Chapter Two: Awakening the Gift

"At the foot of the mountain, on the northern side..." Shen An scratched his head as he gazed at the stretch of wasteland before him. Qianling Mountain wasn't particularly large—he'd circled the north side twice, and apart from this barren land, the rest was all sloping cliffs, impossible for a lake to form. Yet even here, there was no sign of a lake.

Night had already fallen. Shen An, holding a flashlight, walked toward the center of the wasteland, only to find the ground growing increasingly damp beneath his feet. After a few steps, his shoes were already caked with mud!

Though there was no lake, there was indeed water here!

Excitement surged through Shen An. He found a clean, hidden spot on the outskirts and pitched his tent. He had come thoroughly prepared: tent, food, water, and even insect repellent.

He had no idea where the armed police had gone. After entering Qianling Mountain, he'd headed straight for the northern foot, but hadn't encountered them at all.

He browsed the news, played some games, and time slipped by quickly. During this, he vaguely heard footsteps twice, but thanks to setting his tent in a little nook surrounded on three sides by mountain, he had avoided drawing any attention.

After eleven o'clock, the entire northern side fell deathly silent, the quiet almost terrifying.

At half past eleven, as Shen An was commanding his character on the battlefield, he felt the ground beneath him grow colder and softer. Reaching down, he found the earth squishy. Pulling open his tent flap to look outside, he was so startled he staggered backward!

The wasteland had vanished. Under the moonlight, shimmering ripples stretched out—gentle and tranquil. This was a lake!

And the lake was still expanding, its waters nearly lapping at the edge of his tent!

Shen An quickly packed up his tent, grabbed his gear, and began scrambling up the mountain, cursing as he went, "Damn it, what the hell? The lake just appeared out of nowhere!"

Despite his grumbling, excitement bubbled in his heart, his grin stretching ear to ear. If he weren't afraid of alerting the police, he would have laughed out loud with abandon.

He climbed two meters and stopped atop a protruding boulder. Sitting there, he could see the center of the lake, where water was bubbling up and spreading ripples outward.

That must be the heart of the lake!

Glancing at his phone, he saw there were still twenty minutes until midnight. Fixing his gaze on the lake's center, he began to study it. But after only a few minutes, his mind grew dizzy, as if his very soul were about to be drawn into the lake's heart.

Suddenly, a muffled "boom" sounded. The ground trembled beneath him, snapping him back to himself. He hurriedly gripped the boulder.

In the next instant, an enchanting fragrance drifted through the air, jolting Shen An's spirit awake!

Was this the so-called "prime oxygen"? But it wasn't time yet.

No matter! Absorb it!

Imitating a scene from a TV drama, Shen An cleared his throat, sat cross-legged in earnest on the boulder, pinched his fingers into an orchid gesture, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Five minutes passed—nothing happened.

Ten minutes—still nothing.

"Damn it! I knew those TV shows were a lie!" Shen An leapt up, then, gritting his teeth, simply craned his neck and took deep breaths toward the lake!

"I'll breathe! I'll breathe!" Shen An inhaled rapidly. Normally, such frantic breathing would have left him dizzy and short of oxygen, but now he felt euphoric, each breath making his mind sharper and his spirits higher.

He breathed deeply for a full ten minutes, still unsatisfied, as if this "prime oxygen" had some addictive magic that made him unable to stop.

Absorbed in his inhalations, Shen An failed to notice that his body had grown noticeably rounder, swelling at a visible rate...

Suddenly, a beam of light shone directly onto him.

"Hey, who are you? What are you doing here?" Two or three people rushed toward him.

Realizing he'd been discovered, Shen An lost his footing. With a startled curse, he toppled straight into the water and was instantly submerged!

"...I can't swim..."

Shen An wanted to say this, but his mouth wouldn't open. He only felt himself sinking deeper, even though he knew the lake wasn't that deep...

Unable to breathe, Shen An's consciousness began to fade. Then, a mechanical electronic voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

Ding! Talent [Devour] activated. Talent value: B-level (1/10,000)

Ding! Talent [Space] activated. Talent value: S-level (1/1,000,000)

Ding! Hidden talent [Link to the Future] activated. Talent value: SA-level (1/10,000,000)

Devour talent initiating!

Space talent initiating!

In the next instant, all the "prime oxygen" in Qianling Mountain surged madly toward Shen An!

The lake's heart continued to bubble, but now, centered on Shen An, a whirlpool formed, funneling the lake water and "prime oxygen" into him!

Shen An lay there calmly, his body like a bottomless pit, letting the water and "prime oxygen" pour in. Rather than making him swell to bursting, the influx gradually returned his bloated form to normal.

"There's a lake here?"

"The fragrance is so strong!"

The two armed police, arriving at the scene, were astonished to find the lake. They had visited Qianling Mountain more than ten times—even three times today—yet had never discovered a lake here! Something was off!

"There's a whirlpool at the lake's edge..." One fixed his eyes, then shouted in alarm, "Someone's in there! Help!"

But by the time they rushed to the shore, the shimmering lake had vanished without a trace. Shen An now lay quietly on the ground, eyes closed in a satisfied sleep.

The two exchanged glances. One immediately ran back to call for help, while the other cautiously inspected the surroundings.

Shen An appeared to be asleep, but his mind was clear, his awareness adrift in a vast white space.

He took several deep breaths, calming his pounding heart, forcing himself to remain composed.

Within the space was a small stone-paved lake, its center bubbling just as in Qianling Mountain.

As the water overflowed the stone dais and into the blank space, it released wisps of delightful fragrance that dissipated into the void.

Each time the fragrance faded, a mechanical electronic voice echoed in Shen An's mind: Talent value +10.

This was a cheat code!

He had a cheat now!

With a thought, his consciousness appeared by the lakeside.

He stretched out a hand, grinning, and splashed water outward!

With a splash, the fragrance filled the air! Talent value +1000.

Shen An's eyes lit up!

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Incredible!"

Another splash—fragrance thickened! Talent value +1000.

Shen An splashed water wildly.

Talent value +1000

+1000

+1000

+...

"Hahahaha! Amazing! I've lived twenty years and only now realize I'm the protagonist! Hahahahaha!"

Shen An laughed uproariously, hands on his hips, wanton and unrestrained!

But what exactly was this talent value?

With a thought, a virtual data panel appeared before his eyes, listing three skills and their levels: