"I didn't expect the first trial world to be Train to Busan," Ling Feng felt a headache coming on. Busan's specialty was zombies, wasn't it?
"But thankfully, with my current strength, killing zombies is a piece of cake. But will it really be that simple? This is a trial world."
Ling Feng was already at the eighth level of Qi Refining, his strength extraordinary. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could jump five to six meters with his physical strength alone.
The zombies in Train to Busan wouldn't pose much of a threat to him.
[Monthly Trial World: Movie "Train to Busan"]
[Yes/No]
As someone who was short on opportunities to earn, Ling Feng naturally chose "Yes."
After Ling Feng selected "Yes," the scene on the virtual panel changed.
[Difficulty Selection]
[Easy: No restrictions, rewards reduced by 50%.]
[Normal: 90% of strength restricted, rewards reduced by 10%.]
[Standard: True qi forbidden, rewards normal.]
[Hard: Strength suppressed to that of a normal person by the world's will, rewards doubled.]
Four options, with varying difficulty and safety levels.
Hard mode was undoubtedly the most dangerous, but higher danger levels meant better rewards.
"System, if I die in the trial world, it's real death, right?" Ling Feng asked.
"Yes," the system replied.
"Then I'll choose Standard mode."
If death in the trial world wasn't real, Ling Feng would have 100% chosen hard mode. Have you heard of the fourth catastrophe? People who aren't afraid of death are terrifying.
But since there was a risk of death, it was better to play it safe. Standard mode, although it prohibited the use of true qi, he still had his physical strength. With his physical strength and a weapon, he could fight and retreat, with a much higher safety factor than hard mode.
If he chose easy mode, well, it would be a massacre, but the rewards wouldn't be as good.
[Difficulty selection complete!]
[Preparation time: Three minutes.]
"Three minutes? I'll just tidy up briefly. Change into my combat windbreaker."
Ling Feng stood up from his stool and changed his clothes into a combat windbreaker, similar to Kirito's.
Originally, Ling Feng had planned to wear Xielongyin on his back, but he thought it would be better to keep it in the system space so he could adapt to the situation.
After changing into his gear, Ling Feng used the restroom and returned to his room, drinking a large glass of water to stay hydrated.
When everything was ready, the three minutes were up, and the system's voice sounded again.
[Please prepare for transmigration...]
[Clearing non-world hazardous substances...]
[Granting ability: Korean proficiency...]
[Assigning host's identity: Traveler]
[Countdown]
[Three]
...
[One]
As the countdown ended, Ling Feng vanished from the room without a trace.
..........
After a flash of light, Ling Feng slowly regained consciousness. As soon as he woke up, he stood up from his seat and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
"The KTX train to Busan, number 101, is about to depart. Passengers who have not yet boarded, please board as soon as possible..."
Ling Feng stood still, listening to the train's broadcast. He scanned the bustling passengers on the walkway. They were people, not zombies, and he breathed a sigh of relief, then sat down again.
"Huh? This is my train ticket? Why are there two?"
Ling Feng had only been seated for a short while when he found two train tickets in his hand. Knowing they were for his seat, he was a bit confused as to why there were two, but he didn't dwell on it and put them in his pocket.
Just then, the system's voice sounded again.
[Ding! Trial mission issued.]
[Main mission "Defying the Heavens": Protect the main characters until they reach Busan. For each survivor, a reward of 100 Wish Power. If all survive, an additional reward of 200 Wish Power.]
[Side mission "Humanity": Without changing the overall plot, let the main characters experience tests of humanity! Reward: 300 Wish Power.]
[Hidden mission: Not yet unlocked...]
"Trial missions?" Ling Feng looked calmly at the mission panel in front of him and pondered for a moment.
He had a way to deal with the first two missions, but what was this last one, "not yet unlocked," about? A hidden mission? Given the system's usual behavior, this hidden mission was likely the most rewarding of all.
"First, I need to collect relevant information."
"I'll have a report for you after work."
"I'll be back before noon."
Ling Feng was still contemplating how much Wish Power he could get from killing zombies when a voice entered his ear, followed by the sound of someone sitting down next to him.
Ling Feng turned his head and saw two familiar figures, one big and one small, a man and a woman, with somewhat strange expressions.
"My seat is next to them?"
In the seat across the aisle from Ling Feng sat two important characters from Train to Busan, or rather, members of the main group.
Seok Woo, the male protagonist, and his daughter, Soo Ahn.
Seok Woo had just finished a phone call and noticed Ling Feng looking at them. He asked with some confusion, "Sir, is something the matter?"
"Nothing," Ling Feng said calmly, seeing that he had been noticed. He waved his hand and turned back, closing his eyes to rest.
Seok Woo: ??? [・_・?]
"Strange person," Seok Woo muttered to himself and no longer paid attention to Ling Feng. He adjusted his posture and also began to rest.
Although Ling Feng appeared to be resting, he was actually trying to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Since there was still time and the plot hadn't truly begun, he might as well cultivate for a while and maintain his spirits.
However, after cultivating for three to four minutes, Ling Feng had only absorbed a trace of true qi into his body.
"What's going on? The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so polluted. It's taking this long to refine just a single trace."
Ling Feng opened his eyes, his brows furrowed into a deep "川" shape.
Refining only one trace of true qi in three to four minutes indicated extremely severe pollution of the spiritual energy. Forget about cultivating, even recovering true qi would be a problem.
Ling Feng tried the Five Elements auxiliary cultivation technique, but it only sped things up by about a minute compared to the breathing method.
"The world of Train to Busan is Earth, meaning the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on Earth has become this polluted?"
"The age of dharma decline..." Ling Feng suddenly remembered something netizens had said before.
In the age of dharma decline, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would continuously weaken.
"It seems the netizens guessed correctly about the age of dharma decline. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is polluted, and if this continues, the consequences will be dire," Ling Feng thought to himself.
"Forget it, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is already scarce. I shouldn't waste it in other worlds anymore." Ling Feng decided not to cultivate anymore and began to deduce basic marksmanship in his mind.
After a while.
Ling Feng suddenly heard a sensitive word spoken not far in front of him. Although he couldn't use true qi, his physical strength was not sealed, and his hearing was extremely acute.
"I saw a weird person get on the train."
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng immediately snapped out of his meditative state. He tilted his head to look at the two people at the end of the aisle ahead. One was a train attendant, and the other was a middle-aged man in a suit. They were currently conversing.