Chapter 6: The Harvest

Deprived of its wings, the vampire plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground with a dull thud.

Against the keen-eyed owl’s feathers, the vampire’s subtle maneuvers could not hide a thing. The owl had timed its strike perfectly for the moment the creature turned to flee, ensuring it was not only blinded to what lay behind it but also left with its most vulnerable wings exposed. The suppression of power levels, combined with the owl’s extensive combat experience, brought the skirmish to an instantaneous conclusion.

As the spellcaster perished, Qin Yuan, who had been lying on the ground, immediately opened his eyes. Seeing that he was still in the forest, he quickly asked, "What happened?"

The feather briefly recounted everything that had transpired, concluding with: "That blood-sucking monster fell from such a great height; it must be dead by now."

Relieved, Qin Yuan said, "Let's go take a look."

Delays lead to complications; delivering a finishing blow was the golden rule. As it turned out, his concern was unnecessary. Upon arriving at the scene, he found the vampire dead, with blood splattered across the ground. As he stared at the creature, text materialized before his eyes.

...

[Vampire Banshee (LV3): A lower-tier creature of the vampire species born from the curse of the "Scarlet Moon." With significant impurities in its bloodline, it is not recognized by true vampires. It possesses a lethal craving for blood and requires constant consumption. It inherits the vampire’s gift for mimicry and is exceptionally skilled at deception. A humanoid intelligent creature. Killing it provides no experience points, and the corpse cannot be decomposed.]

...

Qin Yuan did not hesitate; he had the feather deliver a clean wind blade strike that severed the creature's head. He felt no guilt in disposing of such a menace. As the information indicated, he received no experience points, and unlike the Black-Striped Magic Wolf he had encountered earlier, the body did not dissolve into starlight but remained where it lay. He found this criterion strange, but he had no time to ponder it.

Suppressing a wave of nausea, Qin Yuan stepped closer to examine the monster’s ugly, deformed head, noting the faint, subtle freckles hidden beneath its skin. Indeed, this blood-sucking monster was the very waitress who had greeted him at the tavern. The Eye of Revelation had provided a warning the moment he saw her, but Qin Yuan had not reacted, calmly ordering his meal before formulating a plan. His original intention had been to slip away and report her to the captain of the guard—the safest course of action. Being a stranger in these parts, he feared that taking matters into his own hands might lead to unforeseen complications. Unexpectedly, shortly after finishing his meal, an overwhelming drowsiness had washed over him, impossible to resist.

Noticing something was wrong, he summoned the feather, gave it brief instructions, and succumbed to a deep sleep. As it turned out, that final action had saved his life. Qin Yuan felt rather aggrieved; among all the people in the tavern, this monster had chosen him by sheer misfortune.

"Regardless, I owe you my thanks," Qin Yuan said sincerely, patting the feather resting nearby.

"I’m tired..." the owl yawned, noncommittal. "Hurry up and clean this up. I need to return to the whistle to rest; today has drained a lot of my energy."

"Understood."

Qin Yuan stepped forward and found a storage bag lying beside the monster. It was a dusty gray pouch, and the moment he touched it, information flooded his mind.

[Small Storage Bag]
[Description: An item containing three cubic meters of internal space. Mass-produced by the "Mages' Guild," it is popular among adventurers for its affordability.]

A storage bag? A spatial item? Qin Yuan weighed it in his hand, quickly grasping how to use it. He did not stop to examine it further, instead tucking it into his pack to check later once he returned to the village. After confirming nothing was left behind, he steeled himself against the stench of blood and stored the monster's entire corpse in the bag; it was a necessary item for claiming the bounty.

...

"Quite a bit of money!"

Inside his room at the tavern, Qin Yuan was enthusiastically tallying his spoils. First, he found a brilliant gold coin and over thirty silver coins. Beyond those were various common potions and several magical materials.

[Life Potion * 5: A potion crafted through alchemy; drinking it slowly restores health.]

[Thunderflower ★ (Alchemical Herb): An alchemical herb found in the wild, used as a material for brewing certain alchemical potions.]
[Note: Thunderflowers bloom in the wild forests after thunderstorms.]

[Black Snake Scale ★ (Primary Material): A crafting material dropped by a "Black-Tailed Snake," used in the production of certain weapons and equipment.]

[Star Meteorite ★ (Magical Material): A magical material formed underground, used for crafting certain magical equipment.]
[Note: It is said this ore originated from a celestial collision tens of thousands of years ago.]

"What is this?" Qin Yuan pulled the final item from the bag. It was a black and yellow roulette wheel.

[Greed Roulette]
[Type: Special Item]
[Description: An item crafted from souls. Insert "currency" to spin the wheel and receive a reward. Can only be used once per week.]
[Note: The currency required to activate the wheel is a magical material that changes randomly each week; for this week, it is (Volcanic Rock ★). The higher the grade of the currency, the more generous the reward.]
[Time until next currency refresh: 6 days.]

"A special item..." Qin Yuan immediately thought of the Owl Whistle from his starter pack, which had also been classified as a special item. He could have asked the feather for more information, but it had already returned to the whistle to rest.

"This is interesting..." Qin Yuan examined it closely and discovered a mouth with sharp fangs on the back of the wheel, with a helpful label indicating "Coin Slot."

"According to the description, if I can collect a material called Volcanic Rock and insert it into this mouth, I can spin the wheel..." He noticed that the dial on the front featured over a dozen different segments with various symbols: a treasure chest, a wolf’s head, a goblet... Some patterns were too complex for him to decipher. "But the description says spinning the wheel yields a reward, which implies that regardless of the symbol, the result should be positive."

"The problem is, there must be countless types of magical materials—perhaps hundreds or thousands. Where am I supposed to find them?"

After scratching his head in frustration, Qin Yuan could not think of a good solution, so he stowed the item in his pack. Reflecting on the day, it had been a harrowing experience. Things he would never have imagined had unfolded one after another, leaving him in grave danger multiple times. That he had managed to turn misfortune into an advantage was largely thanks to the feather.

He opened his interface again and saw that only five hours remained until his return. Qin Yuan yawned, cast aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

...

[Returning...]

At eight in the morning, the cold system prompt sounded, bringing with it a familiar wave of dizziness that jolted Qin Yuan from his sleep. He remembered this sensation; it had accompanied his initial arrival in this world—a lightheaded feeling of weightlessness. The scene before his eyes shifted rapidly, and a moment later, the familiar furnishings of his own room came into view.