Chapter 2: Data Panel

The three of them walked quietly to a house that emitted a dim, yellow light.

"Dad! You finally made it back!"

In an instant, a scrawny little boy of about twelve or thirteen years old rushed out from the house like an agile little deer and threw himself into Lu Guohao's arms; he was Lu Yu's younger brother, Lu Jun.

Lu Jun tilted his head up, looking around with a face full of anticipation, then a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, and he asked in a low voice, "Dad, didn't you bring any food back this time?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than his stomach let out a hungry growl.

Lu Guohao's face flushed slightly, and he stammered, "There was a bit of an accident this time; next time, I'll definitely bring some back next time."

"But you said that last time, too." The little boy blinked his watery, large eyes, his gaze so pure it lacked even a trace of impurity.

The woman hurriedly pulled him away and whispered a reproach, "Didn't you see your dad is hurt? Be careful not to touch his wounds."

She didn't dare tell the child that his father had almost not made it back this time.

"Ah?" The little boy followed the woman's gaze, frightened into taking a step back, "Dad, I—I'm sorry."

"This has nothing to do with you."

Lu Guohao patted the little boy's head, turned to look at the woman, and said, "Cook some rice soup? Is there any money left at home? I'm thinking about whether I can go to Sujiabao tomorrow to trade for some grain."

"It's long gone; even the wedding ring you gave me was taken to trade for things."

The woman shook her head helplessly, then walked into the house, laboriously scooped half a spoonful of rice from the bottom of the rice jar, and prepared to make porridge.

The rice jar had already hit bottom; at most, it was only enough to last a week. If this rice was eaten up too, they would truly be out of food.

"Xiao Yu."

Lu Guohao beckoned to Lu Yu and asked with concern, "How is your body?"

"I'm fine now, Dad."

Lu Yu tried his best to imitate the original's demeanor and tone as he answered.

In his memory, the original seemed a bit afraid of this taciturn father, and the father-son relationship was quite distant, but for Lu Yu, this was actually a relief.

Lu Guohao opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded and said briefly, "It's good that you're fine."

Dinner was porridge so thin one could see their own reflection in it; it was mostly water, with only a few stray grains of rice scattered at the bottom of the pot.

The family of four licked their bowls clean, and Lu Guohao, as the pillar of the family, drank another bowl. Afterward, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

Lu Yu and his younger brother slept in the west room, and the faint sound of his parents' conversation drifted over.

It wasn't that he was eavesdropping on purpose; it was just that this house was too crude and had no soundproofing at all.

"Guohao, do you know? I was worried to death today, just afraid that you would end up like them and not come back." The mother sobbed softly.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." The man's voice was steady and strong, attempting to soothe his wife.

"But what about next time?" The entire house fell into a long silence.

Lu Yu sighed to himself. Even though life was difficult now, with them barely having enough to eat, there were still many people who didn't even have a place to stay.

As for those cities, not to mention whether they would be willing to take people in, the danger on the road to the cities alone would be enough to cost an ordinary person ten lives. In this world, only powerful strength could ensure survival.

He closed his eyes, and with a thought, something resembling a game character attribute panel appeared clearly in his mind.

Realm: None

Level: 1

Constitution: 8

Strength: 7

Agility: 7

Spirit: 5

Skill: None

Potential Point: 1

Besides this, there was an exceptionally eye-catching plus sign after the level.

And this plus sign hadn't existed an hour ago. He had transmigrated here last night; it had been about 25 hours until tonight.

When the data panel first appeared, he thought he was hallucinating, but after confirming it repeatedly, he believed this was his own system.

This plus sign should require consuming Potential Points to activate.

Lu Yu took a deep breath, thinking in his heart about clicking that plus sign.

In an instant, the plus sign seemed to be pressed by an invisible hand, and immediately after, a powerful current of heat surged from his heart, flowing rapidly to every part of his body.

"Crack, crack."

Subtle sounds came from all over his body, and an indescribable feeling of exhilaration welled up.

"Is this strengthening my body?" This thought flashed through Lu Yu's mind; he clearly felt the strength in his body increase a little.

A few seconds later, the heat gradually dissipated. If not for the sweat that had soaked his clothes, he would have suspected that everything just now was an illusion.

He clenched his fist and tangibly felt an unprecedented, abundant strength.

"Right, the system!"

He hurriedly checked the attribute panel, and sure enough, it had changed.

Realm: None

Level: 2

Constitution: 8.8

Strength: 7.7

Agility: 7.7

Spirit: 5.5

Skill: None

Potential Point: 0

Lu Yu's eyes lit up all of a sudden; all four attributes had increased by about ten percent, barely reaching the standard of an adult male. No wonder he felt his body had become stronger. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, feeling that his future life finally had a glimmer of hope.

It was a pity that the Potential Point had become 0 again, and there were no other changes in other aspects.

"It seems I have to wait another day to gain one more Potential Point."

Lu Yu sighed; the plus sign behind the level had also disappeared, and the original 0/1 had become 0/2.

"To continue increasing my level, I need to consume two Potential Points. I don't know how to increase the growth rate of Potential Points. One point a day—now that I'm almost out of food, living one more day is a luxury."

Lu Yu muttered to himself; the time left for him was truly running out.

His gaze slowly moved downward, landing on the Skill column, which was completely empty.

So, was this a reminder for him to learn martial arts skills? However, he had never heard of anyone in this Shi Bao who knew kung fu.

He himself remembered a few moves of Taiji Fist, which he had learned back when he was in school; he had learned them sloppily at the time, and after entering society, he had long since forgotten them entirely.

Besides, even if he knew Taiji Fist, in a place lacking medicine and doctors, he couldn't possibly go and engage in close-quarters combat with a Fierce Beast, could he? Otherwise, if he got injured, he would have to rely on himself to slowly heal, and if the injury were too severe, he would just have to wait for death.

If he were to learn something, it would be best to learn archery; at the very least, he would have to learn to use long-handled weapons like iron spears or staffs—one inch longer means one inch stronger—and only consider swords or blades as a last resort.

"I'll give it a try tomorrow."

Lu Yu quickly made up his mind and decided to learn archery first.

Ironware was already scarce in the earth fort, and iron bows were even rarer because in his father's Hunting Team, only a few people were equipped with a Long Bow, while the others used melee weapons like spears and a Shield.

As for firearms, those were rare items; they could handle a Low-level Fierce Beast as if it were child's play, but the price was ridiculously high! But it didn't matter; he could first use wood, paired with a broken bowstring or the sinew of a Fierce Beast, to make a wooden bow to make do.

Gathering these materials shouldn't be difficult.

Even if archery didn't count as some profound Cultivation Method or martial art, it would be good for self-defense. In the future, when going out to hunt with the Hunting Team, relying on others wouldn't be a long-term solution after all; he had to rely on himself.

Otherwise, in this cruel world, he simply wouldn't be able to survive.

As Lu Yu thought about this, sleepiness gradually washed over him, and he fell asleep without realizing it, until early the next morning, when he was awakened by a scream from outside.