owlsbooks 001 Coarse Brine
001 Coarse Brine
Li Yu gripped the bronze longsword with its wooden handle tightly and cleaved down a skeleton wielding a bone spear with a single stroke.
"Go to hell!"
He brandished his long sword and hacked wildly.
The bone spear broke, the cervical vertebrae shattered, and the skull rolled to the side.
"[System]: Congratulations to the player for killing the [Spear Skeleton], gaining 3 points of combat experience."
Only after the ghostly fire in the skull's eye socket extinguished and the "information" appeared in his mind did Li Yu relax.
He then plopped down, leaning against the stone wall, panting heavily.
A foot above their heads, a copper lamp, lit by a hemp candle, was placed in a small niche in the wall, casting a dim yellow light onto the winding brick and stone passageways, barely providing any illumination.
Looking around, one sees scenes of people fighting with skeletons everywhere.
This place is an underground military cave located in the northwest of Moshang Township, Ganshan County, Zhao State, Jizhou.
This was in March of the first year of the Guanghe era of Emperor Ling of Han, 178 AD, in late spring.
The Eastern Han Dynasty was a time when many "monsters" existed, including skeletons, vengeful spirits, and giant pythons.
I have been in this world for 25 days.
Not only Li Yu, but there are rumors that more than 70 billion people on Earth have traveled to this game-like 2nd century AD.
Every Earthling possesses a "virtual panel" representing their own attributes.
For example, Li Yu himself—
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[Name] Li Yu.
[Reputation] -10
【Fate】3/3
[Vitality] Stamina 140/140, Energy 200/200
[Level] Strength 17 [11/340], Intelligence 19 [3/380].
[Attributes] Strength 11, Constitution 14, Agility 13, Spirit 20
[Additional] Literary skills -5, Military skills +3, Charisma -6, Willpower +3.
[Equipment] Bronze Longsword
[Title] [Rough and Temporary]
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The terms [ID], [Reputation], [Attributes], [Title], [Vigor], [Level], and [Equipment] are not difficult to understand, and the terms Strength, Constitution, Agility, Spirit, Charisma, and Willpower need no further explanation.
As for the Earthlings, who call themselves "players," they have gradually come to understand this world over the past few days, they have gained a general understanding of its martial prowess, intelligence, literary skills, and military affairs.
Martial prowess and intelligence are analogous to levels in old online games, requiring [martial prowess experience points] and [intelligence experience points] to level up. Civil and military affairs, on the other hand, affect the rate at which these experience points are gained.
[Strength Experience] is gained by killing "monsters" such as skeletons, while [Intelligence Experience] is gained by reading books and communicating with wise men.
Li Yu's [Martial Prowess] of 17 is not among the top tier of the thousands of "players" diligently leveling up in the [Hidden Soldier Cave], but it's not far off. However, his [Intelligence] of 19 is unparalleled in the entire Chenwangli, and even in Moshang Township.
Li Yu was always proud of this.
Next is [life sequence].
Of all the words, only this one [demonic number] remains unclear in meaning despite much speculation.
Some say that "deaths" are the number of times they, as Earthlings, can be resurrected. Perhaps dying three times is the true moment of "death."
However, on the second day of their journey, an elderly man surnamed Qin began shouting that he wanted to find his paralyzed wife. Many others also had the idea of searching for their relatives, so more than a hundred people left Chenwangli in a large group.
Li Yu also wanted to go, but firstly, he was worried about the negative effects of the fixed title "[Crude]", and secondly, he did not know where his parents had randomly gone, so he temporarily postponed his journey to find his relatives.
Then, less than half a day later, a dozen people, covered in blood and scrambling back, cried out, "Dead! All dead! All dead!"
Only after asking did I learn that there were many "monsters" outside the village, clustered in certain areas.
They mistakenly entered a mass grave and were attacked by more than a dozen wolves, resulting in heavy casualties.
Someone asked about the whereabouts of Grandpa Qin.
The answer was that he led several college students into an underground passage.
A few days later, the players discovered the bodies of Grandpa Qin and several female college students in the passageway of the [Hidden Soldier Cave].
To this day, the corpses discarded outside the cave have long since decomposed beyond recognition. As for Old Master Qin and his companions, there has been no sign of them, let alone any sign of them coming back to life.
Therefore, the truth about this [destiny] remains merely speculation.
What troubled Li Yu was not the truth about time travel and destiny, but the title—[Crude], and the negative status of "Reputation -10, Literary Abilities -5 and Charm -6" that came with it.
Although this title is only temporary.
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"Rough Brine - Temporary"
[Rank] Not classified.
[Attributes] Literary skills -5, Martial skills +3, Charisma -6, Willpower +3.
[Description] Your audacity and rudeness caused several beautiful young girls in Chenwang Village to lose their composure, more than a dozen mature women to tremble, and dozens of young and strong men to be enraged. Thanks to this extraordinary act, you have earned this honor.
Note: If the residents of Chenwangli can be forgiven and recognized within one month, the title can be changed in a positive way; otherwise, the title will remain fixed.
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This title was given on the day of the crossing, 25 days ago.
According to the indigenous people, on that day, throughout the entire territory of the Han Dynasty, including the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and even further afield, regardless of whether there was any human habitation, "shooting stars fell like rain, and strange people descended from the sky."
Moshang Township was no exception; in four villages—Chenwangli, Heilongli, Zhuniutun, and Gujingyi—a "meteor" fell to earth.
Li Yu, along with thousands of Earthlings from all over the world, suddenly appeared outside Chen Wangli.
These people, regardless of their previous identities—a knowledgeable homeless man, a charming woman dancing in a bar, a programmer working in a restroom…
At that moment, everyone "descended" upon this place, dressed in coarse cloth and straw sandals.
Everyone was bewildered and didn't come to their senses for a long time.
The common people of Chenwangli, or rather, the "NPCs" in the eyes of some Earthlings, all came to watch these "visitors from outer space".
As the two groups were staring at each other, a carefree-looking young man behind Li Yu, perhaps pushed by someone, suddenly shoved Li Yu towards the other side.
Caught off guard, Li Yu stumbled forward, his right hand instinctively grabbing wildly, and ended up in the arms of a young, beautiful "native" woman in her prime.
The circle on both sides greeted a pair of "budding lotus leaves just beginning to emerge".
"Congratulations to player [370029032410165014]! Due to your unwarranted and rude behavior, you have been given a special title—[Rough and Uncouth - Temporary], and your reputation has been reduced by 10."
Amidst the strange gazes of thousands of Earthlings and the menacing stares of the natives, Li Yu hurriedly tried to explain, but to no avail.
If it weren't for an NPC who happened to witness the incident and spoke out of a sense of morality, he might have been beaten to death by the enraged young men of Chenwangli.
However, Li Yu, who escaped this calamity, did not have a good time afterward.
He couldn't complete the tasks in Chenwangli, and he was repeatedly refused when he tried to buy supplies from the natives. Even the player groups formed by these Earthlings to level up turned him away.
After being tormented repeatedly, he even contemplated suicide.
In the end, it was that NPC who couldn't stand it anymore and arranged for him to work as a gatekeeper, that is, to guard the gate of [Chenwangli], so that Li Yu would not starve to death.
Unfortunately, even guarding the gate couldn't alleviate the scornful looks he received, let alone earn the villagers' forgiveness and approval.
There are only 5 days left until the one-month deadline.
Once this label of "rough and crude" is fixed, his future misfortunes are almost predictable.
The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get!
Shaking his head, Li Yu temporarily banished these unpleasant thoughts and turned his attention back to fighting monsters and leveling up.
Just then, I saw the "split" skull turn into ashes and return to nothingness.
An object, about two fingers long and one finger wide, appeared on the ground where the skeleton had just been.
Li Yu picked it up and examined it.
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Unknown Fragments
[Rank] Unknown.
[Attribute] Unknown.
[Description] An ancient artifact, its origins unknown.
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A bunch of unknowns, it looks like a good thing. But in reality, the production rate of this thing is not low.
Over twenty days, hundreds of players fought skeletons. A total of thirty to forty of these [Unknown Fragments] dropped.
At first, some people hoarded it, thinking it was a rare commodity that they could sell for a good price later.
But given the high probability of this happening, and the fact that it's impossible to find anyone to "identify" it, this [unknown fragment] becomes a useless item.
I don't want to sell at a low price, but no one will buy it at a high price.
Li Yu already had two, and now that he had gotten another one, he felt only bad luck.
Why can't you give me a good knife?
His bronze longsword was already chipped...
Li Yu sighed and was about to continue searching for and killing skeletons when the light from the bronze lamp suddenly dimmed.
Li Yu used the tip of his knife to adjust the wick, and the light became brighter.
He looked down at the lamp oil—it was only a thin layer at the bottom, probably not enough to last much longer.
Alright, that concludes today's leveling session.
Let's go back!
Li Yu sheathed his sword, picked up his lantern, and walked out of the [hidden soldier cave].
He encountered many players leveling up along the way, but no one paid him any attention.
The same applies inside and outside the cave.
Outside the hidden military cave, a huge crowd surged.
Some people, exhausted from leveling up, would come out of the cave to rest, drink water, eat, chat, and so on.
Some people, with quick thinking, started hawking their wares and doing business.
"Short poplar sticks, two coins each, even Lü Bu would praise them! Sturdy rattan shields, only ten coins, even Zilong would trust them!"
"Looking to buy swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks at a hefty price! Hey bro, do you have any in stock?"
"Sharpening the knife! Sharpening the sword!"
Whenever a player leaves the cave, someone will approach them, either to sell food or to trade weapons.
When it was Li Yu's turn, no one greeted him. He walked past with his head down, and behind him, he heard hushed whispers and mockery.
"Is this the unlucky guy?"
"It's him."
"I heard from someone that he didn't do it on purpose; someone else pushed him."
"Someone pushed him, I heard it was on purpose. But it was no use, he deserved his bad luck."
"How so?"
"The guy who pushed him is called Liu Rui. He used to be a good-for-nothing hoodlum. But now he's all high and mighty. He joined the 'Hundred-Man Commando Team,' and he's been leveling up by fighting skeletons every day. His combat power is almost at level 20. I heard he even got some kind of 'Moonlight Scroll' a couple of days ago. He's really hot right now. Does this unlucky guy dare to mess with him?"
"That's true..."
Li Yu clenched his fists and quickly left.