Time Fragment

Tian Yong was the sword-wielding burly man at the front, with a distinctly military air about him.

Tian Ying, beside him, was not as tall or brawny as her brother, and her skin was much fairer, but the siblings looked very alike. She appeared to be in her early twenties, like a college student.

"These two are Uncle Li, Li Dezhang, and Li Jun. They're father and son."

Uncle Li carried the air of a successful man, yet the fur-lined hunting outfit he wore did not look out of place on him.

Li Jun was around seventeen or eighteen, handsome enough to be either a high school student or someone who had just entered college.

At the moment, he seemed curious about his outfit and kept feeling it over.

"Hello, my name is Ling Qing. Could you tell me what exactly is going on?"

After exchanging greetings, the five of them brought Ling Qing back to the breakfast stall and sat down. They ordered some food while chatting.

Ling Qing was mainly asking them about the things that puzzled him.

"Time Fragments... how should I put it? You can think of them as dungeon instances in a game."

Once everyone had sat down, Zhang Zhe arranged the food while Tian Yong picked up the conversation.

"We were chosen by Time Fragments because of certain unknown talents—or perhaps we met the requirements to enter and triggered an instance.

"It is said that these Time Fragments are projections of segments of history, but no one knows whether that is true."

An idea came to Ling Qing. Pretending to be curious, he asked, "What do we need to do after entering? I came here once before, but I just muddled through farming for a while."

He possessed the Druid's inherited abilities, and if he encountered danger, it was impossible for him not to use them.

Since he also wanted to learn more about this instance—the Time Fragment, as they called it—he could only pretend that he had been here once before.

That way, based on the medical knowledge he had just acquired, he could also attribute his Druid abilities to that nonexistent previous experience.

"Well, damn. You managed to enter twice in a row all by yourself? You really are lucky."

Zhang Zhe, who was talking to the stall owner, turned around and took a moment to chime in.

"What do we need to do? There really doesn't seem to be any clearly defined mission.

"Just treat it as a completely open game instance. Depending on what you do, you can obtain rewards such as items, cultivation techniques, and knowledge."

Tian Yong continued, "For example, you chose Traveling Physician when you entered, right? I imagine you gained the corresponding skills as well?

"When we entered, we chose righteous wandering heroes. Our starting skills were a set of sword techniques, saber techniques, and two minor spells.

"Uncle Li and his son received ten years of hunting experience and a minor magical artifact. All of that can be taken out afterward."

"Mm. Some basic medical knowledge, plus two special medicinal pills: Ghost-Repelling Pills for destroying ghosts and evil beings, and Detoxification Powder."

As he spoke, Ling Qing took out five Ghost-Repelling Pills and handed one to each of Tian Yong's group.

"Whoa, brother, that's generous. Thanks."

Zhang Zhe grabbed one and said happily, "We've entered a few Time Fragments before, but all we got were martial arts manuals, and all we faced were bandits and wild beasts.

"This is our first time dealing with zombies in graveyards and evil creatures in the mountains.

"With more ways to save our lives, we can rest easier. Then we'll gladly accept them."

Tian Yong did not refuse either. He thanked Ling Qing, accepted the pill, and put it into his waist pouch.

Then he casually pulled out two sheets of yellow paper covered in red symbols and handed them to Ling Qing.

"These are a few Speed Talismans I got from someone before. Stick one on yourself, and you'll move as swiftly as the wind. Keep them for protection."

"Young man, this is also our first time encountering ghosts and such. This time, when we chose our identities, each of us only received a Wolf Tooth Amulet for protection. We really don't have extras to give you."

Li Dezhang looked at Ling Qing somewhat apologetically. "But don't worry. Stay with us during this mission, and we'll keep you safe."

"That's right, Brother Ling Qing. Don't worry. I definitely won't let you come to any harm." Li Jun patted his chest with a righteous expression.

"It's all right. This is my first time dealing with something like this too. I hope you can all help me out."

Ling Qing smiled.

The Medical Chest contained ten pills in total. Including the ones he carried on him, he still had six left.

Besides, his true trump card was the hundred or so spells recorded in the Spellbook. Those gave him far more confidence than the Ghost-Repelling Pills he had only just acquired.

Giving away half of them was partly to befriend the group, and partly as thanks for answering his questions.

As they continued chatting, Ling Qing gradually gained a general understanding of the situation.

It turned out that, beginning around a year ago, Time Fragments like the one before them had started appearing all over the world for unknown reasons.

Some people had accidentally entered worlds similar to this one and gained benefits from them, though most of those benefits were cultivation techniques akin to martial arts manuals.

They were later called Time Fragments, though young people jokingly referred to them as dungeon instances.

Every entry into a Time Fragment guaranteed some sort of reward. Of course, if one actively searched within the fragment, they could also obtain unexpected gains, just as in a game dungeon.

Most importantly, the flow of time inside a fragment differed from reality.

According to Tian Yong, one day within a Time Fragment was roughly equivalent to one hour in reality.

Of course, that ratio was not fixed. He had heard of cases where one hour corresponded to an entire month.

Ling Qing only told them that Cure Light Wounds, Shillelagh, and Entangle were rewards from his previous experience.

That proved he was not only a qualified doctor, but also possessed some combat ability.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group, like Ling Qing had planned earlier, decided to check out the graveyard first.

They immediately agreed and headed together toward the outskirts of town.

After walking several miles, they arrived near the graveyard.

Looking around, they saw that even beneath the blazing Golden Crow, a sinister aura still hung over the surrounding forest.

The nearby trees were also somewhat withered, and fallen leaves lay thick across the woodland floor.

It was midsummer, when vegetation should have been flourishing.

"Caw! Caw! Caw!"

Several Crows hopped among the shadowy trees, perching on branches and letting out piercing cries.

Tian Yong and Zhang Zhe led the way. Li Jun and Tian Ying protected Ling Qing in the middle, while Li Dezhang brought up the rear.

The group cautiously followed the narrow path trampled out by the townspeople toward the graveyard.

"Brother, there don't seem to be any zombies here?"

Tian Ying held an exquisitely crafted longsword. As she carefully watched their surroundings, she called to Tian Yong ahead of her.

"It's daytime. The zombies may still be hiding inside the graveyard."

Tian Yong carefully scouted the path ahead as he spoke.

"But I heard that if the yin energy accumulates to a certain extent, it may form dark clouds and block out the sunlight overhead. Then the zombies can emerge even in broad daylight.

"So everyone, stay alert."

"Got it."

The others, along with Ling Qing, answered in unison.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, a pale hand shot out from a burial mound not far ahead and to Zhang Zhe's side.