'It actually works!'
Wang Xi's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself:
'Draw!'
As if understanding the command, three balls of white light suddenly appeared in his mind, weaving and circling around each other.
After consuming 100 points of Energy, one of the white balls of light separated from the rest. Its glow intensified, accompanied by a cool female voice:
"Hmph, the nobles of Randall are nothing but a bunch of useless gluttons... Those who look down on me will ultimately pay the price for their arrogance!"
Wang Xi recognized the voice. It belonged to the Iris Knight from the Otherworld, Wendy Barov.
Immediately, specks of light materialized before him, quickly converging into a glowing orb.
Wang Xi held it in his cupped hands. As the light faded, it left behind a palm-sized Card.
It was about the width of four fingers and the length of his palm.
The material was unknown, but it felt quite hard.
The front depicted a short-haired young woman in a simple linen tunic, throwing punch after punch, sweat pouring down like rain.
The back was covered in an irregular white crystalline pattern.
「Hard Training (Function Card)」
「Quality: White One Star (Not-upgradable)」
「A sixteen-year-old girl with unwavering conviction trains arduously, all to pass the selection for Knight's Attendant. That is her first step toward power.」
「Upon use, you will permanently gain a physical enhancement, granting you a Physique Enhancement equivalent to that of Randall's regular army. This Card will disappear after use.」
"A one-time use consumable Card?"
Wang Xi looked at the Universal Card in his hand, a little surprised.
Although he didn't know much, he knew from his original memories that among the many types of Universal Cards, this kind of permanent-enhancement Function Card was quite valuable.
In the Mountain and Sea Federation, they were also incredibly expensive.
'This seems different from the Maze Card Sets of the Main World. It comes from my captures in the Otherworld, a Card that belongs to me and me alone!'
Wang Xi realized his own uniqueness and was secretly delighted. Without hesitation, he chose to use it immediately.
He tried lifting the Card slightly, then focused his will on using it.
Instantly.
With a soft BUZZ,
the Card transformed into a swirling ball of white light that enveloped Wang Xi.
He couldn't help but hum in comfort.
This feeling was more relaxing than a deep-tissue massage.
In less than a dozen seconds, the white light vanished, along with the 「Hard Training」 Card in his hand.
Soon, a look of amazement spread across Wang Xi's face.
He could feel that his body had become stronger and more powerful.
Rolling up his sleeves, he saw that his once-ordinary arms had become more muscular, their contours well-defined.
He lifted his pajama top and saw his one-pack had turned into a six-pack, his figure even starting to take on a V-shape.
He pulled open the waistband of his pants for a peek—
Well, damn!
"No improvement at all!"
He shook his head in disappointment, released his thumb, and the waistband snapped back with a THWAP.
"But overall, it's not bad. At least I've got some of my old flair back from my past life."
Wang Xi bounced on the spot a few times, did a little shuffle like a boxer, bobbed his head, and started throwing punches left and right.
His form wasn't perfect, but the WHOOSHING sound of his fists cutting through the air was real.
He was quite satisfied with this.
With a strong body, he now had the capital he needed.
"This is all the result of my 'Hard Training'!"
Wang Xi exclaimed, hands on his hips.
In his past life, he'd actually spent a lot of time at the gym and was very self-disciplined. After all, a fit and handsome appearance was a secret weapon for picking up girls.
Very few girls could resist the allure of a six-pack.
"Again! I've got one more!"
Wang Xi rubbed his hands together and once again issued a command to Kaos in his mind.
Another 100 Energy was consumed, and the two remaining orbs of light began to spin rapidly. Soon, one of them broke away, bursting with light.
Wendy's voice followed, a thoughtful tone woven into her words:
"That Sword Master traveling from the Dunkel Duchy once said that a Swordsman, in pursuit of agility, should not wield a shield, but use their longsword as one..."
An orb of light appeared before Wang Xi, and he caught it in one hand.
「Iris Flower Swordsmanship·Parry (Skill Card)」
「Quality: White One Star (Upgradable)」
「A sword technique comprehended by the twenty-four-year-old Female Knight after receiving guidance from a traveling Sword Master. She later used this technique to emerge unscathed from an ambush of more than a dozen crossbows.」
「Upon use, you can parry attacks with a longsword or a rod-shaped object, deflecting their force to defend yourself.」
"A Swordsmanship technique?"
Wang Xi held the Card, lost in thought.
"A defense-oriented Passive Skill..."
He didn't plan on saving it, so he used it right away.
With a faint BUZZ, the Card turned into white light and merged with his body.
Wang Xi glanced around, then grabbed a bouncy ball toy from the table and threw it hard against the wall.
SWOOSH—THWACK!
The yellow, baby-fist-sized bouncy ball shot back at extreme speed, leaving an afterimage in its wake.
After his Physique enhancement, Wang Xi's full-force throw could turn the simple toy ball into something that would leave a nasty bruise.
In a flash, as if he had been practicing Swordsmanship for two and a half years, he instinctively grabbed a magazine from the table, rolled it into a stick, and blocked with a backhand motion.
The moment the ball hit the paper stick, his wrist flicked with impossible grace. The ball deflected at a ninety-degree angle, ricocheting around the room with a series of CLACKS before finally landing on his bed with a soft THUD, where it came to rest in the quilt.
"Not bad."
Wang Xi put down the magazine, satisfied.
He walked slowly to the bed, silently retrieved the bouncy ball from the quilt, and then neatly refolded the messy, indented bedding, smoothing out the wrinkled sheets.
Although his parents had passed away over a decade ago, the Wang Xi from before his Awakening had always kept this room clean, just as it was when they were still around.
Now that he had Awakened, he had no intention of breaking this "rule." In his eyes, even though the parents of this world were strangers, they were still the benefactors who had given him a second life.
They deserved his respect.
…
…
Wang Xi went to the kitchen, took out the last half-carton of yogurt and some dried fruit from the fridge, mixed them together, and ate it for breakfast.
Just as he finished, his phone rang.
A blast of cheesy electronic music made him frown. Wang Xi quickly answered, and a sweet female voice came from the other end:
"Hello, am I speaking with Mr. Wang Xi?"
"Speaking."
"Yes, this is the HR department of 'Cupid Housekeeping.' I'm calling to officially inform you that you have been hired. Please come to the company before nine o'clock tomorrow morning with the relevant documents to complete the onboarding process."
Wang Xi froze for a moment.
Cupid Housekeeping?
Only then did he remember that he was now a recent graduate. Before his memories Awakened, he had sent his resume to "Cupid Housekeeping" and completed several rounds of interviews.
Wang Xi's university major was "Disaster Warning and Monster Materials Science." Unfortunately, he hadn't inherited his parents' excellent genes, lacked any talent for scientific research, and his grades were a complete mess.
While his classmates were successfully defending their theses, he was just a pile of crap.
Others graduated; he nearly dropped out.
If his professor hadn't taken pity on him, Wang Xi probably wouldn't have even received his diploma. This led to difficulties in finding a job, and he ended up unemployed for the better part of a year.
In this post-disaster era of reconstruction, with everything waiting to be rebuilt, there should have been plenty of jobs. But with the development of Maze Technology, the Mountain and Sea Federation had become fiercely competitive and increasingly elitist.
A recent graduate like Wang Xi, who lacked ability but had high standards, could only stay home unemployed.
Fortunately, just as his savings were about to run out and he was worrying about it, a former colleague and friend of his father heard about his situation and recommended him to "Cupid Housekeeping."
Wang Xi knew very well that he'd been hired largely because of that researcher, "Uncle" Tang Yi.
After all, Cupid Housekeeping wasn't really a housekeeping company. It was actually a semi-official enterprise established specifically to deal with "disasters."
Its main business included pre-disaster warning, disseminating disaster prevention knowledge, temporary traffic planning, assisting the Defense Team, and post-disaster cleanup and reconstruction.
The Mountain and Sea Federation had a supreme special agency dedicated to dealing with Mazes and disasters, named the "Overlook Bureau."
Cupid Housekeeping was one of the many companies supervised by the "Overlook Bureau."
Joining Cupid Housekeeping wasn't the same as becoming a civil servant, but it was equivalent to being an employee of a state-owned enterprise, with excellent benefits.
"Okay, thank you. I understand."
Wang Xi replied politely, holding his phone.
After hanging up, the first thing he did was change his ringtone from the cheesy electronic music to some classical instrumental piece.
Wang Xi rolled his eyes. 'Who would've thought my old taste was this bad?'
…
…
「The next day.」
Wang Xi woke up early, cleaned himself up, and changed into a cheap suit he had only worn once for his graduation ceremony before heading out.
He was short on cash, with less than a thousand Credit Points left, so he chose to take the maglev railcar.
Credit Points were the currency of the Mountain and Sea Federation, and payments could be made via mobile phone, which was quite similar to his previous life.
Their purchasing power was a bit lower, however.
For example, his ride on the maglev railcar cost 15 Credit Points.
The railcar's function was similar to a subway, but the ride experience was more like a high-speed train. The entire journey was smooth, with almost no noise.
Its power source was said to be the "Ether Battery." It was jointly developed by the Maze Research Institute and various Consortium Laboratories, and its raw material was extracted from "Ethereal Crystals" produced in the Mazes.
This energy source was far more sustainable than fossil fuels, more efficient in converting to electrical power, and much safer than nuclear energy.
Across the Five Great Countries, "Ether Energy" had become mainstream, and it was trending toward replacing the energy sources of the old era.
WHOOSH—
The maglev railcar sped through the city.
The passengers on board were a motley crew of students and office workers.
Wang Xi sat in a window seat in the middle of the car, one elbow resting on the sill, his chin lazily propped on his arm, watching the streetscape flash by outside.
Between the skyscrapers, various flying vehicles and machines zipped past from time to time. He could even occasionally spot human figures gliding through the air.
A look of wonder flashed in his eyes.
But he soon shook his head and pulled his gaze away.
This was a world where Extraordinary Power existed.
People flying was nothing strange.
"Hey! Look at this news! There was a disaster in the Rust Belt yesterday!"
Just then, a young woman standing in front of Wang Xi exclaimed. She held out her phone to her companions.
They were a group of girls in matching uniforms: white shirts, long black skirts, and a circular cross-shaped badge pinned to their chests. they looked like high school students.
The girls huddled together, gasping as they looked at the phone screen.
"A blue alert? Even the Defense Team was deployed? That's terrifying! The whole street is destroyed..."
"How many people died?"
"They haven't finished counting, but the comments say at least several hundred. Some survivors from the Rust Belt even replied that the situation is worse than they thought!"
"Oh my god!"
The schoolgirls chattered amongst themselves.
Hearing this, many office workers took out their phones to check, and their expressions all changed. A few elderly people showed looks of sorrow, closing their eyes and sighing softly.
Wang Xi also silently took out his phone, found the relevant report, and began to read it in detail.
The first thing he saw was a large, clear picture.
It was a scene of a collapsed and ruined street, with entire rows of houses twisted and deformed. The surfaces of the walls, however, looked as if they had been coated in a thick layer of paint, covered in a multicolored substance.
There were also figures of people frozen in place, scattered throughout the street like statues, their expressions locked in their final moments.
Their bodies were also encased in that same colorful substance, looking utterly bizarre.
Wang Xi's brow furrowed as he scrolled through the report.
One section read:
"According to information released by the Overlook Bureau, the disaster has been preliminarily determined to have originated from the Fairy Tales series Maze, codenamed Spades ♤2, 「Sugar Witch」."
"Disaster Type: Legion."
"Disaster Level: Regional Seal (Blue)."
He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
This was a world of the extraordinary.
And at the same time, a dangerous one...