Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost

"They've done a good job with player distribution. I thought it would be crowded," Wang Linchi complained.

"A single Novice Village has a thousand players; that's not exactly a small number," another player chimed in.

After speaking, everyone scattered. Any experienced player knows the first thing to do is accept a quest and then go out to kill monsters. Otherwise, how would they level up if they got delayed?

Wang Linchi, however, was unhurried because he had received a special quest.

[Ding, you have triggered a special quest: The Beginning of the Profession]

Wang Linchi opened his quest log; he hadn't expected it so soon.

[The Newcomer's Start]

[Quest: As a Scholar, please report to the School in the Novice Village.]

[Reward: Experience ×10, Copper Coin ×1]

Wang Linchi glanced at it. This was clearly an extra reward for the special quest; otherwise, if players wasted time on special quests that gave nothing, it would just slow down their progress.

The reward was a bit meager, but it was just an errand quest, so receiving less was normal.

As for currency, there were Copper Coins, Silver, and Gold, with conversion rates of one thousand to one between tiers. There were also items like silver notes; unfortunately, game rules restricted Wang Linchi—otherwise, he could have hand-drawn them.

Naturally, Wang Linchi headed for the school according to his quest. On the way, he sensed something interesting—he felt like he could summon the Book of Records.

The Book of Records wasn't recognized by 'God-given World' as a Talent, but that didn't mean it had disappeared. After all, it was a part of him.

I shouldn't be hasty. I'll see after I start killing monsters.

If he really could summon the Book of Records, it meant that Soul Kind, Soul Seed Page, and the Three forms of Saint Master could also enter the game.

It would be like a high-level account boosting a new one; Wang Linchi would be set for a meteoric rise.

He reached the school quickly. The Private School Teacher didn't have a name; none of the NPCs in the Novice Village did. They were only labeled by their professions.

"Sir, I am here to report," said Wang Linchi.

The Private School Teacher nodded. "Hmm, not bad. An impressive presence."

Then, Wang Linchi heard the prompt for quest completion and received the corresponding Experience and Copper Coins.

"I have three urgent matters here, and I need you to help me with one," The Private School Teacher said. "First, go to the back mountain, kill rabbits, and gather enough rabbit fur to make ten writing brushes."

"Second, help me buy ten portions of Xuan Paper from the general store at the village entrance."

"The last quest is to help me copy a book: ten copies of 'Commentary on Ming Jing'."

As The Private School Teacher finished speaking, three quest options floated before Wang Linchi's eyes. He couldn't select them all, only one.

[Please note: This quest will influence the direction of your special profession.]

So the Scholar's subsequent special professions will be determined by the quest choices made during this special quest line.

The first quest seems to be combat-oriented. What about the second and third?

Wang Linchi couldn't determine the nature of the last two quests. However, after checking the rewards, the last quest offered the most.

[The Private School Teacher's Predicament III]

[Quest: Copy ten copies of 'Commentary on Ming Jing'.]

[Reward: Experience ×50, Copper Coin ×5, 'Commentary on Ming Jing' ×1]

[Time limit: 72 hours]

This time, the quest had a time limit. However, failure still incurred no penalties, and he could still trigger the next quest.

Without hesitation, Wang Linchi accepted the last quest. The first two quests offered less Experience and fewer Copper Coins than the third, and they also lacked physical rewards.

Completing the one with the highest difficulty would surely lead to a better special profession.

Before he could even speak, The Private School Teacher seemed to receive a corresponding instruction and said, "I'm very satisfied with your choice. You can start copying."

Saying this, The Private School Teacher led Wang Linchi to a seat and took out 'Commentary on Ming Jing' for him to copy.

Normally, this kind of task would just involve watching a progress bar fill up. However, for a game that claimed to be 100% realistic, he had to copy it manually.

But claims were one thing; after all, the players themselves weren't 'real' in that sense.

Wang Linchi glanced at 'Commentary on Ming Jing'. It was indeed verbose, containing a total of 17,000 words.

Moreover, the copying was done with a brush, which very few people in Chen Country could use proficiently. If someone else were to attempt it, the result wouldn't be mere chicken scratch but rather unsightly inkblots.

However, for Wang Linchi, this was no challenge at all. With his control over his body, mimicking the writing was incredibly simple.

This body isn't at its peak. It's even worse than before I awakened my Soul Resemblance. At most, it's at the level of an ordinary person. After Wang Linchi finished copying the first time, he already felt the difference between this player body and his own. Luckily, players didn't experience fatigue.

Comparing the two versions of "Commentary on Ming Jing," the handwriting was identical. If not for one being new and the other old, distinguishing them wouldn't have been easy.

Does my current situation count as a powerful expert being reborn? The thought suddenly struck Wang Linchi.

He quickly dismissed it and continued copying.

A single book contained 17,000 words. Given his flawless, machine-like copying speed, one copy would take him about two and a half hours. For someone else, it might take even longer.

This speed was only possible because players didn't experience fatigue. A normal person would be doing well to copy 10,000 words in three hours.

No wonder the quest allowed 72 hours. An average person truly couldn't finish copying 170,000 words in a short time, mainly because copying for extended periods easily led to frustration.

In fact, most people would probably give up directly; it was just too unbearable.

Before he knew it, 27 hours had passed. Many players were already approaching Level 10 and preparing to leave the Novice Village, while Wang Linchi had finally completed his quest.

Throughout this time, The Private School Teacher stood by like a robot.

"Teacher, I have finished copying. Please take a look." Wang Linchi handed over the ten copies of "Commentary on Ming Jing" he had made.

The Private School Teacher took them, briefly flipped through, and then said, "Incredible speed, and such fluid Calligraphy."

"I originally intended to give you one of the copies of 'Commentary on Ming Jing' that you transcribed. However, you completed the task so perfectly that I shall give you this original 'Commentary on Ming Jing' instead."

The teacher accepted the ten transcribed copies and then passed the original "Commentary on Ming Jing" to Wang Linchi.

Simultaneously, the rewards arrived.

Wang Linchi checked the "Commentary on Ming Jing" that had appeared in his inventory and was very satisfied.

[Private School Teacher's Commentary on Ming Jing]

[Type: Item]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect (Upon Use): Gain an extra attribute point and skill point at the next level-up.]

[Effect (Upon Use): Gain 1,000 assignable Skill Proficiency points.]

[Effect (Upon Use): Obtain Scholar Profession Skill: Calligraphy LV3.]

Seeing this, he immediately used it without hesitation. An icon indicating extra attribute and skill points upon leveling appeared in his status window, and his skill window also updated accordingly.

[Skills]

[Available Skill Proficiency: 1,000]

[Active: Literary Warfare LV1 (0/100)]

[Passive: Calligraphy LV3 (0/3,000)]

[Effects: When using Pen-class weapons, Fixed Damage +3%, Crit Rate +3%. When casting a Scholar Skill, there is a 3% chance to cast it again without consuming Mana. Attacks gain 3% Spell Bloodsucking. Mana recovery speed +3%.]

Wang Linchi was inwardly exclaiming, Holy crap! This reward was truly worth it.

The standard 'Commentary on Ming Jing', when used, should only grant some Skill Proficiency and the Calligraphy passive skill. Of course, the amounts wouldn't be this high; probably just 100 Skill Proficiency points and LV1 Calligraphy, possibly even lower.

He speculated that the quality of the 'Commentary on Ming Jing' obtained from using it was determined by the quality of the copied content. Wang Linchi had received the top-tier reward. If the copying had been poor, he might not have received any Skill Proficiency at all, only the Calligraphy passive skill.

As for the quality tiers of equipment and items in 'God-given World', there were roughly five levels: Ordinary, Excellent, Good, Rare, and Exquisite. Beyond these, there were also special classifications like Divine Artifact, Growth, Unique, and Set items. These special classifications didn't follow a strict hierarchy but had distinct special functions.

If I can get the maximum reward for every choice in these special quests, then even if things seem balanced at first, once all are completed, my progress will inevitably skyrocket.

Wang Linchi couldn't help but consider this.

"Next, I'll have to trouble you with one more thing. Please deliver these ten copies of 'Commentary on Ming Jing' to..."

This time, the special quest was a delivery errand. There were no choices and no extra rewards, only 10 Experience and 1 Copper Coin.

Wang Linchi accepted it without hesitation.

The quest wasn't difficult, and there was a map for guidance, so he didn't worry about not finding the recipients. If he couldn't even find the people, what kind of errand runner would he be?

I need to reach Level 2 quickly. This game isn't ordinary; I keep feeling there might be some hidden benefits.

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. 'God-given World' might genuinely fuse with reality. I just need to level up and make some comparisons first.