Dewdrop

[Green Pine]

Type: Wooden Sword

Grade: Rare (Blue)

Effects:

+15% damage against undead creatures (Sunfire)

+20% damage against snake and scorpion-type creatures (Sunfire)

Description:

A specially crafted wooden sword from an ancient sect. The rare material formed under harsh conditions gave it considerable power against certain types of creatures.

Remarks:

"Since entering the sect, I have been blessed with Master's teachings and the support of my fellow disciples, which I shall remember with all my heart. Now that I have heard my homeland is plagued by snakes and scorpions, leaving the people in misery, though this disciple is weak and untalented, I dare not forget the kindness of past support. Therefore, I humbly beg Master to permit this disciple to descend the mountain and rid the land of demons, bringing peace to the people."

—Li Haoran, inner disciple of Bamboo Spring Temple

Xia Nan's gaze paused, and he could not help feeling surprised.

"This... really is something from another world!"

At last, the wildly different architectural styles he had encountered along the way, the cave he was currently in, and even the enormous Black Snake within it all had an explanation.

Though he did not know what exactly had happened, there was no doubt that these things came from another world entirely different from the fantasy world he now inhabited.

They had merged into this space in some fragmented form.

Xia Nan could not help feeling fortunate.

The Attribute Panel Golden Finger he had brought with him after transmigrating seemed capable only of displaying information about equipment and items. It was far less useful than the "systems" he remembered, which could level up and assign points.

Yet in reality, it had provided him with enormous help in every respect.

Whether it was the Beheading Longsword tossed into a corner of the Blacksmith Shop or the truth he had uncovered through the panel's information just now.

Without the boost provided by this Golden Finger, he might not have been completely unable to move forward, but he certainly would not have been as composed as he was now.

Not to mention the Blue Rare equipment in his hand, which looked utterly unremarkable, as though it were truly nothing more than an ordinary wooden sword.

Xia Nan took out the little remaining gauze from the Backpack on his back and carefully wiped away the dust clinging to the blade.

The wooden sword's form, previously hidden beneath the sandy soil, gradually revealed itself before him.

It was roughly three chi long, a one-handed sword, somewhat shorter than the Beheading Longsword.

Its entire body was made from dark brown Ebony, with a warm, gentle texture. The hilt was a simple, short, rounded design integrated with the blade, without any unnecessary ornamentation.

From its appearance alone, other than its color and certain stylistic details, it seemed no different from the wooden swords used in daily training.

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

He carefully examined the blade and saw that after being wiped, its surface bore almost no marks, as though it were brand-new.

He then rummaged through the Backpack again and took out the hemp rope he had bought before setting out, tying it together with the Beheading Longsword onto his back.

Looking at the pale Skeleton slumped against the stone wall ahead, Xia Nan's gaze lingered as he silently sighed.

Though there were no other items around the corpse that could prove its identity, based on the information on the panel, he could roughly confirm that this was Li Haoran, whose name had been left in the remarks.

Together with the enormous snake corpse in the cave, the sudden emergence of countless snakes and insects in Thin Mist Forest, and the "plague of snakes and scorpions" mentioned in his remarks,

Xia Nan could roughly infer the connection between them.

It was only that this righteous man's remains had now followed his burial place into another world.

No one here knew him. Other than Xia Nan, perhaps no one would ever learn his story.

If Xia Nan had not agreed to join the Half-Elf's party and followed the group deep into Thin Mist Forest,

then he would likely have remained like this, accompanied by the Giant Snake corpse that had killed him, quietly lying in this Grotto.

Even if some unfortunate adventurer accidentally stumbled in someday, they would likely only marvel at the snake's immense size and pay no heed to this Skeleton or this unremarkable wooden sword.

His thoughts flowed on.

Finding a way out was not something that could be done in a moment, and there was no pressing danger to face for now.

Xia Nan paused, bent down, and righted the collapsed Skeleton whose scales he had pulled out, laying it flat on the ground.

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

So he gathered stones from all around and piled them over the Skeleton until it was completely buried.

He even took out the dagger at his waist, found a somewhat longer stone, carved the man's name onto it, and planted it in the center of the Stone Pile.

Conditions were limited. This was all he could do.

Xia Nan did not know the customs of the world Li Haoran had come from, but since it resembled the ancient civilization of the country from his Previous Life, it should have had the concept of laying the dead to rest in the earth.

At least he had done what he could.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he gave the Stone Pile in the corner of the cave one final look.

Only then did he withdraw his gaze.

Now, it was time to find a way out.

Just as he was about to carefully feel his way along the edge of the Grotto,

the wooden sword he had only just tied to his back suddenly gave off a scorching heat.

"Hm?"

Surprised, he reached out, gripped the hilt, and drew it.

Then, as though guided by something, the sword tip pointed directly at the spot where the Skeleton had been sitting.

The stone wall suddenly blurred for an instant.

Instinctively, Xia Nan held the wooden sword in his left hand and lightly tapped the wall's surface with it.

Bzz—

In an instant, the cold, deathly gray wall vanished.

In its place stood a small and exquisite Stone Chamber.

The Blue Glowing Fungus that had only just been growing from cracks in the rocks seemed to gather at the ceiling of the Stone Chamber as though it possessed awareness.

The concentrated beam of light shone down from above like a spotlight.

At the center of that beam stood a conical protruding Stone Ridge, with a Green Vine climbing over it.

Hanging from the end of the vine was a delicate little Gourd.

The Gourd was entirely golden, its jade-like, crystal-clear surface glimmering with dazzling fluorescence beneath the light.

But none of that—nothing before his eyes—

mattered to Xia Nan now.

The instant the Stone Chamber appeared, all his focus and attention had settled upon the mouth of the inverted Gourd—

the Golden Dewdrop that shimmered brilliantly, hanging there without falling.

It was as though it were the source of everything illusionary around it, the very center of all these otherworldly objects.

"Ding."

A strange sound came from beside his ear. The dewdrop trembled faintly, as though it would fall the next second.

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

The dewdrop seeped into his skin.

Boom—

Countless phantoms twisted before his eyes. The stone walls, vines, and fluorescence faded in color like a receding tide.

That familiar dizzy sensation returned.

The next second, Xia Nan was once more standing amid the shrubs and dense woods of Thin Mist Forest.

Within his vision, the translucent characters of the Attribute Panel streamed past like a flood of scrolling messages.