Chapter 18: The Guardian

Wait a moment, let me sort this out...

Although I have no idea what just happened, those black-striped demon wolves are gone now... Doesn’t that mean I’ve temporarily escaped the clutches of death?

Realizing this, the flickering flame of Zhang Wenbin’s life suddenly surged back to life.

Though he didn’t understand the situation, he was alive for the moment... at least for now!

Yet he knew well that, judging by the two black-striped demon wolves just now, staying put was far from wise.

In an instant, Zhang Wenbin dragged his injured body, preparing to flee this dangerous place swiftly.

The sharp pain radiating through his muscles made each step agonizing, forcing him to grit his teeth.

This severely limited his speed.

After only a few steps, a rumbling sound drew near.

What he saw next would be etched in his memory forever.

Not far off, a one-eyed giant, as massive as a small mountain, stood among the trees, its gaze fixated on him.

The enormous, bloodshot single eye looked eerily sinister, chilling to the bone.

Any normal person, under such an unblinking, gigantic stare, would feel an overwhelming pressure unlike anything else.

The system’s alert plunged him into despair.

[Alert: You have encountered the one-eyed giant Dagan (LV19)]

!!!

Level 19!

He knew that even the level 2 red-gray wolf had nearly killed him; level 19...

It was over... all over...

Frozen in terror, Zhang Wenbin stood motionless, trembling at the corners of his mouth, whispering uncontrollably.

He had already resigned himself inwardly to the impending death.

This terrifying one-eyed giant before him left no room for even a flicker of resistance.

Yet out of the corner of his eye, something unbelievable caught his attention.

Since the moment he appeared, the one-eyed giant’s movements had been strange—his palms open and held forward as if carefully cradling something.

But Zhang Wenbin, trapped in his panic, hadn’t looked closely.

Now, upon a careful glance, he realized... there was another person standing there!

This astonishing scene made him wipe his eyes and look again before he was certain.

Though the face was unclear, the silhouette unmistakably belonged to a human.

Qin Yuan noticed the scene on the ground as well.

Or rather, from the moment he saw him, the Eye of Revelation had already informed him that this was a player.

“Dagan, put me down first,” Qin Yuan said to the one-eyed giant beside him.

After a moment’s thought, he retracted his feather and approached the player.

Coming closer, he saw that this player was seriously injured and lacked any healing items.

Qin Yuan took a vial of life potion from his backpack and gently tossed it over.

“Use this to heal your wounds first.”

Zhang Wenbin instinctively caught the potion without hesitation.

He was too relieved to be fussy; his heart still pounded wildly with the thrill of survival.

---

Once the two drew close enough, the system confirmed that the person before him was also a player.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Without delay, he uncorked the vial and gulped it down.

The potion carried a strange, fresh aroma with a hint of sweetness.

As it slid down his throat, the warm sensation quickly spread from his stomach throughout his body.

He could feel his injuries gradually healing.

“Thank you so much,” Zhang Wenbin said sincerely, gratitude shining from his face.

“It’s no trouble at all...” Qin Yuan waved it off casually, then asked, “Where are you heading next?”

“Me? I’m planning to look for a town or village nearby...” Zhang Wenbin smiled sheepishly, “I just started this game yesterday and got lost in the forest, wandering around without finding the way.”

“I see...” Qin Yuan nodded knowingly, then said, “I’m heading to a village myself. Want to come along?”

“Really?!” Zhang Wenbin’s face lit up with joy, nodding quickly.

“Thanks for taking me along.”

“Let’s go.”

Qin Yuan took the lead and strode toward Dagan’s palm.

Though he’d seen how this terrifying giant boss behaved quite gently before the expert player, and had witnessed the grand entrance, Zhang Wenbin could not help but feel nervous as he stepped onto the giant’s palm.

But with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and followed closely behind Qin Yuan, keeping as near as possible to heighten his sense of security.

Once they stood side by side on the palm and were lifted up as the one-eyed giant began to move, Zhang Wenbin finally felt the last weight lift from his heart.

After a brief moment of unease, he could hardly contain his excitement about the current experience.

With utmost respect, he asked, “Hello, I’m Zhang Wenbin, a new player who just entered this world yesterday. Are you a veteran player?”

“...” Qin Yuan glanced sideways at him, exasperated, “Yesterday was the first day of closed beta for everyone. You’re just like me.”

“What?!” Zhang Wenbin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Oh... I saw how skilled you are and thought you were an experienced player... But how did you come to be with that one-eyed giant?” he gestured to the giant beside them.

Qin Yuan shook his head without much explanation, “We just happened to meet in the forest.”

“...” Though clearly skeptical, Zhang Wenbin didn’t press further.

At first, he was a bit reserved, but after chatting for a while and finding Qin Yuan quite down-to-earth, he relaxed completely and chattered nonstop all the way.

I feel like you and the Whispering Codex would get along very well...

Qin Yuan didn’t mind the company either; it was nice to have someone to talk to on the road.

---

Soon, they arrived near the village.

To avoid alarming the villagers, Qin Yuan told Zhang Wenbin to wait there while he walked the remaining short distance on foot.

The sky was already dim, the horizon tinged with a dull yellow.

“This is called Ironstone Village,” Qin Yuan said as he brought Zhang Wenbin to the village entrance, gave a brief explanation, and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, he noticed two or three players gathered by the bulletin board, chatting.

Probably locals from nearby, Qin Yuan guessed.

As the two approached, one player came forward and asked in a familiar tone, “Brother, want to team up tomorrow to grind monsters in the forest? It’s safer together, and we can take turns dividing the experience.”

Qin Yuan naturally wasn’t interested.

With his feather’s help, grinding alone was more efficient than splitting experience with others.

But Zhang Wenbin seemed interested and began talking with those players.

The two parted ways there.

Back in the tavern’s second floor, Qin Yuan did a quick inventory of his gains.

At this stage, the biggest haul was the two clusters of magical embers, along with several vials of Mana Springs.

Next, Qin Yuan aimed to visit the alchemy shop to sell some Mana Springs and buy supplies.

He had already asked the Whispering Codex about the market prices during the journey, so he wasn’t afraid of being ripped off.

According to it, the alchemy shop run by the Mage’s Association might charge slightly higher prices than smaller shops—about ten to twenty percent more—but the quality and reputation were reliable.

Walking along, he recalled something strange that had happened earlier.

Usually, when you see other players, the system only notifies you that they are players.

The Eye of Revelation provides more detailed info, like their exact level.

This was the case for the player he met this morning and the ones by the bulletin board.

But what happened with Zhang Wenbin was different.

The Eye of Revelation revealed this:

...

[Player (LV 2)]

[Talent: Favored One]

[Effect: Greatly increased luck.]

...

After some thought, Qin Yuan came to a hypothesis.

This so-called Favored One talent, like the Eye of Revelation, was an ability only a small number of players could obtain.

That explained why there was almost no discussion about it on the forums yesterday.

The system wouldn’t tell you directly; if it weren’t for the Eye of Revelation’s clear display, many players might never realize they had such talents during the early stages.

Now that he thought back, the sudden awareness of the surrounding movement, and bringing Dagan over to check, which inadvertently saved the player’s life, might have been connected to this ability.

Of course, helping him was just a spontaneous act.

With these thoughts briefly settled, Qin Yuan pushed them aside and focused ahead.

He had arrived at the alchemy shop’s doorstep.