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Chapter 9: A Logical Issue Concerning Acrophobia
All along, we had been chased by this pack of wild dogs to the brink of despair. Though we said nothing, a deep-seated resentment burned within us. Now, with the chance to exact revenge, how could it not be exhilarating? The phrase "son of a bitch" was both fitting and cathartic, bringing immense satisfaction.
The first to charge at me was a level six "Ferocious Wild Dog." Its health was less than half, an arrow stuck in its rear end, the white fletching swaying proudly as it ran, resembling a second tail sprouting from its behind.
Facing such a weakened opponent, Millionfold displayed rare bravery. Swinging his wooden stake, he knocked the dog flat, all while critiquing our elven friend's archery skills: "Indeed, the arrow fits the man; this shot was truly vulgar, vulgar. Who knows if this dog is male or female, whether this arrow causes pain or pleasure..."
Ignoring his frivolous musings, I had already sidestepped a level seven "Furious Wild Dog," delivering a backhanded slash to its hind leg. Before I could press my advantage, another level seven dog pounced, leaving a claw mark on my arm. Thus, we became entangled with four wild dogs.
During the fight, we consciously avoided Kaplan, focusing on the other three dogs—they were easier to handle. Eliminating them quickly would ease our burden. With the support of health potions, soon one dog was nearly flattened by Millionfold’s heavy blow, while the life bar of the one before me was almost invisible.
Just as I thought to deliver the final blow, a gust of rank air suddenly rushed from my left rear. Glancing over, I saw the silver-furred leader Kaplan's maw approaching, its knife-sharp teeth clearly visible.
Its sudden appearance caught me off guard. Instinctively, I swung my left arm, purely out of reflex to deflect its head. Coincidentally, the shield on my left hand struck the hound squarely on the nose with a loud "bang." My left hand immediately went numb, hanging limply. As I gripped my sword tightly with my right hand, preparing for Kaplan’s next attack, suddenly, the pale green halo that had appeared earlier on Elegant Strings also manifested around me, an invigorating force spreading through my body.
No one told me, and I had no time to consult my spellbook, but I still knew that my accidental strike had taught me a skill called "Shield Bash." Directly hitting an enemy’s face with a shield could knock them back and cause slight dizziness, consuming fifty stamina points.
Looking at the recently hit Rabid Hound Kaplan, it indeed stood weakly aside, its powerful limbs seemingly unable to support its robust body, still wobbling helplessly, completely immobilized.
This strike came just in time. I immediately abandoned the stunned Kaplan, delivering a "Thrust" to finish off the wild dog in front of me, then joined Millionfold to quickly dispatch the last dog on his side. After each of us reluctantly downed another bottle of foul-smelling health potion, we just caught the only remaining opponent waking up from its stupor.
Our current mood was vastly different from the initial apprehension when we first met Rabid Hound Kaplan. Though its attacks remained frenzied and swift, its health had dropped to double digits. Braving injuries, we exchanged blows with it in a disreputable manner, and this silver-furred beast lost its ability to menace, becoming part of our souls.
At the moment Rabid Hound Kaplan fell dead, I seemed to hear a crisp "ding" in my ear. Then, a dark red crystal popped out of its corpse, landing before Millionfold. This crystal naturally formed a symmetrical polyhedron, like a precious gem precisely cut. A dim, strange luster flowed across its surface like ripples, evoking an indescribable mysterious power.
In this world, there exist dangerous animals known as "magical beasts." They possess peculiar magical powers, some even capable of using magic freely, far stronger than ordinary beasts.
Not all magical beasts are born this way. Due to coincidence or human intervention, some ordinary wild animals become imbued with magic, transforming into magical beasts.
Sometimes, upon a magical beast’s death, people find various shaped crystals in their bodies. These crystals contain special magical elements usable by humans, known as "magic crystals."
Among magicians, debates persist about the origin of magic crystals. Some believe they are the source of a magical beast's power.
I find this notion untenable. Not every magical beast contains a magic crystal. In fact, the likelihood is small—killing a hundred beasts might yield none, yet these creatures wouldn’t become gentler without that stone inside.
I lean toward another theory: so-called "magic crystals" are essentially gallstones produced by indigestion. These intestinal obstructions appear prettier and carry some magic power. Though many consider them priceless, it doesn’t negate the possibility that they might originally be smelly animal feces.
Undoubtedly, this crystal was a piece of dog shit—I mean, a magic crystal—which surprised me. Until now, I hadn’t realized Rabid Hound Kaplan was a magical beast. Apart from its massive strength and silvery fur, it differed little from ordinary wild dogs, let alone possessing any magical abilities.
Millionfold picked it up. The magic crystal, roughly the size of a teacup, looked delicate like a button in the large tauren's hands. He examined it closely, whistled through his long, wide mouth, and informed us of its name and function:
"Kaplan’s Swift Heart, increases attack frequency by ten percent and grants a Swift Spell, enhancing movement speed by ten percent for thirty seconds."
A great magical artifact, especially beneficial for warriors in close combat.
He gently caressed the crystal with his thick fingers; affection, greed, hesitation, and more flashed across his face. Finally, he sighed heavily, as if making a tough decision. Reluctantly, he walked to me, extending his large hand with Kaplan’s Swift Heart:
"Here, take it. Congratulations, you’ve obtained something valuable."
I couldn’t say his congratulations were insincere, but his words carried a hint of sourness. A tall, fierce-looking foreign warrior with a childlike expression of reluctant generosity made him look both comical and endearingly cute.
Facing such a magical artifact, to say I wasn’t tempted would be a lie. Ten percent speed enhancement is precious for anyone, especially a melee warrior. When unable to defeat a strong enemy and forced to flee, that ten percent boost could mean a second life. Few would easily relinquish such a treasure.
I took the magic crystal from Millionfold. Upon touching its smooth surface, I felt a pulsating power transmitting through my fingers, as if the hard crystal were alive.
Then, I did something that surprised even myself.
I placed the crystal back into my tauren friend’s hand and closed his fingers around it.
"No, I should congratulate you. It belongs to you."
My action caught Millionfold off guard. He hastily waved his hands to decline: "No, no, no, this shouldn’t be mine. The idea was yours; most of the dogs were killed by Elegant Strings. If not for you two, I’d have been eaten clean. Even if you don’t want it, it should go to Elegant Strings."
The elf ranger atop the tree, eyes closed, holding onto the trunk, graciously declined Millionfold’s offer:
"It’s not very useful to me. I have Rapid Fire; my speed is sufficient. Plus, my effective range is short, so a ten percent speed increase wouldn’t help much."
After our mutual insistence, Millionfold received the hound’s magic crystal. A ten percent attack speed boost should significantly improve his accuracy.
"Compared to trivial matters like magic crystals..." Having decided the fate of this precious spoil, the handsome acrophobic suddenly raised his voice, shrieking:
"...I’m more concerned about how to get down from this tree!"
With the entrance blocked, those outside couldn’t enter, and Elegant Strings inside couldn’t exit. Since the only way out was sealed, I suggested he jump directly from the trunk. Though the branch he stood on was high, jumping wouldn’t be fatal.
"Jump down? You might as well chop down this tree! If I dared to jump, I wouldn’t be acrophobic!" My suggestion was immediately rejected.
"Then try committing suicide. Once you die, your soul can float down!" Millionfold teased.
"Do I need you to remind me? I’ve considered that. But I’ve used all my arrows, and I have no other weapons. I can’t strangle myself with bowstrings... What a pity about those wild dogs. Knowing it would end up like this, being unable to go up or down, it would have been better to let them eat me." Surprisingly, Elegant Strings didn’t seem to be joking.
"There’s another way to commit suicide." Millionfold grinned mischievously.
"What way?"
"Jump down and die!"
What a poor joke...
"Thud!" Elegant Strings’ figure immediately fell, landing on his butt.
"Huh? Didn’t die?" Upon contact with solid ground, the elf ranger opened his eyes, looking around, all signs of illness gone.
Millionfold and I exchanged glances.
"Didn’t you realize I was joking?" After a pause, Millionfold asked, perplexed.
"A joke? Was it?" Elegant Strings looked baffled.
"Why did you object when I told you to jump, but jumped immediately when he said it?" I shouted in frustration.
"That’s different. You told me to jump down to survive, but I’m acrophobic. Jumping from a height is like seeking death, an unsolvable contradiction. So following you would be illogical. But Old Bull said only by jumping could I commit suicide, and since I wanted to die, I jumped. Bingo, a flawless syllogism logic!"
I felt the veins on my forehead ready to burst.
"But..." Suppressing the urge to bash the tree down, I angrily asked, "...Isn’t the result of you jumping down the same?"
Elegant Strings pondered, then confidently replied, "Totally different. You told me to jump down to survive, but I could barely survive in the tree. Jumping down might scare me to death, so naturally, I had reservations. But Millionfold was telling me to jump down to die..." At this point, the elf ranger, whose logic was utterly chaotic, posed a rather bold question:
"If I’m not afraid of dying, why should I fear heights?"
...
"This is a question we should be asking you!" Both Millionfold and I simultaneously broke down mentally!
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