Ch. 18 - Counting Sheep

Without the Eye of Truth, they couldn't read the annotations or descriptions of items. All they could rely on were fragments of experience from other dungeons to make their guesses.

[I think they can only pick fully ripened red tomatoes. When Red-Eye checks them at night, any greenish tomatoes will probably be tossed out. It will then punish the player under the pretext of not fulfilling the 'fill-the-warehouse' quota.]

[I suspect the tomatoes are a special breed. During harvest, it's inevitable to get some juice from rotten ones smeared on you. The juice would infect your skin, causing swelling and festering wounds.]

[You're all so wicked! I love it! Hahaha!]

[My imagination isn't as wild as yours. I think the farm's chickens must be fiercely protective of their eggs. If anyone tries to take one, they'll peck at the person mercilessly. And if the player fights back, Red-Eye will surely make them pay when it finds an injured chicken later.]

The barrage of speculative comments provided Zuo Chengan with valuable insights, making him even more cautious as he approached his "whack-a-mole" task.

Unlike him, the others didn't seem as worried. Some were even dismissive, scoffing at how the so-called "Pre-Ascension Trial" seemed underwhelming.

Wang Guangfei, part of the couple duo, seemed eager to impress his girlfriend.

"What's the big deal? It's just herding sheep. My buddy was too scared to come, but once I'm crowned the champion, I'll go rub it in his face!"

"Exactly! All I have to do is pick tomatoes. Apart from how disgusting they are, there's nothing to it. And we wasted so much effort preparing for these dungeons for no reason!"

Youyou couldn't help recalling how meticulous they had been before entering. The two of them didn't have many credits to their names, so they couldn't afford the premium guides that guaranteed a C or even B rating.

Instead, they settled for basic guides, just enough to ensure survival. They could only earn a D or D+ rating at best—maybe 1 AP if they were lucky. If too many players cleared the dungeon, not even that point was guaranteed.

Their growth was agonizingly slow, and credits were so scarce they couldn't even afford basic gear—let alone daily necessities.

Desperation drove them to take the plunge. The system offered discounts and subsidies to players who had cleared dungeons in the Heavenly Tower, and they decided to gamble everything for the chance to attain the 1st Heavenly Ascension.

With that rank, each of them would receive a weekly stipend of 1 credit.

2 credits a week—enough to cover their meals.

The twin sisters, on the other hand, were much better prepared. They had maxed out 2 attributes before attempting the trial, even though you technically only needed one maxed attribute to qualify.

Because they focused on quality over quantity, they had completed fewer dungeons than the couple.

To earn attribute points in a dungeon, they avoided those with too many players clearing them and aimed for high ratings.

The risks, however, were proportional to the rewards.

In just four dungeons, Fu Yu and Fu You had maxed out 2 stats each—far more efficiently than the couple, who needed over ten dungeons to max even one.

…

Red-Eye seemed preoccupied, muttering something about returning to its ship and getting seasick.

After assigning tasks to each player and declaring that sunset was inspection time, it disappeared from view.

The players exchanged glances before hurrying off to their respective tasks. Soon, only Zuo Chengan remained behind.

Finally, he could feel a sense of relief after Red-Eye had departed. That partially depleted health bar it flaunted had been driving him crazy. He had been itching to take a swing at it—but alas, he didn't even have a weapon.

Except in beginner dungeons, the game didn't provide free weapons and armor.

Sighing, Zuo Chengan set out to find a suitable makeshift weapon.

Thankfully, with the Eye of Truth, he didn't need to worry about picking up something dangerous by mistake.

The farm stretched over rolling hills, its main feature being vast tomato fields. Structures like the chicken coop, sheep pen, barn, and cattle shed took up relatively little space.

Strangely, there were no cats or dogs on the farm—an odd absence. Apart from these, there was the red-roofed two-story farmhouse, likely the owner's residence.

Zuo Chengan tested the front door of the farmhouse.

As expected, it was locked. The audience flooded with bullet comments, speculating about potential traps behind the door, only to be deflated by the anticlimax.

The locked door didn't deter him. A chimney was another way in, but he couldn't spare the time to explore every nook and cranny.

Hidden tasks were tempting, but his priority was the primary mission: taking down 100 wild monsters.

Failing to meet the quota set by Red-Eye might lead to consequences far worse than he'd like to imagine—like being at its mercy once the dungeon's rules no longer bound it.

Luck was on his side. In a dusty shed, he found the weapon he needed—a hayfork.

[Hayfork: Originated from farm—a simple yet deadly tool.]

The fork's handle was wooden, and its U-shaped metal prongs were honed to razor-sharp tips.

Despite its primary purpose, the hayfork seemed to have been used for more sinister tasks. Its prongs were smeared with dried blood and bits of meat from the sheep pen's feeding trough.

Never underestimate a hayfork! Its length and sharp points made it ideal for combat. Paired with his night-vision goggles, he'd be able to hunt down even the sneakiest rodents in tight corners. One solid thrust would put them out of commission.

As he claimed the hayfork, Zuo Chengan ran into Youyou. She was returning with a basket full of tomatoes while her boyfriend searched for the sheep herd.

Even from a distance, Zuo Chengan could hear the tomatoes wailing from the basket, their cries unnervingly human-like.

"Stop it! Stop crying already! You've been picked—what's the point of screaming? Keep this up, and I'll smash you all to pieces!"

Overwhelmed by her task, Youyou snapped at the anthropomorphic tomatoes.

The immense workload weighed heavily on her, bringing back memories of her pre-game life, when a congenital heart condition left her gasping for breath at the slightest exertion.

Though the shed appeared small, its shelves seemed bottomless, capable of holding a mountain's worth of tomatoes.

Youyou silently thanked her decision to max out speed before attempting the trial. Without it, she'd likely fail the mission outright.

She only hoped Wang Guangfei could herd the sheep quickly so he could come back and help her.

The incessant crying of the tomatoes grated on her nerves, and when she encountered Zuo Chengan, she didn't bother to hide her irritation.

"Move! Don't block the path!" she barked.

In this game, tasks were individual. There was no need for cooperation, no point in fostering relationships between players. Everyone simply had to focus on their own objectives.

With that, she hefted the heavy basket onto her shoulder and vanished into the warehouse.

…

Meanwhile, Wang Guangfei wasn't having much luck.

Red-Eye had claimed there were 21 sheep.

Yet, no matter how many times Wang Guangfei counted the grazing flock, there were only 20—19 white, and 1 black.

He was certain of it. There was no mistake.

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