Chapter 148: The Legendary Undead

It was not snowing in Listening Wind City, but the north wind had swept through, bringing a sudden and noticeable chill. Although everyone turned into extraordinary beings after logging into the game, they would still feel the cold when it was cold and grow hungry when it was time to eat.

Zhao Nan’s solitary skill fusion was akin to the ascetic practice of a hermit deep within the mountains. He possessed the patience and the disposition for it, having been accustomed to such a lifestyle in the past, and every once in a while, it felt rather pleasant. However, Fina could not endure days where they could only converse without being able to meet.

Although she still leveled up in standard dungeons, whenever she felt fatigued, she would simply ignore those players who eagerly sought her help, toss her hair, and leave the dungeon without hesitation while holding the little loli in her arms. Then, after a few teleports, she would appear by Zhao Nan’s side.

The cat-girl would proactively lay down a patterned cloth in a temporary safe zone, and Fina would produce all sorts of culinary delicacies.

Then came picnic time.

Since he could eat two mouthfuls of hot food, Zhao Nan naturally would not choose elf biscuits. Especially since his palate had long ago been spoiled by Fina.

Zhao Nan reached out, pinched a sandwich handed to him by Fina between his fingers, and took a large bite. As he chewed, he asked with a smile, "How is the collection of spirit essences going recently?"

Fina was spreading cream on a slice of bread requested by the little loli, and upon hearing this, she replied, "It's about to exceed twenty thousand!"

Spirit essences were a brand-new type of item dropped by monsters. After the temple was upgraded to level 2, the prayer that granted buffs to all players in the city required spirit essences as the material. This stuff wasn't considered particularly scarce, but the quantity consumed each time was a staggering number.

The more spirit essences sacrificed, the longer or stronger the buff duration would be. Of course, given the player population of Listening Wind City, managing to farm twenty thousand spirit essences was no small feat. Yet, in Zhao Nan's estimation, it was still far from sufficient.

Chirp, chirp.

Just as he was pondering the matter of spirit essences, the Rose Fairy chirped twice, poking her head out from among a patch of wildflowers nearby. Her little head was dusted with tiny pollen grains, making her look rather cute. Zhao Nan glanced at her. Ever since the Rose Fairy had been cultivated, she had acted entirely like a newborn infant—motionless, endlessly curious about everything, unable to form a party, unable to share experience, and capable of leveling up solely by feeding on various flower nectars.

Nor could she communicate, as she only knew how to chirp. Yet she would never stray far. Strictly speaking, the Rose Fairy could be considered a bizarre type of monster, belonging to the fairy category.

She would never wander off, either. She always preferred to stay by Fina's side and never strayed.

"Gaining experience just by eating, this little one has it quite carefree," Zhao Nan chuckled softly.

He saw the little loli slightly lift her skirt, cautiously creeping up behind the Rose Fairy, before suddenly pouncing forward with a blank expression, grabbing the little creature in both hands. The little Ice Phoenix fluttered back and forth above them, occasionally letting out chirping cries.

Ever since they cleared the level 20 standard dungeon, this kind of leisurely routine was something they got to enjoy every few days.

"By the way, Lord Zhao Nan, you've been here for almost a month now. Have you ever encountered the 'Legendary Undead'?"

Zhao Nan turned his head to look; it was Night Moon the cat-girl speaking. She was still wearing her white mask, though the mask could be detached by half, and she only ever took it off while eating. Zhao Nan had originally thought that beneath this mask lay a cat's face, but what was revealed underneath was a human visage as normal as could be.

Night Moon's exposed lips were extremely seductive, parting and closing as she said, "Mm, it's a legend concerning this region."

Legends and the like were usually tied to certain quests. A thought stirred in Zhao Nan's heart, knowing that this cat-girl possessed some peculiar instincts. He had once jokingly told Gao Mingyang and the others that his secondary profession was an Explorer, which was why he knew a bit more. Such secondary professions truly existed, though the conditions to obtain them were no easier than acquiring a hidden primary profession. It could also be considered a kind of hidden profession among secondary roles.

It was highly likely that the cat-girl possessed such a secondary profession, which explained why her maze exploration was so remarkably effective. Of course, Zhao Nan did not ask.

What he cared about more at the moment was: "What kind of legend is it?"

Night Moon said, "Well, when we were coming from Shell Village, I occasionally heard murmurs about this 'Legendary Undead'. It was told by an old woman who was gathering wild fruits."

Fina was slightly startled, having accompanied him all the way, and asked with a peculiar expression, "Night Moon, I didn't hear anything about that."

The cat-girl smiled naturally and said, "You were still fretting about not being able to buy butter at the time, so of course you didn't pay attention to people's conversations along the way."

Fina recalled the moment, realization dawning on her face. Unbothered, she smiled and said, "There's nothing I can do; my man's palate has become quite picky lately."

"I suppose that's my fault." Zhao Nan didn't mind shouldering such a reputation. He narrowed his eyes and asked curiously, "So, what are the specific details of this legend?"

"Legend has it that there was a family of hunters in Shell Village. One day, the man of the house went hunting in the mountains and never returned. His wife waited for him at the entrance of the village day after day, but as the days passed, her husband still did not come back. Until one night, many people in the village met sudden and tragic deaths one after another. The villagers suspected that after the hunter entered the mountain, he must have touched a taboo and angered the demons living within, prompting the demons to exact their revenge. Then, the villagers discussed ways to appease the demon's wrath, and so they tied up the hunter's wife and sent her deep into the mountain as a sacrificial offering."

Zhao Nan suddenly cast a glance around their surroundings. Currently, the monster zone—or rather, this entire region—was inhabited entirely by a single type of monster: Sunken Demons.

"The taboo they speak of couldn't possibly refer to this place, could it?" Zhao Nan furrowed his brow.

Night Moon shrugged. "That remains unknown, but this is indeed deep in the mountains. The monsters here are also Sunken Demons, which has a certain overlap with the demon from the legend."

"However, what is this 'Legendary Undead'?"

Fina hugged her knees as she listened, looking rather captivated.

The cat-girl continued, "Ever since the hunter's wife was sent in as a sacrifice, no more people died in the village, and everyone said it was because the demon's anger had subsided. But later on, people occasionally spotted a white figure appearing in the mountains, suspected to be the hunter's wife. She would lure those who lost their way in the mountains and murder them to exact her own revenge."