2: Mission accomplished

Ning Ruogong's parents passed away very early, and he was sent to an orphanage. However, he was already older than most of the orphans there, so when it came to adoption, adoptive couples usually chose younger orphans and ignored the older ones.

As time passed, he grew older, and his chances of being adopted became increasingly slim. Soon, he completely gave up hope of being adopted and simply lived an ordinary life in the orphanage.

At 18, he left the orphanage and began living independently. But independent living required a lot of money, so he decided to find a job. By chance, he found a night animal care job at a zoo. Because it was a night shift, the pay was higher than the day shift.

So he accepted the job without hesitation. Unfortunately, he only worked at the zoo for three months…

“I can’t believe I’m dead. It feels unreal. Somehow I’ve become… what’s the word? Sentient? Energy, that’s even more unbelievable.” Ning Ruogong watched the timer count down, but there were still 2 minutes left.

“Hey, System! Is that all there is to the System Status?” he asked.

<There are other hidden functions that will appear as you gain more energy>

“Oh, are these functions different from the locked shop?” he asked.

<The shop can be unlocked at any time once you acquire enough energy>

<Hidden functions are automatically unlocked after reaching a certain energy value>

<Besides energy, there may be other requirements to unlock hidden functions>

“Oh, what requirements?” he asked.

<The System will not tell you>

Ning Ruogong chuckled to himself, waiting for the timer to end. 5-4-3-2-1.

<System Unlocked>

“Alright.” Ning Ruogong was curious about what would happen next. But he had waited for over a minute, and nothing happened. The energy count was still 1.

“Hey System, what’s going on? Why haven’t I gained any energy points?” he asked.

<The only type of energy you can collect now is heat>

<You must wait until you encounter some scattered heat before you can absorb it>

“What do you mean I can only collect heat?” he asked.

<In the early stages of the System, the host can only collect energy existing in the form of thermal energy>

<As the System progresses, more forms of energy can be collected>

“Can you tell me what types of energy these are?” he asked.

<The only one you are authorized to know is that the next form of energy is sound>

“Oh, sound. I wonder how it works,” Just as he was thinking, the System spoke again, only this time it wasn't answering his question but informing him of something.

<You have gained 1 energy point>

“Wait, I got energy? That’s good.” he said. He checked his status, which showed he now had 2 energy points and needed 8 more to unlock the auditory function.

He waited for more energy to arrive, but none did. “Hey System, why don’t I have any energy? Isn’t the world full of energy? How come I’ve barely gotten any energy?” He was really confused about this.

<You can only collect energy equal to or less than your own quantity>

<The closer the amount of energy is to you, the lower your chance of absorbing it.>

“Oh,” he thought. “So, I guess I’ll just have to wait to accumulate more, huh.”

He waited a few minutes and finally received another burst of energy. Now he had 3 bursts.

“Hmm…” He realized something. Although only about 10 minutes had passed, somehow, he had forgotten his death and how he had inexplicably turned into energy. He had also completely accepted that he now possessed this magical System, which was said to grant him immortality.

“Hey System, why am I not sad about dying at all? In fact, I don’t feel any emotions whatsoever. I’m just mimicking emotions in my mind. I don’t actually feel them.” he said.

<The System has suppressed most of your emotions>

<You can unlock them later through your missions>

“Oh.” he responded expressionlessly. Soon, the energy counter reached 5 and continued to increase. As he gained more energy, his chances of acquiring energy would also increase.

Unconsciously, the energy value was at 8, and after waiting a while, he received another message.

<You have gained 2 energy points>

<Congratulations, you have unlocked hearing>

Gurgle. Gurgle.

He suddenly heard some sounds. He didn't know which direction they were coming from, but he definitely heard them.

“Is that water?” he thought. The sounds he heard sounded like they were heard underwater. “Hey System, where exactly are we?” he asked.

<You are not on Earth. You have reincarnated on the South Continent of Planet Kumia>

<You are currently flowing down from a mountain Glacier>

“Huh? Wait, I’m not on Earth anymore? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” He was shocked.

<The System provided you with information early on, would you like to see it?>

“Yes, show me.” As soon as he said that, all the notifications he had missed since his death began flooding into his mind.

“So, I was transported to another planet? Wait, is there life on this planet?” he asked. If he had to live in this world with nothing, he would rather die again.

<Kumia has abundant life. The human population of Kumia is 303.245 times that of Earth>

“That many? Are there any humans near me now?”

<The host must find out for himself>

“Okay, I guess. Let’s see what my next mission is. Status.”