Starting with Kengan beating up the Pirate King

Chapter 1 Guan Yi
Guan Yi is a good child.

In the eyes of the neighbors, Guan Yi is sensible, obedient, and filial to his parents. At a young age, he can cook well and takes the initiative to do housework. They wonder what kind of good deeds Guan's parents accumulated over many lifetimes to receive such a good son from heaven.

In the eyes of his teachers, Guan Yi was smart and hardworking, with excellent academic performance, and got along well with all his classmates. Although he had done a few things like teasing female classmates and arranging fights with bad boys, bad students who did such things deserved to die, while good students... well, boys in puberty are normal, normal budding feelings of adolescence.

Liu Dangmo had been a homeroom teacher for twenty years and rarely encountered a student who made him feel so at ease. However, more than twenty days after the college entrance examination, he called Guan Yi, who had already graduated and returned to the school to retrieve his personal file, to his office, slammed his fist on the table, and looked at him with a face full of disappointment.

"Guan Yi! Look what you've done! If I hadn't been wondering why I hadn't received the good news about your admission to the National University of Defense Technology, and hadn't asked around, I wouldn't have known you secretly signed up as a volunteer for the Secret Realm Exploration. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to drive me crazy... cough cough... do you want to drive your teacher crazy?! cough..."

"Teacher, teacher, please slow down, don't be angry, don't be angry, come and have some tea..."

Stop grinning like that!

Liu Dangmo blew on the teacup, sipped the tea, spat out some tea leaves, took a deep breath, and said in a slightly softer tone, "Tell your teacher what you really think."

"Serving the country, upholding honor, contributing to the exploration of secret realms, and doing our part to eradicate the demon race are the duties and principles that every citizen should abide by!" Guan Yiyi said solemnly.

"Fuck off!"

"Okay, goodbye teacher."

"……return!"

Liu Dangmo was so angry that he spat tea out of his nostrils. He slammed the teacup on the table, wanting to curse but feeling somewhat powerless. He said, "The National University of Defense Technology is one of the top five universities in our country. The Secret Realm Management and Ecology major is the number one major in the National University of Defense Technology. Your score is a sure thing."

I know you young people are martial, wanting to fly and disappear, to be invincible, but why abandon a bright future to take risks?

"Sigh, well, what's done is done. The military has already registered your name, and no one can change it. Otherwise, you'll be charged with desertion. You're going into the secret realm tomorrow... You're a clever child, and your teacher hopes to hear good news from you." He waved his hand somewhat listlessly: "At least come back alive."

Guan Yi bowed slightly: "Teacher, I'm sorry, I've let you down."

Seeing that Guan Yi had stopped joking around, Liu Dangmo felt both relieved and heartbroken. Only after Guan Yi reached the door did he remember to ask, "By the way, how did your parents agree to this? They..."

Guan Yi quickened her pace.

"...Huh? Come back!"

"Guan Yi! You come back here right now!"

Guan Yi started jogging.

……

He ran out of the teachers' office and out of the school, where two people were waiting for him at the school gate.

A boy who looked like a giant monkey came over and chuckled, "How about it, Guan Yi? You got scolded by the old demon, didn't you? You've finally met your match!"

“Teacher Liu must be furious. He likes Guan Yi the most.” A pretty girl also came over and said, “Even I don’t understand why you’re not going to university, Guan Yi.”

Guan Yi sighed and gazed into the distance.

"For ideals and distant places."

"You idiot, remember to take your medicine." The girl pouted.

"Hahaha, that's how a real man should be! If you had told me earlier, I would have gone with you!" The big monkey laughed loudly. "It's alright. If something happens to you in the secret realm, I'll wipe that secret realm out of existence in the future!"

"Tan Long, what nonsense are you spouting!" The girl was so angry that she cursed and threw a punch.

"Ouch, Cui Cui! That hurts! Are you going to kill me?!"

The three chatted and laughed as they walked into the subway station. Guan Yi could see that her two childhood friends were worried about her, and she felt a pang of emotion.

He has been in this world for 18 years now, or rather, reborn. He has long been accustomed to life here and has a new life.

This world is vastly different from Guan Yi's previous life. The planet beneath her feet is called Fog Star, with only two continents, east and west. However, it's not inhabited by only one intelligent race—humans—but also by the 'Demon Race'.

Legend has it that demons are skilled at disguise and can transform into human form. In reality, they are cruel, bloodthirsty, and even cannibalistic. They possess innate power but are extremely evil. Over the past thousand years, they have fought six large-scale wars with humans and have clashed countless times in secret.

Although Guan Yi is an ordinary person, he has not yet had the opportunity to meet the demon race. This is because the last war between the two races was a hundred years ago, in the time of Liu Dangmo's grandfather.

The demons usually live on the western continent, while humans live on the eastern continent. Most areas of both continents are shrouded in thick fog all year round. Mysterious and ferocious beasts live in the fog, making it unsuitable for human habitation. This may be the origin of the name "Fog Star".

Within the thick fog, there lie hidden realms. These hidden realms, in fact, could be called otherworldly realms, each containing different civilizations—technology, magic, martial arts, fantasy…

People learned many advanced technologies from it and gained great power. After the exploration of the secret realm, the explorer can receive the blessing of the secret realm and obtain something called 'Secret Rune' based on the degree of exploration and what they gained in the secret realm.

Secret runes can help people break through the limits of the human body, gain the power to smash monuments and even fly and escape into the earth, and become secret rune warriors.

In Guan Yi's view, exploring the secret realm is much like running a dungeon in a game. You get rewards for clearing the dungeon, except that everyone only has one life, and you have to 'create a new account' every time you enter the secret realm.

No matter how many secret realms you have explored, or what kind of power you have in reality, when you enter a new secret realm, everything has to start all over again, and the only thing you can use is your experience from exploring secret realms in the past.

Even a martial god who can fly and escape into the earth must start from scratch and slowly learn and master the unique power of the secret realm when entering a new secret realm.

Therefore, the danger level is very high when a secret realm is first discovered and during the first few rounds of exploration, and even martial gods are prone to dying violently.

This led to the emergence of exploration volunteers.

Are you dissatisfied with your current life? Do you aspire to the martial arts of flying and escaping? Do you dream of conquering new territories and eradicating the demon race?
If you are 18 years of age or older, under 50 years of age, and in good health without any disabilities, you are welcome to join the Secret Realm Exploration Volunteer Team. The unknown world awaits your exploration and development!
What appears to be an absurd policy of conscripting cannon fodder is actually the core of maintaining social stability. Due to the vast differences in individual strength and even life level, ordinary people and martial artists with secret runes are naturally divided into different classes.

Anyone can become a volunteer for exploring these hidden realms. Ordinary people have a chance to fight for their lives and a wide range of upward mobility as a form of compensation. More importantly, the compensation is truly substantial, enough to ensure a family's livelihood for a lifetime!
"Guan Yi, are you... or your uncle and aunt in trouble?" Cui Cui had been secretly observing Guan Yi the whole way, and as the subway was about to arrive at the station, she finally couldn't help but ask, "If anyone bullies your family, remember to tell me, my dad can help you think of a solution!"

"Yes, Guan Yi."

Tan Long added, "Tell us if you have any trouble, and we'll help you figure something out."

Guan Yi sighed: "You guys are really worrying me. Will you be able to keep up after you go to university? I'm a top student who was admitted to the National University of Defense Technology. I might even be able to manage the Secret Pattern Warriors in the future. How could anyone dare to bully my family?"

Cui Cui raised her fist: "Your mother..."

"We were worried about you, and you call us stupid? Guan Yi, don't you have any conscience?!"

Guan Yi laughed heartily: "Alright, alright, the train has arrived at the station, I have to go home. Next time we meet, I'll be a powerful martial artist with secret runes, and you two weaklings, just wait for my good news."

"...Guan Yi, be careful!"

"That's right, don't die! Even if you come out disabled, we can take care of you for the rest of your life!"

"Tan Long, are you spewing nonsense again?!"

Guan Yi got off the bus, turned her back, waved casually to herself, and disappeared into the crowd.

This carefree attitude lasted until he reached his front door. Facing the door, Guan Yi hesitated for a long time before taking out his key and opening the door.

The enticing aroma of stewed fish wafted through the air. My mother, who was busy in the kitchen, heard the door close and came out with a somewhat displeased expression.

Guan Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she lost all composure in front of her teacher, bracing herself for a storm.

Then Ms. Maureen said, "The notice from the National University of Defense Technology is too sudden. Who says military training is tomorrow and only notifies us this evening? It's more than a month earlier than other universities. We didn't even have time to buy your daily necessities! Dinner will be ready soon. After you finish eating, Mom will help you get ready."

Guan Yi was taken aback. The military's volunteer notice should have been delivered to her home by now, right? What kind of military training is the National University of Defense Technology? I didn't even sign up!
Hearing the commotion, Guan Shanhai, the father, came out of his study and said, "It's a military academy, so the management is definitely military-style. It's different. Besides, they should have all the daily necessities provided, so we don't need to worry about it. You should think about what we'll do if we don't see our son for months and have to eat your cooking every day."

"Guan Shanhai, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it!"

Maureen glared at him, then turned and went back to the kitchen to work on her grape stewed fish.

Guan Shanhai came to Guan Yi's side, patted Guan Yi's shoulder, and said earnestly, "Good lad, you've grown so strong without me even realizing it."

Don't worry, I lied to your mom, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep. Let's just keep it a secret for as long as possible.

I won't ask you too many questions about why you would give up a good, prestigious university to sign up as a volunteer for the secret mission. You've always been sensible and decisive, and Dad believes in you! Just one thing: be careful in everything you do, and think of your mother and me before taking any risks.”

“Dad…” Guan Yi suddenly realized.

The military's exploration volunteers did indeed arrive home, but Guan Shanhai kept it a secret from them.

Father's love is like a mountain, profound and indescribable.

Knowing that he had given up his studies and a bright and promising future to choose to go on an adventure in a secret realm, his teacher was heartbroken, his childhood friends were worried that he had been bullied by someone, but his father never asked anything and silently supported him from behind!
Guan Yi's feelings were very complicated, and for the first time, a hint of regret surfaced. How could she not cherish this peaceful life, this happy family, this bright future?

If only I hadn't discovered that secret letter between my father and the demons that day.

(End of this chapter)