Chapter 2: Chapter 2

That one looked more like an inanimate object. Mu Ying picked up a stick and poked at the glowing orb.

The moment the stick touched the thing inside, the light vanished, and a square wooden plaque fell to the ground with a snap.

Mu Ying picked it up and read: “× Lord’s Order.”

The writing wasn’t Chinese, but the universal language Shi Yin had once taught her. She could speak it, but wasn’t great at reading—she could only make out the last two characters. Other than that, she couldn’t decipher much.

Just then, a nauseating stench of rot wafted over. Mu Ying frowned and turned around—the smell was coming from the humanoid orb.

Based on what the electronic voice had said earlier about distributing player qualifications and survival supplies, if she matched them up, the survival supply must be the Lord’s Order. But could the “player qualification” possibly be this stinking zombie?

Yes, a zombie. Judging by the stench and the rotting flesh, it was the spitting image of the zombies from the Resident Evil movies of her previous life.

The zombie twisted and writhed inside the glowing orb, which seemed to restrain it. But the light was thinning at a visible rate—it wouldn’t be long before it broke free.

Mu Ying looked out across the distant mountain path. Sure enough, every hiker had a conspicuous humanoid orb beside them, like flecks of gold among a swarm of ants.

No time to hesitate. Mu Ying took a deep breath, held it, circled behind the zombie, drew her kitchen knife, and aimed for its neck, swinging hard.

The moment the blade struck the zombie’s neck, the orb’s light faded completely. Luckily, the zombie’s neck was surprisingly fragile—or maybe she’d just swung with all her might—because she chopped halfway through in one blow.

Its head lolled even further, now hanging by just a pinky’s width of flesh. But the electronic voice that followed told her the zombie was dead.

【Player qualification acquired】

【Logging into Apocalypse Game...】

【Login successful】

【Player Handbook issued. Please check it yourself.】

【This game is developed by the Metaverse World Management Center. Final interpretation rights belong to the developer.】

A thin booklet appeared before her.

Fortunately, she was alone on this stretch of mountain trail—no other meteors had landed nearby, so there was no immediate danger. Mu Ying curiously opened the Player Handbook.

Aside from the cover, the handbook had only five thin pages. Each page had five protruding tab labels: Adventure Log, Character Attributes, Spell List, Item Identification, and World Forum.

You could swipe through each page. Rather than a real booklet, it was more like a system panel with five interfaces, just disguised as a book.

She could read all the text—it was in the universal language. But strangely, even words she’d never learned before were now familiar, as if she’d suddenly become fluent at level eight.

Only the first page, “Adventure Log,” could be opened. Everything the electronic voice had said so far was recorded there, along with some other information.

...

【You have obtained the Lord’s Order. Please choose a suitable location to establish your territory.】

...

【You killed 1 zombie. Gained: 1 kill experience, 3 copper coins.】

Mu Ying’s gaze fell on the glowing orb drifting up from the zombie’s corpse. Sure enough, inside were three copper coins.

【For being among the first ten to open the panel, you gain 1 free attribute point.】

【As a half-elf, you may choose +1 to either Perception or Charisma. You also gain 1 free attribute point.】

Half-elf? This so-called apocalypse game even changes your race?

Mu Ying found it odd, and the more she read, the stranger it got.

【As a player, you have acquired the universal language.】

【As a half-elf, you have gained an additional language: Elvish.】

So she hadn’t misread it—it really was the universal language. Mu Ying was full of questions. Why was the game’s language the universal language? Could Shi Yin be connected to this game?

She already knew some universal language, but the entirely new Elvish gave her an even deeper impression.

When she tried to recall, she realized knowledge of this language had just appeared in her mind out of nowhere. It was like having a translator installed in her brain, able to convert Chinese into Elvish. But Elvish pronunciation was much more complex than the universal language, and speaking it fluently would take more practice.

She was sure she’d never studied this language before. She couldn’t help but sigh, “If only Shi Yin could have learned Chinese this way! He can only manage daily conversation now and barely recognizes any characters. But with this game, he’ll never have to worry about language barriers again.”

She kept reading.

【Player attribute scan complete. Your attributes are: Strength 8, Constitution 10, Agility 11, Intelligence 12, Perception 14, Charisma 11 (average adult human attribute is 10)】

【Based on your attributes, your recommended professions, in order of compatibility, are: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Warlock, Ranger, Bard, Rogue, Paladin, Warrior...】

【Please read the attribute descriptions carefully and choose your profession accordingly.】

Mu Ying skimmed through the folded attribute information.

【Strength represents muscle power and physical strength. Especially important for Barbarians, Warriors, Paladins, Rangers, and Monks.】

【Agility represents hand-eye coordination, bodily flexibility, reflexes, and balance. Crucial for Rogues. Barbarians, Rangers, Monks, Mages, Warlocks, and aspiring archers also need high Agility.】

【Constitution represents health and endurance. It determines HP and is important for all classes.】

【Intelligence represents learning and reasoning ability. Vital for spellcasters like Mages. Mana, spell resistance, and spell power are all tied to Intelligence.】

【Perception represents willpower, common sense, sensitivity, and intuition—how well a character senses and harmonizes with their surroundings. It’s the most important attribute for Clerics and Druids, and also important for Paladins and Rangers.】

【Charisma represents personality, persuasiveness, leadership, and physical appeal. It’s a strength of character, not just social skill. Most important for Paladins, Warlocks, and Bards.】

Judging by the attribute descriptions, her strongest stat was Perception—making Druid and Cleric the best fits, though the other professions weren’t out of reach.

There were eleven professions in total. Mu Ying started reading about the Druid, the one most compatible with her, and the more she read, the more intrigued she became.

Druids and Clerics were both divine spellcasters, but Clerics drew power from personified gods, while Druids drew from nature itself.

Druids gained strength by communing with nature, and their spells were nature-based. They were closer to nature and animals. Their healing was slightly weaker than Clerics, but they had stronger offensive spells, fewer spells than Mages, but with healing and shapeshifting abilities, and were tougher than Mages.

Their special features: at level 1, they got an animal companion; at level 5, they could shapeshift into animals. Their abilities covered tanking, healing, ranged magic, and melee—truly a jack-of-all-trades.

In a real game, that would mean being good at everything but not the best at anything. But in reality, it meant no glaring weaknesses and a higher chance of survival.

After all, this world had suddenly shifted from a modern urban novel to an apocalyptic game. The Druid’s versatility gave her a strong sense of security.

Plus, with her mysterious green thumb and love of forests, she ultimately chose to become a proud Druid.

After confirming her profession, since attribute points couldn’t be used consecutively and required time to absorb, Mu Ying allocated her half-elf racial bonus (+1 to Perception or Charisma) to Perception.

Unlike learning a language, the increase in attributes was much more noticeable. She felt the world become much clearer—her vision seemed sharper, and her mind more alert.