TOP SECRET: Adventures in the Dark Continent Chapter 5: Arriving on the Dark Continent

The young man struggled to make up his mind. Every single choice appeared incredibly perilous.

"I almost forgot... I finished the tutorial, but I don't know if I got any reward or not..." The young man remained clueless about whatever prize he had earned.

"I remember that opening the status window just requires thinking about it"

"It worked!" Delight surged through the young man as the window appeared before him.

Yet, against his hopes, the status window displayed very little information.

Name: Liu Yang.

Level: 0

Attribute points to use: 2

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Vitality: 0

Intelligence: 0

Skill points to use: 1

"Intriguing... The system somehow recognizes my name" Astonishment struck Liu Yang over this revelation. He never dreamed anything like it could occur.

"It looks like everyone starts with identical attributes, yet the knowledge and skills we gained before reaching the island persist... In a level 0 clash between two people, the one with prior physical training would triumph..." Insights dawned on Liu Yang upon examining the status window.

"Interesting. Those who finish the tutorial gain a huge edge from the start. Two attribute points plus one skill point is substantial."

"My body has grown so frail lately. Lacking both strength and stamina, I need these two attributes right now" Liu Yang allocated the two points to strength and vitality.

"What's this?? My body feels stronger already" A surge of hot energy flooded into Liu Yang's body, coursing through every part of it.

"Only one way to test it" Liu Yang gripped the shield with one hand and lifted it high. He began timing himself.

"Previously, I could hold this seven-hundred-gram shield up for roughly forty seconds."

"It exhausts so much" Keeping an object raised horizontally with the arm for extended periods drains it rapidly.

A minute passed...

"One minute! That's twenty seconds longer. My strength has boosted dramatically, and besides, my energy recovers much quicker now" Liu Yang sensed his arm restoring power faster than usual.

"Facing someone who trains daily, my enhanced abilities could let me hold out for a while..." Liu Yang went back to the table, determined to pick his starting village among the cities.

"Sea and desert mutant beasts rank as the deadliest among these threats, thanks to their camouflage abilities in their domains. Picking such a spot is highly risky, especially for an untrained guy like me. These two villages are out." He began evaluating the sites, drawing on knowledge from years of gaming and novel reading.

Village A and Village B were discarded.

"Mutant beasts? This area must neighbor a forest to spawn these creatures; such zones are perilous with hidden beasts everywhere. I can't handle that."

Village C was also discarded.

"Demons or zombies? Which one to pick? Demons excel in shadowy combat. With the Dark Continent shrouded in dark mist, their fighting prowess would amplify. Zombies... Slow movers that track by human scent, numerous but limited in attack varieties compared to others. They seem safer overall, though their bites risk turning victims into more zombies."

Village D was discarded.

"What should I do?" Liu Yang pondered the advantages and drawbacks of all five villages.

Village E remains uncertain.

"I'll head to Village E, realm of the carnivorous zombies." After some deliberation, Liu Yang settled on Village E.

Liu Yang tapped the map spot marking City E's location. All villages hugged the continent's edge, so distances were similar. However, each spot boasted unique features.

Village A featured vast forests, Village B encircled lakes, Village C endless deserts, Village D cavern networks, while Village E stretched as a vast plain dotted with ruined villages and towns.

"Are you certain of this selection? This choice is irreversible once made" A confirmation prompt popped up as Liu Yang selected Village E.

"Yes. I'm sure"

"Choice confirmed"

"Select a skill from the three options. You may inspect the selected card" A new screen materialized before Liu Yang.

Three cards appeared. Every card bore a skull illustration.

"Looks like skills are randomized... Which card to pick?" Liu Yang felt lost in that instant.

Each card offered a unique skill; a poor pick could doom his beginning, while a strong one would ease his journey.

"What to do??" Liu Yang pondered deeply for several minutes.

"If you don't pick within the next five seconds, a random card gets selected. The power will come from thousands of options. The skill stays linked to Village E."

"Thousands of skills available? Does that mean I could get a power beyond these three cards? Fascinating. That's my perfect choice." Liu Yang struggled terribly with decisions, so he let the system handle it for him.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Random skill selected."

Moments later, after the skill selection, the map burst into a dazzling glow. The radiance fully engulfed Liu Yang's form. He vanished right from the spot.

At the fringes of the Dark Continent...

This tiny village featured just a handful of structures. The homes were simple, crafted from mud and thatch. It resembled a rural hamlet.

Sudden flashes of light erupted, and a group of people materialized.

Onlookers gazed curiously to identify the newcomers.

"What do you reckon shows up this time? Regular folk or the guilty ones?"

"No clue. They both turn up every time, so why bother guessing?"

"Hehe... Wonder if they've got the guts to venture out or if they'll hide in the village forever."

"Planning a kill already? Let's chill. We've got orders to obey."

"I just crave watching someone drop dead before my eyes."

Chatter erupted as these arrivals showed up. Clearly, they were fresh newbies, while the old-timers plotted their futures.

Most folks there grinned with thrill at the sight of fresh faces. These were convicts for crimes like murder, terror acts, torture, and worse.

Since most experiment picks were such criminals, they dominated the human population on the Dark Continent.

All present hailed from varied races and nations. Strangely, everyone shared one tongue: the Dark Continent's language.

Liu Yang materialized with the new group—eight in total. Not many seemed keen on zombie-slaying.

"Greetings. We give you a hearty welcome, new residents of the Dark Continent." A massive, muscular man stepped up to the octet. His face bore a grin, yet the huge scar on his left cheek twisted it into something gruesome.

A terrifying presence radiated from him. He aimed to assert his dominance as the local boss.

"Who might you be?" Yet another hefty guy asked, instantly on high alert.

In this fresh realm, rookies served as easy targets for seasoned players. It was the expected order of things.

"I'm James Hunt. Delighted to make your acquaintance." He offered a polite intro, though his savage, menacing vibe lingered strong.

"James Hunt, huh?" The sturdy newcomer extended his palm, but first flashed a swift finger signal. Nobody else caught its intent, except James Hunt.

"Got it... You're the ally dispatched here..." They clasped hands firmly.

James Hunt's speech and moves carried secret codes, grasped only by a select few.

"Hey, everyone!!! Found a true buddy today. Tonight, I'm covering all the prostitutes!!!" James Hunt spun to the throng and bellowed.

"Whoaaaa!!!!!!!!!!" The guys roared in excitement. They bolted straight for the village's sole brothel.

No laws governed the Dark Continent. Survival of the fittest ruled supreme. The mighty preyed on the frail.

Exiles too timid to battle got subjugated by the bold who grew powerful through combat.

The Dark Continent lacked any authority or armed forces. Residents acted freely, consequences be damned.

Yet one key point: total anarchy would spark massive disorder, dooming nearly everyone. To avert that, basic codes and power structures emerged, holding a fragile peace on the surface.

Adventurers who raid perilous zones, slay beasts, and gain levels earned top perks, regardless of gender.

Idlers faced servitude duties, be they male or female.

Beautiful women gained extra advantages, desired by countless men. Refusal wasn't possible—they risked being hauled out and fed to zombies for death. Hence, no woman turns down offers from the fighters.

Men traded food and safety for women's favors. But beware: some males toyed around, then ditched them post-pleasure, leaving the women to turn tricks in brothels or taverns.

Men of lesser strength were confined to hands-on jobs like carpentry, construction, factory work, and the like.

Just like in the world beyond the Dark Continent, practical skills such as building houses, sewing clothes, and similar tasks hold value.

Even without the advanced technology from outside the continent, people on the Dark Continent crafted their own creations, including weapons, since no gunpowder existed there.

Magic stood as the primary source of power on the Dark Continent.