Chapter 11 – The Joy of Harvest

When Mu Yuan discovered the Root of Filth, the Lord’s Mark on the back of his hand glowed faintly, as if urging him onward.

But in truth, no urging was necessary. In the eyes of a player, these Roots of Filth were nothing less than Treasure Troves. Players would eagerly seek out as many Roots of Filth as they could find.

Yet Mu Yuan remained unhurried, maintaining his steady mindset.

Only the Roots of Filth he was capable of purifying were truly treasure chests. If he lacked the ability… he would retreat as far as necessary.

He observed that this particular Root of Filth had just begun to grow, its area of influence still limited… and thus hadn’t attracted many monsters to gather around it.

Only a few figures were present.

Six, six goblins.

However,

“If there were only six ordinary goblins, Deadbone alone could eliminate them with some tactical maneuvering. But one figure among them was clearly extraordinary.”

It was a burly green-skinned creature, standing over two meters tall—significantly larger than even Deadbone. The other goblins appeared like mere chicks before it, not even reaching its knees.

「Great Goblin (Common ★★★): Rank Zero Level 4.」

「Description: A product of atavism among goblins, possessing strength far surpassing its kin, with an inherently cruel nature.」

Though Deadbone possessed skills and self-awareness, and could certainly handle a Great Goblin of higher level, the current wilderness location wasn’t entirely safe. If they couldn’t achieve a quick victory, accidents were likely to occur.

“Deadbone, what do you think?”

Mu Yuan already had a plan in mind.

The Great Goblin was far stronger than its kin in both strength and speed. Given this, they could employ a tactic of luring the enemy, using the speed difference between the Great Goblin and the ordinary goblins to create a time advantage. They could surround and eliminate the Great Goblin at maximum speed before the other goblins could close in.

The remaining goblins would then cease to be a problem.

Mu Yuan didn’t expect Deadbone, who had only recently awakened to self-awareness, to devise any sophisticated tactics. After letting it ponder for a moment—burning some CPU cycles—he laid out the tactical plan.

Whoosh—

The soul fire blazed fiercely as Deadbone indicated it had grasped the tactic.

It slowly rose to its feet, then… slipped into the dense thicket nearby. Its tall frame completely vanished into the foliage, disappearing from sight.

Mu Yuan: “???”

Hadn’t his tactic called for Deadbone to step forward and provoke the enemy while gathering momentum? Wait, a foolish-looking Little Skeleton was swaggering out now. Judging by its positioning, it was clearly taking on the role of a decoy.

Little Skeleton issued a taunt—with remarkable effect!

The Great Goblin and the other goblins charged forward.

So this was the plan: using Little Skeleton as bait, then waiting for the right moment to ambush. Hmm, as expected of Deadbone. Mu Yuan had left the tactic incomplete intentionally, wanting to test its understanding—and Deadbone had clearly grasped it fully.

My skeleton is truly brilliant.

However, Mu Yuan hadn’t expected that Deadbone, with its striking appearance, could conceal itself so perfectly. Could it be that cultivating the Dao of Stealth also came with the ability to suppress one’s presence?

Mu Yuan stealthily observed from over ten meters away, hidden behind a cluster of trees.

The ground trembled slightly.

The burly Great Goblin charged forth like a wild boar, its body thick with muscle, face fierce and teeth sharp. Even from a distance, its imposing presence was palpable.

The foolish Little Skeleton serving as bait felt no fear, but standing before the Great Goblin, its frame appeared incredibly small and fragile, as if it could be crushed to pieces by the Great Goblin at any moment.The brittle bones shattered, scattering like foam across the sky, leaving only a skull rolling away with a clatter—a pitiful death…

Dismissing the imagined scene, Mu Yuan was about to maneuver the Little Skeleton to stall the Great Goblin, hoping to last three or four seconds, when Deadbone, crouched in the nearby grass, made his move.

Boom—

The grass exploded, sending shreds and broken twigs flying into the air. The Great Goblin instinctively turned its neck, its crimson eyes fixed on the swirling debris.

Amid the obstructing fragments, a dark figure burst forth, a war saber wreathed in tendrils of black mist growing larger in its blood-red pupils.

Like a black thread, it sliced through the vivid red.

Blood spurted forth, gushing like a spring.

At the critical moment, the Great Goblin had dodged the fatal blow. Deadbone failed to cleave its massive head like a watermelon; the saber, imbued with Cleave, only carved through a portion of its neck, severing flesh and bone before lodging firmly.

Though its life force ebbed away, the Great Goblin refused to die. Roaring, it swung at Deadbone in a final, desperate surge.

Surprised but well-versed in the Dao of survival, Deadbone didn’t hesitate. Releasing the weapon, he backstepped to evade the blow, circled counterclockwise around the Great Goblin, seized the hilt again, and yanked it out with force.

Squelch—

Blood sprayed like a burst pipe. The Great Goblin staggered two steps before its burly frame collapsed heavily, crimson pools spreading in rings.

No mosaic, no green blood—the screen was drenched in vivid red, staining the entire game display.

By then, the remaining goblins had finally reached the Battlefield. Around Rank 2, they were generally stronger than the Little Skeleton but fell one by one nonetheless. During this, Mu Yuan controlled the Little Skeleton to distract two goblins, earning the title of best support.

“Goblins are naturally timid. Many players’ recruited goblin troops, despite lacking self-awareness, still flee when the battle turns—a trait or instinct of theirs.”

“Yet, these goblins fought to the last, refusing to flee, growing even more ferocious, much like the gray wolves encountered earlier… no, more extreme. Is this the influence of Filth?”

Legends say large Roots of Filth gather countless monsters, forming vast multi-species nests that can trigger massive monster waves to assault and destroy human cities.

To players, the Root of Filth is like a treasure chest, yet also a ticking time bomb that grows ever stronger.

No Lord would tolerate a Root of Filth near their territory.

Under the guard of several Little Skeletons, Mu Yuan slowly approached the Root of Filth.

The root was small, merely micro-sized among Roots of Filth, with blood-red energy swirling over it like mist or magma, clinging to the root and spreading to the surrounding earth.

Even through the computer screen, Mu Yuan could feel the overwhelming aura of ill omen.

The Little Skeletons grew restless.

—Prolonged exposure to Filth is harmful to both troops and the player themselves.

He reached out, hovering his hand over the Root of Filth.

Ding!”‘Chosen Lords or Hero units who share the Lord’s purification power can purify the Root of Filth.’

‘Prompt: Purify?’

√

In an instant, a pure and brilliant white light burst from his palm, gradually covering the blackish-red roots inch by inch.

The warm and holy radiance persisted for dozens of seconds before slowly fading away.

The next moment,

An intangible breeze swept across the parched land, where patches of fresh green sprouts emerged, and withered trees swayed as if rejoicing.

Before Mu Yuan, the half-meter-tall Root of Filth cracked and shattered into countless fragments, scattering with the wind.

A light from heaven and earth descended.

Several glowing orbs drifted in the air, taking shape as the radiance receded.

‘Prompt: Obtained 50g of Soul Sand’

‘Prompt: Obtained ‘Remnant Soul (Random)’ ×2′

‘Prompt: Obtained ‘Energy Potion (Common)’ ×6′

‘Prompt: Obtained item ‘Amulet (Common)’ ×1′

This must be the joy of harvest, Mu Yuan revealed an innocent smile.

New book seeking follows and votes QAQ

(End of Chapter)

<script type=”text/javascript” src=”web.js”></script>”