Chapter 17: Completion and Rewards
Page 1 of 3
Chapter 17: Clearing the World and Rewards
[This life has ended. Please enter the settlement screen!]
In the dimly lit hotel room, Jiang Ren slowly awoke.
His eyes opened little by little, filled with the heavy weariness of twilight, like an old man at the end of his life who could no longer summon any interest in the world.
Only after a long while did his eyes regain their brightness.
“Phew.”
Jiang Ren let out a soft breath. At last, he had freed himself from the tangled mass of memories accumulated during this simulated life and remembered that he was still a young man.
“It feels like opening simulated lives this frequently may have side effects. I’d better wait a few more days before starting the next one.”
He shook his head, picked up the complimentary bottle of mineral water from the bedside table, and gulped down more than half of it like a whale swallowing water. He poured the rest over his head.
The cool water dispelled the heat and helped him regain his composure.
Gradually, he began recalling this simulated life.
He had devoted the finest years of his life to the beautiful yet dangerous wilderness, living a life that was both fulfilling and joyful.
Whether he had battled nature, beasts, or other people, he had felt only one thing—the endless thrill of it all.
He had traveled through the world’s greatest natural forbidden zones. It was not until he was past thirty that he married someone who had waited for him for more than a decade and was willing to accompany him on his adventures. His hunting career had gone from being a solitary pursuit to one shared by two.
Meanwhile, the runaway success of the autobiographical film had freed him from all worries about money while bringing him tremendous fame and convenience.
He was less a hunter than a celebrity.
“I can’t say I did everything perfectly this time, but at least I gave it my all. There are still some areas where I could have done better.”
“I hope I receive a high score. That way, I’ll have more Fate Points to purchase talents and attempt to clear the entire world.”
Jiang Ren opened the system. He could hardly wait to see his score.
[This life has ended. Settlement beginning!]
[You call yourself a pure hunter, but more people call you an explorer, a wilderness survival expert, a scholar of flora and fauna, and the strongest man in the world!]
[You have endured dangers beyond the experience of ordinary people. You have explored countless deadly regions and fought all manner of ferocious beasts. In this ordinary world, you accomplished everything that lay within your power!]
[You are the master of nature, the king of all beasts, and the last recognized hunter in the world!]
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
To Jiang Ren’s surprise, the system did not immediately display the settlement results. Several lines of text, resembling an appraisal of his life, slowly appeared and then slowly faded away.
When the final sentence disappeared, the settlement results finally appeared.
[.]
[Lifespan: 86 (In this era, your lifespan is above average)]
[Status: 72 (You are a top-tier explorer and wilderness survival expert, as well as the last hunter in the world. No one can deny your place in history—or your fans will tear his mouth apart)]
[Reputation: 117 (The film adapted from your real experiences is beloved throughout the world. When it comes to fame, no one can compare with you)]
[Assessment: ★★★★★ (You are the last hunter in the world and the strongest hunter of this era, though people prefer your other nicknames)]
[Reward: 100 Fate Points]
[.]
[Congratulations! You have cleared the Hunter World. A new world has been unlocked!]
“That’s it? I cleared it?”
Jiang Ren blinked in confusion, wondering if he was hallucinating.
Although he had felt that his score this time would not be low, he had only dared to hope for four stars at most. He had never imagined that he would clear the world with a five-star rating.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was already a perfect hunter. Yet he had always felt that certain things could still be improved, that he could have done better in some areas.
Even after retiring in his later years, he had often wondered what talents he should purchase the next time he entered and what path he should follow. He had even drawn up a detailed chart for that purpose.
He had never expected all of it to be rendered useless now.
“Although it’s a little surprising, it does make sense. I was simply overestimating the difficulty based on my own assumptions.”
Jiang Ren smiled. He had thought that a five-star rating required pushing everything to the absolute limit, achieving perfection without the slightest mistake.
In reality, that was unnecessary. He only needed to attain the kind of perfection recognized by most people and keep his errors within a controllable range.
The difference was much like that between Expert and Hard modes in a single-player game.
Just as Jiang Ren was about to see what the second world was, the system interface refreshed once more.
[Congratulations on clearing the Hunter World for the first time. You have received a special reward: “Talent Permanence”!]
[(Talent Permanence: One talent from your current life will be selected at random and permanently bound to your soul. This permanently bound talent will function both in reality and in simulated lives!)]
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
[It has been detected that you possessed only one talent in this life, “Beast Instinct.” Beginning permanent binding of talent...]
[“Beast Instinct” has been permanently bound!]
“Talent Permanence? It works in reality too?”
Jiang Ren froze for a moment before a smile quickly spread across his face.
Clearing the Hunter World had already been a delightful surprise. He had never expected an additional reward—a talent he could use in the real world as well.
Although Beast Instinct was not an especially powerful talent, it was the most practical ability to have at certain dangerous moments.
During this simulated life, he had survived several brushes with death thanks to this seemingly unremarkable talent. In the end, it was what allowed him to live out his full lifespan without illness or disaster.
“Since the talent has been permanently bound, should I test it?”
Jiang Ren was tempted to try, but after thinking it over, he gave up.
Beast Instinct usually manifested as a sudden warning in the face of danger. Deliberately putting himself in danger just to test it would be an idiotic way to die. He was not about to do something so foolish.
“If every new world I clear comes with a special reward like this, could I eventually wield the earth-shaking, heaven-defying powers of supernatural worlds in reality—moving mountains and overturning seas, soaring through the heavens and burrowing into the earth, crossing a thousand miles with a single sword strike?”
The interest in Jiang Ren’s eyes grew stronger and stronger as he shifted his gaze to the second world.
[Demon Hunt]
[(Opening cost: 10 Fate Points)]
“Demon Hunt... Since it contains the word ‘demon,’ it probably isn’t an ordinary world.”
Jiang Ren’s eyes lit up. The Hunter World had been quite interesting, but what he truly looked forward to were the wondrous worlds that existed only in novels and films.
It was the unknown and the unfathomable that stirred his excitement and desire to explore.
“I wonder whether the demons being hunted are the immortal-cultivation kind, the fantasy kind, or perhaps some indescribable monstrosities.”
Several guesses flashed through Jiang Ren’s mind. As someone moderately familiar with online fiction—somewhere between a novice and a veteran—he could still recall quite a few different interpretations of the word “demon.”
Although he felt an almost irresistible urge to start the next simulation immediately and take a look inside, he ultimately refrained for the sake of his life.
He had no desire to become a raving lunatic with multiple personalities.
End of Chapter 17