Chapter 56: The False Counter-Charge

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The False Counter-Charge

[Do you wish to select the node "The Misty Path" as the area you will traverse for the next seven days?]

The negative effect posed almost no threat to her, and the Sunflower had also said there was good stuff here. Either reason alone was enough for Seraphina Sinclair to make a decision, let alone now that both pointed to "The Misty Path."

I’ll take it!

I have to!

Seraphina Sinclair selected "Yes."

Like a startled school of fish, the black mist in the room scattered and fled the instant Seraphina Sinclair pressed confirm.

Her vision cleared, and Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t resist poking the Sunflower in her arms.

The Sunflower, however, hadn’t yet snapped out of its excitement from recognizing the path. It had probably still been busy sniffing the air just a moment ago.

Now that all the black mist was gone, it actually thought to itself, ’I wasn’t wrong... was I?’

Seraphina Sinclair paused and looked down at the Sunflower.

The Sunflower still had a smile on its face, as if it had no idea what it had just been thinking.

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’Oh well, the choice is made. The rest is up to fate.’

Her decision hadn’t been based solely on the Sunflower’s word anyway. Even if there wasn’t anything good here, it wouldn’t be a loss for Seraphina Sinclair.

The Node Selection was complete. Next up was moving!

She could now travel 300 sunshine a day, guaranteeing at least nine Supply Boxes. Yet, Seraphina Sinclair found herself growing more and more disappointed as she went.

At first, Rotting Corpses still showed up, providing nutrient liquid and blood. Later, even the monsters disappeared, leaving only an F-level Supply Box on the floor. It made Seraphina Sinclair, who had been on high alert for several minutes, feel like a fool.

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’It’s not a big deal.’

’Right, I still have to open them, don’t I?’ She curled her lips into a smile and opened the F-level Supply Boxes one by one. Then her smile slowly faded, and she went to cook with a blank expression.

That’s right. To open these worthless boxes, to make it before one in the afternoon, she hadn’t even had time for lunch.

Seraphina Sinclair sighed, expertly setting up the water filter by the window. She lit the Fish Oil, and only then did she start a fire to cook her noodles.

It was instant noodles for lunch again. For nutritional purposes, Seraphina Sinclair even added a piece of silver fish meat to make a broth.

The boiling water quickly turned a milky white. The silver fish meat had long since been stewed until it was fall-apart tender, melting into delicate, savory wisps that fused with the broth.

Seraphina Sinclair casually broke apart a hard block of instant noodles. The noodle cake split with a CRACK and she tossed it into the boiling broth.

Steam billowed up, blurring her vision.

Outside the window, the mist remained as thick as ever, as if it would never disperse. Inside, the dancing flames flickered, illuminating her serene profile.

In the corner, the water filter dripped slowly. The drops falling into the glass bottle made a clear, crisp sound.

She turned to look at it, then suddenly lay down flat on the floor.

’This damned place... isn’t so bad after all...’

Seraphina Sinclair paused, quickly shutting down that line of thought. If she kept this up, she’d start to suspect she was developing Stockholm syndrome.

The noodles were ready soon.

Seraphina Sinclair lifted a chopstick-ful. The noodles, having soaked up the fish broth, had a moist sheen. Steam carrying a savory aroma wafted into her face.

Tiny golden droplets of oil from the silver fish floated on the surface of the broth. It looked delicious.

She lowered her head and took a bite. A fresh, sweet flavor exploded on her tongue, carrying a faint scent of sea salt that left her dazed for a moment.

Seraphina Sinclair froze for a moment, food held in her chopsticks. Only then did she belatedly realize she might have just invented an amazing new dish.

The Sunflower stirred in her arms, its floral disk tilting slightly as if trying to peek into her bowl.

"What, you want some?"

Seraphina Sinclair chuckled and tapped its petals with her fingertip.

The Sunflower didn’t answer and went still.

Seraphina Sinclair shook her head, picked up another chopstick-ful of noodles, and blew on them to cool them down.

’Delicious! I love it! I’m eating this again tomorrow!’

Feeling pleased, Seraphina Sinclair opened the regional channel for some mealtime entertainment. And she did indeed see something interesting.

Someone had posted the entire Insight-revealed Node Description to the regional channel.

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t surprised that someone else had discovered it, but that someone was willing to post it publicly. Her eyes widened as she started reading through everyone’s reactions.

"What’s this? Is this from Insight?"

"Is this information legit? Don’t tell me you just made it up to trick us!"

"Exactly! I used Insight too, and got nothing! Where the hell did you get this? Explain yourself!"

"Why should we believe you? Who knows if you’re not just making this up to screw us over? What are you really after?"

Seraphina Sinclair’s brows furrowed.

Honestly, just reading those few comments made her heart sink.

Look at what they were saying. At first, it was just skepticism, which was understandable. But then it turned into straight-up interrogation, as if this kind person’s actions were only natural, as if he was obligated to explain everything clearly and it would be his fault if he couldn’t.

To Seraphina Sinclair’s relief, the good Samaritan wasn’t a pushover either.

[No-Effort-Today]: Take it or f*cking leave it. I don’t owe you anything. Next time a monster is chewing on you, remember to be this tough, and don’t come begging for intel.

"What the f*ck is with your attitude? We just asked a question, why get so defensive? You could’ve just explained it nicely."

"It’s definitely fake, right? He got defensive the second he was questioned. If it were real, why would he get so angry?"

"Definitely fake. We called him out and he’s embarrassed. Tsk, it’s so easy to be a fraud these days."

’Why are these people turning it around on him?’

Seraphina Sinclair scrolled down, looking for a reply from No-Effort-Today, but after several messages, she still hadn’t found one.

Seraphina Sinclair frowned. It was an incredibly frustrating thing to witness.

She put down her chopsticks and her fingers flew across the virtual screen. Finally, at the very bottom, she found No-Effort-Today’s last message.

[No-Effort-Today]: Fine, I’m a fraud. I’m thin-skinned. I have sinister motives. Well then, I wish you all the best in staying tough. Just try not to die too horribly.

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’Seeing that was even worse than not finding it at all.’

She sighed, picked up her chopsticks again, and focused on her meal.

There were plenty of idiots in the regional channel, but plenty of smart people too.

"Um... I actually used ’Insight’ too, and the Description is the same as what he said... The process is just a bit complicated, and it’s kind of hidden, but it really is written there."

"+1, an experienced player told me the specific method. I just tried it, and you really can trigger the node information."

"So, those of you who were just flaming the guy...? What I mean is, aren’t you going to apologize?"

"Tch, what do you expect from people like that? They don’t care about the truth; they just attack whoever they can. If you ask me, they should just drop dead. They don’t deserve to speak! Anyway, I block them on sight. Disgusting scum!"

"@No-Effort-Today, you’re a real one! Thank you!"

The heartwarming moment didn’t last long. Everyone quickly moved on to discussing the Description.

"So basically, you just have to choose the negative effect?"

"That’s right. You can guess what it is from the description."

"Huh? This only pops up when you move your cabin. So if I don’t move today, does that mean I don’t have to choose?"