"The Shadow Cloak skill requires three Evolution Points to continue evolving."
Qin Feng frowned slightly, tapping the floating gray-white panel before him. "And I only have two left…"
The lingering energy of evolution still buzzed faintly in his body, an intoxicating power that made him crave more. But logic prevailed—wasting the last points on an incomplete upgrade would be foolish.
He exhaled slowly. "In that case, let's evolve Backstab Enhancement first."
The moment he made his decision, the system's cold voice rang in his mind.
[You consumed 1 Evolution Point, 1 point remaining.][Initial Skill: Backstab Enhancement (Inferior → Normal). Passive Effect: When attacking from behind a target, damage increases by 10% → 15%.]
He flexed his fingers. "So… even a small improvement feels this distinct."
The numbers might look ordinary to others, but to a veteran like Qin Feng, every single percentage could determine life or death.
"Class passive damage doubled…" His voice lowered, thoughtful, dangerous. "If the damage amplification of Backstab Enhancement evolves to a hundred percent, then stacked together, that's four times the damage."
Nine years in the God Forsaken Game had taught him one thing: the system's numbers weren't just data. They were the foundation of your survival.
"If these skills can keep evolving…" Qin Feng murmured, his gaze distant, "…could they surpass even the Immortal-grade?"
His mind raced with possibilities. Shadow Cloak, if that skill's duration kept increasing and its cooldown kept shrinking… would there come a point where there was no cooldown at all?
And Backstab Enhancement could its amplification break past one hundred percent, maybe even double or triple?
Qin Feng's heartbeat quickened. The mere thought made his blood stir.
In his previous life, such things were impossible. Skills were static, their grades as immovable as mountains. A Bronze skill stayed Bronze forever, no matter how many monsters one killed or years one spent grinding.
But now… everything had changed.
The corner of his lips curled into a faint, feral grin. "Infinite Evolution… huh."
A talent that could bend the system itself. From this moment on, he wouldn't just compete with others, he would rewrite the limits.
He leaned back slightly, satisfied. "That's enough for now. It's time to enter the real game."
His eyes flicked to the faint counter on the interface, one Evolution Point remaining. He couldn't evolve Shadow Cloak (three points required), nor Backstab Enhancement (two points). He'd have to wait.
Just as he made the decision, a soft chime echoed in his head.
[Please enter your game alias]
A translucent box appeared before him, its surface rippling like mist.
"An alias, huh…" Qin Feng mused. In this world, even the name you chose would follow you forever, etched into every kill, every victory, every death.
He thought for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"I'll just call myself… Shadow."
He lifted a finger and wrote the word slowly across the screen. The letters shimmered in black light before dissolving into dust.
[Your alias is: Shadow]
[Entering the Land Abandoned by Gods...]
The darkness surrounding Qin Feng swirled like smoke, peeling away layer by layer. He felt weight and sense return to his body.
Before him stretched a ruined town, the cracked cobblestones bathed in ghostly moonlight. The pale glow draped over broken rooftops and collapsed walls, lending the place a tragic, desolate beauty.
Qin Feng stood silently in the central square.
All around him, figures in black robes appeared one after another, new players, disoriented, whispering in confusion. Their eyes darted around nervously, trying to make sense of their surroundings.
Qin Feng didn't bother. He'd been here before.
He knew that in God Forsaken Game, the so-called NPCs weren't mindless programs; they were intelligent, cunning beings from other realms. Some smiled while robbing you blind; others would trade lifespan for knowledge or power.
One wrong choice, and you'd lose decades in the blink of an eye.
But here, in this Beginner Town, no NPCs would appear. Newly arrived players had no tradable lifespan, worthless in the eyes of otherworldly beings.
Then came the voice.
[Welcome to the Land Abandoned by Gods.]
[This is a desolate land, rampant with countless monsters. Please be careful; they are always ready to tear you apart and steal your lifespan...]
[Leave the town, kill monsters, and you will gain tradable lifespan.]
[However, if you die in the game, half of your remaining lifespan will be deducted (including tradable and untradable lifespan).]
The familiar message echoed through his mind.
Qin Feng remained calm, eyes narrowing slightly.
"So it begins again."
He summoned his map.
[Shell Town: Peace Zone (No monsters in this area, players cannot attack each other)][This area is a mild zone, lifespan loss rate in this area: 1x]
"Shell Town…" he murmured, scanning the faintly glowing display.
Different players spawned in different towns based on time and location. In the Land Abandoned by Gods, there were over a hundred million of these so-called safe zones, each one a cradle for a thousand souls thrown into chaos.
"Jianghai City, Great Xia. So everyone here's local," Qin Feng noted, his gaze sweeping across the square. "One hundred twenty-seven players… and I'm the one hundred twenty-eighth."
His tone was cool, but inside, he felt a twinge of anticipation. The game had just begun.
"Status panel," he commanded.
The gray-white light shifted, forming lines of familiar text before him.
[Alias: Shadow]
[Class: Shadow]
[Level: 1]
[Untradable Lifespan: 75 years]
[Tradable Lifespan: 0]
[Strength: 10 (+3)]
[Constitution: 10 (+3)]
[Agility: 10 (+8)]
[Spirit: 10 (+5)]
[Free Attribute Points: 5 points]
Qin Feng's brows arched slightly.
"All players start with base ten across the board… but these bonuses…"
His pulse quickened. "So that's the power of a Hidden Class."
In his previous life, his Warrior Class only added three points each to Strength and Constitution. But now, three to Strength, three to Constitution, eight to Agility, and five to Spirit.
"This is absurd." He couldn't help but grin.
He knew exactly what each attribute meant:
Strength for attack power. Constitution for defence and HP. Agility for movement and attack speed. Spirit for elemental resistance and magic potency.
Most players would rush to stack Strength or Spirit, chasing raw damage. Qin Feng, however, understood the deeper truth.
"Agility… is survival."
In the God Forsaken Game, even the weakest monsters could tear through unprepared players. Only those fast enough to dodge, to strike first, to disappear, could survive.
Without speed, death was inevitable. And death meant losing lifespan.
"As long as I'm fast enough," Qin Feng muttered, eyes cold and sharp, "I can strike, retreat, and strike again. That's how the Shadow fights."
He tightened his fist, feeling the thrum of power under his skin.
"The Bronze-grade Shadow Cloak already grants me 90 points of break-stealth attack power, more than enough to replace Strength bonuses." Qin Feng smirked.
"Speed, stealth, precision…" A grin spread across his face. "I have the complete starter pack"