Horadric Cube

Knight Bennett wore a white cotton shirt, its elaborate buttons displaying aristocratic luxury. His expression was stern. Abel had been here for a year, yet he had rarely seen much change in Knight Bennett's expression. Only when Abel had first awakened a year ago, when he first saw Knight Bennett, had the joy in the knight's eyes remained vivid in his memory.

His mother, Nara, was a kind woman. During Abel's recovery, she fed him every day and never allowed the maids to interfere. This was also an important reason why Abel had come to accept this family.

Praying before meals was what Abel found most difficult to get used to. After thirty years as an atheist, he had arrived in this world and discovered that everyone here followed a religion—the Holy Light Church.

No one spoke during meals. Though a knight was the lowest rank of nobility, this family still observed the rules nobles were expected to follow.

The large piece of beef was divided into four portions. Father and Zack received the largest portions, while Mother and Abel received much less. The food consumed by knights would turn into strength and ultimately become Qi. Supporting one full knight and one Level 4 Apprentice Knight was already a considerable burden, so the supplies for the others could only be reduced.

Even when Abel had been a fitness trainer on Earth, he had never eaten so much beef in one meal. Though his portion was smaller, it still amounted to a pound of beef. Yet now, at only twelve years old, he finished the beef and the wheat porridge on his plate within minutes.

"Eat more." A gentle voice spoke, and a large piece of beef was placed onto Abel's plate. Mother Nara cut more than half of her already small portion and gave it to him.

Knight Bennett looked up but said nothing, silently eating his own beef. However, the hand cutting his meat exerted a little too much force, producing faint sounds between knife and plate. For someone who observed noble etiquette so strictly, this was exceedingly rare.

Hearing the sound, Zack glanced at his father. After receiving a glare, he obediently lowered his head and continued eating.

"Thank you, Mother."

Abel did not refuse. This was his mother's love, and accepting it was the right choice.

After dinner, Knight Bennett kept Zack behind as usual. The time that followed was when the knight guided Zack. Abel was not qualified to participate; only after becoming a Level 1 Squire Knight would he be allowed to join these after-dinner lessons.

After returning to his room, Abel did not waste any time. The beef in his stomach and the Qi he had accumulated today needed to pass through the final Knight Breathing Technique to form a Qi Vein.

The Knight Breathing Technique was the most important secret art in knight cultivation. Every knight had their own Knight Breathing Technique. Such techniques were inherited through families or learned at knight academies. Warriors who achieved great merit on the battlefield could exchange their military achievements for a Knight Breathing Technique.

Abel sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor, his mind gradually calming. His inhalations slowly accelerated, and his abdomen gradually swelled. Then came a swift exhalation. A puff of white breath shot from Abel's mouth like an arrow, vanishing into the air after flying a foot. At the same time, the dinner in his stomach was rapidly consumed.

After twenty consecutive breaths, the Qi Abel had gained from a day of training rapidly formed into a Qi Vein by consuming the food in his body. Just as the Qi Vein formed, it began to shake. Abel thought he would fail again today, but the trembling stopped. A surge of strength flowed back from the Qi Vein into his body, and in an instant, both his body and mind recovered to the state they had been in when he first woke that morning.

He had finally become a Level 1 Squire Knight. A year ago, when he saw Father, Knight Bennett, cleave through a tree as thick as a bowl with a glowing white sword strike, Abel had known he had come to a world completely unlike Earth. Obtaining power was the best means of surviving in this world, so he had asked his father to teach him how to become a knight.

At the time, Knight Bennett had clearly explained the family's circumstances. As the second son, Abel could only undergo Knight training if it did not affect his older brother Zack's studies, and resources would be allocated to Abel only when there was any left over. All the family's resources had to be supplied to Zack first. At the same time, as Knight Bennett's son, Abel could also learn the complete Knight's Legacy of the Bennett Family.

Over the following months, Abel learned horse breeding, weapon maintenance, riding, archery, knightly etiquette, and a great deal of other preparatory knowledge. Only two months ago had he officially begun knight cultivation.

Just as Abel was rejoicing, he suddenly discovered that the Qi Vein within his body was rapidly draining away. The loss was coming from his right arm, and panic rose in his heart. If this continued, the first Qi Vein he had just formed would disappear. Just as he thought this, the draining stopped.

Fortunately, it had stopped. Although he had lost some Qi, it would recover after a day or two of training and would not affect his level.

He pulled back his sleeve and looked at his right arm, where the Qi had flowed. A faint shadow appeared on it, so subtle that it would be difficult to notice without close inspection.

Abel studied it carefully. Why did this shadow look so familiar? This was...

"Horadric Cube." Abel sprang up from the carpet. This was the Horadric Cube. How could that be possible? He could not be mistaken. It really was the Horadric Cube. After playing Diablo 2 for so many years, how could he fail to recognize its most important divine artifact?

"The Horadric Cube came through with me?" Abel paced excitedly around his room. Alone in an unfamiliar world, seeing something familiar felt like a traveler in the desert discovering a waterskin full of water.

The Horadric Cube had not appeared before, likely because it lacked energy. Today, he had advanced to a Level 1 Squire Knight, and the Qi that had just drained away must have charged the Horadric Cube. That was why he could see it now. Abel considered the possibility of the Horadric Cube's appearance.

Steadying himself, Abel gently touched the Horadric Cube on his right arm with a finger. A space appeared in his mind, divided into twelve slots. Two slots were occupied by a blue book, while the rest were empty.

"Town Portal Tome." Abel recognized the book at once. It was the Town Portal Tome he had modified before being struck by lightning. He could see its attributes in his mind: the quantity automatically replenished every minute. He remembered tossing it into the Horadric Cube as soon as he had modified it. It was simply Abel's habit.

"Take out the Town Portal Tome." At the thought, the Town Portal Tome appeared in his hand. It was a large book, about the size of a magazine from Earth. Its cover was blue like the sky, decorated with dark golden patterns. A faint gleam flowed across those patterns from time to time, making the Town Portal Tome appear all the more mysterious and noble.

"If I use this Town Portal Tome, can I go home?" The sudden thought made Abel's heart race. He could go home and see his father and mother, eat his mother's cooking again, and smell the scent of his homeland. In the year since he had crossed into this world, Abel seemed to see hope of returning home for the first time. Never had he missed home as deeply as he did now.

He gently opened the Town Portal Tome as if opening an incomparable treasure. Twenty Town Portal Scrolls appeared. They were made of white parchment and tied with blue ribbons marked by dark golden stripes. As long as he tore open one of those ribbons, he could open a Teleportation Gate.

Abel placed his hand on a Town Portal Scroll, but it gently bounced his fingers away. Anxiety rose in him. Why could he not touch it? Use more force. He increased the strength in his hand. This time, his hand was not bounced away, and the ribbon tore successfully. A ball of fire appeared in his hand. Abel quickly threw it onto the ground. It burned a hole through the carpet before vanishing.

How could it have failed? Why had it turned into a fireball? Abel tried several more times, but the result was always the same. As soon as a Town Portal Scroll was torn open, it burned and turned into a pile of black ash.

Moonlight shone through the window onto Abel's peacefully sleeping little face. A breeze dried the lingering tear tracks on his cheeks. His body, tightly wrapped in the blanket, trembled slightly in the wind. Even in the darkness, a faint voice seemed to be heard: "Dad, Mom."

But no one in this world could understand it. It was Chinese, the language of his homeland—the voice of a wanderer far from home.