Chapter 26: Year After Year of Peace

Entering the Mist Plaza again after half a month, Wu Chang had transformed from a novice who couldn't even tell north from south into someone as familiar as if he were returning home.

As he learned more about the Abyss Game in these past few days, the more terrified he felt. According to many speculations on the forums, the first large-scale recruitment of players by the Abyss Game took place twenty years ago. Information from even earlier was strictly sealed off by major factions; how long the Abyss Game had truly existed was something perhaps only a very few knew.

In the face of the Abyss Game, one could never be too cautious. He had no choice before, but this time, before entering the dungeon, he had to be fully prepared.

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

[Item Name: Earth Lizard Leather Armor.]
[Item Grade: D.]
[Item Skill: Thick Hide.]
[Skill Description: Increases defensive power when equipped, providing effective protection against sharp weapons. When the wearer is standing on solid ground, they gain partial elemental resistance.]

Earth Lizard Leather Armor was one of the most cost-effective defensive gears for the novice phase. Players could craft it, the raw materials were easy to obtain, and the full set cost only 6,000 Decayed Silver Coins.

After the armor came three bottles of inhalable potions.

[Item Name: Healing Type I.]
[Item Type: Consumable.]
[Item Grade: E.]
[Item Description: Restores 30% of HP within 10 seconds of use, capped at a maximum of 15 points. Consecutive use within half an hour reduces effectiveness by half.]

Healing Type I was also a player-crafted item. Just as Wu Chang had guessed, life-saving items in the Abyss Game were extremely expensive. These three bottles of E-grade blood potions, which were abundantly listed on the trading house and came with usage restrictions, actually cost him 2,400 Decayed Silver Coins!

Thinking about it, the "Whisper of the Nameless" he obtained from the Doctor's Grudge was even more precious than he had imagined. That was high-end merchandise not even seen on the trading house.

He spent another 5,000 Decayed Silver Coins to upgrade his spatial backpack to one cubic meter in size. In previous games, he had always prioritized expanding his inventory slots first. If one had enough slots, not only could they carry sufficient supplies, but if used correctly, the effect was comparable to spatial magic.

15,000 Decayed Silver Coins was definitely a huge sum for a rookie just entering the Abyss Game, but it didn't last long when actually put to use. A set of Earth Lizard Leather Armor, three bottles of Healing Type I, ten paid articles full of practical information, and one hundred bullets that could be brought into the dungeon had emptied his account.

Looking at the "Decayed Silver Coins: 0" in his attribute panel, Wu Chang took a deep breath, telling himself he must make a big score this time.

Everything was ready, and he chose to enter the dungeon.

[Matching dungeon for player... Current player level: 8. Dungeon difficulty matching probability: F-grade: 10%; E-grade: 50%; D-grade: 40%; C-grade: 0.1%.]
[Matching complete!]

Wu Chang felt a blur before his eyes and appeared in an unfamiliar mountain forest.

[Successfully entered "Wasteland—76271 Plane".]
[Dungeon Name: Peace Year After Year.]
[Dungeon Type: Single-player Survival Dungeon.]
[Dungeon Difficulty: C.]
[Official recommended minimum level for exploration: 10. Please proceed with caution.]
[Dungeon Status: Near collapse!]
[Main Mission I: Travel to Huaigu Village and participate in the Year-End Ritual.]
[Main Mission II: Protect Huaigu Village and complete the Year-End Ritual.]

Wu Chang clicked his tongue. He knew this damn game wouldn't let him have an easy time. The paid articles he bought mentioned that the recommended level for F-grade dungeons was 0-5, E-grade was 0-10, D-grade was 5-15, and C-grade was 10-20. Generally, a level 8 player would rarely be matched with a C-grade dungeon, and even if randomly assigned to one, it would usually just be a standard projection dungeon unaffected by corruption.

But the system had matched him directly into a "real" dungeon, and a C-grade one on the verge of collapse at that. This was definitely the Abyss Game’s "special treatment" for him.

Taking advantage of the invincibility period upon entering the plane, he quickly checked his surroundings. He was dressed in traditional Xia Dynasty-style clothing, with a cinched waist and cuffed sleeves, a jade-inlaid silver crown on his head, thick-soled leather boots on his feet, and a light, soft, warm fur coat draped over his shoulders. A long sword hung diagonally at his waist—he looked exactly like a young hero from a major sect.

Player Nickname: Don't Eat Beef.
Player Level: 8 (500/1900)
Title: Perfectionist
HP: 20
Strength: 20
Agility: 15
Endurance: 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 Manual of the Arcane Knights, Earth Lizard Leather Armor, Healing Type I x3.
Talent: Transcendence.

Just as money is only money when spent, attribute points are only real when assigned. After a few days of research, Wu Chang had allocated all 35 free attribute points. Resolving grudges could increase Inspiration and Willpower, and since he currently had no skills requiring energy, he had dumped all his points into HP, Strength, and Agility.

Having four times the vitality of an average person meant that as long as he didn't receive a fatal, instant-kill wound, he would have enough time to take a gulp of Healing Type I and save his life. His high Strength and Agility meant his Mamba Iron Elbow would swing with fierce force. It was hard to say how it would perform in the dungeon, but at the very least, on the basketball court, he could stand in the middle and no one within two meters would dare come near.

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

He shook his head, casting away distracting thoughts, and focused on the present. The surrounding wilderness had no signs of human activity other than himself, clearly indicating he was still some distance from the Huaigu Village mentioned in the main mission. The sky was darkening, and spending the night in the wilderness of a dungeon plane was not a wise move. The most urgent task was to find a place to stay, survive the night, and scout for the location of Huaigu Village tomorrow.

As the surrounding mist dissipated, the dungeon officially began. Following the footprints on the ground, Wu Chang returned from the woods to the mountain path. Just as he emerged, he saw a horse tied to a tree not far away. He walked up to it, and the horse affectionately rubbed against his hand. That was right; as a young hero from a noble sect appearing alone in the wilderness, how could he not have a horse? It was the end of the year, and there was snow on the ground in the forest, making the tracks easy to follow.

He mounted the horse and followed the tracks forward until the sky was seven-tenths dark, when he finally saw a two-story inn by the side of the road. As he approached, a waiter proactively came over. The inn was small but well-equipped, with a dedicated stable in the courtyard and rooms divided into three grades.

Wu Chang stood in the inn's lobby; it was dim and deathly silent, with only the sound of bones being chopped coming from the kitchen. The waiter tied up the horse and came out carrying an oil lamp, his face beaming with a fawning smile: "Traveler, you must be exhausted from the long journey. Would you like to try our inn's specialty dish?"

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

"Our homemade air-dried bacon. It's hanging right on the rafters. One moment, please."

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 above, swaying in the air along the rope.

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

"Wait! Take a closer look, traveler! That's a wild boar!" The waiter’s face turned red with fright, and he ducked behind a table, lifting the lamp to shine on the dark shadow.

Under the lamplight, it was clear that the thing resembling a human figure was actually a lean pig with all its hair singed off. The meat had been air-dried and cured, its surface shimmering with an amber-like luster.

Wu Chang sheathed his blade, his tone softening slightly as he asked, "Is this meat legitimate?"

"Legitimate, of course! It's all collected from hunters in the mountains. Wild game is different from domestic pork; the taste is exquisite. I guarantee you've never tasted anything like it."

"Then go ahead and serve it."

"All right! Just a moment, traveler!"

While the waiter was busy in the kitchen, Wu Chang waved him over and asked, "Tell me, in this desolate wilderness with no one around, can you even break even by building an inn here? Or is it that you have ulterior motives?"

He emphasized the words "ulterior motives." As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of bone-chopping in the kitchen doubled in intensity, clearly very dissatisfied with this suggestion.

The waiter hurriedly explained: "Traveler, you don't know. These hundred miles of Huai Mountain were bustling two or three years ago. There are five villages in the mountains, each with different specialties. The merchants collecting mountain goods came and went all four seasons—how else could we afford such a big inn? It looks desolate now because mountain bandits caused trouble four or five years ago. The bandits were powerful, and merchants didn't dare enter the mountains, which is why it gradually became deserted."

Afraid that Wu Chang wouldn't believe him, the waiter reached out and pointed to the wall. There, a row of wanted posters hung, depicting the major bandit leaders of the "Black Mountain Bandits," stamped with the official seal of the Jingyuan Prefecture.

Wu Chang tapped his fingers on the table and asked, "Merchants are afraid of the bandits, but aren't you?"

The waiter laughed obsequiously: "There's only me and the boss here. There's no profit in killing us, and the merchants who paid their protection money need us, so we were spared. Besides, even bandits have to eat. It's not convenient for them to go down the mountain to shop, so they need someone to help."

While they were talking, a muffled shout came from the kitchen: "Too much talk! Get to work!"

The waiter shrank his neck, trotted back to the kitchen, and brought out a steamer of hot buns, placing them in front of Wu Chang. "Try them while they're hot."

Looking at the waiter's hopeful gaze, just as Wu Chang was about to pick up his chopsticks, a nameless wind blew from the second floor, making his eyelid twitch and a chill run down his spine.

Something was wrong.

He used his chopsticks to pry open the bun wrapper. Inside, it was filled with bacon, rich in juices and looking oily and appetizing. He took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and looked closely. Under the influence of his 84 points of Inspiration, the oily sheen faded, and the juices dried up. The fresh, plump wild boar turned into shriveled, moldy jerky. Within the jerky, one could faintly see clumps of hair and human finger joints chopped into small segments.

He looked up. The wild boar still swaying on the rafters clearly revealed an eighty-percent human appearance when it drifted into the shadows where the lamplight couldn't reach.

The waiter remained smiling, bowing and waiting by the table, his eyes unblinking, staring fixedly at Wu Chang.

"Traveler, the buns are getting cold. Please, have a taste."