Chapter 2: With the System in Hand, Even Pigs Can Fly
Lin Haoren froze at the sudden appearance and voice of the system.
Being a struggling writer, he was not unfamiliar with the system tropes. Its abrupt arrival just brought him too much shock.
The system!
Lin Haoren rubbed his eyes, but the blue virtual panel did not disappear. It was still there, along with its string of messages.
Happiness came too suddenly: his lingering sadness felt misplaced.
He carefully reread the messages to absorb the new information.
Ding!
[You are reading system prompts with great focus: Literature Skill Proficiency +2, Language Skill Proficiency +1]
"..."
That works too?!
Lin Haoren gasped in surprise and amazement. Even reading normal system prompts could acquire proficiency points.
This system was too generous.
Ding!
[You are reading system prompts: Literature Skill Proficiency +1, Language Skill Proficiency +1]
[You are reading system prompts: Literature Skill Proficiency +1, Language Skill Proficiency +1]
Lin Haoren quickly became appalled as he read the following system prompts. Even casual proficiency-point acquisition prompts awarded proficiency points.
Was the bar for proficiency point acquisition a bit too low, or were his Literature Skill and Language Skill too poor?!
Why did he suddenly feel insulted?
Suddenly, Lin Haoren’s heart was flooded with mixed feelings. He was naturally overjoyed with the miraculous opportunity, but the silly prompts also left him between tears and laughter.
Ding!
[Affectionately patting Oreo: Animal Taming Skill Proficiency +4, Feline Affinity Skill Proficiency +5]
[Listening to Oreo purring: Animal Communication Skill Proficiency +3, Cat Language Skill Proficiency +4]
Lin Haoren’s expression froze along with his patting hand, thinking these proficiency point gains were just too... incredible!
This Proficiency Talent was way too lenient!
’System Bro, you are awesome!’
Lin Haoren wanted to laugh out loud. All the gloom in his heart had dissipated.
With such a system in hand, even pigs could fly!
No, wait...
He wasn’t suggesting that he was a pig. No, why was he even trying to explain?! Who was he explaining to!?
Fortunately, no one could hear his foolish thoughts.
System Bro: *smirk*
Although Lin Haoren had many thoughts racing through his mind, his hand continued stroking Oreo in his arms.
Ding!
[Stroking Oreo with care: Animal Taming Skill Proficiency +7, Feline Affinity Skill Proficiency +6]
[Listening to Oreo’s happy meow: Animal Communication Skill Proficiency +7, Cat Language Skill Proficiency +8]
...
Ding!
[Animal Taming Skill has reached beginner-level proficiency, Proficiency: 11/100]
[Feline Affinity Skill has reached beginner-level proficiency, Proficiency: 11/100]
[Animal Communication Skill has reached beginner-level proficiency, Proficiency: 10/100]
[Cat Language Skill has reached beginner-level proficiency, Proficiency: 12/100]
Following the consecutive acquisition of beginner-level skills, gentle streams of vague knowledge flowed into Lin Haoren’s mind.
He didn’t feel any strain due to the influx of information. On the contrary, he felt as if his soul was soothed, and his mind was gaining clarity.
[Intelligence +1]
Lin Haoren’s eyes widened in shock, realizing it was not just a vague sensation. His mind was truly strengthened by the influx of new knowledge!
More knowledge, higher intelligence!
’But what did the intelligence stat cover?’ Just as Lin Haoren had this thought, a new virtual panel appeared.
[Intelligence: Learning speed, memory, and comprehension]
Lin Haoren’s eyes lit up.
The importance of intelligence need not be explained.
Learning speed, memory, and comprehension were essential traits for acquiring, integrating, and mastering skills.
As long as one was skilled, they would not have to worry about feeding themselves.
A good skill could earn money.
At that moment, Lin Haoren wanted nothing more than to bury himself in books, review his knowledge of acting and filming, break through his bottleneck, and become a truly skilled actor who could pass auditions and land acting roles.
Unfortunately, he could only rein in his excitement and face his current situation objectively. He needed to secure his livelihood first.
Auditions for movies and drama roles were rare. Aspiring actors needed side gigs to support themselves until such opportunities came.
Good actors never needed to worry about putting food on the table, while bad ones weren’t necessarily different from the homeless.
Alas, even with good acting skills, without a good look, securing good roles would be difficult.
Lin Haoren pondered for a moment and found his direction. His eyes brightened with hope, and he suddenly looked forward to life. The days ahead would surely get better from now on.
What was he proud of?
His writing speed!
As long as he could polish his Storywriting Skill and write a new novel with potential, just the signing bonus would cover his rent’s deficit.
And if his new novel took off, he could gradually transition to scriptwriting with his acquired skills, write a good script, then leverage his advantage as the author to secure his own role once it was selected.
This was the most straightforward path he could take to become a star in front of the camera.
However...
Thinking back to this point, Lin Haoren felt self-conscious about his ordinary looks.
He wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly either. He could even say he was slightly better-looking than average.
However, years of neglect and unhealthy habits had indeed transformed him into a miserable, unpresentable, ugly man.
He didn’t want to be remembered as an ugly duckling during his debut.
No way!
Lin Haoren fiercely swore to take better care of his body and improve his appearance. Health was the foundation of everything, and a handsome face faces fewer obstacles.
Ding!
[Performing pushups, developing muscles and strength: Bodybuilding Skill Proficiency +4]
Lin Haoren barely managed five pushups before his face was puffed red, collapsing to the floor, gasping for air, and out of strength.
Alright, his body was truly out of shape. No, it was abysmally poor.
Nevertheless, he didn’t give up on exercise just yet.
Ding!
[Performing squats, developing lower body muscles and strength: Bodybuilding Skill Proficiency +3]
[Performing jumping jacks, developing cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and muscular endurance: Bodybuilding Skill Proficiency +8]
[Bodybuilding Skill has reached the beginner-level proficiency, Proficiency: 15/100]
A stream of new knowledge flowed into Lin Haoren’s mind, allowing him to understand the proper forms of basic exercises.
He realized he had performed in bad form, which could reduce progress, increase the risk of injury, work the wrong muscles, and develop muscle imbalances.
Fortunately, he quickly acquired beginner-level Bodybuilding Skill and could correct his exercises before such issues could develop.
"Oh, right. I should massage my muscles after a workout. Otherwise, I’ll be plagued with muscle soreness," Lin Haoren thought.
Although he barely did any exercise, it was better to be safe than sorry.
After all, his body was a wreck.