Absolute Destiny Game
Chapter 392 - 27: Burning Village_2

Chapter 392: Chapter 27: Burning Village_2

Having found the landmark made things easier.

Now, in this wilderness with neither a village ahead nor shops behind, danger lurked at every turn, with the possibility of encountering monsters in the wild at any moment.

Luckily, now that they were ashore, they could finally ride horses.

Several people summoned their mounts, and immediately felt a sense of security as they rode through the clearings between the trees towards the interior, discussing the battle they’d just had.

"Don’t even mention it; with our strength, we could definitely take down a normal-sized Boss."

"Indeed, as long as we don’t run into something with too high a level or a Boss-level Boss, we should be fine."

"We should still be cautious; after all, winning ten times counts for nothing, but lose once, and it’s considered a loss."

"Feng, you were really awesome just now, and so were you, Brother Cheng Xian, with that Dragon Capturing Skill..."

"It’s Demon Capturing Hand," I Want to Be Immortal corrected.

"That was so cool! Can you use that skill in real life too?"

"Of course."

"Damn, then you should go box! Imagine facing any kind of boxing, Thai boxing, karate... you’d definitely make a ton of money." Haoye Xinghe said excitedly.

"In reality, if we talk about boxing, Martial Artists are the best choice," Ye Luo suddenly interjected from the side.

The mention of Martial Artists caused everyone to fall silent; Pingtou was a Martial Artist.

If not for his desire to advance further and retire from the game early, he might have made a name for himself.

But that’s just how people are: possessing Martial Arts makes them yearn for Inner Strength; with Inner Strength, they desire Magic; and with Magic, they aspire to become an immortal deity. It’s an endless cycle of dissatisfaction.

Hidden Dragon was the first to break the awkward silence, "The ceiling for Physical Professions is only so high. Sure, they can compete in boxing matches or win a gold medal at the Olympics, become bodyguards for some big boss, or perform as internet celebrities. But ordinary people can do all that too. Only by mastering Magic can one truly transcend and become more than ordinary."

Xiao Jie agreed, "That’s right. No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, a single gunshot can take you down. Players who rely solely on their martial prowess don’t get far before they’re subdued. But Magic is different."

I Want to Be Immortal added, "Yeah, so many people hold back on leveling up just to switch to a Magic profession. Your luck is unbeatable—once you learn Magic, what’s this martial skill worth? Maybe when you reach a higher level and cultivate an Advanced Magic, you could even bring your brother back to life."

"What! This game has Resurrection?" Haoye Xinghe exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, there are immortals in this game, so maybe Resurrection is possible too. No one’s done it yet, but there’s always hope."

The group buzzed with excitement, each adding their thoughts until Haoye Xinghe was bursting with eagerness, wishing he could start learning Magic immediately.

"Hidden Dragon, where do we go to find a master?"

"We’ll head to Jumu City, the main city in Canglin State. There are Shaman and Wizard sects there, where you can choose one to be your apprentice. When the time comes, we’ll have to choose carefully; even within the same Profession, the difference between sects can be substantial. But with the Wolf Demon Dao Bone as our introduction, we should stand a decent chance with most sects."

As they spoke, the group suddenly emerged onto a broad road, which only added to their sense of security.

Generally speaking, traveling down a main road was usually safer.

Xiao Jie led the group south while comparing their location with the map. "There should be a village ahead."

Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes, a village appeared before them.

"We’re here, this is it! Wait, something isn’t right!"

As they got closer, Xiao Jie could see that the village was aflame with fire and billowing smoke, with skeletons scattered everywhere, bloodstains all around.

"I can’t believe even the villages in Canglin State have come to this," I Want to Be Immortal lamented.

"No, these bloodstains are fresh; it must have been slaughtered recently."

Xiao Jie examined the corpses and couldn’t help but frown; the bodies looked as if they had been gnawed on by wild beasts, most of the flesh was gone, leaving behind only gnarled and chewed bones mixed with the remaining flesh, barely recognizable as human.

The gruesome scene intimidated Haoye Xinghe slightly.

But Xiao Jie remembered what Hidden Dragon had once said: these small villages in the wilderness, if they weren’t Newbie Villages, even if players reclaimed them successfully, they wouldn’t last long. Monsters would continuously respawn, triggering crises, and ultimately, they would inevitably be reclaimed by the wilderness, either becoming dens for beasts or deserted ruins.

Could this village have faced a similar fate?

"Sui Feng, what do we do next?"

"Search the area; we might find something valuable or some clues."

As he spoke, Xiao Jie summoned Big Orange, thinking that the enemy responsible might still be nearby. In case a fight broke out, every bit of extra combat strength would help.

The group spread out and began searching the village, not straying far from one another.

Good things obviously didn’t exist here; the village didn’t look wealthy, and it had clearly been looted, with chests and cabinets scattered all over. Many houses had been set on fire and would soon turn to ashes.

Other than the corpses everywhere, there was nothing.

"Feng, do you think this could have been done by demons?"

"Perhaps, but then, why would demons set fires?" Usually, demons eat people, while robbers are the ones to set fires. Plus, all the valuables had been looted, so it all looked more like the work of robbers.

Yet those corpses didn’t seem like something robbers would leave behind.

While pondering, Big Orange suddenly howled, as if he’d found something.

Xiao Jie quickly followed and saw a white-furred little fox trembling and hiding in a corner.

Little Xue (White Fox Cub): Level 5, Life Value 160.

Huh, why is there a fox here?

What surprised Xiao Jie was that the fox was a yellow name.

Normally, beasts were either red names—monsters—or yellow names—neutral units, in the eyes of players.

Beasts in the wild were basically red names, while domestic animals like cattle and sheep in the villages would be yellow names.

As for green-named beasts, those were generally player’s pets, or friendly combat units like Yang Baichuan’s Hunting Dog, indicated by green names.

Could this fox be someone’s pet? Making it a neutral unit? That’d be somewhat bizarre.

"Don’t be afraid, we mean no harm," Xiao Jie said.

The little white fox continued to tremble and wouldn’t come out of the corner.

Xiao Jie thought for a moment and took out some Secret Dog Food—used for feeding beasts—and threw it out.

Indeed, good food did the trick.

The little white fox, lured by the smell, cautiously crept out and gobbled the food.

Xiao Jie then used Calming Beasts, and the name above the little white fox finally turned into the friendly green.

"Wow, what a cute little fox."

Everyone gathered around.

Xiao Jie activated the Beast Language Skill and asked, "Little fox, what happened here?"

The little fox just looked at him with a bewildered face, seemingly not quite understanding.

Huh, what’s going on? Why isn’t the Beast Language Skill working?

"Can you understand me?" Xiao Jie asked again.

The little fox still didn’t react, just rubbing against his feet, looking cute and pitiful.

System prompt: Little Xue has used the Skill ’Flattery’ on you, wanting to become your temporary little pet. Accept, Yes/No?

Huh? It can do that...

Xiao Jie hesitated for a moment, then decisively chose to accept.

He had a feeling there was something mysterious about this little fox; it might trigger an adventure.

As Xiao Jie clicked accept,

the name above the little fox also changed to—Little Xue (Hidden Moon Following Wind’s Pet).

Xiao Jie right-clicked the little fox and discovered he could even put it in his inventory, which was convenient.

Looking at the white fox now curled up in his inventory, Xiao Jie found it interesting; he’d have to study it when he had time.

"Let’s continue moving forward."

People summoned their mounts and, passing through the burning village, continued heading south.

Canglin State truly lived up to its name with rich greenery; leaving the village quickly led back into forest terrain.

Surronding them were towering trees, blocking out the sky, barely letting any sunlight through, aside from the clear view along the main road.

The group followed the road for about ten minutes, and suddenly a fallen giant tree appeared ahead.