4: Chapter 4 System Activation

Early in the morning, Wang Sheng told Shen Xun'er and Murong Xue about his discovery during the night.

The three of them crouched beside the claw marks to examine them carefully. The three-toed deep gouges on the fluorescent grassland were still clear in the morning light. The dark red glow had dissipated, but the depth to which they were pressed into the soil said everything.

Murong Xue extended her finger to measure the width of the claw mark. Her brown ponytail swayed gently in the morning breeze, and her resolute face was filled with gravity: "The claw marks are about four centimeters deep, and the spacing is over a meter."

"Judging by this body size and stride, it weighs at least three hundred kilograms. It is definitely not any known species from Earth."

"We must find a safe shelter as soon as possible."

Wang Sheng stood up and scanned the distance. In the direction where the twin suns had set last night, a valley shrouded in thin mist was vaguely visible. On both sides were steep rock walls, like a natural city wall enclosing a confined space.

"There," he pointed toward the valley, "with the rock walls as a barrier and only one entrance, it is suitable for defense."

Shen Xun'er looked in the direction he pointed, her almond-shaped eyes brightening slightly: "I noticed it last night when the twin suns set. The thin mist in that valley is different from the mist around it. It isn't scattered; it has a contour, as if it were enclosed by something."

"Then we go there." Wang Sheng's decision was decisive.

Sixty-three people set off in two columns. Wang Sheng walked at the front, Murong Xue brought up the rear, and Shen Xun'er coordinated from the center.

Along the way, the rune on Wang Sheng's palm grew brighter and brighter, the golden glow seeping through his fingers as if something inside his body was responding to the thin mist ahead.

Strange phenomena kept occurring.

The Savage Beasts along the way seemed to be deliberately avoiding them. Su Mengyao was the first to notice this. Her emerald green hair fluttered in the morning breeze, and her jade-colored eyes swept across the bushes by the roadside: "Strange, I can sense many life auras, but they are all staying away from us... No, they are staying away from Wang Sheng."

Her fingers gently brushed past a spiritual herb, which glowed slightly and tilted in her direction upon her touch. "These spiritual herbs are also responding to us, but the strongest direction... is toward Wang Sheng."

Zhao Linger, walking in the middle of the group, suddenly tugged at the hem of the girl in front of her: "Did you hear any sound? Humming, like someone is singing..."

She tilted her head, a confused expression appearing on her baby face, her big, watery eyes blinking. Her sweet, soft voice carried a hint of uncertainty, "It seems like a melody coming from very, very far away..."

No one could answer her. But Wang Sheng noticed that when Zhao Linger said this, her ears turned slightly red. It wasn't shyness, but a physiological reaction after some kind of sensory activation.

The closer they got to the valley, the more intense the burning in his palm became.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Mist Valley, everyone was stunned. The mist-shrouded valley was more perfect than imagined. Surrounded by near-vertical, steep rock walls, the only entrance was only five meters wide, with naturally formed grooves on the rock walls on both sides, as if they were reserved for placing roadblocks.

Inside the valley was a flat, fluorescent grassland. A stream glowing with blue light emerged from between the rock walls, meandering through the center of the valley, the sound of the stream crisp and pleasant.

Further inside, there were several natural caves, their entrances half-hidden by vines, with dry, warm air wafting from within.

"It's like someone prepared it specifically for us," Shen Xun'er said in a low voice, a complex look flashing in her almond-shaped eyes.

A thought flashed through Wang Sheng's mind: Perhaps it really was.

He stepped into the valley.

The first step, the burning in his palm turned into a ball of fire.

The second step, a golden rune appeared on his palm, blindingly bright.

The third step,

A huge golden magic circle appeared under his feet.

The magic circle spread in all directions from Wang Sheng's feet, its golden patterns spreading like a spider web, covering most of the valley floor.

Runes condensed, rotated, and intertwined in the air, forming a pattern ten thousand times more complex than the lines on Wang Sheng's palm.

The golden light flared, shooting up from the ground to the sky, enveloping Wang Sheng's entire body!

The sixty-two girls were startled by the sudden pillar of light and took a few steps back, but the golden light did not harm anyone. It only enveloped Wang Sheng, like an oracle, like a coronation.

Wang Sheng felt himself being lifted by a gentle yet irresistible force, his feet half a foot off the ground, suspended in the golden light.

The rune on his palm resonated with the magic circle beneath his feet, like two mirrors reflecting each other. The golden light flowed around him like liquid metal, and then, a translucent panel appeared before his eyes.

═ ═ Savage Wilderness Chieftain System · Activated ═ ═

[Host]: Wang Sheng

[Identity]: Chosen Chieftain

[Profession]: Holy Light Warrior (SSS Rank · Mythical Profession)

[Level]: Barbarian Warrior Tier 1

[SSS Rank Aura: Spreading Branches and Leaves]

Effect 1: Chieftain's attractiveness to the opposite sex +30%, gain Super Kidneys (greatly enhanced physique)

Effect 2: Gain a random reward for every wife taken (positively correlated with Main City level and wife's charm value)

Effect 3: Tribe female conception rate greatly increased, pregnancy period shortened to one month. Chieftain can inherit the profession talents of all offspring; offspring gain talents before they are even born

[Note]: As the only man in the tribe, the Chieftain should shoulder the heavy responsibility of Spreading Branches and Leaves!

Wang Sheng stared at the text on the panel, his mind blank.

Shock, is this real? A system? A profession? SSS Rank?

Unbelievable. He looked down at his body enveloped in golden light, then back at the incredible descriptions on the panel. He wanted to reach out and touch the panel, but his fingers passed through the translucent screen.

Ecstasy, SSS Rank! A Mythical Profession! In this savage world, he is not the weak one, not a burden; he is the strongest one!

Then came calmness. He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and fixed his gaze back on the panel, scanning every word one by one: "Chosen Chieftain", "Only Male", "Spreading Branches and Leaves".

The corner of his mouth twitched.

This system is a bit too... straightforward, isn't it?

The golden light gradually faded, Wang Sheng's feet touched the ground again, and the patterns of the magic circle slowly faded into the soil.

Sixty-two pairs of eyes stared at him in unison, filled with fear, curiosity, worry, and a kind of indescribable... awe.

The golden light from the system activation only enveloped Wang Sheng, but everyone saw that light and felt that heart-palpitating shock.

Shen Xun'er was the first to step forward.

She didn't ask him what happened, but directly took his hand, that hand which was still slightly hot.

She looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes filled not with fear, but with trust—the kind of trust accumulated over four years through countless times of saying "I'm here," a trust that needed no reason.

"What did you see?"

Wang Sheng hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. He shared the contents of the system panel with Shen Xun'er, Murong Xue, and the core members.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun remained expressionless after hearing it, her ice-blue eyes like two pieces of cold ice without temperature, but deep within the ice surface, there was an extremely subtle ripple—a complex, indescribable emotion.

She spoke coldly: "So you are the Chieftain now, and we are your tribespeople?"

"That's not what I meant," Wang Sheng began to explain.

"I didn't mean to object," Frost Mage Lin Shiyun interrupted him. Her silver-white hair fluttered in the breeze of the valley, her slender figure standing before the rock wall, the stunning curve between her waist and hips etching a cold silhouette against the backlight. "I am just confirming the facts. Since there is a system, there are rules. We need to figure out the rules to survive."

She paused, her tone dropping slightly, "Your light... is indeed very warm."

The last sentence was as light as a snowflake falling on the water's surface, fleeting. Wang Sheng wasn't sure if he had misheard.

Zhao Linger blinked: "Chieftain? Isn't that like a King! King Wang Sheng!"

Her baby face showed shock for one second and excitement for the next, her sweet, soft voice carrying a touch of joy. Then, her face suddenly turned red. It reddened quickly, spreading from her earlobes all the way to her cheeks, like a boiled shrimp.

Because she thought of the "Spreading Branches and Leaves" clause.

She subconsciously stole a glance at Wang Sheng, then quickly looked away, her hands unconsciously covering her round, full chest. The curves under her short sweatshirt became even more prominent because of this action, her slender waist twisted slightly, and she looked like a startled, shy little rabbit.

Murong Xue pondered for a moment, her brown ponytail flicking neatly behind her head, and she spoke calmly: "If this system is real, our survival probability will greatly increase. I suggest we verify it first. You said you have the abilities of a Holy Light Warrior; can you demonstrate?"

Wang Sheng nodded and clenched his right fist.

He could feel the power within his body; it had always been there, from the moment of his transmigration, he just didn't know how to call upon it.

But now, after the system activation, that power surged in his blood like ignited flames, every cell clamoring to be released.

He raised his right fist, concentrating his will on his palm, and golden light seeped through his fingers, "Holy Light Slash!"

Golden light erupted from his palm, transforming into a crescent-shaped blade of light, carrying a scorching temperature and heart-palpitating pressure, slashing straight at the valley wall in front!

"Boom!"

The light blade cut into the rock wall, gravel splattered, and dust filled the air.

When the dust settled, everyone saw that there was a half-meter-deep crack on the rock wall. The rock at the break was scorched black, the edges still slightly glowing red, and the air was filled with the burnt smell of scorching.

The whole place was silent.

After three seconds of silence, "Wow!!!"

The exclamation of sixty-two girls resounded through the Mist Valley, and even a few gravel pieces on the rock wall were shaken down by the sound wave.

Zhao Linger screamed and jumped up, leaping directly behind Wang Sheng and grabbing his hem, her baby face full of worship and excitement, her big, watery eyes shining like stars: "So amazing, so amazing! King Wang Sheng is so handsome!"

Su Mengyao covered her mouth, her emerald green eyes wide, her face beneath her green hair filled with incredulous surprise.

Hua Jieyu's almond-shaped eyes curved into two crescents, her dimples filled with a smile of relief.

Even Frost Mage Lin Shiyun's ice-blue pupils widened for a fleeting second; it was an instinctive shock.

Wang Sheng himself was also startled.

He looked down at his right fist, the golden rune on his palm still glowing slightly, residual power jumping at his fingertips, crackling like lightning.

The power of this punch far exceeded his imagination; if he were on Earth, this punch could split a truck in half.

He raised his head and scanned the sixty-two pairs of eyes in front of him—fearful, worshipful, expectant, relieved, complex—various emotions intertwined, but one thing was common: they were all looking at him.

"I don't know why it had to be us, nor do I know what this world has in store for us."

Wang Sheng's voice was not loud, but in this valley enclosed by rock walls, every word was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears, "But I know one thing: I will never let any of you get hurt. From now on, we are a tribe, I am your Chieftain, and you are my people. Whoever dares to touch you, I will crush them."

His voice was steadier than he had expected, as if it had welled up from some unknown place deep in his chest—perhaps from the ball of golden flame in his palm, perhaps from that ancient voice during the transmigration, or perhaps from the belief accumulated bit by bit over four years every time he said "I'm here."

With the threefold bonus of the system-granted Chieftain prestige, Wang Sheng's own aura, and the shocking display of the Holy Light Slash, all the girls subconsciously took a half-step back, then surged forward to surround him, chattering and asking all sorts of questions.

Zhao Linger hung directly on his arm, refusing to come down, her sweet, soft voice chirping like a little sparrow, her soft body pressed against his arm, her round, full curves rubbing against him without reservation.

Shen Xun'er gently "plucked" her away, a hint of helpless yet tolerant smile on the corners of her lips, but her hand never left Wang Sheng's arm.

Just as everyone was still excited, the system sent another prompt, "Ding! Main quest triggered: [Establish Camp] Please establish an initial camp within 24 hours, otherwise you will encounter a Beast Tide attack!"

Wang Sheng's expression changed.

He turned his head to look at the five-meter-wide entrance of the valley, then looked at the sixty-two girls behind him who hadn't recovered from the shock yet, the golden rune on his palm pulsing with his heartbeat.

"Everyone, listen up," his voice rose abruptly, "Start building the camp immediately!"