Chapter 2

When the head is removed, the corpse is completely dead. Although it is said to be immortal and not subject to the cycle of rebirth, this is just a claim, not a reality. Otherwise, everyone would become immortals, and a bite from a corpse before death would grant eternal life.

Liu Weian, though exhausted and struggling to breathe, knew that this was not the time to rest. He picked up the large cleaver, which had several chips, and began to eviscerate the corpse. This was not because he was perverse, but because he was looking for treasures.

The creatures in this world are peculiar; after they die, a fleshy sac similar to a spider's sac forms inside their bodies. Breaking open the sac can yield various treasures, such as daggers, shoes, hats, rings, necklaces, and more. It sounds incredible, but anyone who has played games knows that it is similar to looting equipment from defeated monsters. The difference is that one is a game, and the other is the real world.

When the corpse was alive, its muscles were stiff, but after it was thoroughly dead, the strength in its flesh seemed to dissipate instantly, making it soft. The cleaver easily cut through the rotten flesh, revealing a fleshy sac about the size of a fist. Seeing the sac, Liu Weian's pale face showed a hint of a smile.

Although it was not the first time he had seen a fleshy sac, he still could not help but feel excited. He carefully used the tip of the knife to pick out the sac, being cautious because the flesh and blood of the corpse were highly toxic. A single drop could corrode a person to the bone, and he did not want to lose more flesh.

The fleshy sac was miraculous; it remained clean even when immersed in contaminated blood. After picking it out, it was dry and free of any liquid. However, Qin Zou had already passed the stage of curiosity. He picked up the small dagger used for cutting flesh and sliced the sac, which split into two halves, dropping out about ten copper coins.

Liu Weian's face immediately fell. Although he knew that killing such a low-level corpse would not yield good items, such as bows, knives, swords, elixirs, or secret manuals, the reality still left him disappointed. However, the disappointment was fleeting. He quickly picked up the copper coins, a total of sixteen, which was not bad, much better than the previous few days. At least he had enough for today's meal.

He repeated the process with the second corpse, cutting open the fleshy sac. Inside, there were no copper coins or equipment, only a pigeon-egg-sized bead. The bead was a deep red, with faint patterns on its surface, emitting an unusual aura. The moment Liu Weian saw the bead, his eyes widened, and a flush of excitement spread across his pale face, almost stopping his breath.

A Corpse Pearl, it was actually a Corpse Pearl!

He chose the corpse as his target for a reason. Corpses move slowly, are large, and easy to hit, making the success rate of killing them much higher than other species.

Initially, he chose roosters. He killed them for three days and nights, but the roosters did not die, and he was severely injured. In the end, a half-dead rooster was taken by someone else. Then he changed his target to stray dogs. After just one hour, he had lost about three pounds of flesh. Fortunately, a hunting team passed by and saved him.

After that, he did not dare to act alone and joined a team. With more people, the situation improved, and he could earn a few copper coins each day to eat. However, the good times did not last long. After killing a mountain cat, the team split over the distribution of loot, and he could not find a new team for several days.

Wild teams often had disputes over loot, which was dangerous. Regular teams were formed by acquaintances and rarely recruited strangers. Liu Weian, who was not favored by anyone, wandered for several days and found nothing. In the end, he decided to take his chances on the mountain.

Surprisingly, his luck was good. He encountered a fleeing rat. He had seen rats before but never one as large as a stray dog. The first sight terrified him, but the second look turned to surprise. The rat was already severely injured, with an arrow through its neck, and it had only a breath left.

This was someone else's prey.

Liu Weian made a decision in an instant: to take it! Before the pursuers arrived, he killed the rat and obtained a dagger, which he now used. Although small, it was incredibly sharp. He then fled with the rat's meat.

The rat's meat exchanged for 38 copper coins, and that day, he had a big meal.

After that, he decided to become an archer. After careful consideration, he chose corpses as his target. There were many objective reasons, such as fewer people in the cemetery, no worry about being robbed, and the cemetery being closer to the city, making it more convenient than the forest.

Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory. To understand the characteristics of corpses, he spent ten copper coins to read a book for ten minutes at the only bookstore in the city. He tried his best to remember everything about corpses, but ten minutes was not enough, and he knew he remembered very little. However, the book did mention the Corpse Pearl.

The Corpse Pearl is formed by zombies, and the book did not explain why it exists in detail, only that it is similar to bezoars and pig pearls, but with more stringent conditions. The only certainty is that the Corpse Pearl can be eaten, and after consuming it, one becomes immune to corpse poison.

Without hesitation, Liu Weian swallowed the Corpse Pearl. It looked as hard as jade but melted in his mouth, spreading a cool sensation throughout his body. In the next moment, his strength, which had been suppressed by the corpse's aura, surged back like a flood, and his spirit was invigorated. The dizziness and blurred vision disappeared, and his mind became unusually clear.

The effect was immediate.

His leg, which had been numb and itchy, began to heal visibly. Without the suppression of the corpse's aura, his healing ability returned to normal.

This world is magical; no matter how severe the injury, as long as one is not dead, they can heal themselves.

Liu Weian did not pay attention to the wound on his leg but instead used the large cleaver to break open the heads of the two corpses, finding two small white crystals. These were the essence of the corpses, condensed in the moment of death. He had been hesitant to break the heads for fear of being splashed by the corpse's fluid, but now he dared to do it.

The white crystals were odorless and tasteless. After swallowing them, a surge of energy spread throughout his body. Liu Weian could clearly feel his muscles swelling, and a powerful force flowed through his body like a mighty river, surging without end.

He had always been weak, almost unable to lift a chicken. The first time he consumed a white crystal was when he killed the large rat, and his body underwent its first evolution, transforming from a weakling to a normal person. This was the second evolution, and he felt that if he threw a punch, it would have the force of about 400 pounds, exceeding that of an ordinary person.

When he looked at his thigh again, the wound had disappeared, and the flesh had regrown. If one did not look closely, one would not notice that it had been injured. It was already close to dusk, and Liu Weian did not dare to delay. He quickly tidied up, which meant sweeping through the bodies of the previous group, taking anything valuable, even a single copper coin. However, these people, who could not even defeat a corpse, were clearly not experts. Not being experts, they were not wealthy. From the bodies of about ten people, he only found 28 copper coins, six wooden swords (which were already rotten), four broken staffs, and a broken bow. However, the bowstring was good, and Qin Zou immediately took it.

The only significant find was the large cleaver, but it was already pitted and might not be worth much. Overall, today's harvest was good, with 44 copper coins, which was more than the best day he had ever had, when he earned only 7 copper coins.

Just as he was about to leave, he had a sudden thought. In this world, all meat could be sold for money, and even trees, bones, and flowers could be exchanged for money. Could rotten meat be sold? It could not be eaten, but could it be used to make poison? Liu Weian knew that poison was expensive.

Before consuming the Corpse Pearl, he would not have dared to think this way, but now that he was immune to corpse poison, his thoughts became more active.

Three hours later, Liu Weian returned to the city, which was more like a village. It was a spontaneously formed tribe, mainly for trading.

Stone City, a name as mundane as it could be, was named for the large rocks near the village.

The sky was already dark, but there were still many people in Stone City. The streets were lined with stalls, each displaying a few items, mostly for bartering. Everyone was poor and had no money. When Liu Weian dragged two corpses into the city, people were surprised but said nothing, just giving him an extra glance. The people who set up stalls every day had seen all sorts of strange things, and two corpses were nothing compared to a three-legged toad.

Pharmacy.

Stone City had only one pharmacy, which did not even have a name, clearly intending to be a monopoly.

"Corpse meat?"

The pharmacy had never received such a thing before, and the clerk did not dare to make a decision, so he called the owner. Liu Weian did not speak but just looked at the owner.

The owner did not look at Liu Weian but examined the corpses thoroughly before saying, "If the head was intact, I could offer 3 gold coins, but the head is broken, the belly is torn, and the claws are cut off, so I can only offer 1 silver coin per corpse."

The broken head indicated that the white crystal had been removed, and the torn belly meant the fleshy sac had been taken. The most valuable parts of a corpse were the white crystal and the fleshy sac. The drop from 3 gold coins to 1 silver coin was a significant disappointment for Liu Weian. One gold coin equals 100 silver coins, a difference of 300 times.

The claws were cut off because he needed them for arrowheads.

"Agreed!" Liu Weian agreed quickly, as he had no choice with only one pharmacy.

After the transaction, Liu Weian went to sell the broken large cleaver, which fetched only 11 copper coins. The damn corpse fluid had ruined a good knife.

He chose a safe place and logged off.