Chapter Seven: The System Watched in Silence, Zhou Shu Wept

Although the system was damaged, once it rebooted on Zhou Shu, all information began to be recorded anew. Thus, it promptly brought up the “Source Energy Consumption Log” for him.

[3 units consumed for device integration, monster information search, and body modification.]
[2 units consumed to generate the “Edge of Tomorrow” virtual battlefield.]
[0.1 units consumed for each entry and exit from the virtual battlefield.]

By the time he was “blasted awake” in the battlefield, he still had 6.7 units of source energy left.

Later, he initiated a [Generate Powered Exoskeleton Armor] project, which immediately consumed 5 units of source energy—this included both deploying and retracting the armor.

It was listed under the [Auxiliary Equipment] section. Summoned into the real world, the armor remained in a special stowed state, each transition costing 0.1 units of source energy.

Five units—nearly half of his initial energy! As for whether it was worth it, Zhou Shu wasn’t certain yet.

However, the powered exoskeleton from “Edge of Tomorrow” was surely more advanced than anything in the real world. Here, exoskeleton technology was still in the liminal space between laboratory experiments and mass application, while in “Edge of Tomorrow,” it was already the main gear for battling extraterrestrial monsters.

Now that he possessed a prototype, reverse-engineering its technology could certainly advance Earth’s scientific progress.

So… it was probably quite worthwhile, at least for human civilization.

Even if he couldn’t study it himself, he could sell it for a considerable sum, enough to repair the toilet he had destroyed.

Yet, he soon discovered that acquiring source energy was no ordinary matter. Forget getting struck by lightning, natural accumulation, or eating—this energy must be obtained by “monster hunting.”

Yes, because this localized version 1.0 referenced a gaming template, hence the term “monster hunting.”

On Earth, Zhou Shu could only think of hunting wild animals, but the system immediately clarified that energy from biologically related sources was invalid.

“???”

Goodness—according to the tree of biological evolution, Zhou Shu shared a material foundation with all life on Earth.

Simply put, nothing on Earth contained the “source” he required. To obtain source energy, he would have to hunt… extraterrestrial life forms!

Speaking of aliens, Zhou Shu inexplicably recalled that interstellar giant crab. “Don’t tell me I have to hunt that thing?”

“Eh~”

He shuddered suddenly.

Surely not, surely not.

Besides, as far as he knew, that giant crab had only glanced at him once, and nothing had happened to Earth overnight, so it should be fine.

Most importantly, that crab was massive—perhaps larger than the Milky Way itself—it probably couldn’t even see him.

Compared to the Milky Way, neither Zhou Shu nor Earth could be considered even a speck of dust.

So, even if he had to hunt monsters, he’d have to start with the small fry.

He firmly believed that extraterrestrial life existed; in a universe so vast, absence would be the true anomaly.

Regardless of whether they formed civilizations or how advanced those civilizations might be, they surely existed.

But humanity’s current space technology struggled with manned moon missions, let alone landing on Mars—where was he supposed to find extraterrestrial life?

If that was the case, then this was a one-shot deal; with his remaining energy, he couldn’t even exchange for a second exoskeleton.

“This…”

Wait!

Zhou Shu suddenly noticed his previous wording had always been “movie,” while the system’s terminology was “combat record.” Was there… some misunderstanding here?

“Um… System, you’ve always referred to that information as ‘combat records’—do you have any actual evidence?”

[Based on comparison with the residual database, the system determines that this information pertains to combat records against monster civilizations, though your civilization’s victory methods are… somewhat peculiar.]

[Why, aren’t those memories of your civilization’s battles against monster civilizations, or rather, evil alien civilizations?]

Well… how to explain this?

Zhou Shu paused, somewhat sheepishly explaining, “Actually, those are fictional literary works, artistic creations—just things human civilization uses to amuse itself.”

[…]

This time, it was the system’s turn to be silent.

He even saw a mosaic flicker in his vision.

“Uh, you’re not going to blow up, are you?”

[What kind of civilization would be idle enough to imagine monster civilizations attacking itself?] the golden finger suddenly asked.

“……”

This was the sort of thing that leaves men silent and women in tears—no, it was more like the system was speechless, and Zhou Shu was moved to tears.

Clearly, humans possessed this… idle curiosity.

Feeling awkward, Zhou Shu broke the silence and changed the subject: “So, you can access my memories?”

[Without your permission, the system can only search for monster-related information, then use it as a blueprint to generate virtual battlefields to enhance your combat abilities. That’s the system’s purpose, a passive skill.]

[And rest assured, from the moment the system fused with you, we are one and it will never harm your interests.]

After this, both fell silent again.

As a “transmigrator” who had read countless web novels, Zhou Shu didn’t actually mind the system accessing his memories; he was just shifting the topic.

After a moment, his vision flickered several times, as if refreshing a webpage, and the golden finger announced: Everything proceeds as usual.

Although the “combat records” from Zhou Shu’s memory were fictional, their descriptions of monster combat strength were not inaccurate; with some residual data calculations, it was sufficient to generate virtual battlefields.

As long as the virtual battlefield could be established, Zhou Shu could be trained.

Now, the issue was that Earth had no alien monsters, meaning Zhou Shu would soon face a shortage of source energy.

Once depleted, the virtual battlefield could not be activated, and auxiliary abilities would be restricted.

Zhou Shu pondered this—traveling to alien worlds to hunt monsters was out of reach for current human technology.

Maybe, he could rely on himself.

He’d never dared to consider it before, but now, with a golden finger, perhaps it was time.

Provided he used it wisely.

He was only seventeen, soon to be eighteen, and still growing in every respect.

Most importantly, source energy could be used not only to unlock new virtual training battlefields, but also to directly boost his stats.

This reminded Zhou Shu of a certain master’s web novel setting.

In fact, he had referenced that setting when localizing the system.

But he couldn’t simply shout, “XX, boost my stats!”

He had to train in the virtual battlefield first; once he achieved results, he could then apply the boost.

For example, his current strength attribute showed 0.74, with a “limit” appended—not that he was doomed to 0.74 for life, but that his current “100% injury-free performance” limit was 0.74.

The human body is a complex whole—so complex that humans cannot fully control it, and often self-limit to avoid “perfect performance.”

For instance, Zhou Shu’s strength limit was 0.74, but in daily life he might only exert 0.65; mastering proper technique could raise it to about 0.72.

As for reaching the upper limit of 0.74, perhaps a bit of luck was needed atop mastered technique.

Because without caution, full strength might not be achieved, and injury could result.

But he needn’t worry about this anymore. The initial 3 units of source energy spent on body modification were not wasted—his transformed body now had many advantages, one of which was easier self-control.

With proper training, he could quickly master his body’s “extremes.”

Even without professional guidance, he could find correct exertion methods through trial and error, as improper techniques would instinctively feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, he could train in the virtual battlefield; as long as his mind could endure, one night’s training could equal years of another’s efforts.

After all, it was “dreaming”—time inside could be as fast as he wished.

In reality, without external intervention, the virtual battlefield would be like dreaming: it only increased experience, without any physical change.

Like playing a game—you could boost your character, dominate in-game, but the real player remained unchanged.

But with source energy, it was different.

After rigorous virtual training, the “limit” behind base attributes would disappear, replaced by a “+”—and then he could boost those stats.

Anything was possible, so long as source energy sufficed; his real body could fully “absorb” the effects of virtual training, setting new “limits” for every attribute.

In other words, he could use the virtual battlefield for training, and within a single day in the real world, achieve strength levels of 0.75, 0.8, 0.9, or even greater.

In one day, he could transform from a slender youth lifting fifty kilograms to a muscular powerhouse hoisting two hundred kilograms.

Roughly… yes.

With this virtual training and source energy stacking mechanism, he could become more monstrous than the monsters themselves—a “monster hunter” capable of slaying beasts!

Though suddenly morphing into a muscle-bound demon might be hard to accept.

Especially considering his naturally handsome, refined appearance.