Chapter 103: The Forest Fairy

Yan Luo paid little mind to appearance—what use was being handsome? Could it put food on the table? No matter how strikingly handsome he became—stunningly so, dazzling beyond compare, pure 24K handsomeness—it wouldn’t bring him joy.

What truly mattered was the enhancement of his attributes.

Yan Luo could distinctly feel that his body was now far stronger than before. Though his strength and constitution might pale compared to Guan Yu’s, his agility and intellect were superior. The comprehensive and balanced boost to his attributes granted him a coordination no subordinate persona could match.

Strength, agility, constitution, intellect—though exact figures eluded him, Yan Luo could assess his Life Source and Spirit Source through his personal panel in the program, akin to health and mana bars.

He glanced and noticed that his Life Source bar, once showing two segments at the novice level, now displayed ten.

Using elementary math, he divided 10 by 2 to get 5; his Life Source was now five times what it had been before the transformation, equating to ten times that of an average person. His Spirit Source had also increased dramatically, now showing four segments compared to the original single segment—four times that of an ordinary human.

A greater Life Source meant he could sustain the Mask of Personality longer.

An enhanced Spirit Source meant he could unleash powers like the Olympic Flame or the Word of Power without fearing severe depletion leading to mental weakness.

For example, his Word Bullets could now fire 40 shots at once! Even an AK-47’s magazine held only 30 rounds!

Even without using his hands, merely with his mouth, he could unleash a continuous barrage of 40 shots—this was no mere ammunition; it was a true bullet storm.

The leap from novice Life to intermediate Life was astonishing.

Yet, upon reflection, it made sense—this upgrade effectively granted him intermediate strength, agility, and constitution, while also unlocking intermediate intellect in his perception domain. Combined, such attribute enhancements were hardly surprising.

“Level 1 Modulator, Yan Luo, overall evaluation rising—upgraded to Level 2.”

The criteria for a modulator to be rated Level 2 generally involved unlocking a gene and then leveling up once more to reach intermediate status, while also possessing either a psychic ability or an energy-based skill—be it a martial energy blast or a magical fireball.

This was a universal standard. Some deliberately avoided upgrading genes or unlocking psychic powers, dispersing gene points to keep their rating low—much like grinding for a lower level in a game. But unlocking five genes or mastering three skills would invariably result in a Level 2 rating.

Such tactics served a purpose: as a Level 1, you entered a Level 1 inner world; as Level 2, a Level 2 inner world. In those realms, a player who deliberately kept their level low might reign as an overlord.

Among those aligned with chaotic or evil factions, there were indeed plans to exploit such level suppression to dominate multiplayer enforced inner worlds.

Yan Luo’s upgrade from novice to intermediate Life, though he had yet to unlock psychic powers, already counted the Olympic Flame as an energy skill.

“World Modulation Program, new feature unlocked: you have loaded language modules for eight foreign languages.”

In his previous world, Yan Luo had entered ancient Greece and temporarily mastered ancient Greek through a language module, which closed upon departure—he could no longer speak it now.

Truth be told, this was a kind of cheat, akin to Yan Luo using Guan Yu’s subordinate persona to practice the Ten Directions Staff Technique.

Had Yan Luo been diligent, he could have used the language module’s activation in ancient Greece to memorize and comprehend corresponding vocabulary in Chinese and ancient Greek. Even after the module closed, the knowledge would have been internalized, effectively self-studying ancient Greek and retaining it.

Now, however, he had loaded language modules for eight foreign tongues.

Yan Luo examined them: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, German, Arabic, and Japanese.

They were precisely the top eight world languages in reality, excluding Chinese.

“So, does this mean I’m now a highly skilled polyglot fluent in eight foreign languages?”

Even without formal schooling, he would never lack work as a translator.

This feature was neither trivial nor grandiose. After all, modulators included people from many countries, and mastering these eight languages meant he could communicate freely with the vast majority.

Moreover, many inner world languages mirrored real-world ones.

For example, if you entered a cultivation world, Mandarin would prevail; a sci-fi world akin to a Hollywood blockbuster would likely use English; and a world resembling anime or the two-dimensional realm would feature Japanese as a prominent foreign tongue.

Regrettably, there were no modules for other systems—dragon speech, elvish, wizard tongues, demon dialects, or the chirping language of spirits. Such peculiar languages remained elusive.

“Upgrade detection: you possess a legendary title—Sage. As a promising newcomer who earned a legendary title at Level 1, you have gained a privilege: because the legendary title attracts excessive attention, you may modify it once. Would you like to modify it? Yes or decline?”

“Seems the World Modulation Program is quite considerate.”

A man innocent of wrongdoing but burdened with a treasure often attracts misfortune. Though the title could not be taken away, the elder at Level 3 was one thing, but the Sword Saint was clearly formidable. For a Level 1 or 2 modulator, flaunting a golden, radiant title above one’s head could invite trouble.

Perhaps a higher-level modulator, displeased by his arrogance, might challenge him with a “Why are you so cocky?” move, bringing calamity.

Titles had to be worn to function. Getting a legendary title but lacking the strength to bear it rendered it useless.

Choosing to modify allowed him to change its color from radiant gold to the plain white of ordinary titles, and he could customize the text.

Come to think of it, the title “Gentle Giant with a Kind Heart” might have been a legendary title Chen Beixue himself had altered.

The title “Sage” was neither here nor there for Yan Luo; it helped somewhat to suppress intense emotions.

After some thought, Yan Luo decided to modify it.

He already had three titles: “Sage,” the legendary one; “I am Legend,” which, though not golden, was still proudly ostentatious; and “Zombie Hunter,” which looked cheap and invited ridicule—he seldom wore it.

Better to modify “Sage.”

“What should I change it to?”

The program prompted him to confirm the title modification. After agreeing, he selected the color white and was presented with a blank space to input a new name.

His fingers moved almost unconsciously, and he typed four characters: “Forest Fairy.”

During the ancient Greek Olympics, Yan Luo had heard this name from the crowd’s cheers, though it hadn’t left a deep impression then. Why did he choose it now? He pondered but felt no urge to change it; the title was quite pleasing.

The forest evoked nature, and the fairy suggested playfulness and vitality; the title could instantly evoke a subconscious fondness.

Low-key luxury with depth.

After completing the change, he replaced “Zombie Hunter” with “Forest Fairy” above his head. Of course, the effect remained identical—in wearing it, he entered “Sage Mode,” a state of detachment, spiritual transcendence, and equanimity.

Level 2 Modulator:

Forest Fairy · Yan Luo

Now upgraded in genes and with a modified title, Yan Luo checked his personal panel.

Boundary Breakthrough: First Stage

Life Source: 100%

Spirit Source: 100%

Emotional Fluctuation: 0

Soul Pollution: 1

Alignment: Absolute Neutral

Bloodline: Human

Talent: Heartless Puppet

Skill Slots: Yellow: Olympic Flame; Blue: Earth Stomp (temporary); Gray: Word of Power (Word Bullets)

Gene Slots: Combat: Self-Healing, Intermediate Life

World Modulator Level: LV2

Previously, his Soul Pollution was 2, but wearing the Spirit Mask of Guan Yu—the loyal and righteous Guan Er Ye—reduced it slightly.

Yan Luo’s strength had skyrocketed overnight. His prior physical attributes were within ordinary human limits, but now even the Olympic weightlifting champion or a strongman could not match his power.

At novice Life level, wielding the 62-pound Panlong Staff quickly exhausted his strength. Now it was a perfectly manageable weapon, slightly heavy but bearable. Guan Yu’s subordinate persona, about equivalent to advanced strength, handled a 38-pound Spring and Autumn Broadsword as lightly as a feather.

His combat power had surged dramatically.

If he returned to the ancient Greek sports world and faced Macedonian phalanxes, even without the Bull-Headed persona mask, he could handle one hundred enemies alone.

Yan Luo also reviewed his possessions.

Biological Energy Points: 24,998

Bloodline Material: Spider (exoskeleton and scythe-like limbs)

Weapons: Panlong Staff and Mandarin Duck Swords

Armor: Bronze Chainmail

Macedonian Spears: 5

Mount: Horse

Two items transferable to inner worlds: a large gold chain and a miniature marble statue.

The gold chain was originally intended for sale but was retained after robbing the Azure Dragon Gang’s assets.

Of course, he also possessed precious, rare masks: the Four Emotions mask and the Personality Mask: Drunken Sword Immortal Li Bai.

“In two or three days, the enforced inner world should begin.”

Yan Luo still had one chance to freely enter an inner world and activate a node. Now that his strength had soared, he dared to enter what he previously could not—and he could even enter a Level 2 inner world!

Level 2 worlds generally featured energy.

For example, in martial arts worlds, Level 1 worlds had only “Qi,” where martial training meant honing the body and internal energy. Level 2 worlds introduced “inner strength” elements. In Jin Yong’s novels, “The Deer and the Cauldron” would qualify as Level 2.

“Last time, Wang Dongwei said he scanned a Level 1 supernatural world, and near the school, I found a Level 2 historical war world… With enough biological energy and some point expenditure, I can scan and locate many more types of inner worlds…”

“What kind of world should I enter next?”