Lý Thiên Ngọc, 24 years old, from Hanoi, was born and raised in an ordinary family, neither rich nor poor.
Standing 1.75m tall, he was considered of average height, and his face was quite handsome, making him somewhat of a 'pretty boy'. His parents were retired. There were three siblings in the family; his two older sisters were already married, but he, despite graduating with an economics degree, still couldn't find a job and thus couldn't contribute to the family.
The entire family relied on his parents' pension. It wasn't that Lý Thiên Ngọc didn't want to work and earn money; it was just that he had such terrible luck that he hadn't found a decent job yet.
Before this, from high school until now, he had done all sorts of odd jobs: security guard, internet cafe attendant, waiter, product promoter, and even sales for several companies... but he couldn't hold down any job for long. If he wasn't fired, then various mishaps would force him to quit. He wondered if fate had some vendetta against him!
Lý Thiên Ngọc wasn't good with words, which made him quite taciturn and disinclined to socialize. This very trait caused him considerable distress in both his career and his relationships.
Lý Thiên Ngọc was quite timid when it came to romance. He almost never expressed his true feelings to others, which meant those around him couldn't understand him, leading to their gradual estrangement.
To this day, only a very small number of his friends still kept in touch. In short, he was currently a failure: no money, no girlfriend, no confidence. To put it bluntly, he had nothing.
Lý Thiên Ngọc felt that his existence was unlovable, somewhat meaningless. Depressed, Lý Thiên Ngọc no longer bothered looking for a job or a girlfriend. One could say this was a wrong move in the game of his life.
But as the saying goes, a loss may turn out to be a gain. People say fortune and misfortune are intertwined; who can truly know?
At this point, Lý Thiên Ngọc began to immerse himself in games. He played all sorts of games: from web-based to client-based, from online to offline. There was hardly a game he hadn't played. Surprisingly, he was quite skilled at gaming.
Around that time, he discovered a web-based game called *Vô song vương giả*. It was, in many ways, like any other grind-heavy game. However, *Vô song vương giả* had an unusually high number of dungeons, as if the publisher was challenging players to see how many they could clear in a day. There was even a leaderboard tracking the number of dungeons each player had cleared. What's more, each dungeon was unique, preventing players from getting bored.
Rumor had it that the game had an unprecedented team of 1000 people whose sole task, day in and day out, was to design dungeons for players to conquer.
After four months of sleeping only four hours a day and spending twenty hours awake clearing dungeons, Lý Thiên Ngọc still only ranked around 15,000. At that time, his character, also named Lý Thiên Ngọc, had reached level 80, which wasn't low considering the highest-level player was only level 98. It was well-known that leveling up became progressively slower from level 30 onwards. Fortunately, *Vô song vương giả* was a grind-heavy game where topping up money only granted VIP status, which merely offered accelerated leveling and free 'flying shoes.' Actual items had to be diligently acquired by clearing dungeons and achieving high ranks on the leaderboard. At that moment, frustrated and angry, he cursed:
"Damn it all, it's been four months! I've been grinding 20 hours a day, and my rank is still stuck around 15,000! What the hell are those top players eating to grind like that? Are they hacking...!!!"
At this point, Ly Thien Ngoc suddenly realized: “That’s very likely. I grind 20 hours a day, and even though this game has a huge player base and the servers are always full, there’s no way everyone at the top of the rankings grinds like that. Maybe a few hundred people at most; the rest must be hacking or using some trick to get so fast.”
With this thought, Ly Thien Ngoc sent a message to a game friend he’d known since the game first launched, whose username was “Green Apple,” and who was currently two levels higher than Ly Thien Ngoc at level 82:
“Hey, buddy! What are you up to!?” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“Fighting a boss with the guild, what’s up!?” – Green Apple
“I have a few things I need to ask you!” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“What do you want to ask!?” – Green Apple
“Do you know any faster ways to grind dungeon rankings!?” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“There are ways, but you and I can’t use them!” – Green Apple
“What way!? Don’t tell me it’s some auto-play or hack/cheat thing!” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“Oh! You already know!?” – Green Apple
“I just guessed, but it’s really true!?” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“Yeah! Just two weeks ago, the 1st.Vuong Gia guild shelled out 2 billion to hire a group of hackers on the darknet to make a hack software with an auto-grind for dungeons. I heard it also increases monster EXP, and the drop rate for both boss and dungeon items doubles.” – Green Apple
“2 billion… Holy sh*t… These guys are really going all out. And the publisher didn’t find out!?” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“They didn’t find out because these guys are really smart. Look at the dungeon leaderboard; besides their guild’s 2,000 members, there are nearly 10,000 other player accounts from different guilds mixed in, so it doesn’t attract the publisher’s attention. And among those 10,000 accounts, about 1,000-2,000 are fake accounts that their guild hired people to create and then turned on the auto-hack. Another 2,500 accounts are ones they sold the hack to, making money back. The rest are like you and me, grinding day and night to get there. Like me, I’m two levels higher than you, but only 15 ranks higher in dungeon rankings.” – Green Apple
“Damn it!!! No wonder I thought something was off. I spend 20 hours a day grinding and I’m still ranked around 15,000. Motherf*cker!!! Oh! How much does 1st.Vuong Gia sell a hack for?” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“I once asked the guild leader of 1st.Vuong Gia, and he quoted 20 million per year for the hack. For NEETs like you and me, who are at home all day, where would we get the money to buy it? Goddamn those 1st.Vuong Gia guys!!!” – Green Apple
“F*ck, if they’re hacking, we have to hack too, otherwise the gap will just get wider and wider. If we don’t hack, we’ll have to quit the game. I think I’ll buy a copy to use!!!” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“Do you even have the money to buy it? That’s 20 million, not a small amount!” – Green Apple
“Sigh… You’re right. Right now, my whole family and I only have 6 million left. I wasted all day grinding and didn’t accomplish anything, so that’s all I have left. I guess I’ll just grit my teeth and pawn my Dream bike…!!” – Ly Thien Ngoc
“Alright! Well, I’m going to take a break and eat something. Haven’t had a single grain of rice since morning, I’m starving. Let’s talk later!!!” – Green Apple
“Okay! Bye.” – Ly Thien Ngoc
Without further thought, Ly Thien Ngoc got dressed, grabbed his keys, and went downstairs to ride his Thai Dream bike – a companion since 11th grade – to the pawn shop. Fortunately, the pawn shop owner was an acquaintance, so he got a decent price for his Dream bike. The owner lent him 12 million dong at an interest rate of 5,000 dong per day, which worked out to 150,000 dong per month.
His parents gave him 200,000 a month, which was enough to pay the interest. He only promised to redeem the bike in 3 months; if it took longer, the owner could dispose of it as he wished. Adding everything up, he had 18 million, only 2 million short. Lý Thiên Ngọc then went home and, gritting his teeth, asked his mother for an additional 2 million. His mother didn't ask too many questions, only telling him not to spend money frivolously.
Lý Thiên Ngọc was a little touched. His mother had almost never asked him what he needed money for, always trusting him. Precisely because of this, he had never indulged in lavish spending or tried to keep up with his friends. His mother was quite at ease about him.
Lý Thiên Ngọc also thought that once he bought the hack and set it to auto, he would have free time. Then he could find some odd job to temporarily earn money to redeem his Dream bike.
With 20 million in hand, he logged back into the game. Then he contacted the guild leader of 1st.Vương giả, saying he wanted to buy the hack. Just as expected, the guy quoted 20 million. Lý Thiên Ngọc agreed and arranged to meet at a cafe for the transaction.
After the transaction, Lý Thiên Ngọc took the USB containing the hack home, hastily plugged it into his computer, and opened it. The hack's interface was quite vibrant and colorful, unlike other hacks that tended to be a bit dark and gloomy. He found it a little strange. But the guild leader of 1st.Vương giả had personally guaranteed it and given Lý Thiên Ngọc his phone number and address. Lý Thiên Ngọc had also verified this, so he wasn't afraid the guild leader would pull any tricks.
The moment he clicked the hack's icon, a 3D sphere appeared on the screen. Before Lý Thiên Ngọc could get a good look, the 3D sphere suddenly emitted light. It was so bright that Lý Thiên Ngọc had to close his eyes because of the glare.
He didn't know how much time had passed, perhaps a second or two, or maybe several minutes, when Lý Thiên Ngọc opened his eyes. He suddenly saw a pitch-black spherical space where he couldn't see his own hand. The reason he knew it was spherical was that Lý Thiên Ngọc was currently leaning against the edge of that space. In the very center of the space, a speck of white light flickered, not too strong, like a guiding lamp.
Lý Thiên Ngọc was stunned, not knowing what to do. A bit of panic rose in his mind as he thought: "Wh-Where is this? Why am I here? Wasn't I just looking at the hack???"
Just then, a neutral, machine-like voice, devoid of any human emotion, spoke:
– Ding! Scanning location!
…
– Ding! Scan complete! Location confirmed: 《Earth, Vietnam, Hanoi City, Language: Vietnamese》
– Ding! Scanning host!
…
– Ding! Scan complete! Host confirmed: 《Lý Thiên Ngọc》
– Ding! Binding system connection to host!
– Ding! Connection complete!
– Ding! Welcome, host 《Lý Thiên Ngọc》, to the 《Creation God Cultivation System》!
– Wh-Who is that? Who's speaking!? – Lý Thiên Ngọc shouted.
– Ding! I am the system's guide!
– S-Sy-Sys-System!? – Lý Thiên Ngọc stammered, trembling.
– Ding! That is correct, Host!
– What is a system!? Where are you!? – Lý Thiên Ngọc asked.
– Ding! Host, please step towards the light, and I will explain the system to you.
Lý Thiên Ngọc took a deep breath to calm himself. Then he slowly walked towards the speck of light. When he reached where the speck of light was, it was more accurate to call it a sphere of light.
– Are you the system!? – Lý Thiên Ngọc asked.
– Ding! That is correct, Host! The sphere of light before you is the system's true form, and I am the system's guide! – The guide replied.
– What is this system? Where is this place? And why am I here when I was just looking at a hack!? – Lý Thiên Ngọc pressed.
– Ding! The System is a non-living entity created by the Creator God to search for the Creator God's heir and help them cultivate until they achieve the Creator God's power. This is the System's space, and its size and illumination change according to the host's strength.
As for why the host appeared here, it's because you were randomly selected based on the probability set by the Creator God when the System was created. – The Guide replied.
– Who is the Creator God? What can the Creator God's heir do? Also, how will the System help me achieve the Creator God's power? – Li Tianyu continued to ask.
– Ding! The Creator God is the supreme life form, immortal and imperishable, paramount and omnipotent. He Himself created countless planets, star systems, galaxies, and even countless universes, bestowing life upon them. – The Guide replied.
– How will the System help me cultivate? – Li Tianyu asked, a hint of joy in his voice. If this was true, it would be a turning point in his life.
– Ding! The System has many different ways to help the host cultivate until they are equal to the Creator God. However, after scanning Earth's environment and the host's abilities – which include gaming – the System has modified its process to resemble a game, so the host will be interested in cultivating. – The Guide replied.
– What do you mean 'like a game'? Can you explain it more clearly?
– Ding! Because when the System connected with the host, the host was playing the game 《Peerless King》, the System modified its process to be exactly like 《Peerless King》 so the host would be familiar with it. To make it clearer, please say 'Character'! – The Guide said.
– Character! – Li Tianyu uttered.
A semi-transparent window displaying the words 《Character》 appeared before Li Tianyu:
* Character: Li Tianyu
* Level: 0 (Cultivation System not yet activated)
* Cultivation Method: None
* Profession: None
* Equipment: None
* Pet: None
* Mount: None
* Exchange Points: 0
Li Tianyu was quite satisfied after reviewing it. All stats, except for Strength and Constitution, were equal to or higher than an average person's. Perhaps due to being a long-term NEET, his health had declined compared to before, but it wasn't too bad.
Suddenly, as Li Tianyu was examining his character stats, he heard a System notification.
– Ding! The System has bestowed 《Newbie Gift Pack Lv.1》. Please check your inventory.
– Ding! The System reminds you that the Newbie Gift Pack can be opened up to Lv.5. Please keep it safe; the System will not be responsible if it's lost.
Li Tianyu was overjoyed and quickly uttered: – Open inventory!
A semi-transparent window displaying the word 《Inventory》 with 24 slots appeared before Li Tianyu. The first slot was occupied by a red gift pack icon.
Li Tianyu's finger trembled slightly as he tapped the gift pack. He saw the red gift box icon flash once...
– Ding! Congratulations, player 《Li Tianyu》, you have received: 《Primordial Qi Devouring Art》 cultivation method x1, Marrow Cleansing Pill x1, 《Shadow Kick》 martial art x1, HP Potion x10, MP Potion x10.
Li Tianyu was ecstatic! This was an insane haul! Normally, newbie gift packs only contain a Marrow Cleansing Pill along with HP and MP potions. You only get to learn cultivation methods after reaching Lv.5 and choosing a profession, but what did he get?! A cultivation method and a martial art! His luck was truly heaven-defying!
He hadn't expected his luck to be this good at this moment; Ly Thien Ngoc felt as if he were dreaming. From childhood until now, this was arguably the first time he had encountered such fortune. One must understand that the probability of obtaining a secret manual from a beginner's gift pack was one in ten thousand. Yet, here he was, having drawn both a cultivation technique manual and a martial arts manual.
Ly Thien Ngoc could hardly believe it.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ly Thien Ngoc reconsidered. "Thinking calmly, since the game launched, no one has ever managed to open a cultivation technique or a martial art. For me to open both is truly abnormal. Wait a minute…! Could it be because of the hack software I bought!?" Ly Thien Ngoc fell into deep thought.
"It’s highly likely," he mused. "My luck has always been terrible. There’s no way I could have gotten such a lucky draw unless it was due to the hack software. If that’s the case, there’s still a lot I don’t understand and need to figure out."
He continued to ponder, a look of doubt and slight confusion appearing on his face.