Chapter 9

Rod had no intention of abandoning the fat merchant. On the contrary, the reason he left was to check his spoils of war. In the previous battle, Rod had gained a lot of experience, but not much in terms of loot. Although for players, the crashed floating ship was a treasure trove, and the dead bodies would surely have a lot of wealth on them, Rod ultimately dismissed this idea. No matter what, the merchant had saved his life, and it would be too much to loot their bodies after they died.

While experience was valuable, what made Rod feel he had truly gained was something else. It was the black ore he now held in his hand. According to the lore of the Dragon Soul Continent, this was a soul core formed from the death of a powerful magical creature. Its properties were diverse; it could be used as a gem embedded in weapons, melted to forge soul weapons, and for spellcasters, it was an excellent material for crafting magical items. Given the low drop rate of soul cores, their price in the world of the Dragon Soul Continent was always high. For summoner swordsmen, they had an irreplaceable role.

Because this was the essential treasure needed to awaken a summon spirit.

At that moment, Rod stood deep in the dense forest. He raised his right hand, and the soul core, about the size of a fruit kernel, emitting a dense dark aura, lay quietly in his palm. The surroundings were peaceful and gentle, with the moonlight of midnight filtering through the leaves, casting spots of light on the ground and the shrubs. Then, the summoning array on the back of Rod's hand shone again, and the streamlined magical light quickly extended. A system prompt appeared in front of Rod.

[Corrupted soul core detected. Do you wish to purify it?]

"Purify."

Soon, the summoning array on the back of Rod's right hand glowed with a flawless white light. It flowed like water along his fingers, enveloping the soul core in his palm. As the holy power invaded, the black mist that originally enveloped the soul core melted away like snow under the sun, disappearing without a trace. With the black mist gone, the soul core finally revealed its true form—transparent, emitting a deep blue light, and trembling slightly like an egg-shaped gem. It seemed to sense something, struggling to break free.

[Soul core purified. Do you wish to awaken it?]

"Awaken."

With Rod's words, the blue egg-shaped gem trembled more violently. Then, with a light "snap," the entire gem shattered. Streams of blue, flowing power burst out, rapidly spinning and intertwining, forming a card shape, which then lay quietly in Rod's hand.

A cool, comfortable sensation spread through Rod's body, making him shiver pleasantly. At that moment, Rod also learned what had signed a contract with him. He picked up the card, and on the front was a green, winged spirit bird soaring in the sky. In the upper right corner was a blue semicircle (representing the card's attribute), and in the upper left corner was a "V." The two small numbers in the lower corners were "2." Rod flipped the card, and soon, magical text appeared on the back.

[Soaring Soul Bird (Wind Element Attribute): A flying-type fusion spirit. Has a 10% chance to trigger paralysis and penetration effects, which are ineffective against magical defenses. ——Skill: Spirit Wind Illusion (Range skill for the children of the wind, soaring in the sky)]

[1/10 Sky Deck obtained: Soaring Soul Bird]

What good luck.

Rod couldn't help but smile. A flying-type summon spirit was one of the essential spirits for early-game summoner swordsmen. The wind element attribute allowed it to easily pass through items without magical properties, meaning ordinary defenses were meaningless against it. With a 30-meter effective range and special effects, Rod could now ensure he wouldn't face too much danger, even if he accidentally encountered mutated bosses, he was confident he could fight them.

However, what troubled Rod the most was his attributes. His strength, constitution, dexterity, and willpower were still hidden, which made him uneasy. Although this was his own body, the state it was in far exceeded what Rod should normally be capable of. He was sure his attributes were above human, but not being able to grasp his body's condition in detail was not a good feeling. Thinking you would die but not dying is a beautiful misunderstanding, but thinking you won't die and then dying is a terrible nightmare. Since he couldn't see them, Rod could only rely on his experience and guess.

From the battle with the Wind Serpent Lord, Rod had some clues. After all, he had studied the Wind Serpent Lord's data in detail. From the battle, his strength was roughly on par with a standard swordsman, and his constitution was quite strong. Since coming to this world, despite several crises, Rod's body had withstood the tests, with the lowest status being caution, never reaching emergency. In terms of speed, he was similar to a normal human. However, he couldn't test his willpower—finding a mage to cast mental spells on him to see how far he could resist was not an option.

At that moment, a slight rustling came from the bushes. Rod raised an eyebrow, lowered his right hand, and the light of the summoning array on his hand dimmed. The card he held turned into magical dust and disappeared. Once sealed as a card and confirmed by the holder, the sealed card would no longer appear in physical form. They would sleep quietly in the "Ten Major Essences" ring on the summoner swordsman's summoning array, waiting to be awakened and used. Currently, only two cards were sealed in the outermost "Kingdom" ring of the six outer rings—Star Trace (no attribute) and Spirit Bird (wind element).

Rod didn't intend to reveal too much of his abilities in front of others. Although the game had introduced that summoner swordsmen were a player-exclusive class, existing in the ancient times of the continent, and players were the only inheritors of this class, their journey was to find and recreate the glory of this once-heroic class. Of course, this was just game fluff. From Liss and Mace's reactions, Rod could tell that these people had no idea such a class existed, so he couldn't say much. Moreover, maintaining a certain level of mystery was not without its benefits.

Just as Rod turned around, Liss emerged from the forest.

"Liss? Is there something you need?"

"Ah... no, nothing, Mr. Rod."

Liss shook her head, but her face was uneasy.

"Um... I just wanted to ask how your injuries are, and if there's anything I can do..."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her robe. At that moment, she looked incredibly fragile.

In fact, Rod had noticed Liss's unusual behavior. Mace could see her traits because, as a merchant, he had traveled extensively and would have been sold long ago without a keen eye. Rod could see through her character because of his experience as the leader of the largest guild in the Dragon Soul Continent game. Unlike in reality, players were hidden behind their characters online, making their behavior more concealed. In such a virtual world, to unite a group, one had to be very perceptive. Most players came to the game for fun, not to treat it as a job. Getting them to log in on time, raid dungeons, and achieve records required a good balance and grasp. Observing the emotions and inner thoughts of one's companions was crucial for a guild leader like Rod.

Now, Liss's behavior clearly showed that she lacked support, which made her very uneasy. Rod could see that losing her companions had a significant impact on her. It wasn't just the departure of familiar people but also a sense of unease and fear about the future. During the previous battle, Rod had observed this girl. She had performed very well, quickly casting healing spells and dispelling toxins, and the protective shield she cast on Rod was precise to the second. For a support class, her skills were quite excellent. At that time, she was confident and goal-oriented, facing danger without hesitation or fear.

But now, the trembling girl had lost all her confidence.

There was only one reason.