Bonus chapter thanks to Green KiTea on Kofi. Thanks for the support, and enjoy! Much love from the team.

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Jian Xingyi jumped down from the tree and lay flat on the ground, studying the area for ages without spotting anything. He wandered around the vicinity again, still finding no way down.

…Never mind.

Paths are made by walking!

Jian Xingyi decided… to dig a hole!

The planting feature included a watering can and shovel, allowing players to manually operate when they didn’t want to rely on the system. So Jian Xingyi took the shovel from the inventory, took a deep breath… determined to prove herself, set on success!

Ten minutes later.

Panting and drenched in sweat, Jian Xingyi crouched beside the muddy pit he’d dug, feeling like Yu Gong facing a mountain.

He paused, then opened the shop page.

[Confirm purchase of [Gunpowder & Detonator]?]

Jian Xingyi glanced at the price, silently closed the window, and continued digging.

Nothing is impossible for those who are determined!

Twenty minutes later.

Jian Xingyi began to suspect he might not be one of those determined souls.

The shop page opened again.

Jian Xingyi hesitated. Gunpowder wasn’t cheap, but the faintly visible light points below genuinely piqued his curiosity. The plants on the surface looked pretty much the same as those back at the guild—likely because they were in the same area. At best, they were slightly better quality, more plentiful, and had mediocre essence. But Jian Xingyi hadn’t risked venturing into the wilderness for these.

Then again… why not give it a shot?

Gamble it all—turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!

【Confirm Purchase】

He bought it…!

Jian Xingyi felt his heart bleed.

After acquiring the item, he immediately used it. “Boom!” The ground exploded, leaving a gaping hole.

The holographic game automatically repaired maps and bugs. The crater would soon close up again. Afraid of wasting the item, Jian Xingyi detonated it once more. Panicking, he glanced at the hole. Seeing it wasn’t deep and covered in grass, he jumped in without a second thought.

Thud!

Jian Xingyi crashed into the grass, his entire body tingling. The pain in his buttocks and back made him break out in a cold sweat, and his vision flickered dark.

Lying in the grass, Jian Xingyi watched as the hole above him slowly closed. In his dazed state, the last sliver of red light vanished as complete darkness enveloped him. Only then did he slowly come to his senses. Curled up in the grass, a chill crept into his heart.

He’d been too impulsive. If the underground was swarming with zombies or beasts, he’d be doomed.

Fortunately, there were no strange sounds for now.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. Once the pain subsided and his vision cleared, he rose to survey his surroundings.

The sight left him frozen in place.

Holy shit…

What the hell is this place?!

Jian Xingyi stared in disbelief. He had no idea such a place existed on Peace Mountain—a surreal, blue-hued world.

He found himself on a cave-like path. Unlike the typical green shrubs above ground, purple flowers bloomed abundantly on both sides. He couldn’t name the species, but their petal shapes were strikingly beautiful. Alongside the flowers stood trees with purple-blue leaves, resembling jacarandas.

These plants bathed the entire dim path in an ethereal glow, softly luminous.

After admiring the scene for a moment, Jian Xingyi activated his skill.

[Collection Successful: Obtained [Rice] Seeds x7]

[Collection Successful: Obtained [Rice] Seeds x11]

[Collection Successful: Obtained [Carrot] Seeds x6]

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Heartbroken, he was heartbroken, everyone.

Jian Xingyi rubbed his still-aching back, feeling like crying but having no tears left.

It seemed this entire area was the domain of the rice, wheat, and carrot families. Even the arrival of such a rare plant couldn’t change that.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, and besides, this plant might not even be rare in the Dawnbreaker game—he just rarely went out and hadn’t seen much of the world.

Oh well, might as well enjoy the scenery and find a way out. If escape proves impossible, he’d have to take out loans, splurge on gunpowder to maintain the hole’s stability, and attempt an extreme climb. That would truly test both his agility and his wallet’s endurance. Thus, Jian Xingyi still hoped to find a normal exit.

Jian Xingyi pressed forward, surrounded by exotic flora along the path.

But the deeper he ventured, the more… essence appeared?!

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened. The seed varieties remained unchanged, yet why was the essence increasing?

Essence is granted based on plant quality. Could it be that the plants here are exceptionally high-grade? But then again, how does the system evaluate plant quality?

Was it the growing environment? Pollution levels? Or…?

Jian Xingyi wasn’t sure, but…

[Collection Successful, Absorbed [Essence] x3]

[Collection Successful, Absorbed [Essence] x3]

[Collection Successful, Absorbed [Essence] x1]

Jian Xingyi was overjoyed. He couldn’t fathom why the plants here yielded so much essence. From the start of his journey to this point, he’d successfully boosted his essence count from 3 to 19.

Jian Xingyi was almost reluctant to leave.

It was worth it…!

Now his bike truly felt like half a motorcycle!

The deeper he ventured, the more forks and cave entrances appeared. Jian Xingyi grew dizzy from the twists and turns, so he simply followed his instincts.

The scenery here was breathtaking. Except for the forks, every path offered unobstructed views. Jian Xingyi hadn’t wasted his detector, so when he approached a cave, he immediately heard faint whimpering.

Jian Xingyi halted. In a corner, a cluster of little monsters huddled together, nestled in the grass, licking each other.

It was… a Dodo Beast!

Dodo beasts were familiar to Jian Xingyi. They were the most basic wild monsters in the game, possessing different attributes. Upon defeat, they dropped upgrade materials based on their attribute, with both quantity and variety abundant—hence the name Dodo beasts.

But in the game, there were only Giant Dodo beasts—the map bosses—and the regular Dodo beasts scattered across the wild areas. He had never heard of… Baby Dodos?

Jian Xingyi felt puzzled.

While browsing the public chat, he’d seen the Grapevine Peak announcement mentioning strange occurrences across the map lately—monsters failing to respawn, no longer confined to specific areas. It was as if the game had become reality, and reality had become the game.

Could it be… that the scene before him was part of this phenomenon?

Had the map and dungeon monsters gained the ability to reproduce?

This was too bizarre.

What exactly were the system and the operators now? And what about them?

Jian Xingyi instinctively drew his pistol and aimed it at the Dodo beast.

He was incredibly lucky—killing the Dodo beast yielded countless upgrade materials he could either use himself or sell.

He couldn’t defeat a regular Dodo beast, but these three cubs? Piece of cake!

Jian Xingyi pulled the trigger, locking eyes with the three little Dodo beasts.

Dodo beasts resembled dragons, only fatter and rounder. The tiny red one before him hadn’t even learned how to attack yet. Three pairs of jet-black eyes stared wide at him, utterly innocent.

They didn’t even understand what Jian Xingyi’s action meant.

Jian Xingyi thought, No big deal. Maybe killing them will spawn new ones.

Even if it doesn’t, it’s no huge loss. These monsters are born to provide materials.

“…”

Jian Xingyi held the pistol aloft for a long moment before finally lowering it.

“Ah, forget it.” Jian Xingyi crouched down and ruffled the Dodo Beast’s head. “You’re so tiny, not even edible. Killing you probably wouldn’t yield much material anyway. Better to wait until you’re bigger. Grow up strong, and next time I come, I’ll be here to kill you.”

The petted Dodo beast purred contentedly, its eyes half-closed. This made the other two jealous, and they came over to rub against Jian Xingyi’s hand too.

So Jian Xingyi gave them all equal attention, petting each one in turn.

The Dodo beast had no fur; their rough hide let him feel the hot blood pulsing beneath.

Jian Xingyi tapped each little creature, but found nothing.

“Alright, I’m off.”

Stretching lazily, Jian Xingyi prepared to continue onward when the Dodo beasts suddenly stood up and headed toward a fork in the path, glancing back at him repeatedly.

Jian Xingyi paused.

What was this…?

Were they taking him to find their parents to settle the score, or were they repaying him by leading him away?

Jian Xingyi blinked. “Can you really lead me out?”

One of the Dodo Beasts let out a short, sharp howl.

Jian Xingyi beamed. “Well then, thank you!”

Following the Dodo Beasts through twists and turns, Jian Xingyi felt dizzy from all the turns.

Jian Xingyi had a strange feeling that he was venturing deeper and deeper.

After walking for quite some time, Jian Xingyi looked at them suspiciously.

“Can you really lead me out? You won’t get lost, will you?”

One of the Dodo beasts, angered by the doubt in his abilities, nudged Jian Xingyi’s calf with its head.

But Jian Xingyi was too exhausted.

He’d already wandered through Peace Mountain for a while, then jumped into this place and followed the Dodo beast for ages, stumbling along the way.

Jian Xingyi rubbed his aching back and pounded his legs, which felt numb and tingly from the long trek. He crouched down to catch his breath.

The three Dodo beasts obediently halted to wait, curiously observing this seemingly weak human.

As Jian Xingyi caught his breath, he glanced at his interface and backpack. In pursuit of Essence, he’d gathered an abundance of seeds—though they were all common varieties like radishes and rice.

As for Essence… he’d successfully collected 21 points along his journey.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. At least there was progress.

Silently encouraging himself, he forced himself back to his feet.

“Let’s go!”

After winding through several turns, Jian Xingyi crawled into a cave. Then… he froze.

Light appeared.

This was indeed the exit. Not far above his head, a hole had opened in the cave wall, forming a natural skylight. With no sun now, only crimson light poured through the moderately sized opening, casting a grim, blood-red hue over the purple-blue cavern.

Beneath the skylight stood a memorial tombstone without a grave. Roses bloomed in a circle around its base.

Jian Xingyi never expected to find a tombstone here.

The scene before him was too beautiful and majestic, leaving Jian Xingyi momentarily speechless.

Before arriving here, Jian Xingyi had been nearly drained of strength. Yet, seeing this tranquil and solemn cave, he felt his fatigue being healed.

Then Jian Xingyi snapped back to reality and tapped around the circle of roses.

The roses blooming beside the tombstone were lush and vibrant, nourished to a vivid, almost unnatural red.

They offered no seeds, but each contained essence.

Without missing a single bloom, they instantly boosted Jian Xingyi’s essence value from 21 to 36.

Jian Xingyi trembled with excitement.

Then, Dodo Beast fetched a rose from somewhere and offered it to Jian Xingyi. He gazed into their eyes before stepping forward, crouching before the tombstone, and gently placing the rose upon it.

Ordinary people always hold reverence for life and death. Even though this tombstone likely belonged to a fictional character within the game’s setting, standing before it, Jian Xingyi instinctively paid his respects.

Jian Xingyi also saw the inscription on the tombstone.

Tombstone No. 03: Commander

Epitaph: May peace and order prevail

The Commander devoted her entire life to leading humanity toward victory against the Dawn’s descent. Though humanity ultimately could not withstand the Dawn, her great achievements continue to be upheld and passed down.

Only then did Jian Xingyi recall that the mountain he stood upon was named Peace Mountain.

A chilling thought struck him. Could Peace Mountain be so named because… this place was the symbolic burial ground for the heroes of the game’s story?!

After all, this was Tombstone 03, belonging to a Commander. That meant there must be 01, 02, even 04, 05… or more?

Just as Jian Xingyi was gripped by doubt and dread, he heard the system’s voice.

[Player successfully paid respects at Grave 03! Reward: [Dawn Coins] x6666]

[Peace Mountain Map Side Quest [Peaceful Graves] Progress 1/5]

What?

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at the tombstone before him.

Peace Mountain really is a symbolic burial ground…!

6666 Dawn Coins… That’s insane! And there weren’t as many tombstones as he’d imagined. What would happen if he found all five and paid homage? Would there be even richer rewards?

Did paying homage require special items?

Jian Xingyi glanced at the rose he’d used as an offering.

The Dodo Beasts had vanished. Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but feel relieved he hadn’t chosen to kill them. Who knew if he’d have such luck again next time?

It was this rose before him that had unlocked the quest. Perhaps it was the most extraordinary plant he’d encountered today.

After activating the skill, the rose shimmered with light.

He… hadn’t clicked on this most extraordinary rose yet.

Jian Xingyi silently closed his eyes, praying the essence within this rose would allow him to upgrade an entire plot of land.