Whoosh!
A soft sound echoed, followed by an arrow slicing through the air. It drew a graceful arc before severing a thumb-thick branch from the locust tree in the distance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the branch fell, three more soft sounds followed, and three arrows arrived almost simultaneously, intercepting the falling branch in the air, precisely splitting it into four pieces.
"From seventy meters away, this could rival an Olympic athlete in the previous world, too bad..."
The speaker was a young hunter, appearing to be about fifteen or sixteen. His skin was dark, his frame lean, with thick eyebrows and large eyes giving off an impression of honesty, but a closer look into his eyes would reveal a strong sense of discord.
The youth held an old-looking horn bow, well-maintained, with a shining finish. His right arm still trembled, clearly showing that those four arrows had taken a considerable toll on him.
"System."
The young man silently recited, and in the next moment, a semi-transparent panel appeared before his eyes.
Host: Zhong Lin
Skill: Bow Technique (Full Level)
Skill Points: ∞
The panel was simplistic with just three lines, lacking any categories like "Power, Speed, Intelligence", and no "Realm" divisions, resembling a Syrian-style minimalistic design.
The youth's name was Zhong Lin, a time traveler who died crossing against traffic rules on an electric scooter, crushed by a dump truck. Upon waking, he found himself in the body of another young hunter also named Zhong Lin.
Through the residual memories of his predecessor, he learned that this world resembled an ancient version of his former world, Huaxia. The village he lived in was called Lower River Village, under the jurisdiction of Black Mountain County, and beyond that, he knew nothing more. After all, it was impossible to expect a youth who had never left Lower River Village to know much else.
In the memories, the village had suffered a drought, with no rain for three whole months, leading to barren fields and a food shortage at home. Even the beasts in the nearby mountains had moved deeper due to the drought. Desperate, his predecessor ventured further into the mountains to hunt and encountered a bear, fell down a slope in panic, and then was replaced by Zhong Lin from Earth.
Fortunately, the time traveler's essential Golden Finger had also awakened in Zhong Lin. Especially upon seeing the "∞" symbol on the system panel, Zhong Lin couldn't contain his excitement.
"∞" is a mathematical symbol, something taught in high school, representing "infinity".
The infinity symbol wasn't special, nor were "Skill Points". What was remarkable was their combination, signifying infinite Skill Points.
What are Skill Points?
Anyone who has played games or read system novels knows that with enough Skill Points, a simple click could bring instant prowess.
Filled with excitement, Zhong Lin immediately maxed out the innate "Bow Technique" skill of his predecessor, which led to the arrow-shooting display with branches at the beginning.
A nearly hundred-meter distance was all it took to shoot off a thumb-thick branch, further splitting it into four as it fell.
Such Bow Technique was almost divine, akin to the legendary Yang Youji.
But Zhong Lin soon realized the downside of the system panel, understanding that skill training never just included technical prowess—it also required physical conditioning.
A shooter possessing such divine Bow Technique couldn't be entirely exhausted after just four arrows.
Reality wasn't a game; it didn't balance by making shooters high offense and low defense.
In reality, every archer was also adept at close combat. After all, even the famous Guan Yu once served as a cavalry archer.
"I thought it was Deep Blue level up, but it just adds experience."
Zhong Lin sighed with some regret.
"Who knows what kind of world this is—my predecessor was just a country boy, limited to the view of Lower River Village, with no idea of even the dynasty, let alone anything else."
Zhong Lin sat in place to rest, frequently pummeling his right arm to relieve fatigue. It took half an hour for his arm to barely recover its strength.
He got up to retrieve the four arrows. With only five arrows in his quiver in total, these were his predecessor's entire possessions; losing even one would be heart-wrenching.
After resting for half a day, once his arm had roughly recovered, Zhong Lin packed up his hunted prey and prepared to return.
One pheasant, two rabbits, and a roe deer.
This was a bounty that was quite abundant, something his predecessor could never have achieved. However, with the aid of full-level archery, it was effortless.
He moved swiftly, reaching the edge of Black Mountain by sunset.
Lower River Village was named for its proximity to a river. There was an Upper River Village upstream, but due to the drought, the river had dried up. "Living by the mountain for resources, living by the water for livelihood." In farming seasons, they farmed, and in leisure times, they hunted in the mountains. But due to the drought, even game had moved deeper into Black Mountain, making hunting more difficult and dangerous. If not for the severe lack of grain at home, his predecessor wouldn't have risked venturing within, thus being replaced by Zhong Lin.
Stepping into the village at sunset, Zhong Lin strolled in.
"Big... Big Lin, you... you're not dead?"
"Uncle Zhang! Blessed by the Mountain God, I chased the beast off course, and it took a long time to bring it down."
While speaking, Zhong Lin deliberately shook the roe deer on his shoulder, a smug smile intentionally plastered on his face.
"Ah! What a large roe deer. It should last half a month! It's good you're fine. Everyone thought you were dead after disappearing into the mountains for three days. Hurry home and check!"
Uncle Zhang's eyes dodged even as he spoke, seeming as though he wanted to say something but stopped halfway.
Zhong Lin's face changed, not lingering, as he stepped towards his family's yard.
Even from a distance, he saw villagers coming and going in his yard. A bamboo pole stood at the entrance with a white cloth banner, a sign of mourning only displayed for the deceased.
Zhong Lin's sudden appearance left the previously cheerful villagers frozen in place.
"Big... Big Lin, you're not dead?"
"Big Lin is back? How's that possible? Wasn't he said to have fallen off a cliff and died?"
"Three days in Black Mountain, and he still returned alive?"
Shocked at first, a wave of awkwardness then washed over the villagers in his home, each avoiding eye contact with Zhong Lin.
Expressionless, Zhong Lin pushed past the villagers and went inside. His always quiet yard was now teeming with half the village, a large stove built with clay in the center, livid flames still burning beneath a large iron pot exuding aromas.
Zhong Lin glanced again at the eaves' beams, which should have been adorned with hanging smoked meat and grains, now empty.