His figure crumbled into a handful of ashes, and a rust-spotted key fell from it.
At that moment, a notification from God Game appeared in Xiao Yang's ear.
An item in your inventory has changed. Please check it yourself!
Xiao Yang picked up the rusty key that had rolled onto the floor. It had to be one of the keys that couldn't open any doors.
If nothing unexpected happened, a blue weapon should be in Xiao Yang's hands.
But for some reason, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
Xiao Yang quickly found the changed item in his inventory. It was the bottle of cloudy ale—but now it looked completely different.
Courage Wine
Quality: Fine
Type: Consumable
Effect: Dispels fear in the heart
Description: Grandpa Mike told me I wouldn't be afraid if I just drank some wine.
All of this felt so real. No, perhaps it really was real.
Xiao Yang shook his head.
All right, it was time to open the treasure chest. In the guards' lounge, Xiao Yang found an iron chest. He pushed it open, and amid the emerald-green glow was a glimmer of lustrous blue, a sight that lifted his spirits.
It was time to reap the rewards of another chest.
There were three items in all. A huge haul!
A black baton, a small black booklet, and a guard badge.
Justice's Condolence
Quality: Fine
Type: Weapon
Damage: 8
Requirement: 5 Strength
Effect: Every heavy strike and heavy-strike skill has a chance to make an intelligent enemy flinch. The greater the level gap, the higher the chance of flinching.
Description: Kid, this is Justice's Condolence! Come on, kid, have a taste of Justice's Condolence!
Blackrock Prison Armament Manual
Quality: Fine
Requirement: 5 Strength; use of blunt weapons
Effect: For every 2 Strength above 5, damage increases by 1. Increases the chance of making enemies flinch and feel fear.
Description: Get over here, kid! I'll teach you how to wield the justice in your hands!
Blackrock Prison Guard Badge
Quality: Excellent
Requirement: Blackrock Prison guard
Effect: If an enemy is afraid and flinching, inflict the prisoner status on them. Damage +10, enemy defense -10.
Description: Did you get a good look at the badge on my chest? Did you get a good look at the clothes you're wearing?
The three items made Xiao Yang's eyes widen. It was just an ordinary iron chest, yet it had given him a whole set of top-tier gear!
Yes, top-tier. Though two of the items were green and one was blue, their effects complemented one another. Together, they could accomplish far more than the sum of their parts, forming a solid little system.
Even more valuable was the thin Blackrock Prison Armament Manual. It was a real treasure, and manuals like this were usually paired with different classes.
In the hands of a swordsman, this manual would be a Cultivation Method; in the hands of a knight, it would be a combat art. It could also be something like a meditation method or a ritual.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yang was a few points short of the required Strength. He needed 5 Strength to fully utilize the three items.
He put everything away. No wonder this was a Hidden Map! Even an ordinary iron chest could yield such a great haul!
The rewards weren't over yet.
Not long afterward, Xiao Yang used the rusty key to unlock the tightly shut room. Stale air rushed out, making him want to cover his nose.
He raised the Dark Dispelling Lantern at his waist high. Xiao Yang hadn't forgotten to check whether the room was safe.
There were no enemies. The room seemed to be a storage room for stolen goods, and Xiao Yang found a note inside.
Damn it, how did those bastards manage to sneak such a huge shovel into the cell!
The main event had arrived. Xiao Yang grabbed the shovel glowing with blue light.
Shovel of Yearning for Freedom
Quality: Excellent
Effect: Allows additional digging in each environment
Description: This was the key the prisoners used to open the door to freedom. Of course, they failed. But you can try using it to dig up something. You might find treasure, trouble, trouble, or even something strange!
It wasn't a weapon. It was something rather interesting. But for some reason, the description made him uneasy. Should he try digging once?
"Let's dig!"
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Xiao Yang raised the iron shovel and made a digging motion toward the ground. Immediately, something changed.
In the storage room, the spot where Xiao Yang's shovel struck cracked open a stone slab. Clearly, he had dug something up.
But how to put it? Sometimes, people really needed to restrain their curiosity.
A gigantic Mushroom Person crawled out of the little hole.
Corpse Mushroom
Race: Undead Fungus
Level: 15
Rank: Elite
Health: 1000
Attack: 30
Defense: 15
Agility: 8
Traits: Rapid Rebirth, Fungal Constitution, Viscous Bodily Fluid, Tough Skin
Description: This is a mushroom. Yes, it's a mushroom—a little mushroom that was sleeping peacefully until someone suddenly disturbed it, and now it wants to eat people!
Xiao Yang's mouth slowly fell open.
No, wait! Was this what the description meant by a little trouble?
Damn it! He'd dug an elite monster out of the ground!
There was no need to hesitate. The next move was obvious.
"Run!"
He'd have to be an idiot to fight this short-tempered mushroom. Run! Run as fast as he could!
Xiao Yang practically tumbled out of the storage room, clutching the culprit behind this whole mess—the accursed shovel.
He fled in utter disarray. Fortunately, the Corpse Mushroom didn't chase him out of the storage room. It spent a good while furiously beating the wall instead.
That damn thing! That mushroom with its awful temper! It slowly withdrew into the hole beneath the broken stone slab. Of course, it didn't go all the way back in; a tiny bit of it remained exposed, a pointed tip sticking out of the soil.
Xiao Yang decided—he decided he'd never use that accursed shovel again. It had nearly killed him. He was still panting hard. This sudden fright had been even more intense than when he'd almost been crushed to death by the Bone Ball.
Unless it was absolutely necessary—unless it was really necessary—he wouldn't use the shovel again. Xiao Yang's resolve shifted back and forth, from never to not unless it was necessary.
It had to be said: now that the terror had passed and he'd nearly been beaten to death, Xiao Yang had already started thinking about something.
That was, what would the elite monster drop if he killed it?
Before you continue