I walked through the gate and stopped for a moment, completely stunned.
What I saw was amazing — people wearing shiny armor, some riding strange and strong creatures, and others forming groups right there. Everyone looked ready, confident, and much stronger than me.
Some of them looked at me with sharp eyes. I met their gaze for a second, then looked away and kept walking.
"This… this is where it really starts," I whispered to myself, clenching my fists as I stepped into the First God's Sanctuary.
I stood there, feeling lost among so many bold faces and sharp weapons.
"My first goal should be to increase my ordinary geno points as fast as possible," I muttered, thinking about what to do next. "And if I can find a hyper geno art, that would be even better."
Well, dreaming doesn't costs shit, does it?
That being said, I knew one thing for sure, no one would want to team up with someone like me. I had no armor, no weapon, and nothing that made me look strong.
Here, strength was everything. Life meant little. People killed for food or beast parts without a second thought.
I sighed and looked around, scratching my cheek. "So… which way should I even go now?" I murmured.
The place was crowded — too crowded. People were everywhere, talking, trading, and forming teams. No beast would come near this area. Still, if I went out alone with no plan, I might end up dead before sunset.
"Damn, this is really confusing," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
In the end, I decided to change my plans a bit.
'I guess I should just check how far the story has gone instead of wandering around,' I thought, finally making a decision.
Then I looked through the crowd and noticed a man in a white coat with glasses.
'Perfect,' I thought, taking a deep breath and walking toward him.
I walked up to the man in the white coat. His light brown hair shimmered slightly under the sun as he adjusted his glasses and looked at me with mild curiosity.
"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual. "Do you know anything about Dollar?"
He blinked in surprise but then studied my plain clothes and simple look. After a moment, he nodded to himself.
"Ah, I see. You're new to this shelter," he said with a small smile. "Well, it's not strange. Dollar's become so popular lately that even newcomers want to know about him."
He then glanced around carefully, making sure no one was listening. When he spoke again, his voice dropped to a whisper.
"After he stole the Son of Heaven's prey, the whole shelter went crazy. Everyone's talking about it, and everyone wants to know who Dollar really is."
Then, without me even asking, he went on and on about Dollar — his fights, his skills, his mysterious nature.
'Great,' I thought, half amused. 'I just met a hardcore Dollar fan.'
I couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for him, seeing the passion in his eyes.
Once he paused for a breath, I asked him about other things — like the beginner-level hunting areas and the place we were currently in.
Through his detailed explanations, I learned that this was the Steel Armor Shelter. I wasn't surprised, judging by the information he knew about dollar, I already knew that I spawned in the same shelter as the MC.
When he finally finished talking, I thanked him and turned to leave. But just as I took a few steps, something came to mind. I turned back to look at him.
"Uh, hey," I asked, "I forgot to ask your name ny the way, mind telling me?"
He gave me a faint smile and replied, "It's Su Xiaoqiao."
Hearing that, I nodded, a small grin tugging at my lips, and walked away into the busy crowd.
___
"Can't really believe that guy spared me some time to talk to me," I thought, still a bit amazed.
In most Chinese novels, young masters were shown as arrogant, self-centered, and always looking down on others. Su Xiaoqiao, from what I remembered, was supposed to be one of those rich types too — someone powerful and well-known in the First Shelter. People like him usually didn't bother with newcomers, especially ones who looked as plain and weak as me.
But he didn't act like that at all. Instead, he talked to me normally, explained things with patience, and even shared more information than I asked for. It was strange, in a good way.
I realized that stories and rumors could never capture a person's real nature. What I had read years ago was just a small piece of his image words on a page, not the actual man standing before me.
"Well," I thought with a small smile, "what matters is that he's actually a good guy. And that's all there is to it."
Maybe this world wasn't as predictable as I remembered. Maybe people, even the powerful ones, had more sides to them than just pride and strength.
After hearing everything from Su Xiaoqiao, I started walking toward the nearest area where I could hunt ordinary beasts.
Right now, the only creature I could probably take down was… the Black Beetle.
After about ten minutes of walking, I finally spotted one near a riverbank. It wasn't drinking or doing anything in particular — just standing there quietly, or was he crawling?
I quickly hid behind a tree, trying to avoid him of being aware of my presence.
'Damn, that thing is supposed to be the weakest creature in the First God's Sanctuary. So why am I being so careful?' I thought, crouching behind a bush and watching it closely.
It looked like the beetle was alone. I waited until it turned its back to me, then slowly crept closer.
I had no weapon, so the only way to kill it was to strike it hard enough to damage its insides. The problem was… those shells were tough.
'I could try using my Lightning Punch skill,' I thought, clenching my fist. 'Though I've never really used it before.'
"Let's just give it a try," I muttered under my breath and dashed toward the beetle, closing the small gap between us.
I pictured lightning gathering in my right hand and swung with all my strength, punching the beetle's hard black shell.
A sharp crackling noise filled the air — not from metal, but from something electric. My fist sparked with blue light, tiny bolts dancing across my skin.
Zapp!
Electricity sizzled for a few seconds before fading. I pulled my fist back, feeling the sting of heat in my hand. It was slightly red, but not seriously hurt.
The beetle, on the other hand, didn't even move. Its shell looked completely untouched — not a single crack or mark.
I stared at it for a moment, breathing heavily.
'Figures,' I thought, flexing my sore fingers. 'Of course, it wouldn't be that easy.'
But before I could even think about attacking again, a sudden voice rang in my head, freezing me where I stood.
"Ordinary Black Beetle killed. No beast soul gained. Eat the flesh of the Black Beetle to gain zero to ten geno points randomly."
The words echoed inside my mind, clear and mechanical, like an announcement from nowhere.
For a moment, I couldn't move. My thoughts were a mess — disbelief, confusion, and a hint of excitement all mixing together.
"Did I… did I really kill it with just one attack?" I muttered, staring at my right hand as small sparks of leftover electricity faded from my skin.
I looked back at the beetle's still body lying motionless near the river, its black shell gleaming faintly under the sunlight. There wasn't even a visible wound — yet somehow, it was dead.
A shiver ran through me, "I guess, the lightning punch can really pack quite a punch."