Yi Qiang had a short second to read what popped up in front of him before his world faded to black.

Then, the infinite darkness faded and Yi Qiang found himself in a bustling street, merchant stalls lined up along the walls of tightly packed buildings and the smell of street food filling the air.

Congratulations!

As the fastest player to reach maximum values in all stats during character creation, you have received a bonus reward!

Rapid Training(Passive)

50% increase to training speed and 50% decrease to all bottlenecks in training stats.

Level: NA

Aptitude(Consumable)

One-time ability to increase the growth of a single stat through training by 75%. Consumed upon use.

Yi Qiang smiled. He knew what he was going to do, then.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know where the nearest training center is?"

The newly-spawned player walked over to the nearest stall, asking the merchant where he could train in peace, raising his stats to even higher levels. He was slightly startled at the pointed ears of the merchant but carefully controlled his facial expression to not seem rude. He just attributed it to the game and put it in the back of his mind.

"Of course, well, there's only one. You'll want to head along this way and take two rights then a left, all at the closest available turn. Want to buy anything while you're here?"

"No thank you, I have very little money right now. But I might come back when I get a little more!"

"That's fine. Just watch out for that maniac..."

Yi Qiang distinctly heard the merchant mutter something about a maniac, but decidedly ignored it and followed the elf's directions, weaving through the crowds and quickly arriving at the training center.

Yi Qiang, on the way, remembered that in his race description, the risks of his race as a Dragonblood Elf were described. Supposedly, if his true race was discovered, he would instantly become, essentially, a social pariah. He would be actively hunted by many different races and outright ignored by most others. Thankfully, it was worded in a way that told Yi Qiang that recognizing him as a Dragonblood Elf was harder than just judging based on his appearance. And that meant that he could, unless he was extremely unlucky, play just like any other player at the beginning, and then go into the wilds and try to avoid contact with civilization as much as possible in avoidance of an instant spike in playing difficulty.

Yi Qiang was startled to see a severe lack of people in the training center, which he recognized due to the large sign in the front depicting a wooden target dummy - that was a pretty easy guess to make.

In fact, besides him, there was only one other person there, wielding a sword against the training dummies, and a man who he assumed to be the instructor.

No, not assumed. Everything about his screamed "instructor" at the top of its lungs, from his outfit to his loud, boisterous voice currently yelling commands.

His endless onslaught of orders halted when his head swiveled towards the newcomer, a big grin forming on his face. Yi Qiang noticed he also had large, pointed ears, but was immediately distracted when the instructor yelled again.

"Hah! Another one! Old Aethen is gonna be so jealous! I got two in one day! Yeah! Alright kid, come over here. What weapon do you wanna train with? A sword? A mace? A spear? I've got all sorts of training gear, and maybe if you impress me, you can keep what you get!"

His enthusiastic laughter and beckoning drew Yi Qiang closer, finally moving into normal speaking range when he replied.

"Actually, I was thinking of warming up with some basic exercises," he said. "I'll train my body and then maybe move on to some weapon practice. I'll tell you when, don't worry, but until then, I'll just need... let's say that corner." Yi Qiang pointed to a random vacant corner in the large room. "Don't bother with me until then, I came here fully aware of what to do. Thank you, though."

His calm replies made the big elf crestfallen. Until then, Yi Qiang hadn't noticed how huge he was, but now that he did see, it was impressive. But his attention was brought back to the man when visibly less excited, he gestured to the same spot Yi Qiang originally selected.

"Yeah, you can take that area. Training's free right now, in celebration of the huge influx of Chosen."

The unfamiliar term made Yi Qiang cock his head and stopped him from training right away.

"Chosen?"

"Yeah, they're said to have come in mass today, many thousands of them, and even more will come in the future. They're people who don't truly die and have the ability to get stronger. They may start weak, but their potential and immortality are why they're widely referred to as Chosen."

This made sense - Chosen must be the term for players in the game since it made little sense to make all the coded characters self-aware of their virtuality. Of course, they made up a backstory, Yi Qiang thought. This is a game, after all.

With that small mystery solved, Yi Qiang headed over to his training area, putting all thoughts out of his mind in preparation for his exercise. But before that, he wanted to apply his consumable skill, Aptitude, in order not to waste the time spent training and maximize the benefits.

"Status," he said quietly to himself, making sure nobody else was visibly surprised at the blue screen that popped up in front of him. Good to know they're invisible, too.

Status

Name: One

Race: Dragonblood Elf

Class: None

Stats:

Strength: 63

Dexterity: 63

Agility: 63

Vitality: 70

Constitution: 51

Intelligence: 60

Wisdom: 60

Spirit: 60

Skills:

Active:

Analyze(Lvl NA)

Passive:

Rapid Training(Lvl NA)

Aptitude(Consumable)

Yi Qiang considered what to use the skill on. The question boiled down to this: which stat was the most important to Yi Qiang? After all, with such a large bonus, the stat he used Aptitude on would far outstrip the rest in terms of growth, and it made no sense to waste that.

So, as an archer, what would Yi Qiang find the most useful to his combat ability? From the get-go, the mental stats were excluded. He had no interest in focusing on magic or spells, so even though he might learn them in the future to enhance his strength, there was no way he would use them enough to warrant the use of such a valuable skill.

Among the physical stats, a few stood out as less useful. First, Dexterity. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, a skilled archer didn't have an excessive use for Dexterity. The body control granted by a high value in this stat could be easily replaced by skill, and Yi Qiang was definitely skilled enough to make do with just enough Dexterity. If he was a melee fighter, he would find it useful, no doubt, but there was a definite cap to accuracy and trying to exceed that was just a waste of effort - why would he need to be able to control his body to insane levels when he could already shoot an arrow with 100% accuracy? As it was, Yi Qiang would only need enough Dexterity to maneuver effectively during combat. He would also need to keep it up to handle his constantly-increasing Agility and Strength, too, when Yi Qiang thought about it.

Vitality was also out. The use of that stat likely lay in its effect on the player's ability to take damage, and that was not something a ranged attacker like Yi Qiang planned on doing much. The Stamina increase would certainly be useful too, of course, but again, not enough to warrant the use of the valuable Aptitude.

That left Agility, Strength, and Constitution. And when Yi Qiang thought about it, each represented a different style of combat and specialization.

Raising Agility the most would make him able to shoot arrows extremely quickly, run and keep his opponents away highly effectively, dodge ranged attacks with equal ability, and base his fighting style on avoiding the enemy while keeping up attacks.

Raising Strength would grant him access to bows with tougher limbs(it seemed guns weren't a feature in the game) and thus raise his damage far more compared to the other options. His attacks would be many times stronger with extreme strength, and it would allow him to deal with opponents with higher defenses much more easily.

Raising Constitution was also tempting. If it was raised to a high enough level, he would never run out of juice. His sustainability in combat would break through the roof, and he could fight forever, using high-cost, high-effect skills at a much higher frequency than normal.

All those styles had drawbacks, too. Agility-based would likely drain energy rapidly and require a much higher investment into dexterity than he would like just to stay limber. Strength would require him to constantly find higher-level bows with tougher drawstrings, either through crafting(most likely not), buying(that was a risk, with his race), or relying on his enemies to drop such weapons(he didn't like relying on luck). Constitution would mean less base mobility and damage and would make him rely on skills much more(which was what the stat was for, really).

That makes it feel like I'm completely sacrificing the other stats, though, which I'm not. I'm just going to specialize. It's simple, then. Which do I want to specialize in: mobility, damage, or sustainability?

Thinking about it like that, the answer became clear to Yi Qiang.

The uses of mobility can easily be replaced by traps or allies who can tie up my opponent. The uses of Strength can be severely hampered by not having good enough equipment, and all the options for fixing that are slightly unsavory or risky. Sustainability, on the other hand, would let me collect abilities and use them far more than usual, which would boost my damage just like Strength. And unlike Strength or Agility, increasing my stamina and health recovery even further would never cap out, unless I get to the point where I have literally infinite stamina.

Aptitude used on Constitution. 75% boost to stat gain by training applied to Constitution

And that meant Yi Qiang could get to training.

"Status."

Status

Name: One

Race: Dragonblood Elf

Class: None

Stats:

Strength: 92

Dexterity: 74

Agility: 80

Vitality: 96

Constitution: 103

Intelligence: 60

Wisdom: 60

Spirit: 60

Skills:

Active:

Analyze(Lvl NA)

Passive:

Rapid Training(Lvl NA)

Toughness(Lvl 3 Novice)

Toughness(Passive, Level 3 Novice)

You have exerted your body to its limits and kept moving. Now adapted to strain, your body tires slower and recovers faster.

-0.15% stamina use

+1.5% stamina recovery

Yi Qiang smiled when he looked at the fruits of his training. For the full day, Yi Qiang had trained. He only reluctantly stopped when he saw darkness beginning to creep in on the streets, and the evening light illuminated the thinned-out crowds.

But today was well-spent, Yi Qiang thought to himself, looking over his gains. His Strength, Vitality, and Constitution had all increased tremendously, the other physical stats only falling behind because of his limited space and the training methods he had focused on.

The gain of the skill Toughness also made him grin. Right now, the skill's effects were small, but it was only the beginning. If he leveled that up to Journeyman, or even Expert, Yi Qiang had no doubt it would be invaluable.

The only thing that saddened Yi Qiang was the exponentially increased difficulty of improving stats over 100. Even with the net bonus of 125%, Yi Qiang, who had reached 100 Constitution with a couple of hours remaining, only improved that stat by 3 in around two hours. Clearly, it would take a while to improve his stats once they all got to the triple digits since they didn't even benefit from Adaptability.

The Consitution did show its use though, as the stat that outstripped all others by a bit increased his training speed tremendously. The recovery speed allowed him to train far more than he would have normally, and the fact that he regained his energy so quickly meant that his Vitality also increased a really good amount from training.

For the next two days, Yi Qiang returned to the training gym and stayed there for the entire day, not affected at all by the monotony of increasing his stats incessantly. He had found an inn nearby to rest and eat at, which, luckily, had those services free in celebration of the arrival of the Chosen for a good week. By then Yi Qiang should already be finished with his beginning training, so he wasn't too worried about money. In the process of the incessant training, all of his physical stats increasing by leaps and bounds, of course, but his passive skills leveling up as well, giving him far better bonuses. All of this evoked a satisfied nod from Yi Qiang as he looked over his status. He was ready for the next step.

Status

Name: One

Race: Dragonblood Elf

Class: None

Resources:

Health: 1230

Health Regeneration: 133/min

Stamina: 615

Stamina Regeneration: 69/min

Mana: 600

Mana Regeneration: 60/min

Stats:

Strength: 112

Dexterity: 101

Agility: 121

Vitality: 123

Constitution: 133

Intelligence: 60

Wisdom: 60

Spirit: 60

Skills:

Active:

Analyze(Lvl NA)

Passive:

Rapid Training(Lvl NA)

Toughness(Lvl 7 Novice)

Grace(Lvl 3 Novice)

Toughness(Passive, Level 7 Novice)

You have exerted your body to its limits and kept moving. Now adapted to strain, your body tires slower and recovers faster.

-0.35% stamina use

+3.5% stamina recovery

Grace(Passive, Level 3 Novice)

You have pushed your body's movements to their limits and drilled balance and flexibility into every muscle. Your body is beginning to get used to the art of movement; it moves faster and more easily.

+0.3% speed

+3% balance

+1.5% coordination

Yi Qiang had leveled Toughness up well and even gained Grace after he had begun training Agility with different movements and a bit of sprinting around the gym, which he would find useful as well.

Well, Yi Qiang thought to himself. Soon I'll have a lot more skills to manage and keep track of than just Toughness and Grace - it's time for the next part of my training before I'm ready to head out.

He arrived at the gym, and instead of going to his corner like usual, he yelled through a solid oak door, which he knew led into the room where the bulky elf, whose name he had also learned to be Elgael, usually stayed.

"Can I borrow one of your training bows and a load of arrows? I plan on moving on to my skills, so some basic instruction would be appreciated as well!" Of course, Yi Qiang didn't mean on how to shoot or use the bow(he had mastered the weapon years ago - his father required excellence in all ranged weapons, even the less modern ones) but he figured it would be useful to gain skills related to the bow, as he didn't much experience on that end. One second later, though it could even have been less than that, the door burst open, slamming into the wall beside it and revealing an excited Elgael. Well, he's desperate, or bored, or both, Yi Qiang silently noted as he listened to the bulky instructor's response.

"O-of course! I'll get the proper equipment immediately," he said, rushing off to another random door and opening it, revealing a large store of basic equipment partly shrouded by the elf's broad back. "And I can definitely teach you! I'm not as experienced with the bow as I am with more melee-oriented weapons, but I should be able to give you a few pointers. Actually, by the look of you, I'm guessing you already know your way around the bow, but want to learn a few specific applications here. I could tell you were Chosen the moment you walked in, so I guessed you'd want a few pointers. I'll just teach you a few tricks, I think, then. Nothing fancy, but only because I don't know anything fancy in the first place."

Yi Qiang, hearing this, was satisfied knowing that he wouldn't have to undergo basic bow and arrow training lessons or suffer through annoyingly simple tips, and just get what he originally wanted: skill levels.

Elgael returned quickly with two bows and a crate of carefully-laid out training arrows. The equipment was nothing special, but it would serve for Yi Qiang's purposes, which were also nothing special.

Saying nothing, the player reached out his hands, respectfully taking the bow from the still-excited instructor, feeling the warm wave of familiarity wash over him. For the first time since coming to this game world, Yi Qiang felt at home. Truly. And it was because of this bow in his hands, a weapon whose skillful use Yi Qiang had spent countless hours and countless gallons of blood and sweat perfecting. And he was ready.

Completely new energy invading Yi Qiang's body, one jittery and excited and hasty, compelled the player to assume his stance and grab an arrow, taking but a moment to assess the weight of both before firing off a perfect shot. It hit the center of the target dummy's forehead.

Ignoring the slack-jawed Elgael, Yi Qiang continued firing off arrows like a machine, his body operating on muscle memory(no, not muscle memory. This went beyond it. Muscle... knowledge?) alone to fire the bow incessantly even as the player focused on the screen that revealed itself to him.

Congratulations! You have gained Bow Mastery!

Bow Mastery(Passive, Apprentice Level 1)

You have experience with the weight and use of the bow. Your strikes are more accurate, rapid, and powerful, and take less energy.

+10% accuracy

+1% damage with the bow and arrow

+5% firing rate

-1% to stamina cost of abilities or attacks using the bow and arrow

The system has recognized your prior experience. Experience gains in Bow Mastery increased by 100% until skill reaches evaluation point. Current skill evaluation: Master Level 5. Skill also starts at Apprentice stage.

The skill leveled up quickly, but Yi Qiang only got around five minutes of silent firing before Elgael spoke up.

"Clearly I was right and you have prior experience, so I'll just teach you the few tricks I know. By the way, feel free to keep this bow. Honestly, you can use it better right now than I could. Anyways..."

The next few hours consisted of Yi Qiang learning three active bow skills. Arrow Pierce, Arrow Burst, and Mark. The first two were relatively simple to learn; both of them combined only took around an hour. Arrow Pierce simply enhanced the piercing capabilities of a fired shot at a cost of 20 Stamina per shot. Arrow Burst enhanced the power of multiple arrows shot at once, for a slightly more expensive price of 30 Stamina each. Mark, though, was the first sign of a less realistic skill. It was a basic skill most marksmen knew, and was triggered by focusing on the target intently and, in Yi Qiang's case, visualizing a kill order on their head. This was expensive, a full 100 stamina for it, but its effects would be invaluable when the skill leveled up a good amount, increasing the damage done to the target and accuracy of the shots fired at them.

Visibly less energy in him than when Yi Qiang had first knocked on his door, he left the marksman alone to his practice. And practice he did.

Two days later, Yi Qiang looked over his status one last time. He had said his farewells to Elgael and had honed his stats and skills to an acceptable level. He had the practice bow holstered to his back, and a quiver of sharp arrows, courtesy of Elgael as well.

Asking directions from a random merchant, Yi Qiang quickly passed the city gate and, after a bit of continuing down the main road, found the first signs of a forest.