Chapter 24: This Boy Is Really Full of Tricks!
As the bare trees grew increasingly sparse, the mist swirling before Wang Chen gradually dissipated, and his view suddenly opened up.
Yet the scene before him was hardly any better. The black-brown earth was utterly barren, with cracks everywhere caused by drought, resembling the chapped lips of those who died of thirst.
The vast horizon did nothing to lift his spirits; the gloomy, deep sky overhead seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
“The climate in this instance is truly bizarre. Just now in the forest, my clothes were damp, but as soon as I step out, it’s this scorched wasteland!”
Wang Chen had learned to be cautious.
He didn’t rush onto the dry ground, but instead took out the Dark Creature Distribution Atlas to consult it.
“The dark effect of the water-poor wasteland will cause most of the moisture in the area to vanish. This effect is triggered upon contact with the ground. Note: even wearing shoes counts as contact!”
He read silently.
He pondered for a moment.
Then he poured out some water he’d long prepared from his storage ring.
This was a supply he’d set aside for daily needs.
The water streamed from the forest toward the low-lying dry ground. The moment it touched the earth, it was visibly sucked down below.
Wang Chen kept his storage space open, letting large amounts of water flow, but every time it reached the wasteland, it was instantly absorbed.
The soil remained stubbornly dry.
It was as if an invisible mouth beneath the ground swallowed all the water.
Wang Chen’s expression grew increasingly grave.
If this region’s effect was as described in the atlas, slowly absorbing any moisture, then wouldn’t anyone walking across it eventually become a dried-up corpse?
Fortunately, he had the Reversal System.
“Rebel, reverse the negative effect ahead!”
[Reversal effect activated. Please check yourself. It can be reversed again to restore the original effect.]
[Deadly Siphon of the Wasteland]
[Effect: Moisture in contact with this ground will increase over time.]
“Good, now everything should be fine!”
With his worries eased, Wang Chen left the forest and stepped onto the dried earth.
As for his body’s moisture increasing over time, Wang Chen wasn’t too concerned.
He knew well that if certain vital organs became oversaturated with water, it could have severe—even fatal—consequences.
But every ordinary person
can freely reduce their body’s moisture, can’t they?
Not long after Wang Chen entered the wasteland, the Skinny Monkey who had been tailing him arrived at the edge of the woods.
Panting heavily, he steadied himself against a bare tree, trying to catch his breath.
“What’s with this kid? Running so fast in this ghostly forest, and he doesn’t even show a hint of fatigue!”
The Skinny Monkey had just felt his own energy being drained bit by bit, as if someone used to living at sea level was suddenly thrust to high altitude.
“If not for my profession, I’d have already lost him!”
He focused and activated his skill—Sprint.
With its use, his heavy body became suddenly light, and the overwhelming fatigue faded.
His profession was Assassin, more or less a combat class.
The name sounded formidable, but compared to powerful assassination classes like Night Stalker, both his skills and attributes were much weaker.
The Scavenger Squad usually used him as a scout.
Yet this profession gave him decent stamina, perfect for tracking jobs.
He hadn’t expected Wang Chen to be so tireless, almost as if cheating. The Skinny Monkey could only follow from afar, always on the verge of losing him.
“Could this kid have a similar profession to mine?”
He wondered.
“If so, he can’t be that tough on his own. We shouldn’t have much trouble dealing with him!”
Excitement flickered across his face.
Staring at the barren land before him, the Skinny Monkey took out a waterskin from his pack and drank deeply.
Draining nearly a quarter in one go, he exhaled with relief, his belly swelling.
“I’d better drink a bit more. If anything happens and I don’t have time to drink, I’ll be sucked dry!”
Ignoring the swelling in his stomach, he forced himself to swallow another third.
Wiping his mouth, his face twisted as he watched Wang Chen’s receding figure.
“But that kid didn’t seem to drink any water. Does he not know how strange this wasteland is? Coming in unprepared—he’s courting death!”
“All the better. If he gets sucked dry, I’ll just loot his body. Maybe I’ll even find a few treasures to stash.”
At this thought
greed gleamed in the Skinny Monkey’s eyes.
He hurried af