[Survivor No. 11766, beginning the first round of the Survival Game.]
[Teleporting...]
[Target World: Samurai Shodown Zero. Difficulty: Rank D. Attribute Enhancement: 100%.]
[Year 1786, the Edo period of Japan. Deep in the mountains lies a remote village where the people sustain themselves through a mix of farming and hunting. Today, the village is immersed in the joy of a wedding between the village chief's daughter and the strongest hunter. Laughter fills the air, however...]
[The "Demon" who has slaughtered countless villages has arrived...]
[Blood and despair! Cries and wails! The people of this village will be slaughtered to the last!]
In a quiet forest, ten people lay on the grass. They did not look like they belonged to this world, as if an invisible barrier separated them from their surroundings.
The first to wake was a man whose tight-fitting clothes strained against his muscular frame. A few seconds later, a thin, frail man followed.
"To think it would be the world of Samurai Shodown Zero. Leo, have you ever played this arcade game?" Rex asked, looking at Leo.
"The plot is about Gaoh Kyogoku Hinowanami being possessed by a dark god and attempting to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, our mission clearly has nothing to do with that. I suspect our task is related to the birth of Basara the Executioner," Leo analyzed, rubbing his chin while glancing at a chirping sparrow on a nearby tree and the village not far away.
The third to wake was Cyan Wei, who lay quietly on the grass, focusing intently on their conversation.
"Samurai Shodown Zero... Arcade game..."
It sounded so familiar.
Without opening her eyes, Cyan Wei could sense exactly how many people were around her through perception alone. For some reason, her senses were even sharper than they had been in the sea. It wasn't just sensing; it was as if a map was being simulated in her mind, clearly marking the position of every living thing.
The others woke up one after another. A beautiful woman with a hot figure, wearing an incredibly short leather skirt and a leather bra, sat up in terror, her hands clutching her chest as if confirming something.
A man dressed like an office clerk touched his tie with a trembling hand, then felt his neck.
"Where is this?! Who are you people?"
A petite girl looked around fearfully. She spoke in Japanese, but strangely, everyone understood her, even those who had never studied the language.
"Ha! Is this heaven or hell? I'm pretty sure I died!"
A strong Western man looked at the group, a hint of ecstasy in his eyes. Nothing was more joyful than being alive.
"Hey, beautiful! Do you know where we are?"
The man quickly noticed the Western woman and walked over enthusiastically.
"How did I end up here? I remember being at home..."
A girl who looked like a high schooler, wearing pajamas, hugged her arms. Looking at the strangers around her, she was convinced she had been kidnapped.
"I committed suicide by jumping off a building. Why did I come here after death? Is this the afterlife?" A calm-looking girl observed her surroundings.
"Suicide?"
The high school girl looked at her in shock. Seeing her stylish clothes, she didn't look like someone who would kill herself.
"What? Not allowed? I was tired of living and wanted to die. Is it any of your business?"
The girl snapped back aggressively.
Hearing their voices, Cyan Wei opened her eyes and sat up. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes held a hint of wariness as she watched the group.
She had encountered humans in strange clothes back in the ocean. Curiously, she knew those clothes were called wetsuits and had felt a sense of familiarity toward them. She had wanted to get closer, but what the human did next terrified her.
She couldn't imagine it—that person had pulled such a long, thin object out of a sea turtle's nose. It was torture!
Terrified, Cyan Wei had avoided humans ever since, keeping her distance whenever possible.
Rex saw that the countdown was nearly over. Having received the Guide Mission from his Survival Mark, he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. The points for a guide mission weren't much, but every bit counted.
"Alright, chat time is over. You're all wondering where this is, but one thing is certain: you have already died once. Look at your chests, over your hearts. You'll find a tattoo—a brand."
At this, Rex took off his outer garment, revealing a lifelike tattoo. It was a head with eyes closed—half demon, half angel. It looked as if it could open its eyes at any moment.
Rex continued, "Don't doubt it. You haven't been kidnapped, and no one is asking for ransom. This is no longer the Earth you know. Focus your mind on the Survival Mark on your chest, and you will learn everything you need to know. Once the countdown ends, the mark will issue your survival mission. Try to stay alive, rookies!"
The Survival Space—as the name implied—was a place where those who died in the real world with a strong will to live might attract the mercy of the space to gain a second life. However, everything had a price. The space didn't resurrect the dead for free.
This second life was essentially a loan. Only after completing twenty rounds of survival missions could a survivor truly leave the Survival Space.
The group looked at the information in their minds, their expressions becoming quite vivid.
"Isn't this place just like the God's Dimension?"
A high school boy looked at his stats with excitement, fantasizing about becoming a protagonist in an Infinite Flow novel.
"Kid, don't think too much. This is the Survival Space, not a place where you start with teammates who care about you."
Rex looked at the excited boy and said coldly. He had seen people like this many times before. Most who thought that way died in despair.
"Are you veterans? Will you protect us?" The boy looked at Rex and Leo.
"Forget it. We have no obligation to protect you. If you want to live, it's all on you," Leo voiced out, reminding the group. "The countdown is about to end. As soon as it hits zero, the Survival Mark will issue the mission."
Cyan Wei silently checked her attributes, having no desire to talk to anyone. Dressed in her white kimono, she looked like a beautiful youth, but the "keep away" aura she radiated made the girl in pajamas hesitate to speak to her.
[Detected: Survivor No. 11766 possesses passive skills: Hyper-Perception, Hidden Hunter.]
[Hyper-Perception (Passive). You are keenly aware of the malice or goodwill others feel toward you. Perception range increased by 5 yards. Perception +5.]
[Hidden Hunter (Passive). You are skilled at concealing your presence, making it difficult for enemies to detect you. Agility +3.]
[Note: Skills not obtained through Survival Games cannot be upgraded with skill points.]
[Survivor No. 11766 Information as follows. Parentheses represent normal adult male stats.]
[Strength: 13 (6) Strength determines part of your melee damage and carrying capacity. As strength increases, muscles are enhanced. Every 10 points of Strength adds 1 point to Constitution (unequipped).]
[Agility: 20 (7) Agility determines your movement speed, reaction time, attack speed, and balance.]
[Constitution: 9 (7) Constitution determines your damage resistance, wound healing speed, health recovery, stamina, and defense. Defense is calculated as 1x2; each point of Constitution equals 2 points of Defense. Each point of Constitution equals 10 Health Points. If Health reaches zero, the Survivor dies.]
[Intelligence: 8 (5) Intelligence determines your energy attack damage. It also affects your thinking ability and critical hit rate for energy damage.]
[Spirit: 12 (6) Spirit determines the number of times you can cast skills and the recovery rate of mental energy. Each point of Spirit equals 10 points of Mental Energy. If Mental Energy falls below 15, it will cause side effects.]
[Perception: 12 (5) Perception is the collective term for the five senses. It allows you to detect hidden dangers. Higher perception increases the chance of detecting danger and affects ranged accuracy.]
[Charisma: 12 (7) Charisma is a comprehensive reflection of appearance, temperament, eloquence, and affinity. Higher charisma makes it easier to gain favor with plot characters, with a chance to learn unique skills. It also determines the success rate of charm or summoning skills.]
[Note: Charisma cannot be increased via attribute points or equipment; it can only be enhanced through special means.]