Chapter Six: Changing Class to Chivalrous Hero

Shen Ye stepped into the first circle of light.

The adorable little girl spun her finger in the air.

A surge of white light struck him instantly.

In that moment, Shen Ye felt countless waves of energy flood into his body.

After three months in the pyramid scheme organization, living on nothing but plain boiled cabbage every day, his body had grown frail.

But now, as energy poured in, explosive strength filled his frame.

The human body possesses 639 muscles, composed of some 6 billion muscle fibers. The longest muscle fiber is about 60 centimeters, the shortest barely a millimeter. Major muscle groups can weigh up to 2,000 grams; the smallest, only a few grams. In the average person, muscle makes up 35 to 45 percent of body weight. Of course, with obesity on the rise, muscle now accounts for just over twenty percent in many people.

But as the energy kept pouring in, Shen Ye’s muscles swelled beyond normal limits—rising from thirty percent of his body weight, shattering the forty-five percent threshold, and soaring to seventy percent. This bordered on the extremes of what a human body could contain, given the proportions required for organs, blood, and the brain.

Shen Ye marveled at his transformed body.

He struck out with a powerful punch.

The force of his fist surged forward, violent and fierce, comparable to the legendary blows Chen Zhen delivered in that old Jet Li film he’d watched as a child.

He then noticed a new attribute panel had appeared for him.

Shen Ye, Hero, First Rank Profession.

Level: One.

Faction: Justice Faction.

Initial Base Attributes:

Spirit 1 (Normal adult male is 1; the higher the Spirit, the more powerful the spells cast.)

Strength 3 (Normal adult male is 1.)

Agility 1.5 (Normal adult male is 1; note: higher Agility means faster movement and attack speed.)

Defense 2 (Normal adult male is 1; note: higher Defense reduces damage taken.)

Constitution 2 (Normal adult male is 1; note: higher Constitution improves endurance and speeds recovery from injury.)

Each time a Hero levels up, attributes increase by:

Spirit +0.5

Strength +1

Agility +0.8

Defense +1

Constitution +1

First Rank skills: Level 1 (Eye of Justice), Level 2 (Endure the Elements), Level 5 (Mighty Strike).

Heroic weapons: Sword or Fist.

Below, there was an experience bar, currently showing zero experience at level one.

Apart from Spirit, all his attributes were now several times those of a normal adult man.

Shen Ye immediately noticed something odd: “It lists the level requirements for skills—like Eye of Justice at level one, Sword in Hand at level three, Sword Speed at level seven. But how do I actually level up?”

“Upgrading is simple, silly master!” the adorable little girl said, her tone full of mockery. “Just go kill phantoms, that’s all.”

“Phantoms? What are phantoms?” Shen Ye asked, bewildered.

“Phantoms appear on many planets! Venus, Mercury, Mars—all have them. You just take a spaceship and go. Oh, wait, this is the primitive era of 2015; you can’t travel to those planets yet.” The little girl’s eyes widened as she realized her mistake.

Shen Ye felt at a loss. “Don’t tell me, because there are no phantoms, I’ll never be able to level up and will be stuck at level one forever?”

Becoming a Hero of the First Rank was certainly useful—his strength, agility, defense, and constitution were all far above normal.

But if he couldn’t advance, he was at a dead end.

The little girl chewed on her finger for a long time, then her large eyes lit up as she remembered something. “Actually, there’s a remedy. As a member of the Justice Faction, one of the three First Rank professions, you have a special way to gain experience—executing evil-doers. Your level one skill, Eye of Justice, lets you see people’s virtue or evil value.”

“According to future law, anyone with an evil value over five is considered deserving of death by law.”

“If someone’s evil value exceeds ten, they are a great villain, and executing them grants you experience.”

“If you had chosen a Neutral Faction profession, you really wouldn’t be able to level up.”

Shen Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He’d hesitated for ages between Warrior and Hero. If he’d chosen Warrior, he’d have been stuck, and no amount of tears could help him now.

He also realized how unreliable this system spirit girl was. Next time he faced a choice, he’d have to be more cautious and ask all the right questions.

…

Shen Ye returned to the real world.

He felt as if his real body brimmed with newfound power.

It seemed his physical enhancements were synchronized between the system and reality.

Whatever improvements he gained in the system, his real body enjoyed as well.

The sensation was exhilarating!

Though he’d suffered many injuries before, now they seemed superficial—nothing remained within.

He’d just stepped out of the restroom.

A woman in her thirties approached—Xiao Ran. She wasn’t particularly attractive and, like him, had been lured into the pyramid scheme. She was married, but rumor had it she was involved with Director Zhang, which gave her considerable standing in the organization. She teased him, “Little Shen, I hear you’re quite capable—you even tried to escape. Too bad you failed.”

“Just stick with it and you’ll make a fortune. We’re only cheating newcomers, after all.”

Shen Ye shrugged, ignoring her. Still, a thought crossed his mind. He glanced at Xiao Ran, activating the Eye of Justice, and felt a strange energy surge into his eyes.

Above Xiao Ran’s head, a string of data appeared.

“Xiao Ran, Female, Evil Value 0.5, Crime: Adultery.”

Adultery only counted for 0.5? It would take immense evil to reach a score of ten.

He swept his Eye of Justice over the others in the pyramid scheme.

“Evil Value: 0.4. Crime: Lured many into pyramid scheme.”

“Evil Value: 0.6. Crime: Lured many into pyramid scheme.”

“Evil Value: 0.3. Crime: Lured many into pyramid scheme.”

The highest value he saw was only 0.8.

“Evil Value: 8. Crime: Robbery and murder in the past; accomplice to Zhang Jianguo in murder.”

Suddenly, he spotted someone with an evil value of 8. Shen Ye was startled. The man was about 1.8 meters tall, dark-skinned, his eyes full of malice. He was Black Panther, Director Zhang’s most trusted enforcer—the very one who had beaten Shen Ye severely not long ago.

Black Panther caught Shen Ye looking at him and sneered, “What are you staring at? Looking for another beating? Didn’t get enough the first time?”

He was ready to lash out at the slightest provocation.

Shen Ye didn’t bother with him; in his mind, the man was already as good as dead.

Outwardly, he feigned fear, all the while using his Eye of Justice to survey the others.

He fixed his gaze on a thug with a wolf tattoo on his back, another of Zhang’s men named Blackie. Above his head appeared: “Evil Value: 4. Crime: Accomplice to Zhang Jianguo in murder.” Zhang Jianguo was Director Zhang’s real name.

He looked at Fat Dragon, and saw: “Evil Value: 5. Crime: Accomplice to Zhang Jianguo in murder; lechery; multiple rapes.”

Finally, he focused the Eye of Justice on the head of the pyramid scheme—Director Zhang himself. Over his head appeared: “Evil Value: 18. Crime: Murdered two who tried to escape the pyramid scheme, founded the pyramid scheme, lured many to ruin, and raped multiple women.”

Shen Ye was deeply shaken. Most pyramid schemes rarely led to murder; they were typically motivated by greed. But the imprisoning kind could easily turn deadly. And Director Zhang ran just such an operation.

Among Zhang and his trusted men, five had committed murder or assisted in it.

A true den of scum—most of them deserved death.

Yet such villains had not faced the judgment of law.

If Heaven would not punish them, I shall!

Let me be Heaven’s executioner!