Kai Family Farmlands, Eastern Yun Hills.
The morning wind swept low across the huge field. Swinging in waves.
At the edge of it, a boy stood holding a heavy water bucket. Sweat dripped down his face, yet he remained still, taking it all in. Barefoot in the mud, enjoying the wind.
"Xuan! Why are you just standing there?!"
The shout cut through the field.
A man, hunched low, swung his sickle in a smooth arc, slicing cleanly through the stalks of grains.
Xuan snapped back,Holding the bucket, he hurried forward. "Coming, Father."
The water spilled as he made his way, passing by his little sister who sat atop the stack of grains, Kai Yue.
She glanced at him, gently setting aside the small doll in her hand. "I'll help," she said, hurrying toward him.
"I'll help."
Xuan stopped, tugging the heavy bucket forward with some effort. He glanced at her, breathing unevenly.
"What would you...even do?"
He lowered the bucket to the ground with a dull thud.
His father's gaze shifted toward them. After a moment, he set his sickle aside and walked over, dipping his hands into the cold water.
Splashing his face, washing away the sweat and fatigue clinging to his skin.
"That's enough. You both helped."
Yue pouted, complaining. "I didn't help at all. You told me I could finally help."
His father smiled. "A little girl like you should stay put."
"Hmph!"
She turned away, crossing her arms. Xuan chuckled at the sight. His little sister was too cute and grumpy, being only nine.
"Yue, come here. Help your mother with these."
Her eyes lit up instantly, she hurried over without hesitation. "I'm coming, Mother!"
He and his father could only watch as she hurried over with her small feet.
Then a cold hand pressed down on Xuan's head.
"You go and bring another bucket of water. We're not done yet," his father said.
Xuan, exhausted from working since morning, didn't complain. The work had to be done. Winter was coming,they had to prepare for it.
"Y-Yes, Father," he muttered, lifting the empty wooden bucket and heading towards the running river near their house.
He submerged the bucket, letting the cold water lap over his hands. At the same time, he took a quick moment to splash his face.
Once winter came, the river would freeze solid. After this, they'd have to store fresh water for the season.
He hauled the bucket out with a grunt, muttering, "A lot of work...indeed."
Then something within him stirred, as if his awareness had spread outward.
His head spun. He stumbled, collapsing to the ground. Pain stabbed through his skull, and vision flashed across his mind.
White metal cages, filled with people, rolled forward through dark streets without horses, moving on their own.
The people wore strange clothes and held small rectangular rocks that rang sharply and displayed images.
Xuan gasped, clutching his chest as the cold water splashed over him, spilling from the bucket.
"Huh...huh."
He shook involuntarily. He stood there, clutching the bucket tightly. His head throbbed in pain.
"I should rest," he muttered under his breath.
What he saw, he couldn't understand. Nor could he put it into words.
He forced himself to move. He turned back toward the fields.
The farmland came into view. He decided to rest after giving this bucket to his father.
But the moment he took another step, another ringing pain assaulted him. He put down the bucket slowly.
He has to take rest now! He turned around to leave.
From the fields, his father, noticing him, shouted.
"Xuan!"
But Xuan didn't respond. Whatever this was...it mattered more than anything else right now.
He reached the door and pushed it open, stepping inside without a word.
Outside, his father straightened his back, frowning deeply.
"What's wrong with that boy today...?"
"Let him be," his mother said gently. "I'll get it. He should rest a little."
He hesitated, then gave a small nod before returning to his work.
Inside the house, Xuan moved unsteadily. Step by step, he made his way to his room.
The door creaked as he pushed it open. He didn't bother closing it. His body gave out the moment he reached the bed.
The moment he hit the bed, everything crashed into him, like his skull was being chiseled from the inside.
White iron cages moved on their own. People screamed. Bodies fell and burned down.
Explosions erupted here and there, shaking the ground.
Wheels spun without horses. A massive metal box barreled toward them, crushing everything in its path as explosions rebounded around it.
Glowing rocks. Hands pressing buttons. Clothes dyed grey with blood.
Soldiers everywhere are carrying weird sticks.
Slowly, the fragments of information began to make sense.
He clenched his hands, gripping the mattress. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.
"I...I..."
The words trembled on his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them wide.
"I...I'm Lucas. I am a soldier," he uttered, almost inaudible.
He shook his head, disbelief clouding his eyes.
"No...that was my past life! I transmigrated into this world after dying on the battlefield!"
He remembered everything. Who he was. An ordinary university student, drafted into the war.
Two brutal years. Endless battles. And just as it was finally over, he was heading home.
Then he looked up and froze.
A red missile hurtled toward him. Toward everyone. A blinding light engulfed him. Everything went blank.
He died just like that.
He sat in silence, staring at his room, letting it all sink in.
"I really transmigrated here, huh?"
Before the war, he spent most of his time reading stories where the main characters died and woke up in a new world full of magic.
But this time...it wasn't magic. It was cultivation.
"A world where the strong prey on the weak," he muttered, standing and gazing at the swaying trees.
"Where's my cheat?" he thought. In all the stories he read, transmigrated heroes always received some broken system or ability.
The world didn't disappoint. Instantly, a blue translucent screen hovered before his eyes.
[Ding Congratulations to Host. Awakening the Pay to Win Gacha System.]
A smile spread across his face. "Yes...that's what I'm talking about."
[Ding,Common Gacha pool detected]