Volume One, Chapter 2: More Arrogant by the Day, the Proud Little Lolita

Zhuang Fan opened his eyes in surprise, and sure enough, saw golden light shimmering across the interface.

“Hahaha, is this really happening?”

“Come on, give me a flying skill, or something to phase into the void!”

He couldn’t wait and tapped eagerly.

[Legendary Talent Acquired: Day by Day]

[Day by Day: With each passing day, your physical attributes increase by 1%.]

Staring at the description, Zhuang Fan was dumbfounded.

“What’s the point of this?!”

All hope drained from Zhuang Fan’s heart.

There was simply no way for him to escape this little island now.

A short while passed.

“Damn it!”

A naked figure, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, took a flying leap.

In midair, he struck an odd pose, then plunged into the lake.

At once, monstrous fish surged from the depths, churning up great waves.

The water boiled as though brought to a furious simmer, the scene both terrifying and savage.

Soon, a wide swath of crimson spread across the surface.

After a time, the lake gradually regained its tranquility, as if nothing had happened at all.

Only the silent stain of red hinted at the recent violence.

...

With his heart still racing, Zhuang Fan opened his eyes again.

Not wanting to waste time, he had just resolutely chosen death, spending his only resurrection opportunity.

Upon reviving, his first reaction was to scan his surroundings with the wary tension of a startled animal.

When he realized he was reborn atop a bare hill, he exhaled a long breath of relief.

Ahead stretched a vast forest, its trees towering into the sky, their lush leaves forming a sea of green.

In the distance, amid the verdant expanse, a great river wound its way like a living silver ribbon.

Behind him rose an unbroken chain of mountains, majestic and mysterious, lending the land a sense of weight and secrecy.

“Just my luck. How long has it even been, and I’ve already wasted my one and only shot at resurrection,” Zhuang Fan cursed inwardly.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, preparing to summon the auxiliary system and study its various functions in detail.

But just then, his gaze was drawn to something unusual in a nearby pit.

It shimmered, catching the light and his attention.

He looked closer: a young girl lay quietly within.

Her skin glowed enticingly.

Bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, her complexion was as flawless as the finest jade—pure, translucent, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Where she ought to be fair, she was fair; where she ought to be rosy, she was rosy.

Zhuang Fan found himself unconsciously moving closer.

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me she’s dead. That would be a real shame.”

He swallowed nervously.

Tentatively, he reached out to check for a heartbeat.

So soft...

“Cough, cough. The heartbeat seems normal,” Zhuang Fan mumbled, trying to compose himself.

“She’s alive, still warm. Then why hasn’t she woken up?”

He muttered as he examined her thoroughly from head to toe.

Of course, he only intended to see if she was injured.

Yet, at that delicate moment, the girl began to stir.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, which shone like deep, captivating gemstones.

Their gazes locked, and the air between them froze—time itself seemed to stand still.

After a beat of silence, fury and embarrassment flashed across her face as she cried out,

“Pervert!”

She swung a fist at Zhuang Fan’s face.

Perhaps because she had just awakened and was still weak, her punch lacked force.

Zhuang Fan dodged easily and hurried to explain,

“It’s a misunderstanding! I was just trying to wake you up... Don’t be afraid, I’m really a good guy!”

“Good guy my foot! My name is Zhong, and I’m already eighteen!” she snapped, her face a mix of grief and indignation, launching another attack regardless of her disadvantage.

“Eighteen already? Then I can fight back!” Zhuang Fan had no way to retreat further; he couldn’t just let her hit him.

And so, the two of them began to tussle.

The setting sun painted the hill in a surreal, dreamlike glow.

Yet the beauty of the scene was sharply contrasted by the ridiculous spectacle unfolding: two figures wrestling atop the hill.

In no time, several bright red palm prints stood out on Zhuang Fan’s once-handsome face.

Still, he was a man who knew how to show mercy.

Though he took a beating, his own blows never landed on her delicate face.

But in the chaos of the scuffle, accidents happen—his hand inadvertently landed on a different part of her body.

Now, the girl curled up to one side, rubbing her backside, tears welling in her eyes as she looked utterly aggrieved.

Seeing her like that, Zhuang Fan could only sigh and explain,

“I really am a good guy! I was just trying to wake you up. Who could have known you’d just start swinging without a word? That’s unreasonable!”

Hearing his indignant protest, the girl glared at him fiercely and shouted again,

“You filthy pervert! Worthless scum!”

Instead of anger, Zhuang Fan felt a strange satisfaction, an odd emotion stirring in his heart.

“Still staring?”

Seeing Zhuang Fan’s gaze still fixed on her, the girl was even more incensed.

She grabbed a small stone and hurled it at him with all her might.

Sadly, she was not strong, and the stone flew feebly, easily dodged by Zhuang Fan with a sidestep.

“Fine, I won’t look!” he declared, covering his eyes with both hands.

Yet the gaps between his fingers betrayed him—he couldn’t resist peeking, and the sight was comical.

“You...” The girl, Zhong, was speechless with rage.

Faced with such a shameless opponent, she had no options.

She was no match for him in a fight, and there was no one to call for help—what else could she do?

She’d been frail and sickly since childhood. Though modified and cured of her ailments, her physical stats still lagged far behind Zhuang Fan’s.

Still, she was not one to admit defeat. Raising her voice, she warned,

“Listen, the skill I drew was self-destruction! If you try anything, I’ll blow us both to kingdom come!”

At that, Zhuang Fan froze, cold sweat breaking out instantly.

He was shameless, but he valued his life.

“Fine, I won’t look. There’s nothing worth seeing anyway—flat as a board,” he muttered, casting her a glance he didn’t quite mean.

She looked down at herself in disbelief.

“Ah!”

Once again, they began to scuffle.

Just then, without warning—

A deafening roar thundered from the direction of the mountains.

The sound rolled over them like a storm, a powerful wind following in its wake.

Even the earth seemed to tremble.

The pair froze, slowly turning to look.

In the distance, dust billowed and trees toppled as if some monstrous creature was rampaging through the forest.

The terror of the unknown sent their hearts racing.

And worse—the beast seemed to be headed straight for them.

Their faces turned ashen in an instant.