Volume One, Chapter 19: The Gift of Heaven’s Fruit!

The pool lay beneath a mountain peak, nestled in a naturally low-lying hollow.

Zhuang Fan gripped a wooden stick cautiously as he made his way toward the water. Along the path, he encountered numerous small creatures—though diminutive in size, their movements were remarkably swift.

There were winged squirrel-like creatures, nimble as sprites flitting between the trees. Pearlescent-feathered birds soared gracefully overhead, and lightning-fast spiders vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

These strange and marvelous animals whetted Zhuang Fan’s appetite, yet with only a wooden stick in hand, capturing them was impossible. It became clear he would need to craft a bow and arrow to have any chance of hunting them.

Moreover, the stick itself proved awkward to wield. Each swing required considerable effort and a wide arc, making it unsuitable for defense.

He examined the crafting menu under “Ordinary Weapons” and found that a spear would be far more practical—useful both for thrusting and defense, with a longer reach. After some thought, Zhuang Fan decided to recycle the stick and create a spear instead.

The wooden stick, made from five units of wood, yielded only two units upon recycling. He then had to spend five units of wood to forge a wooden spear.

In truth, the spear was simply a sharpened piece of wood. If only he had the right tools, he could have made it himself. Unfortunately, he lacked such implements and had to rely on the system’s assistance.

Zhuang Fan felt a bit exasperated. While the auxiliary system was helpful, it consumed more resources. If he possessed the skills to craft items independently, he could save many materials.

He imagined that adventurers fond of wilderness survival must live comfortably in this strange new world.

After more than half an hour of trekking, Zhuang Fan finally arrived at the deep blue pool. To his surprise, the pool was far larger and deeper than he had imagined. Part of it extended beneath the mountain itself. Upon exploration, he suspected a cave might lie within.

Roughly estimating, the pool’s surface area exceeded two hundred square meters.

Yet this place also harbored great danger. Floating on the water’s surface was the severed head of an unknown creature, its bone exposed through jagged wounds. Nearby lay numerous animal skeletons and bloodstains—a grim testament to some past tragedy.

It seemed that creatures had met their end here while coming to drink.

“Could it be the work of some monstrous fish in the pool?”

“Strange, there are no other monsters around.”

Zhuang Fan cautiously approached the shore. The water appeared relatively clear, revealing the pool’s remarkable depth. Occasionally, large fish, at least half a meter long, flickered beneath the surface.

Unease crept over him, and he stepped back a few paces. Generally, water from wild pools isn’t safe to drink. Even seemingly clean water can harbor harmful substances and microbes invisible to the naked eye.

To drink it safely, filtering and boiling are necessary. Compared to stagnant water, flowing water is usually purer. Since this pool’s water was so clear, it was evidently not stagnant.

Yet there were no streams or waterfalls nearby—likely an underground river fed the pool.

Zhuang Fan tossed some dry leaves into the water and saw them slowly drift toward the pool’s depths.

Suddenly, he spotted two egg-sized eyes fixed on him from beneath the surface, glowing an eerie red.

Startled, he retreated several steps, gripping his spear tightly and watching the water warily.

After a moment, ripples appeared and the terrifying eyes vanished.

Sweat beaded on Zhuang Fan’s brow; he dared not approach the water’s edge again.

“Damn it, this fish won’t come ashore and eat me, will it?”

“I’m terrified, but how am I supposed to get water?”

He had come precisely to collect water, even bringing a large coconut shell for the purpose. But now, he certainly wouldn’t draw water directly from the shore.

After pondering briefly, Zhuang Fan decided to dig a deep pit beside the pool to access water. By digging deep enough, water from the pool would gradually seep in, and the soil would provide preliminary filtration.

Without hesitation, he found a wooden plank and began digging. Fortunately, the soil was loose, requiring little effort.

After nearly an hour, he had dug a pit more than a meter deep. To prevent collapse, he reinforced the pit’s edges with wood.

Sure enough, water soon began to seep into the pit.

While waiting patiently, Zhuang Fan’s gaze was drawn to the mountainside above the pool.

There, on a slanting inward face of the mountain, in an inconspicuous spot, grew a small plant. It swayed gently in the breeze, appearing at first to be an ordinary weed.

But!

On this plant hung a single, jet-black fruit. Deeply black, it was clearly no ordinary specimen.

Curious, Zhuang Fan moved closer and employed the system’s “Identification” function.

“Divine Fruit: (Mature)
Quality: Perfect
Effect: Consumption induces bodily transformation, granting a rare ability.”

Zhuang Fan was stunned. This fruit was of perfect quality? Even more astonishing was the system’s note that eating it would cause his body to undergo a mutation and bestow a rare power.

He recalled a powerful figure once saying that in this strange world, one could acquire various abilities, strengthen their body, and even pursue immortality.

His heart pounded wildly. The Divine Fruit before him seemed to shine with an unparalleled radiance.

He longed to rush forward and pluck it at once.

Yet reality was a cold splash of water. The fruit hung over the deep pool, nestled beneath the inward slope of the mountain—a treacherous position.

He could not risk swimming out to it; unknown monsters lurked in the pool, and a single misstep could prove fatal.

Approaching from above was even more daunting. The steep mountainside offered no footholds, and one false move would send him tumbling into the water.

Zhuang Fan paced anxiously like an ant on a hot pan, his mind racing through possible solutions, but none came to him.

Giving up was out of the question; the allure of the Divine Fruit was simply too great.

Just then, a sudden image flashed through his mind: Ke Mengyao, the school beauty.

Yes, find her!

Not only was she beautiful, but also a top scholar, constantly winning scholarships at school.

Surely she would have some ideas!

Zhuang Fan quickly photographed the fruit with the auxiliary system and, with a mixture of anxiety and hope, asked her for advice.

Before long, the school beauty replied.

Upon reading her message, a spark of hope lit Zhuang Fan’s eyes.

She had indeed offered a very promising solution!

Like seeing a glimmer of dawn in the darkness, Zhuang Fan could hardly wait to take action.