A jolt, sharp and disorienting, ripped through what felt like my very being. One moment, I was… where was I? The memory was hazy, like a half-forgotten dream. Something about a late-night read, a sudden surge of electricity… and then, this.
My eyes snapped open, greeted not by the familiar glow of my reading lamp, but by a sky of an alien hue – a bruised purple that bled into shades of angry orange near the horizon. The air, thick and carrying the scent of dry earth and something else, something metallic and vaguely unsettling, filled my lungs. I was lying on rough, cracked ground, the pebbles digging uncomfortably into my back.
Panic, cold and swift, began to grip me. This wasn't my room. This wasn't even Earth, I instinctively knew. The sky alone screamed of a place far removed from anything I had ever known. I pushed myself up, my limbs feeling strangely heavy and uncoordinated, as if they belonged to someone else. My clothes, simple cotton t-shirt and jeans just moments ago, now felt coarse and unfamiliar against my skin.
Where am I? How did I get here? My mind raced, grasping for answers in the void of my recent memories. Transmigration. The word flashed in my mind, a concept I'd only ever encountered in web novels and fantasy stories. Could it be? Was I really… in another world?
As I finally managed to sit up, a voice echoed in my mind, clear as a bell amidst the swirling confusion.
[System Initiated. Welcome, Host.]
A translucent blue panel flickered into existence before my eyes, filled with text I somehow understood despite its alien script.
[Name: Ren Tianyu (Assigned)]
[Cultivation: None]
[Dao Comprehension: None]
[Physique: Mortal]
[Skills: Infinite Epiphany (Passive), Scan (Active), Detection (Active)]
I stared at the panel, my initial fear giving way to a stunned disbelief. A system? Just like in the stories? This was beyond anything I could have imagined. My eyes lingered on the skills. "Infinite Epiphany, Scan, Detection…?" I muttered, testing the words on my tongue. "What do they even do?"
As if in answer to my unspoken question, more text appeared on the panel.
[Infinite Epiphany (Passive): Host possesses an enhanced ability to understand and gain insights from all forms of knowledge and observation.]
[Scan (Active): Allows the Host to gather detailed information about a target (living or non-living) within a certain range. Requires mental focus.]
[Detection (Active): Enables the Host to sense and identify hidden objects, dangers, or unique properties in the environment. Range is limited by Host's current state.]
My mind reeled. No combat skills? No powerful artifacts? Just… information? It seemed incredibly underwhelming, especially considering the precarious situation I found myself in. Yet, the "Infinite Epiphany" skill did sound intriguing. Perhaps it would help me understand this bizarre new reality.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to try one of the active skills. "Scan," I thought, focusing my attention on the ground beneath me.
Another panel appeared, filled with detailed information about the cracked earth, the types of pebbles, and even the faint traces of minerals present. It was overwhelming, but undeniably… informative. This system, while not offering immediate power, did seem to provide a way to understand the world around me.
I activated "Scan" again, this time focusing on the strange, thorny bushes that dotted the desolate landscape. More detailed information flooded my vision, listing their properties, potential uses, and even warnings about their toxicity.
"So, it's all about information," I murmured. "No direct power, just the means to understand… everything?" It felt like a puzzle, and I had just been given the pieces, but no picture on the box.
The sun, now a fierce orange orb higher in the sky, beat down with an unexpected intensity. My throat felt dry, and a gnawing emptiness began to stir in my stomach. I was alone, in an unknown world, with no resources and no apparent way to defend myself.
This was the forsaken part of the continent, the story I faintly recalled from my late-night reading drifted back to me. A place of danger, wild beasts, and scarce resources. Survival here wouldn't be easy, especially for someone who, just moments ago, was leading a comfortable, ordinary life.
But as I looked around at the harsh, unforgiving landscape, a flicker of determination sparked within me. I might be weak, I might be out of my depth, but I had something others here might not – a way to understand this world, piece by piece. And perhaps, just perhaps, that would be enough.
"Alright, Ren Tianyu," I said to myself, the assigned name feeling foreign yet somehow… right. "Let's figure out how to survive."
The first step was obvious: find water and shelter. Activating the "Detection" skill, I focused my senses, trying to feel for any hidden sources nearby. The skill felt like a subtle probing, a gentle push against the environment. After a moment of concentration, a faint tingling sensation directed me towards the west, a subtle pull suggesting something out of the ordinary in that direction.
With a newfound sense of purpose, I started walking, the strange purple sky above me a constant reminder of just how far from home I truly was. The path ahead was uncertain, filled with unknown dangers, but for the first time since my jarring arrival, a sliver of hope began to bloom in my chest. I had a system, even if it was a peculiar one, and I had a will to survive. That, I hoped, would be enough to take my first steps on this new, and potentially deadly, path.