New Eridu, Waifei Peninsula.
A secluded little courtyard.
[Beep! Congratulations, Host, for completing "Sprint." Store Points +1.]
[Beep! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the achievement "Double Bolt." Attribute Points +2, Skill Points +2, Store Points +2.]
"Phew..."
Hearing the familiar notification chime in his mind, Arden let out a breath, finishing the round-trip sprint portion of his morning training.
There was still one week left before the disciple assessment of Yunkui Summit. In these last few days, sharpening the spear right before battle—even if it doesn't shine, it still glints.
Splaash~!
Arden returned to the house, entered the bathroom, turned the valve, and let the warm shower wash away the sweat on his body.
[Beep! Congratulations, Host, for completing one "Shower." Attribute Point +1.]
After finishing the shower, the system prompt surfaced once again in his mind.
"....."
Ignoring the system message, Arden looked at his reflection in the mirror.
A face in his early twenties—somewhat handsome, and with a great physique.
"Sigh~! It's been almost ten years since I crossed over, huh..."
When Arden Xu transmigrated into the world of Zenless Zone Zero, it happened right as the Old Capital fell. Back then, he was only a twelve-year-old brat. If he hadn't awakened the [Everything-Can-Be-Charged System], he probably would've died on day one inside the rapidly expanding Hollows.
The [Everything-Can-Be-Charged System]: as long as he "charged," he could grow stronger—whether by magical charging or physical charging; sprinting, showering, going to the restroom, surfing the web... even charging money in mobile games.
Traditional meaning, or its special connotations—everything made him stronger.
Creak...
Just as Arden was recalling the events after his transmigration, the bathroom door slid open. A cute little head poked in through the crack.
"Brother Arden, breakfast is ready!"
Ju Fufu—the little Tiger Thiren girl whom Arden had saved during the Fall of the Old Capital.
The two had depended on each other for nearly ten years in Waifei Peninsula, and Ju Fufu had grown into an adorable young lady.
Whoosh~!
Hearing the familiar voice, Arden flicked his towel as he turned around, splashing Ju Fufu with a faceful of used water.
"You're too old to be peeking!"
"Ow~!"
Her head jerked back, and Ju Fufu shook the droplets from her hair, then twitched her round tiger ears like a feline. Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster—the very picture of indignation.
"What are you even embarrassed for? Didn't we bathe together all the time when we were kids?"
"You do know that was when we were kids!"
Arden's voice echoed from the bathroom. "Keep being this careless, and you'll have trouble getting married someday!"
"Hmph! As if!"
Their bickering was basically part of daily life.
.....
Fully dressed, Arden stepped out of the bathroom and approached the dining table.
Pa!
Ju Fufu slammed a plate of rice balls in front of Arden. It seemed her irritation from being splashed hadn't fully dissipated yet.
From the food, the customs, and the dialect, Arden Xu couldn't help feeling like he had arrived somewhere around China rather than in Waifei Peninsula—but the ever-looming Lemnian Hollow reminded him constantly that this was New Eridu under an apocalyptic crisis, and not some peaceful paradise.
"Mmhm mhm! Hurry up and eat. We still have commissions to finish later." Ju Fufu reminded him while eating breakfast.
"Yeah, I know."
Arden nodded, then carefully picked up a rice ball and put it into his mouth. Nom~~!
Whether it was due to the joint recruitment between the local factions of New Eridu or because Yunkui Summit was financially strained, the registration fee for the assessment was actually one million Dennies per person.
Converted at a 1:500 ratio, that was two thousand—extremely expensive for an exam fee.
Therefore, to cover this extra expense, the two who lived off completing commissions had no choice but to push themselves harder.
And so—someone might ask: since Arden Xu had a system, why did he still need to learn from a master?
"Status!"
Arden Xu called out to summon his status screen.
[Name: Arden Xu]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 22]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 100]
[Endurance: 100]
[Mana: 100]
[Skills: Arhat Fist (Master) / Torrent Swordsmanship (Master)]
[Attribute Points: 225]
[Skill Points: 78]
[Store Points: 23]
[Quest: [Charge the Master, Rebel as Disciple] (Completion allows "Attribute Breakthrough" and "Skill Cap Removal"; Store unlocks higher-tier item stock. Breakthrough and Item Tier depends on the "Skill Level" of the Master.)]
.....
That's right—although the [Everything-Can-Be-Charged System] allowed Arden to grow stronger, he had already reached a bottleneck. Only by completing the [Charge the Master] quest could he break through, and the new upper limit would refer to the skill level of the master.
Thus, after seeing the joint recruitment ad on TV, Arden Xu locked onto his target for the quest with Yixuan, the sect leader of Yunkui Summit.
Tall, fair, beautiful, cold—and possessing the strength of a Void Hunter. It was undoubtable that anyone in New Eridu could surpass Yixuan in "skill level."
Arden was determined to complete this [Charge the Master, Rebel as Disciple] quest!
.....
After a satisfying breakfast, Arden and Ju Fufu prepared to leave to meet their client.
"Wait, I need to use the restroom first."
Once she said that, Ju Fufu rushed into the toilet and began relieving herself.
Splaash splaash...
After a stream of suggestive water sounds, Ju Fufu prepared to stand and clean up.
Click...
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Arden walked in.
He moved with lightning speed—one hand slamming the flush button, the other ripping off toilet paper before Ju Fufu could, then offering it to her.
"Here."
[Beep! Congratulations, Host, for completing one "Toilet Flush." Skill Point +1.]
As a side note, only meaningful "charging" granted rewards. Random flushing didn't count—someone had to finish using the toilet.
"...."
Ju Fufu froze mid-motion, her brain seemingly blue-screening.
"Want me to help you?"
As he spoke, Arden reached out as if to assist.
"No!"
Ju Fufu finally snapped out of it. She hurriedly blocked him, her cheeks flushing rapidly.
"I'll do it myself! Get out!"
She snatched the toilet paper and used her other hand to push Arden Xu out.
"Heh!"
Feeling the tiger-like strength from Ju Fufu, Arden let out a triumphant chuckle. "What are you embarrassed about? Didn't I always help wiping your butt when you were a kid?"
"You do know we were littl—"
Halfway through the sentence, Ju Fufu realized something was wrong.
This scene—and this conversation—had just happened earlier in the bathroom. Only the roles were reversed.
"You're... getting revenge?"
Ju Fufu had fully realized it.
"Hehehe!"
Arden laughed even more smugly.
Returning a favor with a favor—exactly. "Fufu, you should know, I'm very committed to gender equality."
"Hmph!"
Hearing this, Ju Fufu let out a dissatisfied hmph, then resorted to shamelessness. "Get out... You're older, so you should let me off!"
"Ah~~! Right, right!"
Even with attribute boosts, Arden Xu's physical strength still couldn't beat a Thiren. He was pushed out of the restroom.