Chapter 238: Misty Forest

Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Misty Forest

[Blacktiger Ford]: Information on how you got the Pharmacist class. Name your price.

The reply was blunt: "No sale."

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’Fair enough.’

’It’s true that not everything can be bought with money.’

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the two words and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

’This person is so strange. She was so enthusiastic when she needed my help, calling me "Master Blacktiger" left and right.’

’But now that she doesn’t need me, she’s like this.’

’So... two-faced.’

After complaining internally for a bit, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t bother sending any more messages.

She figured Pretty Guardian’s method for obtaining the Stone Tablet was probably special, or perhaps involved a personal secret. It was understandable that she wouldn’t want to sell the information.

Seraphina Sinclair closed the private chat window, not feeling too disappointed.

’There’s obviously more than one way to acquire a second profession. Since this path is a dead end for now, I’ll just look for another opportunity.’

She believed that as long as she survived long enough, this kind of information would eventually surface.

After she drew a few runes, Sunflower finally collapsed limply onto the mat Seraphina Sinclair had prepared for it, just like before.

Having harvested three hundred sunshine, Seraphina Sinclair initiated today’s move.

She infused the sunshine into the door card, and a familiar panel popped up:

[Dear survivor, you have reached this week’s decision point! Please make your choice!]

[Two paths have appeared before you...]

’Sunday again.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze fell upon the two paths for this week.

[Misty Forest]

[Danger Level: D-level]

[Description: A thick fog perpetually blankets this eerie forest, resulting in extremely low visibility. The fog itself has a mild hallucinogenic effect; prolonged inhalation will disrupt one’s sense of direction and may even cause illusions. The vegetation is dense and aggressive. Beware of predators lurking in the fog, as they are well-adapted to hunting in visually impaired environments. Natural mazes may exist in certain areas, and escape is nearly impossible once trapped.]

’D-level!’

’Higher than last week’s Everfrost Tundra.’

As for the path’s description... Seraphina Sinclair frowned slightly.

’Fog, hallucinations, mazes... This path would have a huge impact on Perception and Spirit, not to mention the visual impairment.’

For the spiritual effects, Seraphina Sinclair had her Protective Clothing and the [Water Stopping] effect from her Silver Moon Earrings. For the limited visibility, she had the [Mystic Insight] from her Single Lens. The path’s negative effects would be almost negligible for her.

She had practically made her decision but glanced at the other option out of habit.

[Thundering Gorge]

[Danger Level: E+ Level]

[Description: The sky seems torn asunder, with ceaseless thunder roaring between the steep canyon walls. The deafening sound will interfere with your hearing and may even cause temporary vertigo. The air is thick with static electricity, making metal items extremely likely to attract a Thunder Strike. Most creatures inhabiting the canyon possess strong resistance to lightning, and some can even harness a portion of its power. The first rule of survival is: avoid high ground and pray you don’t become a target for the lightning.]

’Thunder, static, attracting a Thunder Strike...’

Seraphina Sinclair subconsciously glanced at the long saber in her storage space.

If she chose this path, metal weapons like that would become a liability, or even a death sentence.

The frequent thunder interference and vertigo effects would also be troublesome. This type of overwhelming sound was different from the other path’s spiritual interference, and she didn’t have many ways to counter it.

Therefore, the best choice was, naturally, the Misty Forest.

Having made her judgment, Seraphina Sinclair glanced back at Sunflower. The little guy had grown up and was no longer as interested in sudden, novel things.

Before, it would have been shouting, "What’s this... what’s this?" by now.

Though she no longer had Sunflower’s perception of the paths, it also meant Seraphina Sinclair probably wouldn’t be woken up by its racket during this week’s instance.

’I guess that’s a good thing, right?’

Seraphina Sinclair always maintained a positive outlook. Even if Sunflower had said there was something hidden in the Thundering Gorge, she still wouldn’t have chosen that path.

She only had two types of weapons for combat: a long saber and a few runes. On this path, just holding a metal object could get you struck by lightning. Who could handle that?

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t a Body Cultivation practitioner who could draw lightning to temper her body. A single bolt would probably turn her to ash, and all the items she had worked so hard to accumulate would be for nothing. This path was a clear counter to her abilities. Even if there was treasure inside, you needed to be alive to claim it.

"Playing it safe is the way to go."

she murmured to herself, completely solidifying her choice.

Once the path selection was over, Seraphina Sinclair subconsciously opened a group chat that had been quiet for a long time.

Before the Zone merge, this group had been quite active. Everyone was in the top few dozen on the leaderboards and spoke with confidence. Although it wasn’t openly expressed, everyone had their own pride.

They were like the college students of a small village—who wouldn’t praise them?

But now, a sudden Zone merge had turned their village into a metropolis. Forget college students; there were plenty of master’s and doctoral graduates now. The drop in status was immense for these people.

With the new leaderboards, anyone from the same Zone could see each other’s ratings, making it clear at a glance who was on a similar level.

The result of this transparency was that the once-lively group chat had now grown much colder.

When someone did speak up, it was usually to ask about trades. The casual, chatty atmosphere from before the Zone merge was gone.

And since Seraphina Sinclair now wanted to sell boss information, these people were no longer her target audience.

She was getting a little worried and was considering starting her own group chat when she suddenly received a message from Artemis.

[Artemis]: Are you interested in joining our group chat?

Seraphina Sinclair’s eyebrow twitched. ’What a coincidence. I was just worrying about how to find out which paths these people chose.’

To be cautious, she didn’t agree immediately.

[Blacktiger Ford]: What kind of group?

[Artemis]: It’s an elite group for our new Zone, basically the top two players from each of the old Zones. It’s not a new group; it’s the old one from Zone 876. The group owner kicked the previous members and is inviting the new top players one by one. She said she thought we got along well, so she asked me to try inviting you. And even if that was a misunderstanding, I’d personally be happy if you joined.

Seraphina Sinclair understood.

’This is the elite circle that naturally formed after the Zone merge, designed to filter out the masses of ordinary players and increase the efficiency of information and material exchanges.’

As for Artemis’s comments about her personal wishes, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t pay them much mind.

[Blacktiger Ford]: I’m in.

[Artemis]: The group owner was the original number one from Zone 876, ID is Chrona. She’s very strong and a pretty good person, worth getting to know. Also, could you help invite the second-place player from your Zone?

Seraphina Sinclair naturally had no reason to refuse this request.