章 2: Chapter 2: System, Are You Dumb? Upgrade My Martial Soul!
Tom stared at his bent rapier in despair, visibly sweating. He glanced nervously at Shen An.
"Tom, just keep it busy for a bit! I'll think of something!" Shen An shouted.
Tom, after a brief internal debate, resolved to buy time. Though he was terrified, he couldn't let Shen An, a helpless human, die.
Using his agility, Tom dodged the bear's swipes, occasionally scratching at its nose to provoke it.
Meanwhile, Shen An frantically navigated his system interface.
He opened the Starter Pack and prayed for a miracle.
[Ding! Starter Pack Rewards:
Soul Power: Level 9, Martial Soul Evolution Essence, 30 cubic meters of Storage Space, 1000 Gold Soul Coins, Initial Companion (Already Summoned)]
"Wait, what? These are great, but how does this help me NOW?" Shen An cried.
He activated his martial soul, summoning... a vibrant green blade of grass.
Staring at the fragile plant in his hand, Shen An muttered in despair, "How am I supposed to fight with this? Laugh the bear to death?"
"My system is not just dumb, it's straight-up brain-dead"
"I casually cursed, and this system just gave up and gave me this thing as my martial soul!"
Shen An glanced toward Tom. The cat was still darting around, dodging the bear's attacks, but it was clearly running out of steam. Tom was drenched in sweat and visibly exhausted. At this rate, both of them were doomed.
No—only I am doomed, Shen An thought grimly.
"Everyone knows Tom is immortal," he muttered. "Which means that when Tom collapses from exhaustion, I'll be the one left to get torn apart by the bear." The very thought made Shen An's body go cold.
Grinding his teeth, he shouted angrily, "You idiot system! I said one curse word—just one—and you randomly assigned me a martial soul like this?!
"I demand a complaint! I want a new martial soul! I don't want 'Grass'—give me a 'Sword' martial soul instead! Or I'll die right here in front of you!"
[Ding!
Detecting extreme emotional fluctuations in the host... Upon review, the system acknowledges an oversight in assigning a martial soul inconsistent with the host's desires. Your complaint has been accepted.]
[Ding!
Note: A martial soul, once assigned, becomes part of the host's innate talent and cannot be revoked. The system will upgrade the host's current martial soul. Since the host desires a "Sword Martial Soul," the system will add sword traits to the "Grass Martial Soul."]
[Ding!
Martial soul upgrade complete. Please check your martial soul.]
Huh?! It actually worked?! Shen An was elated, surprised that the system had actually responded to his complaint.
He quickly inspected his newly upgraded martial soul. The tiny blade of grass in his hand rapidly grew, extending to nearly three feet in length.
Though it was still technically "grass," its appearance now strongly resembled a sword. The roots formed a hilt, the leaves stretched into a blade, and the entire thing radiated an aura of sharpness.
Overjoyed, Shen An shouted, "Tom, catch this sword!"
He tossed the grass-sword toward Tom. Despite being made of grass, the sword had a weighty, solid feel as it spun through the air.
Tom's ears twitched, picking up Shen An's words. Summoning his remaining energy, Tom darted forward.
Just as the grass-sword was about to hit the ground, Tom leaped and kicked the sword into the air with his right foot. As it spun upward, Tom snatched the hilt mid-flight and landed gracefully, holding the sword across his chest in a dramatic pose.
"What the heck?!" Shen An's jaw dropped. "Did he just pull off a Zhao Wen Zhuo-style kick-sword move?!"
"How is he so cool?" Shen An's heart churned with jealousy. "Who's the protagonist here—me or this cat?"
Tom stood proudly, striking a heroic pose. It lasted all of three seconds before his face fell.
He stared at the "grass-sword" in his paw, his feline expression full of confusion. This is supposed to be a sword? Isn't it just grass?
But then, he gave it a little test swing. The feel of the weapon surprised him—it was unexpectedly solid and well-balanced.
Ah, whatever. Tom shrugged, gripping the sword tightly. I'll worry about that later. Right now, I've got a bear to deal with.
He twirled the sword in a flashy move, narrowing his eyes as he charged at the bear with renewed determination.
Tom's movements were agile and precise. The glowing green blade of the grass-sword flashed through the air, striking at the bear's weak points like lightning.
One slash to the eyes.
Another to the throat.
A third to the chest.
Unlike the flimsy rapier that couldn't pierce the bear earlier, the grass-sword proved astonishingly sharp and durable.
Blood beaded along the blade, droplets falling steadily to the ground.
ROAR! The bear howled in pain.
With three precise strikes, the massive creature toppled like a felled tree, its enormous body crashing to the ground. It didn't get back up. The bear was dead.
Tom staggered, panting heavily with his tongue lolling out. His body trembled from the sheer exhaustion of pushing himself to the limit.
After all, he was just an ordinary cat. The desperate fight had forced him to tap into reserves of strength he didn't even know he had.
With the danger gone, the adrenaline wore off, leaving Tom thoroughly spent.
Shen An, however, remained cautious.
"If this really is Douluo Continent," he muttered, "then this bear must have been a soul beast. And if it doesn't produce a soul ring, that means it's not completely dead yet."
As if on cue, a soft white glow rose from the bear's body, coalescing into a ring of light that floated gently in the air.
"A white ring—so, it's a ten-year soul beast." Shen An breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing it wasn't a hundred-year beast; Tom wouldn't have stood a chance."
Tom stared at the glowing ring, his feline face scrunched up in amazement. His eyes widened until they were practically dinner plates, his jaw dropped comically low—wide enough to fit a bear paw.
What's with this glowing light?! Tom seemed to wonder.
Shen An chuckled at the cat's reaction.
"This is Douluo Continent, a magical place," he explained. "Here, when creatures die, they produce soul rings like that one. Humans can absorb these rings to grow stronger."
Tom tilted his head, pretending to understand. Shen An figured he'd explain it better later.
He walked over and affectionately ruffled Tom's head. The cat closed his eyes, purring softly, clearly enjoying the gesture.
Shen An paused, realizing something. The system hadn't forced Tom to submit to him.
Tom's current behavior was likely just a result of his natural goodwill toward humans.
That's not good enough, Shen An thought.
Whether it was nostalgia for his childhood spent watching Tom and Jerry, or his recognition of Tom's incredible abilities, Shen An knew he couldn't let this cat slip away.
After a moment of consideration, Shen An crouched down and looked Tom in the eye.
"Tom, we're both from Earth. From now on, we're going to live together on this continent.
"Would you like to be my partner?"
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