Chapter 26: Peace Year After Year

Half a month later, entering the Fog Plaza once again, Wu Chang had transformed from a newcomer who couldn't even tell directions apart into someone as familiar with it as if returning home.

With the understanding gained over these days, the more he knew about the Abyss Game, the more he felt fear toward it.

According to the speculations of many on the forum, the first large-scale recruitment of players by the Abyss Game was twenty years ago.

Information from even earlier had been sealed off layer by layer by major factions; how long the Abyss Game had truly existed was something only a very few people likely knew.

Facing the Abyss Game, one could never be too cautious. He had no choice before, but this time, before entering the instance, he had to make ample preparations.

He first went to the official trading and storage area and took out a set of custom-made full-body soft leather armor.

"Item Name: Earth Lizard Leather Armor."

"Item Grade: D."

"Item Skill: Thick Skin."

"Skill Description: Increases defense after equipping; can effectively defend against attacks from sharp weapons. When the wearer is standing on the ground, gains partial elemental resistance."

The Earth Lizard Leather Armor was one of the most cost-effective pieces of defensive gear in the early stages, which ordinary players could use all the way until B-grade instances.

Players could craft this item themselves, the raw materials were easy to obtain, and the full five-piece set of leather armor only cost 6,000 Decayed Silver Coins.

After the leather armor came three bottles of inhalable potion.

Health potions in the Abyss Game were different from the essential health potions in MOBA games, or the ones in single-player games that automatically refilled when you saved.

There was no resurrection in the Abyss Game; life was the most precious thing. Items that could quickly restore health, or even restore health during combat, had a very high priority.

"Item Name: Healing Type I."

"Item Type: Consumable."

"Item Grade: E."

"Item Description: Restores 30% health after use; this value will not exceed 15 at most. If used continuously within half an hour, the effect is halved."

Three bottles of recovery potions that could be used in combat, even if they were E-grade, cost 2,400 Decayed Silver Coins.

Thinking of it this way, the "Whisper of the Nameless" he obtained from the Physician's Resentment was even more precious than he had imagined.

That was high-end goods you couldn't see in the trading house.

He spent another 5,000 Decayed Silver Coins to upgrade his spatial backpack to one cubic meter in size.

In the past, when playing games, he had always prioritized expanding his backpack slots first.

If the backpack slots were sufficient, not only could one carry enough supplies, but if used properly, the effect was comparable to spatial magic.

15,000 Decayed Silver Coins was definitely a huge sum for a rookie who had just entered the Abyss Game, but it didn't last long when actually spent.

A set of Earth Lizard Leather Armor, three bottles of Healing Type I, plus ten paid articles full of solid information, and one hundred bullets that could be brought into the instance, emptied his account.

Looking at "Decayed Silver Coins: 0" in his attribute panel, Wu Chang took a deep breath and secretly told himself that this time he must make a big haul.

With everything ready, he chose to enter the instance.

"Matching instance for player. Player's current level: 8. Instance difficulty matching probability: F-grade: 10%; E-grade: 50%; D-grade: 40%; C-grade: 0.1%."

"Matching complete!"

Wu Chang's vision blurred, and he appeared in a strange mountain forest.

"Successfully entered 'Wild—76271 Plane'."

"Instance Name: Peace Year After Year."

"Instance Type: Single-player survival instance."

"Instance Difficulty: C."

"Official recommended minimum level for instance exploration: 10. Please proceed with caution."

"Instance Status: On the verge of spiraling out of control!"

"Main Quest I: Head to Huaigu Village and attend the Year-End Festival."

"Main Quest II: Protect Huaigu Village and complete the Year-End Ceremony."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue; he knew this damn game wouldn't let him have it easy.

The paid articles he bought mentioned that the recommended level for F-grade instances was 0-5, E-grade was 0-10, D-grade was 5-15, and C-grade was 10-20.

Generally speaking, level 8 players rarely matched into C-grade instances, and even if they were randomly assigned to one, it would just be a normal projection instance unaffected by pollution.

But the system had matched him directly into a real instance, and a C-grade one on the verge of spiraling out of control at that.

This was definitely the Abyss Game's "special treatment" for him.

Taking advantage of the invincibility time upon entering the plane, he quickly checked the surrounding situation.

He was wearing clothing in the style of ancient Xia, with a cinched waist and tight sleeves, a jade-inlaid silver crown on his head, thick-soled leather boots on his feet, a light, soft, and warm fur coat over his outer garment, and a long sword slung diagonally at his waist—he looked every bit the young hero of a great sect.

Player Nickname: Don't Eat Beef.

Player Level: 8 (500/1900)

Title: Perfectionist

Health: 20

Strength: 20

Agility: 15

Stamina: 15

Energy: 0

Inspiration: 84

Willpower: 62

Free Attribute Points: 0

Decayed Silver Coins: 0

Skills: Mamba Iron Elbow, Firearms Proficiency (Skilled).

Items: Silver Dawn, Favor of the Goddess of Luck, Echo of the Whisperer x1, Poison of the Mortal, New Recruit Code of the Arcane Knights, Earth Lizard Leather Armor, Healing Type I x3.

Talent: Transcendence.

Just as only money spent counts as money, only added attribute points count as attribute points. After several days of research, Wu Chang had allocated all 35 free attribute points.

Completing resentments could increase Inspiration and Willpower, and since he currently had no skills requiring energy, he allocated all his attribute points to Health, Strength, and Agility.

A vitality four times that of an ordinary person meant that as long as he didn't suffer a fatal wound that killed him instantly, he would have time to take a sip of Healing Type I and save his life.

The high Strength and Agility made his Mamba Iron Elbow swing with a fierce, whistling wind.

It was hard to say how he would perform in the instance, but at the very least, when he stood in the middle of the court, no one dared to come within two meters of him.

This kind of physical fitness should be worthy of his identity as a young hero.

He shook his head, cast the distracting thoughts out of his mind, and focused his spirit on the present.

The surrounding area was a desolate mountain wilderness with no signs of humans other than himself; clearly, he was still some distance from Huaigu Village in the main quest.

The sky was growing dark, and sleeping in the wilderness of an instance plane was not a wise move.

The most urgent task was to find a place to stay, pass the night, and inquire about the location of Huaigu Village tomorrow.

!

As the surrounding fog dissipated, the instance officially began.

Following the footprints on the ground, Wu Chang returned from the woods to the mountain path. As soon as he emerged, he saw a horse tied to a tree not far away.

Walking up to it, the horse affectionately rubbed against his hand.

That was more like it; as a young hero from a prestigious sect appearing alone in the wilderness, how could he not have a horse?

It was currently the end of the year, and there was snow left in the forest, making it easy to distinguish tracks.

He mounted the horse and continued forward along the tracks until it was seventy percent dark, only then seeing a two-story inn by the side of the road.

As soon as he approached, a waiter proactively came over.

Although the inn was small, it was fully equipped; there was a dedicated stable in the courtyard, and the rooms were divided into three grades.

Wu Chang stood in the inn's lobby, which was dim and deathly silent, with only the sound of bones being chopped coming from the back kitchen.

The waiter tied up the horse, came out holding an oil lamp, and said with a face full of smiles: "Traveler, you've been on the road, you must be exhausted. Would you like to try our shop's specialty dish?"

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow and asked: "What specialty dish?"

"Our own air-dried cured meat, stored right on the rafters. Traveler, please wait a moment."

As the waiter spoke, he took a bamboo pole and poked at the rafters.

A figure with a hemp rope tied around its neck fell from the rafters, dangling in the air along the rope.

"A person?" Wu Chang frowned and immediately drew his sword from its sheath.

"Wait! Traveler, look closely, this is a wild boar!" The waiter's face turned red with fright; he retreated a few steps to hide behind a table and held the lamp up to shine on the dark shadow.

By the light of the lamp, it was clear that the object resembling a human figure was actually a lean pig with all its hair burned off. The pork had been air-dried and cured, its surface shimmering with an amber-like luster.

Wu Chang sheathed his sword, his tone relaxing slightly as he asked: "Is this meat legitimate?"

"Legitimate, of course it's legitimate! It's all collected from hunters in the mountains. Mountain goods are different from domestic pigs; the taste is exquisite, I guarantee you've never tasted it before, Traveler."

"Then go ahead and serve it."

"Alright, Traveler, please wait a moment!"

While the back kitchen was busy, Wu Chang waved the waiter over and asked:

"I ask you, in this desolate wilderness with no human presence, can you break even by building an inn here? Or is it that you have other motives?"

He said the four words "other motives" one by one. As soon as he finished, the sound of bone-chopping in the back kitchen doubled, clearly very dissatisfied with this suggestion.

The waiter hurriedly explained: "Traveler, you don't know, but this hundred-mile Huaishan Mountain was very lively a few years ago. There are five villages in the mountain, each with different specialties. Merchants collecting mountain goods came and went all four seasons; how else could we afford to run such a large inn?"

"It looks deserted now because there were mountain bandits four or five years ago. The bandits were powerful, and merchants didn't dare enter the mountains, which is why it gradually became desolate."

Fearing Wu Chang wouldn't believe him, the waiter reached out and pointed to the wall inside the shop.

A row of wanted posters hung on the wall, depicting the various bandit leaders of the "Heishan Bandits," stamped with the official seal of Jingyuan Prefecture.

Wu Chang tapped his fingers on the tabletop and asked, "Merchants fear the mountain bandits; are you not afraid?"

The waiter smiled apologetically, "There are only the boss and me in this shop; killing us wouldn't yield any profit. The merchants who pay the road toll need us, which is why we've been spared. Besides, bandits have to eat, don't they? It's inconvenient for them to come down the mountain to shop, so they always need someone to help."

As he spoke, a muffled shout rang out from the kitchen: "Too much talk! Get to work!"

The waiter shrank his neck and trotted back to the kitchen, bringing out a steaming basket of buns and placing them before Wu Chang, "Please, try them while they're hot."

Looking at the waiter's hopeful gaze, Wu Chang was just about to pick up his chopsticks when an inexplicable gust of wind blew from the second floor, making the corner of his eye twitch and a chill rise over his body.

There is a problem.

He used his chopsticks to pry open the bun skin, revealing it to be filled with cured meat, rich in juices, oily and glistening.

He took a deep breath and squinted to look closely; under the influence of 84 points of inspiration, the oily sheen receded, and the juices dried up.

The fresh, plump wild boar had turned into shriveled, moldy jerky, and within the jerky, one could faintly see clumps of hair and human finger joints chopped into small segments.

He raised his head; the wild boar still swaying from the beam clearly revealed a human-like appearance when it swung into the shadows where the lamplight could not reach.

The waiter was still all smiles, bowing and waiting by the table, his eyes unblinking, staring fixedly at Wu Chang.

"Guest, the buns are getting cold, please hurry and try them."

(End of chapter)