Chapter 169: Desperate Survival Shop |
After checking his items, Bai Mu casually opened the treasure chests.
The first common chest yielded a thermal cotton jacket, a piece of clothing with only a warmth-retention attribute. It was fairly standard; since it was a common chest, he hadn't expected to get anything amazing anyway.
When opening the rare chest, he held the Lucky Dagger in his hand, hoping the "Favored by Luck" trait would grant him some good fortune. Whether the luck bonus actually worked or not, he ended up getting another mushroom-type item.
[Name: Delicious Mushroom]
[Type: Special Item]
[Quality: Rare]
[Note: A mushroom born for deliciousness. It emits an enticing aroma and holds extremely strong appeal for any living creature.] Bai Mu took the Delicious Mushroom out. It was a palm-sized, dome-shaped white mushroom. A peculiar fragrance wafted from it, instantly making his mouth water. He felt a sudden urge to stir-fry the mushroom into a dish, mix it with rice, and stuff it into his mouth in huge bites.
The aroma was indeed as enticing as the description claimed. Just smelling it made his appetite surge. His Adam's apple bobbed as he unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"This thing is perfect for use as bait. If I slice it up and put it on a fishhook, I'll definitely catch a big fish with every cast," he muttered.
However, reason told him that doing so would merely be wasting an item. Eating the Delicious Mushroom would grant him nothing but fleeting pleasure. If he were going to die tomorrow, he would definitely use a hundred different cooking methods to prepare this mushroom, but considering its utility, he could only suppress his appetite.
He used "Mushroom Language" to communicate with the Delicious Mushroom, and its consciousness only conveyed a single thought to him:
'I am very delicious, hurry up and eat me.'
'Good lord, it seems this thing grew purely for the sake of being eaten,' he thought.
Bai Mu hurriedly stowed the Delicious Mushroom into his inventory. Out of sight, out of mind. Being able to look at it but not eat it was simply frustrating. With the chests all opened, he headed to the Adventure Script's shop to claim his rating rewards.
Just like before, the D and C-grade ratings only yielded a paltry few dozen Points—barely enough to be considered a drop in the bucket.
Reaching the B-grade rating, however, brought item rewards.
The B-grade reward was a "Medical Notes" book. It was a consumable item that, upon use, taught the passive skill "First Aid Technique," increasing the healing amount of recovery items by thirty percent. This meant an item that normally restored thirty percent Health would now restore an additional nine percent. Bai Mu flipped through the pages and saw neat handwriting. The cover bore the author's signature: Katie. After reading through the notes, he learned that Katie had actually become a doctor, taking on the responsibility of treating the survivors' wounds and curing their illnesses.
Most of the early knowledge was relatively basic, originating from things Bai Mu had written. In the later sections, her handwriting became more mature and the content increasingly professional. She had probably started studying medical books on her own, or perhaps someone among the survivors who used to be a doctor had passed down their knowledge to her. When it came to medical treatment, she was already far more professional than Bai Mu.
After flipping through the notes once, Bai Mu used the item, allowing it to accompany him in the long run as a passive skill.
The A-grade reward was a first-aid medical kit containing two rolls of hemostatic bandages, a bottle of Painkillers, and a bottle of anti-inflammatory pills. They were all recovery items. The hemostatic bandages continuously restored thirty percent Health over ten seconds. The Painkillers had the exact same effect as the ones from the Journey of Death. The anti-inflammatory pills, meanwhile, could cure low-level abnormal status effects on the body.
Not bad at all. Aside from his Health Potions, Bai Mu had almost completely exhausted his healing items, so this restock came at the perfect time.
The S-grade reward was a permanent skill card containing an offensive active skill.
[Skill Name: Quick Draw]
[Category: Active Skill]
[Quality: Rare]
[Effect: Draw your blade rapidly to deliver a devastatingly high-damage slash, simultaneously inflicting bleeding and laceration status effects on the target.]
[Cost: None]
[Learning Requirement: Any sword or blade mastery skill at Lv. 5 or above.]
[Note: Draw, and slash!]
In Bai Mu's passive skill tab, he had Practical Blade Mastery at Lv. Max, satisfying the learning requirement. Therefore, the moment he received the skill card, he learned it immediately. He equipped the Flaming Sword and tried to activate the skill. Even though the Flaming Sword lacked a scabbard, he could still execute Quick Draw.
However, this skill had a slight posture requirement: the Flaming Sword had to be sheathed or hung at his left waist before it could be unleashed.
The moment he activated the skill, his arm moved on its own, swinging the Flaming Sword so fast it left behind afterimages, somewhat resembling a technique from a martial arts movie. This skill had no cooldown and only required the proper stance. If he wanted to unleash it continuously, he first had to return the blade to its starting position. If he had a scabbard, it would probably result in a comical scene of him frantically drawing and sheathing his sword over and over.
Overall, it was a highly practical offensive skill with no extra cost.
He felt that unleashing this move looked a bit like Leon's motion when chopping off a Doppelganger's head. Quick Draw was likely a combat tactic the survivors had formulated specifically against the Doppelgangers—either hide and evade them entirely, or kill them in a single strike, leaving the enemy with zero chance to counterattack.
This was a killing move that solely prioritized speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
After claiming his rating rewards, Bai Mu casually browsed the shop. There were no mushrooms this time; all the merchandise was related to the survivors. The rare item on the first page was a gun. Since it was of no use to him, Bai Mu simply scrolled past it.
The rare item on the second page was another first-aid medical kit. Bai Mu had little interest in it. Instead, a common-grade item sparked his desire to spend.
It was a cloak called the "Nightwalker Cloak," which could lower one's presence in dark environments.
Cloaks did not count as standard clothing; they were considered equipment that could be layered over existing outfits.
Because it was common-grade equipment, the Nightwalker Cloak only cost three hundred Points.
Bai Mu could just afford it. The cloak's trait synergized perfectly with the Reporter's Illegal Infiltration. After reading the Nightwalker Cloak's description, he bought the item on the spot.
After equipping the Nightwalker Cloak, the Dance of Elvis, and the mushroom hat all at the same time, his overall appearance looked a bit bizarre.
He had a massive white mushroom on his head, and draped over the back of his black trench coat was an old, heavily patched cloak with a strong wasteland aesthetic. If he were to walk down a street in the real world, most people would assume he was performing some kind of performance art.
However, this was Paradise. He finally understood why the Players in the community all dressed so eccentrically—these were the unique outfits they had pieced together by clearing Script after Script.
Finally, he still had two roulette spins left. Bai Mu did not save them; he spun them both at once.
The four options were "Canned Sardines," "Improvised Incendiary Grenades x3," "Survival Guide," and "Windproof Goggles." There was no need to hesitate. Between the canned sardines and the incendiary grenades, he would definitely choose the grenades. Between the Survival Guide and the goggles, he quickly made a decision as well. Both were rare-grade items, but the former increased the recovery speed of Stamina and Health, while the latter was a reconnaissance item that allowed him to see further distances while neutralizing the effects of windy and sandy environments.
He naturally chose the Survival Guide. He already had a gas mask, and as for reconnaissance items, he had his mobile ward combination and even his Night Vision Camcorder.
What he lacked right now was a means of restoring Stamina, which was effectively his mana bar.
He honestly hoped to learn something like "spiritual energy," "internal energy," or "mana" to replace his Stamina for skill consumption, but he would just have to wait and see if an opportunity presented itself in the future.