As the two prepared themselves for their journey to Suptuo City, Lili was still sleeping in his hammock, taking his time to enjoy the morning.
But something inside his head started buzzing, ringing, and dinging incessantly.
Ding… Ding…
Ding… Ding… Ding… Ding… Ding… Ding… ding…
Ding… Ding…
The noise was loud enough to rouse even him from his sleep.
"Ugh…" Lili muttered, still nonchalant, his deep, almost feminine voice carrying a hint of annoyance. "Why does this system keep shaking my brain? It's early in the morning…"
He rubbed his eyes, still lounging in the hammock. "Hmm… even my sleep is being interrupted by some system notification. Show me what it is."
Then—Ding—
□ Alarm
7:00
"Hehehe… an alarm clock?" Lili said, half-amused. "I thought the world-ending shit was finally happening… but it's just an alarm. Fine, erase this notification now. I don't want my brain buzzing all the time."
Ding—
□ Alarm
Access denied.
Lili blinked, unable to believe it. The system couldn't cancel the alarm. That could only mean one thing—it was that woman again.
"Ugh… come on, Merzzy… I just want to rest…" he muttered, shaking his head. Now fully awake, the last traces of drowsiness vanished.
"Alright, system… what's new?" Lili asked, resigned.
Then—Ding—
□ Mission
Joined Shrek Academy: 20 R.P.
"Shrek… the ogre from Disney?" Lili scoffed. "Who the fuck named their school after a creature like that?"
He badmouthed the stupid name in his head, sarcasm dripping from every thought. Still, when his eyes landed on the 20 R.P., his expression barely changed—but his interest did. Points like that shouldn't be wasted. And honestly, enrolling sounded easy enough… at least on paper.
Then Lili remembered.
"Oh right," he muttered. "They've got that testing shit."
If he recalled correctly, Shrek Academy didn't just accept anyone. There were requirements. Standards. Some self-important motto preached by that owl-looking old guy.
He paused, thinking.
"…Ah. That's it."
"Shrek Academy only accepts students with awesome talent," Lili said aloud, mocking the words. "And if you pass, they brand you as a monster."
"Heh."
"What a fucking title."
Lili jumped down from his hammock and landed lightly on the ground. He stretched lazily, movements slow and unbothered, like a sloth that had just decided to tolerate the morning. Then he walked toward the river, pale feet brushing the grass.
He bent down, stretched out his pale hands, and splashed cold water onto his face.
"Ugh… so cold," he muttered, his expression still completely nonchalant.
After finishing, he straightened and looked up at the sky. The sun was different today—no longer blood-red like yesterday. This time, it was yellow. Clear. Almost calm.
"Yellow and red…" Lili murmured. "Just like those rings."
That thought made something click.
He was in Douluo Dalu now—a world where people carried spirit rings around their bodies, where cultivation levels defined everything. Strength. Status. Survival.
"…Right," he said quietly.
People here had levels. Cultivation stages. From one to one hundred… maybe even more.
So the question was—
"What level am I?"
If he wanted to enroll in that Shrek shit, he'd have to meet their requirements. And right now, he didn't even know where he stood.
"…What were those requirements again?" Lili muttered to himself, genuinely blank for once.
With a sigh, he decided not to bother thinking too hard.
"Hey, system," Lili said lazily, tone uninterested as if the answer barely mattered. "What's my martial level? Body level? Ring level? Soul level? Whatever they call it here."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"You get the idea. So… what am I?"
Ding—
□ Abilities
Soul Level: 30
Spirit Elder
Spirit Rings: 0 / 0
Lili stared at the panel.
"…Level 30," he muttered.
Was this another gift? Just handed to him so he could easily pass that bullcrap academy requirement? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Lili didn't feel excited. Not even a little.
To him, soul power was just numbers—numbers people used to compare themselves to others, to feel superior, to feel validated.
He yawned.
"Ha…"
"I'm kinda sleepy."
That familiar sloth-like mindset crept back in, wrapping around him like a blanket. Lili felt his consciousness slowly trying to shut everything down, his body instinctively wanting to act like a corpse just to enjoy some peaceful sleep.
But he knew better.
The system wouldn't let him. It would keep buzzing. Ding after ding after ding.
"…This is too troublesome," Lili said flatly.
Another thought crossed his mind.
Where the hell is that school again?
"Tch… it's fucking hard to memorize every shing-shing name in this world," Lili complained, rubbing his eyes. "It's not just the names either—it's their stupid sounds. And even the people here…"
He paused, glancing down at his pale hands.
"Some of them all fucking look the same. Just look at me—ain't that proof enough?"
His voice was low, drowsy, barely above a mumble as he waved away his sleepiness.
With a sigh, he decided to let the system handle it.
"Hey, bud," Lili said lazily. "Do you know an easy way for me to get there? Or can't you just teleport me or something?"
His tone made it clear—walking was the absolute last thing he wanted to do.
Ding—
□ Maps
A map-like panel appeared in front of him. It was clearly a map of Douluo Dalu, but most of it was covered in thick white fog.
Only two things were visible.
His current location—and his destination.
A small yellow dot marked his position, labeled simply: Lili.
A long red line stretched from it, connecting to a distant location symbol marked with a familiar name.
Shrek.
"…Hmmm," Lili muttered. "How lame. Really lame."
He squinted at the distance.
"You want me to walk there, don't you?"
He let out a tired breath.
"Yeah, that's not happening. I'd rather sleep here, folks."
He stared at the absurdly long route, completely unimpressed.
"Look at that distance. It's so far I might as well cut off my feet and not be bothered."
Boredom was written all over his face.
The truth was simple.
He wasn't scared.
He wasn't worried.
He was just fucking lazy—and had absolutely no desire to move or take the long way around.