Chapter Nine: The Data Panel

The silver coins exchanged for the elk were considerable, and with money in hand, things became much easier. After making a round through the smithies on the street, he quickly acquired over thirty longswords.

Of course, these were little more than scrap metal; had they been made of true, forged steel, his silver would never have sufficed.

He found Meng Xiaoya, a talkative extra, and together they made their way to the riverbank, continuing with what was, in her eyes, an obviously childish activity.

The thirty-some swords were swiftly broken, and during the process, Yu Ge felt a subtle change in his body—his speed seemed to have improved, just a little.

He lamented, however, that he lacked a data panel to provide direct feedback on his progress.

“Are we doing this again tomorrow?” Meng Xiaoya tore off the piece of paper taped to her back—marked “Enemy” in childish script—tossed it into the river, then stared wide-eyed at Yu Ge.

In recent days, she’d earned more pocket change than her family ever gave her; such good fortune hadn’t come her way in a long time. Thoughts of fragrant meat buns and pretty, delicious pastries made her salivate.

If this strange person didn’t come, there’d be no more money.

“No, this is the last time,” Yu Ge replied offhandedly, then added, “I’ll find you again if I need help.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Xiaoya looked momentarily crestfallen, but then Yu Ge handed her some copper coins and her face lit up with joy. She accepted them happily and ran off.

Once the girl had left, Yu Ge focused on the commotion in his mind.

Achievement: [Break the Enemy’s Blade]

Completion condition: Sever the enemy’s weapon one hundred times. Progress: 100/100.

Reward: Unknown. Claimable.

Yu Ge willed himself to claim the reward.

[Data Panel]

Note: A thing that lets pitiful and weak creatures know their own stats.

Reading the note, Yu Ge raised his brows.

It was just as he had hoped—his wish had manifested. With a thought, a translucent virtual frame appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Yu Ge]

Spirit: 56%
Strength: 48%
Constitution: 45%
Agility: 60%
Evaluation: A pitiful and weak creature.

Examining the panel, Yu Ge’s thoughts raced. The attributes were shown as percentages, suggesting that an average person’s stats would hover around 50%.

His body lacked muscle, and his scholarly appearance explained the lower strength and constitution. Only agility, which he’d previously increased, stood out.

He wondered what would happen if all attributes reached one hundred percent. Would some grand achievement unlock? Would his realm rise?

Having completed the “Break the Enemy’s Blade” achievement, Yu Ge felt aimless, but he did visit Zhao Ziming’s courtyard more frequently.

He wanted to see if his own training would affect the data.

During this period, he also learned from Zhao Ziming that the mutated toad that had infiltrated the town had been found and eliminated.

As for how it entered the town, investigations revealed that a resident with a grudge against Tailor Wang had brought it in from outside, seeking revenge. Yu Ge didn’t ask about the culprit’s fate, but he imagined that endangering the entire town wouldn’t be taken lightly.

None of this concerned him, though. Lately, he’d stopped complaining and devoted himself entirely to physical training.

…

“How much are these worth?” In a shop on South Street, Old Luo lounged in his chair, smoking a pipe, basking lazily in the spring sunlight.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, followed by a loud bang.

Old Luo jolted upright, heart pounding, and spun around to glare into his shop, thinking he’d been robbed.

But then he saw Yu Ge, the young man from last time, standing before him, and a string of wild chickens, rabbits, and even a roe deer—an impressive haul.

Old Luo’s eyes widened. There must be at least a hundred pounds here; had he raided a rabbit and pheasant nest?

This time, Old Luo paid special attention to the wounds on the game, and his gaze grew subtly curious.

“Here you go, Yu lad—sixteen taels of silver. Count it yourself!” Old Luo quickly sorted and weighed the catch, handing over the silver with practiced efficiency.

Yu Ge had visited Old Luo’s place before; he took a glance and pocketed the silver, preparing to leave when Old Luo stopped him.

“Is there something else?” Yu Ge looked at him in puzzlement.

To his surprise, Old Luo’s wrinkled face wore a mysterious smile. “Heh, Yu lad, eating too much of that isn’t good for you.”

Yu Ge was momentarily confused. “What do you mean?”

Old Luo said nothing, merely grinned and pointed with his pipe at the pile of game.

The gesture was obvious, and Yu Ge immediately understood. He realized the source of Old Luo’s smile and was left speechless.

With the magical properties of his black iron dagger, Yu Ge now hunted with abandon—every target, whether rabbit or deer, fell with a single blow, his skill flawless.

Yet there was an awkward detail: each carcass was missing the same part, and he had no interest in retrieving it, resulting in their current appearance.

Clearly, Old Luo had misunderstood something.

Yu Ge couldn’t be bothered to explain, so he turned to leave.

Old Luo, thinking the youth was just shy, stopped him once more, this time for something serious. “There’s someone looking for a guide recently. Just need to pass through the Red Pine Forest. Will you go? The pay’s quite good!”

“That outsider from a few days ago?” Yu Ge glanced at Old Luo, then shook his head. “Not interested.”

He had plenty of game in town; there was no need to risk his life so far away.

After leaving Old Luo’s shop, he stopped by the pharmacy to buy herbs for strengthening his body, and most of his silver from selling game was soon spent.

It was an investment in himself, and Yu Ge spent freely. Lately, he noticed his strength attribute had increased by one percent, now at forty-nine.

After preparing the herbs, Yu Ge hurried to Zhao Ziming’s courtyard to continue his daily training. Only with such diligence had he seen progress in his stats.

Achievement triggered: [Strength Brings Miracles]

Completion condition: Lift at least one hundred pounds to waist height a thousand times. Progress: 1/1000.

Reward: Unknown.

In Zhao Ziming’s courtyard, Yu Ge sat on the ground, drenched in sweat, gazing at the fourth small star on the edge of the great star in his mind. He was no longer surprised.

He had become accustomed to triggering achievements, and after analyzing them many times, he’d found no logical pattern—only the mystical rule: take action.

Just like in those role-playing games, only by moving could other events be triggered.

For several days, Yu Ge did not leave the town. Each day, he immersed himself in training at Zhao Ziming’s courtyard, pushing the progress of “Strength Brings Miracles” past six hundred.