Chapter 11 – Chapter 10: Root of Corruption_1

The ‘Wolf King’ was beaten until it frothed at the mouth.

Soon, Dead Bone killed two more howling Grey Wolves. Even before the other three Little Skeletons could reach the battlefield, it had achieved a commendable hat trick.

Perhaps Dead Bone was too fierce. This time, the Grey Wolves didn’t fight to the death. The bloodthirsty scarlet in their eyes was replaced by fear before it could fully flare up.

They howled in fear and scattered in all directions.

One unlucky beast was caught by Dead Bone and slaughtered in just a few strokes.

‘Notification: Acquired 2.3g of Soul Sand.’

‘Notification: Acquired 0.9g of Soul Sand.’

‘Notification: Acquired a Random Remnant Soul of Troop Type.’

‘Notification:…’

They’ve struck the loot!

This was the contribution of the Wolf King.

Ah, Wolf King, my friend.

Compared to the last time, this battle had no losses – only gains!

Oh, not entirely, Dead Bone did suffer some losses.

Its armor had been scratched by wolf claws in a few places, and it had used a Cleave. It must be known, even at its peak, Dead Bone’s energy reserves could only support two consecutive Cleaves.

‘Wolf King’ had used up one of these.

The ‘Wolf King’ is indeed terrifying.

…

After defeating the wolf pack, Mu Yuan quickly packed up the spoils and left, so as not to attract other beasts with the smell of blood.

After walking a certain distance, he checked and saw that his Evolution Points had increased to 0.33. Indeed, more Evolution Points can be squeezed out from battles.

The collection of Soul Sand was also considerable, at 4.2g, enough to evolve another Level Two Skeleton.

He took out and inspected the Remnant Soul again.

It was a semi-transparent light ball about the size of a basketball. A blurred figure that didn’t really look like a man or beast was projected on it, making it completely unclear what it was.

If it’s unclear, then it’s a Random Remnant Soul.

If you can clearly see the form, then it specifically points to a certain Troop Type.

“But the usage of Remnant Soul must be done at the Lord’s Altar, where Soul Sand is consumed to connect with the heaven and earth, resurrecting and completing it into a Troop Type.”

“I’ll deal with it when I get back.”

Mu Yuan continued on his way, controlling his game character to embark on a difficult journey through the rugged mountains and forests, with the three Little Skeletons wobbly following him.

He was very careful, his gaze constantly sweeping the surroundings. Occasionally, he would switch his view back to his territory.

He currently had two views, one was the character’s view, and the other was the territory’s view.

Thus, he was not worried about getting lost. As long as his territory existed, he had a clear coordinate guidance.

“This seems to be some kind of berry.”

Some fruits he did not recognize were growing among the bushes not far away. Light tapping with the mouse didn’t provide any clear information.

Mu Yuan then realized that these were just ordinary fruits.

Ordinary fruits and wolf meat are the same – they are unranked items that can’t be realized into the real world. Even if they could be, no player would do so as the value of these items was far less than the consumption of Soul Sand during the realisation process.

“But this orchard can provide a lot of food.”

“Although my current Skeleton Soldiers don’t need food, it doesn’t mean that it will be the same in the future. Finding food near my territory is a good thing no matter how you look at it.”

Mu Yuan marked the location on the map and moved deeper into the fruit forest.

He still maintained a slow pace… a steady speed, and his gaze occasionally swept the surroundings. Soon, he discovered something else.

There was a small tree, unremarkable except for several bright red fruits hanging from it. The glossy, translucent fruits looked extraordinary at a glance.

‘Red Blood Fruit (Common Level)’

‘Description: A peculiar fruit that invigorates the blood and strengthens the body.’

This was one of the treasures that players mentioned on the forum that could be materialized into the real world and could affect the player’s actual body!

He would gradually be able to escape his weak physique.

The Eternal Continent truly is adorned with treasures galore.

Excited, yet trying to remain calm, Mu Yuan held back Dead Bone, who wanted to reach out for the fruit, and quickly took a few steps back.

Seeing Dead Bone’s puzzled expression, Mu Yuan advised solemnly, “Treasures are often associated with danger. Creatures guardian may be lurking around this Red Blood Fruit Tree, waiting to attack audaciously when we lower our guards to get the fruit.”

“Skeleton…so…we need to…ambush first…?”

Dead Bone seemed to be contemplating.

Mu Yuan felt both gratified and worried about Dead Bone’s innocent curiosity. He did not have many detailed plans or specific operational guidelines on how to be cautious.

That might tarnish his radiant image in Dead Bone’s eyes.

Should he perhaps order some related books online for Dead Bone to study by himself?

Granted, ordinary items couldn’t be brought in-game, but he could summon Dead Bone to the real world to study and perhaps broaden his intellectual horizons.

He truly cared for Dead Bone.

Plan approved~

The main task at hand was still to collect the Red Blood Fruits.

Mu Yuan commanded Little Skeleton to go forward and cautiously prod around the edge of the Red Blood Fruit Tree. Dead Bone was stationed not far away, ready to assist at a moment’s notice, with the Cleave skill ready for a one-hit-kill if necessary.

Two seconds, three seconds, ten seconds…

The forest was quiet, with only the imagined sound of cawing crows echoing in Mu Yuan’s mind.

Could it be possible that the Red Blood Fruit Tree was too ordinary, and thus, there were no guardian creatures around it?

Mu Yuan remained silent, his silence signalling his embarrassment.

Dead Bone didn’t notice his embarrassment. It understood that the Lord was teaching him the ways of keeping a low-profile, and despite knowing there were no enemies, he let Dead Bone get the experience.

It understood completely and appreciated his intentions deeply.

Next time, it would definitely incorporate this learning into real combat, giving the Lord quite a surprise.

…

The collection of Red Blood Fruits had gone smoothly.

Naturally, it was Dead Bone who went about the task. Only a skeleton with self-awareness like Dead Bone would understand the concept of picking fruits without crushing them.

With six Red Blood Fruits picked safely, Mu Yuan proceeded with extreme caution.

They didn’t encounter much danger along the way, but they had come across and eliminated two solitary creatures—a One-star Hog and a One-star Caveman.

The entire exploration seemed relaxed, but neither of them were negligent in any way.

Mu Yuan had seen enough tragic fates of players who had let their guards down without thinking of the consequences. Not even Rare Three-star soldiers would be spared in such cases.

Dead Bone had preliminarily grasped the essence of being careful, understanding that caution was a necessity for survival.

The man and his skeletal pet, vigilant of their surroundings, hid quietly in the brush.

Suddenly, Mu Yuan furrowed his brow.

“This patch of land…”

Upon stepping out from the fruit forest, the land in front of them had become notably barren, the trees were shrivelled, only a few lone leaves hung desolately. The earth was extremely dry, cracked with fissures, and the air was filled with thin, yellow, and red mists that looked rather ominous.

“Could this sign possibly be…”

He looked ahead.

With no dense trees to obstruct his view, Mu Yuan noticed figures hovering in the misty distance.

Green Skin, tusks, short stature.

What they were looking at were Goblins, which were as prestigious as Little Skeleton.

These Goblins protected a tree root that was about half a meter long. It looked like a tree root, but it had red liquid flowing on it.

It was the Root of Corruption!

“The Root of Corruption is a disaster that takes hold in the Eternal World. It continuously contaminates the surroundings, gathers monstrous creatures, and corrupts all things normal.”

“The players chosen by the Eternal Continent—the Chosen, are given a core mission to purify the corruption and save the world.”

“Saving the world is an absurd task, unsuitable for an ordinary person like me, but if I remember correctly…”

The one who purifies the corruption may get favours from the will of the Eternal World.

The drop-rate here was much higher than from ordinary monsters!