Chapter 2: Aetheria's Reward

[Aetheria has arrived on Planet Earth]

[As the dominant species that rules the entire planet, you will be rewarded]

[you will be temporarily transported to receive your reward.]

…

Without warning, the screen-like interface materialized, prompting Jin Tianyi to halt his preparations for battle against the trio.

A searing blaze of pure white radiance erupted abruptly, momentarily disorienting and bewildering him and other people.

In the fleeting seconds after the dazzling glare faded away, he responded with alacrity, his mind racing and his musculature convulsing with vigor.

When his feeble eyes finally opened, they widened in astonishment at the spectacle that greeted them. Instead of the vivid, prismatic hues of the discotheque's environment, he was encircled by a profound and impenetrable void.

Radiant objects that resembled astral bodies shimmered and floated about him, engendering an ethereal and surreal landscape akin to a reverie.

Despite the darkness, he could perceive with crystal-clear clarity.

Despite being baffled by this unknown situation, his training as a security guard kicked in, and he instinctively assessed his surroundings.

"What's going on here?"

He scanned the surrounding area with his black eyes, which were partially obscured by his messy hair. Eventually, his gaze settled on a blurry shadow not far from him.

A sudden cold breeze passed over his skin, causing him to tense up as he spotted the shadow.

But as he tried to move, he realized that the shadow was also moving in sync with him. "It's me?" he questioned, moving a part of his body and feeling his tense shoulder relax slightly.

He examined his body after confirming his identity and assessing his surroundings.

"Vision clear, clothes, my weapon, no one is missing," he muttered to himself.

Before he could finish his thoughts, a game-like screen suddenly appeared in his vision. Unlike before, he didn't seem as surprised or tense, as he realized there was no immediate danger.

[What is your opinion on humans?]

"What's my opinion?" He squinted his eyes and looked at the hovering screen before him, with many answers popping up in his mind.

However, they were not related to the current question, such as what the screen was and how it suddenly appeared.

After reasoning with his logic, he came to the conclusion that the screen looked like one that usually appears in many video games.

He wasn't dumb enough to not know what a video game was; he had played an MMORPG game before, or at least he had tried.

But he gave up because he didn't have the time or money to grind for equipment or buy special items.

He had no time to play, as he could barely afford to feed himself and pay for his studies, let alone spend money on games.

"'Aetheria has entered planet Earth,' a screen like a game, then the next should be..." he muttered to himself. However, as he muttered, another screen suddenly popped up on his view with two clear options.

[Is that your answer? Yes or No?]

"No," he answered firmly and the screen before him faded away, leaving only the main question still hovering in his view.

He began to consider if he was in some kind of simulation or game. Recently, there had been hot rumors about combining AI with AR technology.

Was the government planning to use the lives of millions of citizens as test subjects? Or was this some kind of alien technology attempting to invade the human brain?

He remained skeptical and that was why he didn't answer immediately. Who knew what would happen the moment he answered?

He felt uncertain about what might happen next, even the possibility of becoming an alien seemed plausible.

However, he had already answered no, yet he felt no changes in his body or his surroundings. What had happened?

[You have 30 seconds left to answer.]

But the next notification forced him to come out of his safe zone. It seemed impossible to manipulate this temporary space and wait for the government to rescue him.

Given limited time, humans often make hasty decisions. He was the same, but besides that, somehow he had a gut feeling that if he didn't answer the question, he would regret it forever.

His eyes slowly closed as he tried to breathe in the air in this space, but it seemed there was nothing? However, the thought in his mind was too compelling, and he found himself taking a deep breath, which helped to calm his inner turmoil.

"Humans can be selfish and greedy. They prioritize their own needs and desires without considering the impact on others," Jin answered with calmness, but a faint image of his eyes showing disdain flashed for a moment.

[Why do you think humans are selfish and greedy? Can you give any examples?]

Without giving him any chance to breathe, a follow-up question replaced the previous screen. However, Jin was prepared, as he had already expected this series of questions.

"Humans are selfish and greedy because they only care about themselves. They are always trying to get ahead and accumulate wealth, even if it means exploiting others.

"Look at the way we treat the environment and each other - we engage in destructive behaviors like pollution and deforestation, and we don't care about the impact it has on other species."

After giving a long answer, he felt his throat and lips become dry. He couldn't help but try to swallow his saliva and blink his eyes.

Reflecting on his answer, he nodded in approval. The answer was not forced or templated - like how the young lady had mocked him - it really came from his heart.

[How do you think animals differ from humans in terms of their relationship with nature?]

As soon as the question appeared, the answer already appeared in his mind, as smooth as water sailing in the deep of the ocean.

"Animals are more in tune with their natural instincts and environment.

"They don't try to dominate or control nature in the way that humans often do, and they don't engage in destructive behaviors like pollution and deforestation."

As he answered, the screen faded. He let out a sigh, then took a deep breath to prepare for the next question.

However, ten seconds passed, and there was no other question. After one minute passed, he began to think his answer might be wrong.

Just as the negative thought traveled deeper into his mind, the awaited screen finally showed up.

[Can you give an example of an animal that embodies these traits?]

Huh?

Like a lightning strike that froze his brain, he was stunned by the question. It caught him off guard as he never expected this kind of question to show up.

"Animal…" he muttered. There were so many animals to choose from, but which one should he give as an answer?

As he was about to answer with multiple animals, something clicked in his mind, giving him a clear and firm answer that kept repeating like an alluring voice in his head.

"Tigers are solitary animals that are able to survive and thrive on their own.

"They do not rely on others for support or protection, and they are able to adapt to changing circumstances in their environment."

[All of the questions have been answered.]

[Calculating and determining your reward based on your answers...]

Looking at the screen, he thought he would have to wait much longer like before, but just as he blinked his eyes, the screen faded and was replaced by rows game-like screens that appeared in his view simultaneously.

[You possess the bearing of a tiger!]

[New passive skill acquired: Uncrowned King!]

[New passive skill acquired: Resilience of the Tiger!]

[New passive skill acquired: Bloodthirst!]

[New passive skill acquired: Feral Hunger!]

"Wow!" he exclaimed, his eyes reflecting the dazzling display of stars as he was overwhelmed by the sudden row of screens.

His heart raced as he looked at each screen one by one, but he was shocked to find that almost all of them were passive skills.

"This…" his expression displaying doubt and confusion. Although it looked like he had acquired many skills, all of them were actually passive skills.

He didn't know whether to be happy or not; based on his past experiences, passive skills usually couldn't be clicked on in the game and were often useless.

"No, I shouldn't judge these skills by their appearance. Let's take a look at this first."

Maybe because he had been away from gaming for a long time, his mind had become narrow and dull.

He was almost about to dismiss these skills as useless without even looking at the descriptions.

"Well, passive income is better than active income, right?" he thought, trying to reassure himself.

Just as he was about to check the skill descriptions, all of the screens faded away.

[The reward has been distributed.]

[You will be sent back to the real world in 5...]

[4…]

[3…]

[2…]

[1…]

Jin didn't have time to react as his vision was once again blinded by the glaring light.

…

Back in the Luminous Sky Lounge, countless white lights filled the entire bar, as if someone had cast a summoning spell. Jin, who had just been sent back into the real world, opened his eyes

"What just happened?"

"Are you okay, Gao'er?" someone asked, concerned.

Everyone was confused and looked at each other, checking their bodies before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"Did we just get sent to another dimension?" someone asked.

"Is this some kind of government experiment?"

Many were dumbfounded. At that moment, a vibration caught them off guard, causing them to fall. But the next moment, they suddenly found themselves in an empty space.

As they tried to sort out their thoughts, a familiar game-like screen resurfaced on their view, making some of them look excited while the majority were more confused.

However, no one noticed at this time that Jin, who was frozen on the spot, had reddened skin and protruding veins.

His once-flat and dull jaw slowly sharpened, and his thin and faint eyebrows became bolder. His black eyes slowly changed color to orange amber.

The human pupil unknowingly turned into a slit. His bearing no longer resembled an average guy, but instead a handsome young man with a dangerous and mysterious temperament.

…

However, Jin himself was frozen for almost a full minute. His mind went blank, and he only felt pain before finally regaining consciousness.

Gasping and covered in sweat, Jin looked around warily, only to see everyone else busily looking at the empty air before them.

Seeing that everyone else was fine while he was the only one covered in sweat, without a doubt something had happened to him.

But he pushed aside that anomalous situation and followed their actions.

Looking at the sight before him, Jin found a screen that displayed his information, or rather, a game-like status screen with his name on it.

[

Name: Jin Tianyi

Class: -

Level: 0

Race: Human

Health: 24.72/24.72

Mana/Stamina: 20/20

Attributes: Strength: 6 | Agility: 7 | Intelligence: 5 | Dexterity: 8 | Luck: 20 | Charisma: 20

]

As he read his information on the screen, he was baffled when his eyes landed on the attribute.

"My Luck and Charisma are that high?" he muttered in a low voice.

The screen, as he guessed, really looked like a game screen, or to be precise, a character screen in an MMORPG/RPG game.

Thus, he wasn't as confused looking at the numbers and strange names.

Suddenly, just as Jin and everyone else began to read their information on the screen, the front door, six seats away or where Jin originally sat, was forcefully blasted backward.

A cloud of dust and broken chairs were stacked up, blocking people's vision for a moment.

The blast was too sudden, and the next moment, Jin, who was unguarded, became the direct target and was slammed into the wall behind him, blasting from the middle of the bar to the corner of the bar.

"W-what the hell just happened?" someone exclaimed.

Everyone was stunned, their eyes trying to find the unlucky guy who was just caught in the collision for a moment.

But when they looked back at the door, trying to find the culprit, a swarm of bats with a horrifying cry entered.

At the same time, a familiar screen appeared before everyone's view.