Chapter 2

The fierce wind blew through the canyon, stirring up waves of grass on the plain. The bison, which had been lowering their heads to graze on the tender green leaves, lifted their heads to look at the sky. There, a wooden merchant ship dozens of meters long was floating in the air, its sails fully extended by the wind, moving forward slowly.

"Whenever I see this wind, it's always so magnificent."

A middle-aged man in leather armor stood by the deck, looking down at the vast grassland and the beautiful scenery.

"For us merchants, this is also a rare business opportunity."

Standing beside the middle-aged man was a slightly plump merchant with a head of peculiar curly hair, wearing a merchant's robe. His small eyes were slightly squinted, as if he were calculating something, gazing at the scenery before him. It seemed as if even this beautiful view could be sold for money.

"Without it, we probably wouldn't be able to transport our goods to the central region so quickly. To be honest, when I first planned to expand this market, I faced opposition, but now it looks like my choice was indeed correct."

"However, please forgive me for being frank, but you didn't choose the large route. Instead, you took this path, which saves time but increases the danger. I've heard that the other side is not peaceful recently. And, as the captain warned, there have been sightings of wind snakes in this area recently. What if...?"

The man's expression became more serious. He turned his head and looked at the nearby mountains. The towering peaks blocked his view, but he could faintly see that the sky in the distance was not clear blue but had a dark, ominous hue.

That was not a world they should venture into.

"Don't worry, there are so many 'what ifs.' Wealth comes with risk, and that's why I paid such a high price to hire you! A few snakes, that's all, right?"

The merchant reached out and patted the man's shoulder.

"By the way, how is the young man we rescued? Is he still alive?"

"Liz has bandaged his wounds. He is now in a deep sleep and should not be in any danger."

"That's good."

Hearing the man's response, the merchant nodded in satisfaction, but then quickly frowned.

"But, what kind of injury did that young man sustain? From the look of the wound, it seems like a large lizard—though, are there such strange creatures in the north of Pafeld?"

"I'm not sure, sir, but it must have been a very fierce beast. I hope we don't encounter it."

As he spoke, the man subconsciously glanced at the entrance to the cabin, then turned his head back to look ahead.

Rod opened his eyes.

What happened?

He stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind foggy. He remembered that he had been leading his team on a high platform in the ruins, fighting the most powerful boss in Dragon Soul Continent, the Void Dragon, and successfully achieving the first kill. He was sure he had received the achievement and the system notification, but then the Void Dragon's final attack had taken his life. According to the original plan, Rod should have respawned in the graveyard and logged out. However, the moment he was killed by the Void Dragon, the entire world turned pitch black, as if forcibly isolated, and then Rod lost consciousness.

How could this be? Could there be a problem with the game?

Rod managed to turn his head and saw the blue sky and white clouds outside the window. Where was he? What place was this? What had happened? Was he still dreaming? Or was he still in the game? At least Rod could be certain that this place was definitely not his small rented apartment. Confusion immediately flooded his mind, and he frowned, trying to sit up.

"Ouch!!"

At that moment, a sharp pain suddenly shot through Rod's chest, and he gritted his teeth, stopping his movement. It was then that Rod noticed that his left shoulder and chest were completely wrapped in bandages. Although he didn't know what had happened, the bloodstains seeping through the bandages clearly indicated that he was seriously injured.

This was definitely not a game!

Rod was certain of this. Although technology had advanced significantly, and Dragon Soul Continent, as the world's first virtual reality MMORPG, had employed many high-tech techniques, the rules stated that players should not feel pain. This was to help distinguish reality from the game and to lower the player threshold. When a player was injured, the game would reduce their movement speed and use red vision to warn and alert them, rather than simulating real pain. This had been a significant point of debate when holographic simulation technology first appeared, and the operating company of Dragon Soul Continent was well aware of this.

Rod looked down at his right hand. It was not the muscular, wild body of his in-game character. Instead, the arm before him was thin and weak, with a pale, almost sickly complexion due to lack of sunlight. This was his real body, and he knew it well.

But how had he been injured? And this place didn't look like a hospital. Rod looked around the room, which seemed to be a cabin. There were no lights, no phones, and no call buttons. A wooden table, two chairs, and a cabinet fixed to the wall were the only furnishings. For some reason, Rod felt as if he had seen this scene before.

As Rod carefully examined the room, the door suddenly opened.

A blonde girl in a white robe walked in and looked at Rod, who was half-sitting up, with wide, surprised eyes.

"You're awake? That's great!!"

The girl's words were not in Chinese or English, but Rod could clearly understand what she was saying. This surprised him; he knew this language.

It was Nim, one of the official languages of Dragon Soul Continent!

"How do you feel? Are you okay?"

The girl didn't pay attention to Rod's expression. She quickly walked to his side and carefully examined his left shoulder and chest.

"You were seriously injured. To be honest, I was worried if you could make it..."

"This is..."

Rod frowned, unsure of what to say. He turned his head to look at the mirror on the wall, which clearly reflected his face. It was indeed his face, but it shouldn't be here.

"Have you forgotten?"

The blonde girl blinked her eyes in confusion, her twin pigtails swaying slightly with her movements. Her clear, azure eyes gave her a lively appearance.

"Two days ago, you were found injured in the Pafeld Highlands. If it weren't for the merchant ship of the 'Silver Scales' Guild passing by, things could have been very bad. I don't know what you were fighting, but your left side was severely injured, and it was very dangerous at the time."

Wait, left shoulder?

Rod was taken aback. He immediately remembered that in the final battle with the Void Dragon, he had been attacked on the left side. But that was his in-game character, and it shouldn't have affected him, the player. Yet now, he himself was injured.

Although the situation was chaotic, Rod quickly calmed down, a trait of a top player and the president of the world's most powerful gaming guild. Through his conversation with the blonde girl, Rod learned about his current condition. He had been found severely injured in the Pafeld Highlands and was rescued by the 'Silver Scales' Guild's airship. According to the girl, his initial condition was not good, but his recovery was quite remarkable.

"My name is Liz Noelle. I'm a member of the Star Moon Mercenary Group and a Spirit Master. You can call me Liz."

The girl introduced herself to Rod openly.

"My name is Rod Elan."

Although he was still trying to make sense of the situation, Rod hesitated for a moment before giving his in-game identity and ID.

"From the Eastern Highlands, an adventurer."

"An adventurer, I see. That explains why you were alone in such a remote mountain."

Liz was not surprised by Rod's answer. Many adventurers on this continent enjoyed exploring alone, so his identity was not problematic.

"However, what were you fighting? Why were you so severely injured? I don't remember there being any particularly dangerous monsters in this region."

Hearing the girl's question, Rod smiled awkwardly. What could he say? Should he tell Liz that he was injured while fighting the Void Dragon, one of the five dragons of creation?

"Since it was at night, I didn't see clearly what attacked me. There were many of them, and they were fast. I think they might have been from 'that side.'"

"I understand."

Although Rod didn't provide details, Liz seemed to understand. She nodded and, after carefully examining his wounds, stood up.

"You haven't eaten for two days, so you must be very hungry. Please wait, I'll get some food for you right away. Oh, and I need to report this to the captain. I think he will come to see you soon."

With that, the girl politely nodded at Rod and turned to leave the room.