18th centuries, with 4 masts, 50 meters long, and a displacement of 2,000 tons. It was replaced by steamships after the Industrial Revolution. The ships in the game are designed to be historically accurate.)

Page break for ads

Page break for ads end