novelnext Chapter 1 Groundhog
Chapter 1 Groundhog
Task: Clear out wheat field gophers
Type: Destroy/Expel
Requirements: Clean up 50 gophers (gopher tails must be submitted as proof).
Reward: 75 copper coins
Note: Goblins are causing severe damage to wheat fields that are about to be harvested; please deal with them as soon as possible. There have been signs of goblin activity recently on the outskirts of Loran Forest; adventurers are advised to remain vigilant.
At the edge of Loran Forest, where woodland meets wheat fields.
The campfire crackled, its light barely dispelling the evening chill.
"The butter bread is so delicious!"
The dwarf Gondor sat cross-legged on the ground, chewing on a loaf of bread almost half his face, and mumbled something towards a figure crouching not far away:
"Xia Lin, stop messing with those stinky gophers, come and fill your stomach first!"
"You guys eat, I'm not hungry."
The boy, known as Xia Lin, didn't even raise his head. With a swift stroke of his longsword, a piece of grayish-brown ground squirrel's tail fell into the leather pouch at his waist.
The plump gopher reminded him of "gopher stew"—an orc recipe.
Unfortunately, there were no reliable orc chefs in the town, otherwise the adventurers would not mind taking on the challenge of another exotic dish and earning a few more coins.
"Tsk, same old story." The dwarf Tyr grinned, taking a swig of cheap ale. "Ever since we formed the team three days ago, this guy's been obsessed with these gopher corpses. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was performing some kind of evil ritual."
Gondor and Tyr were already used to it.
From initial confusion and murmurs, to now accepting Xia Lin's peculiar habit of being a "battlefield cleaner" with equanimity.
But none of them guessed correctly.
Having been transported to this fantasy world for only three days, Xia Lin had already completed his identity transformation: from a game planner suffering from "blessings" in another world, he had become one of the lowest-ranking adventurers in this world.
The original owner's parents had died two years ago in a severe epidemic that swept through the village, leaving behind only a few acres of barren land and a drafty wooden house.
With that meager output, it's becoming increasingly difficult to even support themselves.
After much deliberation, Xia Lin decided to sell his land and buy a second-hand standard longsword, registering his name at the Adventurers' Guild in Elwynn Town.
Adventurers' Guild/Elwyn Town Branch/Xia Lin/9527.
Xia Lin quickly adjusted her mindset.
They're all just working, just in a different world, serving "capitalists." Before, they were office bosses; now, they're adventurers' guilds.
For example, the current task: clearing out wheat field moles.
The reward was very low, split among the three, with each person receiving only twenty-five copper coins.
This money is probably enough for the town's old drunkard to get completely drunk in a deserted corner of the "Moonlight Tavern," or for a gambling addict to try his luck at the "Old Man's Casino."
It could also be the room rate for the Xialin Hotel next month.
But compared to those jobs that often require venturing deep into the forest to exterminate goblins or explore ruins to fight ghouls, this job is as safe as a picnic.
The premise is that you can tolerate teammates who haven't showered for days on end, and smelly gopher corpses.
Incidentally, the two are not ranked in any particular order.
Of course, Xia Lin insisted on personally handling each gopher carcass not just for the tail that served as evidence.
He had another purpose.
The sword tip parted the still-warm rat carcass.
He found it—a ball of light visible only to him, floating silently above the mangled, bloody rat carcass.
Yes, that's Xia Lin's magic touch.
There is a certain chance that such a ball of light will appear on the corpse of any creature he kills with his own hands.
Touching the orb will randomly select an "entry" from that creature.
The good news is that this strange world of swords and magic is teeming with extraordinary creatures.
Not only are there many races such as humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, and gnomes living in the wilderness, but goblins, kobolds, goblins, and even the legendary dragons also roam the wilderness.
In theory, Xia Lin's future holds limitless possibilities.
The bad news is that, with his current strength, the only ones he can reliably deal with are these wheat field moles, which even a child could kill with a stone.
The drop rate of gophers is truly heartbreaking.
If Xia Lin remembered correctly, he had already eliminated more than twenty ground squirrels, a number comparable to a reinforced company of ground squirrels, but he had only managed to collect five orbs of light.
With a slight shift in his consciousness, a semi-transparent attribute panel appeared before his eyes.
Name: Xia Lin
[Status]: Healthy | Mildly fatigued
[Basic Attributes]
Strength 5 (Muscle strength and explosive potential)
Agility 5 (reaction speed and body coordination)
Constitution 5 (Endurance and Life Regeneration)
Intelligence 6 (Memory, analytical and learning abilities)
Perception 5 (Observation, Intuition, and Environmental Perception)
Charm 5 (Appearance, Demeanor, and Persuasiveness)
[Equipment Attributes]
Healthy Guts (Groundhog) | Night Vision (Groundhog)
Xia Lin focused his thoughts on the [Glossary], where a category list unfolded before him, currently containing only one solitary item:
【Groundhog Encyclopedia (5/?)】
A Taste of Groundhogs (White): A "restaurant review" left by an unknown groundhog food critic
Review: Old Foodie
My Mouse Jules (White): A masterpiece by a certain groundhog writer
Evaluation: It is recommended to memorize the entire text.
The Rat Clan (Green): Classic Scar Literature
Review: Rainy night, overpass, Maybach
Healthy digestive system (white): Digestive capacity and detoxification properties far exceeding those of ordinary people (already equipped)
Review: Glutton
Night vision (white): Seeing more clearly at night, but less clearly during the day (already equipped).
evaluate:?
To be fair, of the five strange terms, the first three are all factual or observational, while "healthy gut" is already quite "practical".
After being equipped, Xia Linna's stomach, which had often been upset due to the rough diet, finally calmed down, and her appetite increased.
This made his already meager finances even worse.
Aside from that, the entry did not bring the "food intake to strength" bonus he had hoped for.
Xia Lin's plan to use his left foot to step on his right foot and achieve a shortcut to success failed.
The upper limit for white-quality entries may simply be limited.
Hoping it will have a hidden effect is no less difficult than getting into Tsinghua or Peking University with a score of 300 in my previous life.
That's really putting people in a difficult position.
But things are different now—
Xia Lin focused his gaze on the ball of light:
[The final ripples of a gopher's life]
[Effect: Randomly selects one entry related to the word "groundhog"]
"It all hinges on this moment," Xia Lin prayed for good fortune.
The ball of light shattered, turning into specks of light that outlined an illusory spinning wheel before his eyes.
The board is divided into white and green areas.
In the center of the turntable, the phantom of a groundhog flashed by.
Snap! So fast!
As Xia Lin continued to "collect" entries about the gophers' experiences, the area representing the green quality zone has painstakingly expanded from the initial meager 5% to about 15% today.
Spin it around—
The illusory pointer began to spin rapidly.
It swept across large white areas... its speed gradually slowed... finally, the tip of the pointer trembled and stopped at the blurry boundary between the white and green areas.
"This... is it white or green?" Xia Lin's heart tightened, and memories of his past life's guaranteed gacha pulls and failed upgrades began to assault him.
The halo stabilized, and a line of information appeared:
[Acquired entry: Serrated (Green)]
Effects: Slightly increases attack penetration and sustained damage; slightly increases efficiency when eating hard or difficult-to-digest food.
Description: The incisors that gophers rely on to gnaw through plant roots and hard soil may be somewhat useful against hard-shelled nuts and whole-grain bread, but their effectiveness against armor is questionable.
Review: A buffet owner's nightmare!
Xia Lin breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the Emperor of Luck smiled upon her.
Luck wasn't too bad; at least I got a green affix that looks like it can be used in combat.
He was about to study when he accidentally touched the floating "Healthy Guts (White)" next to him.
hum-
The light and shadow of the two entries suddenly became strangely attracted to each other, drawing closer, overlapping, rotating, and leaping...
It emitted a brighter, mixed light.