Dimension Beta

When Tom was thrown out of the portal, he appeared a meter above the ground.

Luckily, he managed to keep his balance and landed on his feet.

As he looked around, he found himself in a clearing that was already quite dark. The only source of light was the moon shining brightly in the sky.

Tom had about four hours until the moon would reach its peak. Without wasting any time, he began searching for the moon grass and moon moss.

He scanned the area for any obvious landmarks. The map had indicated the region was massive, and he wanted to be sure he didn't accidentally wander out of the area while searching for the plants.

Tom knew there was supposed to be a lake at the center of the area, so he decided to search for that landmark first. He initially tried climbing a tree to get a better view, but just like last time, the branches broke under his weight.

"Am I getting heavier?" he wondered, giving up on the idea and continuing his search on the ground.

The darkness made it difficult to see, and Tom moved cautiously, making little progress. After an hour of searching and finding nothing, he began to feel frustrated.

What if he had already left the area and wouldn't find the moss or grass anymore?

Suddenly, he heard rustling sounds ahead of him.

Tom crouched low, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. He didn't know what dangers lurked in this forest.

To his relief, it was just a deer that had wandered in his direction.

He stood back up, reassured that the deer posed no threat.

Turning away to head in another direction, Tom noticed the area suddenly brightening.

When he turned back to the deer, he saw it gathering a fireball in its mouth.

"F*ck!" Tom yelled as the fireball flew straight toward him.

He dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack.

But the deer wasn't done. It was already preparing another fireball.

Tom had to decide whether to fight or flee. After some hesitation, he chose to fight, wanting to gauge the strength of the monsters in this area.

As the next fireball neared completion, Tom ducked behind a tree for cover.

He felt confident that the tree would shield him.

However, to his shock, the fireball curved around the tree and hit him directly.

He lost 40% of his health in one strike.

Realizing the severity of the situation, Tom immediately ran.

Losing 40% of his health in a single hit was alarming. With his high health pool, nearly comparable to that of a tank, a normal player would have died instantly.

Unbeknownst to Tom, the monsters in this forest had surpassed the first level-60 threshold and ranged from levels 70 to 80.

As he fled, he kept glancing over his shoulder.

The glowing light of the fireball made it impossible to lose track of the deer.

The hunter had become the hunted.

No matter how fast Tom ran, the deer kept a consistent 50-meter distance behind him.

Whenever he tried to gain more distance, the deer launched another fireball.

Whenever he slowed down, the deer would close the gap.

Tom ran and ran, desperation mounting as he realized he couldn't outpace his pursuer.

Another fireball hit him, leaving him with only 20% of his health.

Frustrated, he cursed aloud, "Are you a fcking carnivore or what? Just fck off already!"

Luck wasn't on his side, as Tom slipped and tumbled down a steep hill.

He lost half his health during the fall.

Grateful that he had drunk a healing potion earlier, Tom picked himself up, only to see another fireball hurtling toward him.

The impact left him with a mere 10% of his health.

Looking up the hill, Tom saw the deer glaring down at him.

But then, its ears twitched.

Moments later, it turned and bolted.

"Phew... I was lucky, I guess," Tom muttered, drinking another potion to restore his health.

Only then did he take a moment to survey his surroundings.

The soft ground had cushioned his fall.

Tom's eyes widened. "Is that... moon moss?"

He quickly pulled the note Pech had given him from his spatial pouch and compared the plants around him.

Sure enough, he had landed in a vast field of moon moss.

Unfortunately, there was no moon grass nearby, but this was already a promising start.

Tom checked the time. It was only 1 a.m.

The full moon wouldn't peak for another hour, giving him three full hours to harvest.

He pulled out his magnifying lens and began inspecting the moss.

Using sticks from the ground, he marked all the patches that glowed with color.

An hour flew by, and the moss began to glow.

Recognizing it was time, Tom started harvesting.

Within 30 minutes, he had filled over six square meters of his spatial pouch.

It was time to search for moon grass.

The glowing properties of the plants made it easier to locate good patches.

After some searching, Tom found small clumps of moon grass.

Unfortunately, it wasn't much, filling only half a square meter of space.

Continuing his search, Tom came to a cliff.

Peering down, he saw a vast lake below.

This confirmed he was still within the right area.

What made him even happier were the glowing clumps of moon grass growing around the lake.

Tom quickly found a safe path down the cliff.

The lake was breathtaking, its surface reflecting the moonlight and illuminating the area.

Tom wasted no time harvesting the grass, filling all his spatial pouches to capacity.

Relieved, he exhaled deeply. His mission was complete.

But just as he was about to leave, he noticed a glow in the middle of the lake.

Squinting, he realized there was a small island at the center.

"What could be there?" he wondered aloud.

Curious, Tom decided to investigate.

However, as he swam toward the island, he was horrified to realize he couldn't float.

He sank like a stone to the bottom of the lake.

His body instinctively gasped for air, but to his surprise, he didn't drown.

It was as if he didn't need to breathe at all.

"Is this an effect of my race?" he speculated, unable to think of another explanation.

Since he was already underwater, Tom decided to walk to the island.

His movements were slow, and it took him half an hour to reach his destination.

When he stepped onto the island, he finally saw the source of the glow.

A small sapling, no taller than a meter, was radiating an intense light.

Far brighter than the moss or grass, its glow was mesmerizing.

Tom pulled out his magnifying lens to inspect its quality.

Through the lens, he saw a purple shimmer with golden specks.

His hands trembled as he double-checked to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

The sapling remained purple with golden specks.

Tom did the only logical thing he could think of. He dug up the entire sapling, roots and all, and placed it carefully into a bag with some soil.

Then he hurriedly ran back to the shore, praying that immersing the sapling in water wouldn't damage it.

Once on the other side, Tom pulled out his compass to orient himself and sprinted toward the city.

On his way back, he encountered a few monsters but ignored them entirely, running straight past.

Some tried to attack him, but Tom deflected their blows and kept moving like an unstoppable bulldozer.

By the time the first light of dawn appeared, Tom was certain he was halfway back to the city.

To avoid drawing attention, he slowed down and walked along the road at a normal pace.

It was 8 a.m. when he realized he should have been at school.

But the sapling was far more important. He continued toward the city.

Finally, at around noon, Tom saw the familiar city walls.

Now nothing could stop him, and he sprinted the rest of the way.

Once inside, he ran straight to Pech's shop, entering through the back door.

Pech was reorganizing the shelves when he heard the loud bang of the door.

He was about to yell when he saw Tom.

"You're back already?" Pech checked his watch. "Did you not find anything?"

Tom, keeping a mysterious air, headed straight to the back room where the trapdoor to the basement was.

"Follow me," Tom called to Pech as he opened the trapdoor.

Pech, confused, followed him down.

"Did you find everything, boy?" Pech asked.

Tom didn't answer.

Instead, he pulled out the small sapling.

At first, Pech didn't recognize it.

But then he cast his inspection spell, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

[Soiled Pine Sapling]

A once normal pine sapling that has been nurtured by the excrement of the Moon Deer.

"Why the f*ck would you bring that thing here?" Pech asked, his expression a mix of confusion and disgust.

"Huh?" Tom was equally confused by Pech's reaction. "Isn't this a rare plant? It glowed purple under the lens!"

Understanding the misunderstanding, Pech sighed and explained, "No, boy. That glow wasn't because it's some rare or epic plant. It's because it's been growing in... uh... special fertilizer. This tree has absorbed Moon Deer droppings for who knows how long, and that's why it glows."

Tom froze for a moment, the weight of Pech's words settling in.

Disgusted, he hurriedly washed his hands in the nearby sink and tossed the tree aside like it was toxic waste.

Pech, however, wasn't as quick to dismiss it. With a curious glint in his eyes, he crouched down and inspected the tree further.

"You know," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "we might actually be able to make some money out of this."