Chapter 25: The Abyssal Pustule

"Over the course of my long growth, my roots have spread to every corner of this island. Although I have used a barrier to shield against direct invasions by abyssal creatures, they have found a way to contaminate parts of the land, affecting my roots and causing them to suffer from abyssal infection."

"Having no other choice, I have had to fall into a deep slumber to slow down the erosion."

"I only awoke temporarily because I sensed your arrival just now."

The Sacred Rune Tree briefly explained its situation.

"That is about what I expected." The Whispering Grimoire was silent for a moment before saying, "However, you need not worry too much; I have already figured out a general solution."

Qin Yuan held the fruit, which resembled a Sacred Rune Fruit, and listened quietly to their conversation.

"To purge the abyssal contamination, we need to find a magical material called 'Purification Powder ★★.' It has the effect of cleansing abyssal pollution and can first completely clear the corruption from the 'Sacred Rune Fruit'."

The Whispering Grimoire continued:

"As for the contamination on the floating island, it is the same; we need to find the source of the pollution, something called an 'Abyssal Pustule.' This is how the abyssal creatures reached this place. As long as we sprinkle the Purification Powder on it, it can be destroyed as well."

"......In that case." The Sacred Rune Tree wore a thoughtful expression. "I can indeed sense a direction on the island where the aura of evil is significantly denser than elsewhere."

Following this, the Sacred Rune Tree briefly informed them of the location where the "Abyssal Pustule" might be found.

Once they had finished discussing, the two turned to leave. The reason for such haste was, naturally, that this temporary wakefulness was quite painful for the Sacred Rune Tree, whose body was already suffering from abyssal infection.

......

"Come to think of it, where does one usually get this so-called Purification Powder?"

Back outside the barrier, Qin Yuan asked the Whispering Grimoire. He had already tucked the Sacred Rune Fruit into his storage bag.

"A two-star magical material is likely only sold in the Mages' Guilds or alchemy markets of large cities." The Whispering Grimoire thought for a moment and said, "By the way, if you can successfully clear the pustule, it will be considered an elite abyssal species by the rules of the Soul Spirits, and it is very likely to drop some rare magical materials or the like."

Hearing this, Qin Yuan frowned and pondered, feeling that the situation was a bit difficult. The largest nearby town was Blackrock Town, where the alchemy shops did indeed have a more comprehensive selection. But one could only say it was *likely* to be there; after all, there were too many types of materials.

It sounded good, but the problem was the distance between the two places. According to his chats with the villagers, he learned that traveling to Blackrock Town by carriage would require passing through several villages and would take five or six days.

Five or six days was a bit too much for him right now... After all, this was the initial phase, the time when leveling up was fastest. If he spent five or six days just grinding monsters to level up, he could gain many levels.

What if he rushed over only to find it wasn't there? That would be a direct waste of a massive amount of time. The sunk cost was just too high! Of course, once his level increased, the pace of leveling would slow down, and spending five or six days on a trip would be more acceptable then.

"I do have an idea..." Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said.

"What is it?" asked the Whispering Grimoire.

"I can post on the forum to ask other players to buy it for me. Given the massive player base, someone is bound to have obtained this magical material by accident. I can then pay them a price slightly higher than the market rate and complete the transaction directly in reality."

Qin Yuan had actually thought of this idea a long time ago, but he hadn't implemented it because he hadn't been in desperate need of anything until now. He even believed that this method of trading would eventually become mainstream among the players. After all, with such a large and convenient market, once things gradually became regulated, he would likely be able to buy anything.

"That sounds interesting..." The Whispering Grimoire nodded. "If those players are really as numerous as you say, with a total count of at least a hundred thousand, it should be feasible."

"And if someone's 'spawn point' is in a more prosperous town, you could even consider commissioning them to buy it for you, giving them a reward so you don't have to make the trip yourself."

The two discussed it and agreed that the plan was sound, deciding to proceed with it for the time being. Their main focus at this stage would remain on leveling up.

......

[Prompt: You have killed an Abyssal Spider (LV4) using Fireball...]

[Prompt: Your spirit pet Feather has killed an Abyssal Spider (LV3)...]

[Prompt: ...]

Next, Qin Yuan led Feather to start hunting the creatures on the island. While grinding, he also managed to clear up the general situation of the entire island.

Currently, the whole island could be roughly divided into regular areas and contaminated areas infected by the Abyssal Pustules. The soil in the contaminated areas appeared dark red, and all the trees were twisting and turning into evil shapes, making them very easy to identify.

According to the Whispering Grimoire, these contaminated areas might harbor more powerful abyssal creatures acting as guards for the Abyssal Pustules. Therefore, at this stage, Qin Yuan often consciously avoided these areas, specifically using Feather's scouting ability to find and kill those solitary abyssal creatures.

The intelligence of abyssal creatures was not high, and they did not like to act in groups, mostly being lone wolves. As he became more proficient, the fighting became increasingly smooth.

For the rest of the time, Qin Yuan pushed his level to the peak of level three in one go, just a step away from reaching level four.

Until once, after a successful kill, he looked at his remaining mana. Qin Yuan took out his teleportation crystal. A few seconds later, the crystal shone brightly. The familiar sensation of teleportation washed over him, and in the next moment, the scenery shifted, and Qin Yuan was back inside the Pine Wood Tavern.

"Whew..."

The continuous, high-intensity real combat still took a significant toll on his body. Even Feather was exhausted and had retreated into the whistle to rest. Qin Yuan looked at the sky; it was only dusk. He still felt a bit sleepy. To ensure he was in the best condition, he simply lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

......

When he woke up again, night had completely shrouded Iron Stone Village. He looked up out of the window. As time passed, more and more players were gathering in Iron Stone Village. There were already more than ten of them. One could often see one or two players walking together on the street.

Feeling hungry, he asked the waiter to bring him some food and called out Feather to tuck in. After eating, Feather went back into the whistle to rest. Qin Yuan strolled around the street, intending to find a place to practice his spell-casting.

In particular, the Blink skill was the ability he had invested the most in at this stage, mainly because it was definitely a life-saving skill at critical moments.