Chapter Two: Am I Actually Quite Impressive?

“What’s going on now?” Chu Yun’s mind was a little hazy.

Thrown into the pot, Chu Yun was flung out again the moment he touched the water’s surface. When his vision cleared, his confusion only deepened.

The environment around him and the goblins differed slightly from the real world. The goblin chief, who originally bore a hideous scar on his right arm, now had both the scar and his weapon on the left. Moreover, Gobuta and the others, who had gone off to gather more firewood, seemed not to notice him being ejected from the pot; they simply waited by the steaming cauldron as before. Even the nearby goblins, whose gazes met his, did not come over to cause him trouble.

“Whatever, I need to get out of here first.”

Chu Yun was immensely grateful that, out of boredom, he had once observed caterpillars crawling at a construction site. After posting a video of it online, he even received a dozen or so likes. Now, still bound by the vines, he began mimicking the caterpillar’s movements and inched his way toward the edge of the camp.

Most of the goblins had been drawn to the pot, making it easier for him to keep his distance. Halfway through, Chu Yun was already exhausted. Although his body was recovering, he remained weak.

Luckily, the goblins’ rope-tying skills were abysmal, and the poor quality of the rope helped; by rubbing against the ground, he managed to snap one strand. Seeing that these creatures continued to ignore him, Chu Yun stopped crawling and simply rubbed himself along the ground.

When the goblin chief finally strode toward the cauldron, Chu Yun worked his hands free and began undoing the vines around his feet.

“Ugaga! (The essence of blanching is preserving the freshness of the food. Any longer and it’ll be overcooked—just fish it out and eat it.)” the goblin chief explained to his subordinates with an air of authority. He seemed to get along well with his tribe, approachable and without a trace of pomposity.

But as he reached the cauldron and saw it was empty, he burst into a rage.

“Baka! Ulala! (What’s going on? Where is he?)”

He thrust his spiked club into the pot and stirred, but no matter how he searched, Chu Yun was nowhere to be found.

Furious, the goblin chief swung his massive club, pounding the cauldron until it buckled and warped. Scalding water spewed from the breach, spraying him and the goblins nearby right in the face.

…

Chu Yun silently stood up, feeling almost embarrassed for their lack of intelligence. Whatever was happening, he didn’t know, but he was sure it was safest to leave as quickly as possible.

Just as he was about to go, a woman’s agonized scream echoed from the tent, making him hesitate. With a sigh, he pressed on.

Chu Yun sprinted to the camp’s main gate. Only one goblin stood guard there; the perimeter was fenced with wooden stakes, difficult to climb. Given that the goblins had ignored him earlier, Chu Yun simply dashed straight for the gate.

“You scrawny little things—do you really think you can outrun me?” Chu Yun was confident; as long as he got out, even if discovered, he was sure he could escape.

But as he drew within a meter or so of the goblin, something unexpected happened.

As he approached, the goblin finally noticed him, astonishment flashing across its face. Then, under Chu Yun’s baffled gaze, the goblin ran toward him. That was normal enough—except Chu Yun noticed that in his original position stood a translucent goblin identical to the one before him.

There was no time to think. Chu Yun lashed out with a kick, striking the goblin’s frail little body.

The goblin was thin and weak, armed only with a crude wooden stick. Like a stray dog, it was sent flying, landing in a heap several meters away by the gate.

Chu Yun quickly looked around; fortunately, even as the injured goblin began calling for help, none of the others took notice. In the distance, the goblin chief was still venting his fury on the cauldron—clearly a formidable opponent, and not someone Chu Yun wanted to face head-on.

He walked over to the wounded goblin, who was still struggling to rise. For the first time in his life, a murderous urge surged within Chu Yun. The fear, confusion, and anger he’d repressed finally burst forth.

He picked up a sharp stone from the ground and brought it crashing down on the goblin’s head.

Bang!

Blood splattered, but the goblin wasn’t quite dead.

Thud!

The second blow landed, but this time, instead of the expected result, the stone passed clean through the goblin’s body and struck the dirt below.

“Hm?”

Puzzled, Chu Yun watched as the goblin’s form began to blur, then, as if sucked into a black hole, its essence was drawn back into the translucent figure from before.

Yet its whole body did not return; part of it remained behind, transforming into a glowing orb on the ground.

Chu Yun stared at the orb in confusion. When he reached out to touch it, something unexpected happened.

[You have gained 2 experience points.]

He froze, his mind reeling.

“Is this… a system?”

With a thought, a game-like status screen appeared before him.

Name: Chu Yun
Age: 24
Race: Human (Earthling)
Class: Wandering Mage Lv0 (0/100)
Experience: 5
Health: 5/5

State: Weak (Aftereffects of crossing worlds, gradually recovering)
Attributes: Strength 14 (+1), Agility 18 (+1), Constitution 14 (+1), Intelligence 16 (+1), Perception 15 (+1), Charisma 17 (+1)
Languages: Simplified Chinese, College-level English (for examination only)
Basic Abilities: Construction and Engineering Knowledge Lv7, Bluff Lv3
Class Skills: None (Level up to unlock)
Legendary Skill: Master of the Mirror World (You are the only wandering mage able to enter the mirror world)
Personal Trait: Gamer (You will understand this world and yourself in a unique way)
Class Feature: Free Scholar (You may freely learn and use any magic or martial art)
Skill Points: 0
Attribute Points: 0
Equipment: None
Note: This interface is provided by the “Gamer” trait.

Studying the information, Chu Yun quickly grasped the essentials.

“So, this is the mirror world?”

What drew his attention most was the legendary skill “Master of the Mirror World,” which seemed to allow him to freely enter and exit the mirror world—a divine ability indeed.

Thinking back, it was when his reflection vanished from the water’s surface that he himself disappeared. The goblin chief’s scar had also switched sides, perfectly matching the mirror world’s logic.

“No wonder these goblins are acting so strange—we’re not even in the same world.”

As his body gradually recovered, a flood of information surged into his mind. He now understood his abilities on a much deeper level; it was as if he’d inherited a new instinct, one that came naturally to him.

“I seem… pretty powerful, actually.”

“These creatures… I can’t just let them go!” Chu Yun looked up at the severed heads hanging above the gate and made his decision.