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Chapter 2: Su Fei's World
Although the house was old, it was spotless, as the previous owner had kept it clean.
Su Fei lifted his gaze to the half-skeleton frame, which he had pushed aside earlier. The sole casualty of Brandon's final stand against those undead scouts was now lying scattered on the ground quietly. Su Fei knew that skeleton soldiers lacked intelligence, but it was different when controlled by a skeletal wizard. Mistakes in judgment weren't the fault of the young, as Brandon had no idea about any of this. In times of peace, few knew about such things.
The canvas painting, split down the middle, lay flat on the ground, while the chilling longsword of the skeletal soldier rested nearby. This sight caused Su Fei's pupils to slightly constrict—clearly, Madara intended to launch an immediate attack once the scouts withdrew, neglecting even the cleanup of the battlefield. But that fit his memory of history.
Huh? Su Fei raised an eyebrow as his gaze lingered on the split canvas. He hadn't mistaken it; there was clearly a compartment within the frame.
Wait, the ancestral painting? Su Fei suddenly recalled something. Could this be the famous Buchi's painting?
With effort, he immediately made his way over while holding the railing, all the while attentively listening to the sounds around him. He knew that the one responsible for Brandon's death must have been a low-level skeletal wizard—though classified as low-level, it was more than enough to deal with ordinary people.
In the "game," low-level skeletal wizards could cast some basic dark magic and summon skeletons and zombies from nearby graveyards. They were cunning by nature, accustomed to ambushes, posing a significant threat to those unfamiliar with them.
However, Su Fei was different, as he probably understood them better than the skeletal wizards themselves.
He bent down, hands pulling apart the frame of the canvas painting, and with a clink, a ring rolled out from within. At that moment, he couldn't help but inhale softly. The design of the ring was all too familiar: crafted from silver, it emitted a faint glow in the darkness. Aside from its usual circular shape, it bore a rune depicting the Sovereign of Wind engraved on its surface.
Such patterns were not commonly seen in the southern regions of Eruin.
This was the emblem of the Saint Orlso in the north.
Su Fei carefully wiped the ring with his thumb. This was the famous Ring of the Wind Sovereign, the reward for the "Buchi's Painting" quest, a quest that disappeared in the next game expansion, with few ever knowing about it, let alone completing it.
Su Fei wasn't one of those few; he only heard the story. The legend had it this ring was a counterfeit of the relic of one of the Four Saints, Delutte. How did Brandon's grandfather come to possess such a thing?
In the game, the Ring of the Wind Sovereign would grant a boost of agility by 1 and unleash a wind blast attack, while also absorbing energy every ten minutes. He wondered if it worked the same way here.
He looked at the ring, his heart pounding. Its appearance confirmed his suspicions; this world was the one he knew.
Su Fei couldn't help but sigh, feeling a mix of apprehension and excitement. Despite his hesitation, he slowly slipped the ring onto his finger, knowing that magic rings only worked when worn on the index or thumb. In Vaughnzel, the space between the index and thumb was considered the "Mysterious Domain" by Taran's witches, believed to be the focal point of human magic energy, from which most spell gestures originated and evolved.
For Su Fei, it was just a subconscious act under the game's rules.
Clang!
As the ring took effect, a loud noise from downstairs made him turn abruptly. Su Fei's heart skipped a beating with alarm, swiftly recognizing the potential danger of the sound—a possible indication of an undead presence. Yet, even if it weren't, it might still draw enemies from outside. Disregarding everything else, he promptly dropped the painting from his hands, pressed himself against the wall instinctively, and carefully fixed his gaze on the hallway below.
Almost instantly, he spotted a figure skulking in the shadows.
A girl emerged cautiously from below, wearing a plain leather long skirt. She glanced around anxiously, appearing slightly nervous, but she seemed oblivious to what was above her head. Gripping tightly onto a mason's hammer, she looked like she was searching for something, despite the evident struggle in her efforts.
Su Fei couldn't help but sigh.
He coughed softly, the sound, though quiet, echoed loudly in the empty room.
The girl was visibly startled, jerking her head back abruptly, her face drained of color. However, objectively speaking, the girl possessed a striking beauty. Her chestnut-colored hair, neatly coiled at the nape of her neck, exuded an air of refinement. Yet, beneath her smooth, ivory forehead, her slender eyes held a captivating allure, their subtle arches conveying both clarity and a hint of unease. With a straight, elegant nose, she projected an aura of independence.
She had a distinct presence, yet she defied the conventional notions of a lady. Indeed, if one were to encounter a girl gripping a mason's hammer with determination, adorned with a leather bag akin to those carried by merchants in the southern regions, it would be difficult to associate her with the image of a sheltered noblewoman.
Upon realizing it was Su Fei, however, she immediately became relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief as she patted her chest. "Oh, it's you, Brandon. You scared the heck out of me," she said, a bright smile lighting up her face.
"Miss Roma, how did you get in here?" Su Fei couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he saw this girl.
This was the girl Brandon admired, living across the street with her aunt. She often dreamed of venturing into the outside world to become a merchant, which Su Fei found nonsensical. In Eruin, being a merchant wasn't respectable; they were often associated with thieves and scammers.
During the reign of Anson VI, those individuals often colluded with mountain bandits, earning themselves disdain and the nickname "two-mouthed, three-handed." They were called "two-mouthed" due to their eloquence and skill in deception, and "three-handed" because of their unscrupulous involvement in petty theft and trickery. It could be said that those individuals posed a significant threat to local security. In Su Fei's early days as a novice, eight out of ten quests he undertook were related to dealing with them.
"I climbed in through the window outside your kitchen. By the way, your window is really tiny. They nearly tore my skirt—" the girl grumbled, bending down to fix her skirt.
“No one asked you to come in from there." Su Fei muttered under his breath. Inheriting Brandon's memories, he was somewhat immune to the girl's personality. However, he still couldn't help but silently remark inwardly.
"I didn't ask about that," he shook his head. "Why did you come here in the middle of the night?"
"I was worried about you, Brandon," Roma replied, her gaze darting around. "Did you see that skeleton?" It was evident that her curiosity about the skeleton outweighed her concern for him.
She saw it too? Just as Su Fei thought so, he noticed her gaze stopped on his chest.
"Are you hurt?" The future merchant tilted her head, blinking.
"Mhm..."
"Let me take a look," she said, holding her skirt and hurrying up the stairs. She then reached out to grab Su Fei’s hand covering the wound. "Move your hand, you're blocking it. You could infect the wound," she scolded while examining his injury.
"How did you get such a serious injury!?" She gasped in surprise, raising her head.
Su Fei felt the icy grip of the young girl's hand, causing his heart to skip a beat. Although he knew that this affection belonged to Brandon, he didn't deliberately try to stop it.
"I’m fine..."
"Fine, my foot!" Miss Merchant rolled her eyes, before rummaging through her leather bag hanging from her skirt. "Wait a moment; I think I have bandages..."
Su Fei watched her with interest.
He knew that the contents of Roma's bag were all her treasures, most of which were odd little trinkets she bought together with him. Things like seashells from the beach, colorful glass beads, copper whistles, ancient coins, and so on. Most of these items weren't worth much, but they were not commonly found in this area.
The greatest hobby of this future young female merchant was scavenging for treasures among piles of old goods. Even though they didn't have much money, Roma always managed to find some rare little things she liked at cheap prices.
Grabbing Roma's hand, Su Fei stopped her action and shook his head. "Let's find it inside; it's too dangerous here."
"I'm not afraid of those skeletons," she replied, glancing at him, then finally finding a first aid kit. "Do you know how to bandage the wound? Because I don’t."
Su Fei opened the kit and took out the bandage and antiseptic cotton inside. However, just as he held them in his hands, he froze in place, suddenly feeling unsure if what he was going to do next would work. Despite his initial intention to locate first aid supplies, he couldn't shake the subconscious notion that this was akin to a video game, where applying a bandage would magically halt bleeding and mend wounds. However, reality crashed down on him in that moment. Bandaging wasn't a simple task; it required skill and knowledge. One couldn't merely wrap a few turns around the wound and expect it to suffice, could they?
"Brandon, how about I give it a try?" Miss Roma appeared eager to have a go.
"No thanks." Su Fei quickly refused; he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.
Feeling that desperate times should call for desperate measures, he decided to treat the wound as he would in the game. If things went wrong, he would just blame it on fate.
He tore off one end of the bandage and held it between his teeth. Then, he loosened his clothes and began wrapping the bandage around the wound, layer after layer, just as he had done countless times in the game. His technique was practiced, ensuring the wraps were snug but not too tight, as he carefully tended to the injury.
But then he froze again.
He saw a faint green number, +1, slowly appear on his wound.
At that moment, Su Fei's mind buzzed like it had been struck by a bombshell, leaving him momentarily stunned, unsure of his next step. But immediately, he snapped back, as if a sudden idea had struck him, chanting fervently in his mind, "Stats, stats, show yourself!"
He held onto a mixture of anticipation and fear of disappointment, waiting with bated breath. After about a second, a faint set of data appeared one by one on his arms, thighs, joints, body, and heart.
Strength 1.0, Agility 2.0, Constitution 0.9.
Then another set of data floated like a ghost.
Intelligence 1.1, Willpower 1.3, Perception 1.0.
Absolute Strength 1.0, Element (Undeveloped)—
Below these data, a cascade of text and numbers formed an illusionary panel:
Brandon, Human male, Level 1 (Power System: Physical, Melee)
XP: 1 (Civilian level 1:—, Militiaman level 1, 0/3)
Health (Weak): 60% (Bandaged, Recovers 1 health per day)
Occupation—
Civilian [Basic Knowledge (level 1), Geography Knowledge (level 0), Local Knowledge (level 1)]
Militiaman [Military Swordsmanship (level 1), Combat Skills (level 1), Tactical Theory (level 0), Military Organization (level 0)]
Sure enough!
Su Fei couldn't help but think that he must be feeling like someone who won a lottery worth millions. Was this a dream? No. Dreams wouldn’t be this logical and coherent, and rarely would people suspect they were dreaming in dreams.
But was he still in the game world?
No, the game's history had already reached the 19th year of the Second Era.
Su Fei's head was a mess, filled with strange thoughts, making him dizzy. But he quickly shook his head; he understood it was all real. Having read so many transmigration novels and knowing he wasn't the first to travel to a game world, he probably wouldn't be the last.
Lady Marsha, do you truly exist?
Su Fei silently prayed to the only supreme god in this world, staring at the virtual data reflected in his eyes, and couldn't help but ask himself:
Isn't this your world, Su Fei? What more do you want?
Yes, as a seasoned warrior over level 130, what more could he ask for? He had experience and knowledge of the future.
If he still couldn't control his own fate, he would be truly ashamed. But on the other hand, the feeling of confidence was wonderful, really wonderful.
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