[ Howling Pothos ] nodded, displaying his player panel:
[Achievements: Grand Entrance, One-Life Speedrun ]
Title: Elite Warrior, White Wax Town Savior
[ The Dark Archmage ] looked around carefully, then displayed his character panel:
[Achievements: Grand Entrance, Seeing the Whole from the Small ]
Titles: White Wax Town Savior, Friend of Youths.
[ Howling Pothos ] thought for a moment and clicked to view two entries he had never seen before:
[ Seeing the Whole from the Small: Discover and complete a side quest.]
Friend of Youths: At least ten friendly youths have a trust level of 30 or higher.
Upon discovering that the other person's achievements and titles were quite remarkable, the two began to chat casually.
[ The Dark Archmage ] asked first:
How much of a reward did you receive?
[ Howling Pothos ] answered truthfully:
"Nearly 5 gold coins, how about you?"
"With close to 6 gold medals, I knew you'd get a good share."
"This is still the most outrageous thing you've done..."
The man who had just obtained the " One-Life Speedrun " achievement looked at his companion with undisguised astonishment—his record was so incredible, yet someone else had achieved more than him?
[ The Dark Archmage ] shook his head and said:
"I didn't actually put in much effort during the battle; I only got so much money because of the extra commission from that side rescue mission."
"I see... What excellent observation skills."
The Dark Archmage's lips twitched:
"It was really just luck; who knows when the next time will be... What are you planning to do later?"
"Let's see if there are any new types of monsters nearby. What about you?"
"You've probably seen that new item for exploring the map, right? I think it's very useful, but I don't know where to get it."
[ Howling Pothos ] then realized that he had just been about to take a look at what that Seed of Rest was when the other party interrupted him.
He opened his backpack and found the semi-transparent item icon, with the words "[Pending Claim]" next to it.
Click to confirm, and a description appears in front of [ Howling Pothos ]:
Seed of Rest
Category: Permanent Items
Description: Select a bare patch of land to plant the seed. After twelve hours, it will grow into a mature " Tree of Rest ". The planter can enter the mature tree to rest. The body will be protected in the " Tree of Rest ", and the stamina recovery speed will be accelerated. Damage less than 1% of the total volume can be slowly recovered in the Tree of Rest. If the player dies, the [complete] corpse can be placed in the Tree of Rest bound to the player to start the resurrection process.
Note: Seed of Rest can only be planted in "Safe Zones" and "Neutral Zones." They cannot be used in "Danger Zones" and "Restricted Zones." Players cannot enter a " Tree of Rest " while in combat or in a non- Plant Compatibility state. A single Tree of Rest Tree of Rest provide a maximum of three resurrections. If the player's body is not fully recovered upon resurrection, the corresponding currency will be deducted and the resurrection time will be extended.
[ Howling Pothos ] immediately understood—this was an enhanced version of the permanent "Cocoon," which could not only be used indefinitely but also slowly heal wounds, while its mobility and portability were appropriately reduced.
As is widely known, due to the influence of a certain guide, treatment in the World of Disorder is chargeable.
However, according to the " Seed of Rest " setting, minor injuries can be automatically healed while offline, so there's no need to bother this unscrupulous guide.
Furthermore, with this item, players no longer need to lie haphazardly in the main hall of Ed Castle when they log off.
[ Howling Pothos ] has actually wanted to complain about this for a long time. Every time players wake up from a messy sleep, they find themselves neatly arranged, making it look like they're in a morgue...
[ The Dark Archmage ] asked:
"Finished looking at it? What do you think of it?"
[ Howling Pothos ] thought for a moment and said:
"Great stuff, a small fountain and a save point. I wonder if I'll be able to buy more later; I probably need quite a few."
[ The Dark Archmage ] nodded:
"That's what I think too, and based on the game's consistent performance, I feel there's still a lot of room for improvement..."
With the quest completed, the players were free of any constraints. They chatted and laughed as they walked out of the church and began their exploration of White Wax Town.
Watching the last conscious player leave, Ed closed his eyes slightly and began to manipulate the Boston Ivy that covered every crevice in the rocks around him.
These dark green plants, with their soft, slender branches, began to slowly wriggle in the crevices, helping Ed examine the places he hadn't had time to explore further.
Ascending the spiral staircase downstairs, only a handful of people remained in the Great Prayer Hall.
Number Four, Number Seven, Number Nine, Number Ten, as well as Tiya's family and Darnell's family.
All eyes were now on Ed, who was walking down the stairs.
"I'm done with my work. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know."
Number Four, who had been about to ask a question but was interrupted by an unexpected situation, was the first to ask:
"How... how did you become like this?"
Ed pointed to his eye socket:
"This?"
Number Four nodded and then shook his head:
"Not only that, but also... given your current status and abilities, they all call you Bishop..."
Ed thought for a moment and said:
"It's a bit complicated. After I escaped, two priests were chasing me. To deal with them, I had to force a symbiotic relationship with the plant I had taken with me, in order to gain more power in a short period of time to fight off the pursuers."
Upon hearing this, Number Ten clenched his fists in front of him and said excitedly:
"Then you must have won."
Ed shook his head and said, half-jokingly:
"I won, but I also died. As for why I ended up like this... perhaps it's because the Tree God truly favored me."
"You can understand it as, after I died, I met the Tree God, who successfully resurrected me and bestowed upon me wisdom and power, which is why I am who I am today."
Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, and their long-standing doubts were finally answered.
No wonder Number Three turned out this way, no wonder everyone calls him the Bishop, no wonder he has such a powerful army of warriors...
If it's a gift from the Tree God, then it makes perfect sense. After all, they really can't explain why an experimental subject imprisoned since childhood could acquire such status, power, and influence in just one month...
Thinking of this, the way everyone looked at Ed, besides the previous worry and affection, also carried a hint of awe.
After all, even though they had been tormented by the priests for so long, they still considered themselves members of the Tree Worship Church. They couldn't help but feel envious of Ed's experience, which was only found in the Holy Scripture, but they also realized that there was a fundamental difference between their identities.
Ed seemed to see through their thoughts, so he changed the subject and asked the four experimental subjects who had survived alongside him:
Have you made a decision?