Chapter 43: Dewdrops

[Green Pine]

Type: Wooden Sword

Grade: Rare (Blue)

Effects

+15% damage against Undead (Solar Flare)

+20% damage against Snake and Scorpion-type creatures (Solar Flare)

Description

A specially crafted wooden sword from an ancient sect. Made from a rare material formed under extreme conditions, it possesses significant power against certain types of creatures.

Remarks

"Since entering the sect, I have been deeply grateful for the teachings of my Master and the support of my fellow disciples; I hold these debts in my heart. Now, hearing news of the plague of snakes and scorpions ravaging my hometown, leaving the people in misery, I may be lacking in strength and talent, but I dare not forget the kindness of my past sustenance. Therefore, I venture to ask my Master to permit me to descend the mountain to eliminate demons and bring peace to the people."

—Li Haoran, Inner Disciple of "Bamboo Spring Temple"

...

Xia Nan’s gaze lingered, and he couldn't help but feel surprised.

"This... is indeed a product from another world!"

With this, there was finally an explanation for the vastly different architectural styles he had encountered along the way, as well as the cave he currently occupied and the massive black snake within it.

Though he didn't know exactly what had happened, there was no doubt that these things originated from another world—one fundamentally different from the fantasy world he was currently in.

They had merged into this space in some fragmented form.

Xia Nan couldn't help but feel fortunate.

The "Attribute Panel" cheat code he had brought with him after crossing over seemed to only display information about equipment and items, making it far less useful than the "Systems" he remembered that possessed leveling and stat-allocation functions.

However, in the real world, it provided him with immense assistance in various ways.

Whether it was the Decapitation Longsword tossed in the corner of the blacksmith shop, or the truth he had just uncovered through the panel's information.

If not for the boost provided by this cheat, he wouldn't necessarily be unable to move a single step, but he certainly wouldn't be as composed as he was now.

Not to mention this blue rare equipment in his hand, which looked plain and unremarkable, as if it truly were just an ordinary wooden sword.

Xia Nan took out the remaining gauze from his backpack and carefully wiped the dust from the blade.

The true form of the wooden sword, previously hidden under the sandy soil, gradually revealed itself before him.

It was about three feet long, a one-handed sword, a notch shorter than the Decapitation Longsword;

It was made entirely of dark brown ebony, with a texture that was warm and smooth. The hilt and pommel were integrated into a simple, short, and rounded design, merging seamlessly with the blade without any superfluous decoration.

Judging solely by its appearance, aside from its color and certain stylistic details, it seemed no different from a wooden sword used for daily training.

Only Xia Nan knew that this seemingly ordinary one-handed sword was a genuine enchanted weapon in this world.

He examined the blade closely; seeing that the surface left little trace after being wiped, appearing almost brand new, he dug through his backpack again for the hemp rope he had bought before his journey. He then tied it to his back alongside the Decapitation Longsword.

Looking at the pale skeleton slumped against the stone wall ahead, Xia Nan’s gaze paused, and he let out a silent sigh.

Although there were no other objects around the corpse to prove its identity, through the information on the panel, he could roughly confirm that this was the "Li Haoran" mentioned in the remarks.

Combined with the massive snake carcass in the cave, the sudden surge of snakes and insects in the Misty Forest, and the "plague of snakes and scorpions" mentioned in the remarks...

He could more or less deduce the connection.

It was just that the remains of this righteous man had followed his place of death into this foreign world.

No one here knew him; except for himself, there would likely be no one to know his story.

If he hadn't agreed to join the half-elf squad and hadn't followed the team deep into the Misty Forest...

Perhaps the man would have ended up like this, destined to lie quietly in this stone grotto, accompanied only by the carcass of the giant snake that killed him.

Even if some unlucky adventurer accidentally stumbled upon this place in the future, they would likely only be surprised by the size of the snake, never giving a second thought to this skeleton or this plain wooden sword.

His thoughts drifted.

Finding an exit was not something that could be done in a moment, and there were no urgent dangers to face right now.

Xia Nan paused, leaned down, and straightened the skeleton that had collapsed after he pulled out its scales, laying it flat on the ground.

The cave was surrounded by rock on all sides, making it difficult to dig through.

He searched around for some stones and piled them over the skeleton until it was completely buried.

He even took out the dagger at his waist, found a slightly longer stone, carved the man's name into it, and placed it in the center of the stone pile.

With limited conditions, this was all he could do.

Xia Nan wasn't sure of the customs of the other man's world, but since it was similar to the ancient civilizations of his previous life, there should be a concept of "resting in peace in the earth."

It was his way of showing respect.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he took one last look at the stone pile in the corner of the cave before withdrawing his gaze.

Now, it was time to find an exit.

But just as he intended to carefully feel his way around the edge of the grotto...

The wooden sword he had just tied to his back suddenly radiated a sensation of intense heat.

"Hmm?"

Surprised, he reached out to grasp the hilt and drew it.

Immediately, as if guided by some force, the tip of the sword pointed exactly toward the spot where the skeleton had been sitting.

The stone wall suddenly blurred for a moment.

Instinctively, Xia Nan held the wooden sword in his left hand and lightly tapped its surface against the wall.

*Vroom—*

In an instant, the cold, ashen wall vanished.

In its place was a small, exquisite stone chamber.

The deep blue luminous fungi that had been growing in the rock crevices seemed to have gathered at the ceiling of the chamber with a sense of consciousness.

The condensed beams of light shone down from above like spotlights.

In the very center of the light beam was a conical stone protrusion, with a greenish vine climbing upon it.

Hanging from the end of the vine was a delicate, small gourd.

The gourd was entirely golden, its surface as clear and transparent as jade, shimmering with dazzling fluorescence under the light.

But all of this, everything before his eyes...

To the current Xia Nan, none of it mattered.

The moment the stone chamber was revealed, his entire mind and all his attention were focused on the opening of the hanging gourd—

That brilliant, golden dewdrop, shimmering and suspended, as if about to fall.

It felt as though it were the source of all the illusions surrounding it, the very center of all these otherworldly things.

*Ding.*

A sound like jade striking jade echoed in his ears. The dewdrop vibrated faintly, looking as if it would drip at any second.

Xia Nan instinctively stepped forward, cupped his hands, and caught it.

The dewdrop seeped into his skin.

*Boom—*

Countless phantom images distorted before his eyes; the stone walls, the vines, and the fluorescence all bled their colors away like a receding tide.

It was that familiar sensation of dizziness.

In the next second, Xia Nan found himself standing once again amidst the shrubs and dense forests of the Misty Forest.

In his field of vision, the translucent characters of the attribute panel flashed past like a scrolling screen.

(End of Chapter)