Chapter Seventeen: The Diary
“I refuse... I am unwilling... I cannot believe that death is the end... I do not accept that the soul cannot be rekindled...” After a chant heavy with bewilderment, the Cursed Fox within the soul flame regained its senses. It first glared at Ash and his companion with venomous eyes, but then, with a long sigh, seemed gradually to let go of its resentment.
“I know you wish to obtain some important information from me, but I will not betray the Gardener—he is the true master of this forest and this manor. However, I cannot stop you from seeking the truth yourselves. You may search the cabin; the Gardener left some things there for me to watch over, yet I cannot even protect my own life.”
As these bitter words faded, the Cursed Fox’s soul fire vanished abruptly, and something resembling a metal chip clattered to the ground as the flame burned out.
...
[Skill Plugin Enhancement Chip] (Exclusive)
Type: Special Item
Function: Increases the level of any attack or defense skill plugin rated no higher than “common” by one tier.
Description: This was originally a hidden item in the Bone Dog Shop, but was stolen by the Cursed Fox under fortuitous circumstances. Any player who has purchased a skill plugin from the Shepherd can use this chip to enhance it, allowing a skill to undergo transformation.
[Note: This is an exclusive item, usable only by players who possess skill plugins.]
[Note: This item cannot be taken out of the current assessment space.]
...
The unexpected drop left both Ash and Not a Sword Immortal exchanging glances.
“So, was all our effort for nothing?”
Not a Sword Immortal’s expression was one of indescribable disappointment. “Players on our side can only buy plant companions, but the other side gets skill plugins. No wonder those two from Thunderbolt have skills—it all makes sense now! What should we do with this thing?”
“Let’s keep it for now. It might come in handy.” Ash pocketed the chip. “Though this does remind me—if there’s an enhancement chip for skill plugins, there might also be an upgrade item for plant companions.”
Not a Sword Immortal’s eyes lit up. “You mean... your level-three Peashooter could still be upgraded?”
“I hope so. But let’s check out the cabin first.” Ash shook his head, raised his hand, and with a creak, pushed open the Gardener’s cabin door.
The darkness of the Gloomwood made the cabin’s interior even dimmer. Not a Sword Immortal stuck his head through the doorway, seeing nothing but a sea of blackness. The air was so dense it seemed to stifle breath itself—until Ash pulled him aside by the shoulder, making him realize that the concentration of gloom inside the Gardener’s cabin was truly terrifying.
Billowing black smoke surged from the doorway and only subsided after some time.
Now, when Not a Sword Immortal peeked inside, he immediately spotted an array inscribed on the floor.
At several core points of the array, shattered tree hearts had been placed. As the array continued to function, gloom constantly flowed into its bounds, collecting within the cabin and unable to dissipate. Only when the Cursed Fox died and the door was opened did the array’s gathering effect break, allowing the gloom to pour out—but the array itself still continued to run.
[Notification: You have opened the Gardener’s cabin and discovered a curse array gathering gloom. Destroy the array to complete the first phase of the main quest “Find the Gardener.”]
The prompt spurred Ash and Not a Sword Immortal into immediate action. They destroyed the array, and after removing all the broken tree hearts, the curse array lost its power source and collapsed in an instant. Soon after, the two of them heard an invigorating game notification.
[Notification: You have completed the first phase of the main quest “Find the Gardener.” You are guaranteed to receive at least an “Outstanding” rating upon assessment.]
“Brilliant! This curse array must have something to do with the swarm outbreak. Destroying it confirms part of the theory. Even if we’re eliminated now, the secrets hidden in this forest will surely be revealed by the game’s NPCs.” Not a Sword Immortal was greatly encouraged. An “Outstanding” rating on this difficulty would earn him sixteen hundred credit points, and in some ways, the challenge was even greater than his previous “Excellent” rating on normal difficulty.
“Rather than let the NPCs uncover the truth and drive the plot forward, why not do it ourselves?” Ash smiled slightly, then examined the cabin. The next phase of the main quest had not yet appeared; perhaps some key trigger awaited inside.
The furnishings were extremely simple—apart from a bed and a table beside it, there was nothing else. Ash’s attention was quickly drawn to the book lying on the table.
He opened it, glanced over a few lines, and realized it was not a book at all, but rather a diary freshly begun.
...
Wasteland Calendar, October 11, 2077.
Another failure has made us lose faith in exploring the ruins.
That city, once straight out of a fairy tale, now offers nothing but nightmarish scenes.
Why? The mirage showed us treasures, but reality is so cruel.
Still, we did not come away empty-handed. At the edge of the ruins, I rescued a man who was unconscious.
He said his name was “the Gardener.”
...
Wasteland Calendar, October 15, 2077.
The man who called himself the Gardener has awakened, and our dream has begun.
He has the back of a mountain, the skin of stone. Even the most savage beasts of the wild grow docile before him, and the most terrifying plants of the ruins can only sway gently in his hands.
Others are unaware of this, but I, Bob, who have traveled far and wide across the wasteland, can see that he is an extremely rare “reality warper”—he possesses the ability to commune with nature.
He has convinced me to venture once more into the ruins in search of treasure.
...
Wasteland Calendar, October 22, 2077.
The Gardener’s presence has given us hope.
Treasure awaits!
The beasts and plants of these ruins are no longer a threat; all we face now are the lingering specters of the old world and the nightmares left when fairy tales shatter.
Yet even so, death remains inevitable.
But nothing can shake our determination to reach the treasure.
Sun Staircase!
Here we come!
I can hardly wait to see a deal so grand it shakes the entire wasteland featured in every newspaper!
...
Wasteland Calendar, October 25, 2077.
The newspaper I subscribed to should arrive at camp tomorrow, but I fear I will not live to see it.
Our beautiful dream has ended because our hero turned it into a nightmare.
His desire for the Sun Staircase comes from within, from the power to speak with nature.
The beasts and plants have revealed their true nature; our weapons are woefully inadequate against these frenzied monsters. Death claims us one by one, and now only I remain.
I feel I should leave something behind to prove that Bob, who roamed the wasteland, truly came here.
Ah! It is time to stop writing, for I see him now—but why do my eyes see three of him?
Is it blood loss clouding my vision?
Or is it some indescribable light?
...
At the brink of death, this man called Bob spat a mouthful of blood onto the diary, making the final page nearly illegible.
But that did not stop Ash from admiring him—even as death neared, his handwriting remained steady. Perhaps Bob truly was as he claimed: only one who had traversed the whole wasteland could possess such iron control at the end.
Ash could not help but ask himself—if he were in Bob’s place, would his own hand remain steady on the brush?
[Notification: You have finished reading “Bob’s Diary” and triggered the second phase of the main quest “Find the Gardener.”]
...
Quest Name: [Find the Gardener] (Main Quest, Phase Two)
Objective: Proceed to another Gardener’s cabin within the Gloomwood.
Reward: Unknown (rewards accumulate; distributed based on overall completion)
Description: Discovering the Gardener’s cabin has revealed a sliver of truth. You may report your findings to the “Farmer” for a reward, or strike out on your own for more precious rewards.
[Note: Failure to complete this quest will not result in penalty or affect subsequent assessments.]
...
The system notification roused Ash from his reverie. He gazed deeply at the quest description, sensing the hidden perils behind those words.
Even the quest itself was warning players to consider stopping; the dangers ahead were easy to imagine.
“Let’s go. Our next destination is already set.”
Ash feared no challenge. Bob’s diary made him all the more eager to see for himself the man with the back like a mountain, skin like stone, and the secrets hidden deepest within.
Not a Sword Immortal, having finished the diary as well, was shocked by its contents but could not share in Ash’s feelings. Still, he sensed a subtle change in Ash’s bearing: if, before entering the cabin, Ash had seemed somewhat flippant, then the figure now leaving through the door radiated a gravity honed by the passage of time.
Leaving the Gardener’s cabin, they forded the Corrosion River and reached the forest’s center in twenty-seven minutes. In just one more minute, the level-three Peashooter would be complete, ushering in a transformation in Ash’s combat power.
Not a Sword Immortal was thrilled, for he felt that the already thick “thigh” he clung to was about to become even thicker.
When Ash equipped the Direwolf Gloves earlier, it had caught him completely off guard—he himself was just shy of reaching level four, yet Ash had already stepped into level five. Not a Sword Immortal could not fathom how Ash leveled up so quickly, but he was eager for Ash to climb even faster, knowing it would help him rise as well. With the Cursed Fox’s defeat, Not a Sword Immortal had reached level four, but the coming of the level-three Peashooter meant he would soon sink further into the role of support.
“A support is a support—there’s a joy in it that others will never understand.”
Carefree as ever, Not a Sword Immortal was adept at finding his place. But before the level-three Peashooter could fully form, he caught sight of someone who did not make him happy.
Standing on the black earth at the very heart of the forest was a towering figure.
He had the back of a mountain, the skin of stone...