Chapter 5: The Sword of Poverty
Oh, it's nothing. That woman is happily playing with her pet cat, so let's not disturb them. Your mother is still waiting for us at the museum. According to rumors on the forum, sometimes a lie or two can dispel a great deal of trouble
Well then, I shall not be polite any longer. Gu Han tightly gripped the sword; whether he could complete the task within another hour depended entirely on this sword
System prompt: Task update: Side quest 1: Extend a helping hand with the Flow Year Calendar, kill the leopard, and rescue the civilians being chased by it. Please note that side quests can be abandoned, but this will affect the final instance evaluation score
Thus, as time passed, detailed guides for all eighty-one side quests were created, and players thoughtfully compiled these guides together, forming a collection titled "The Ultimate Guide Collection for the Ninety-Nine Difficulties of the Flowing Year Calendar." Naturally, the money leopard incident encountered by Gu Han was also included in this collection.
Is there such a large cat in the world? Liu Nianli was filled with doubt and hesitation, and at that moment, the woman in the distance seemed to have noticed the presence of Gu Han and Liu Nianli. It was as if she had seen a lifeline; she stumbled and quickly ran towards Gu Han, shouting loudly as she fled, "Help! Help!"
It turns out to be your grandmother's heirloom. Rest assured, I will return the sword to you once I deliver it to the museum
Thank you very much to the two handsome gentlemen for your rescue, Ziyu is extremely grateful! A soft voice came from the woman who had come to express her thanks. Now that the leopard had been killed, she no longer had any thoughts of escaping. She walked over like a frail willow, softly expressing her gratitude.
Every newcomer entering the game has a standard health of 100 points. With the effect of the Super Novice BUFF, their health increases a hundredfold, so at this moment, Gu Han's health is 10,000 points
The teeth are still quite sharp. With force, I pried open the mouth of the leopard and carelessly tossed the opponent's corpse onto the ground, glancing at the system's damage record. At the moment the leopard bit down on Gu Han, the system recorded the number: -9999 (critical hit)
"Little brother, save me! Save me!" The woman, who was being chased by the leopard and was out of breath, saw Gu Han standing like a divine warrior in front of the leopard, and she immediately felt a sense of relief in her heart. At least someone was there to take the hit for her. However, she could not afford to be complacent; she had to speed up her escape. What if that leopard thought one person was not enough to satisfy its hunger?
Be careful, Gu Han! The Flowing Year Calendar followed closely behind Gu Han, attempting to thwart his actions, only to discover that the other party's agility was unexpectedly remarkable. With a slight tap of his toes on the ground, he leaped several meters away. In the blink of an eye, Gu Han was face to face with the golden leopard.
It must be acknowledged that, as the future savior of humanity, the Sword Ancestor's emergency response capability is indeed quite high, as he devised a feasible method to deal with the money leopard in an instant
From the moment of the attack until now, in less than three seconds, the eyes of this leopard lost all their luster, becoming a lifeless body, its mouth clamped around Gu Han's throat, resembling a fur coat draped over Gu Han's body
"Brother Guhan really likes this sword?" Liu Nianli, who was walking behind Guhan, noticed that Guhan had been staring at the sword and couldn't help but ask.
"Say something auspicious!" Gu Han tapped the head of the Flowing Year Calendar, "You must have seen it wrong just now; the leopard did not bite my throat. Look, there isn't a single scar on my neck!" Gu Han showed the Flowing Year Calendar his throat, ... and indeed it was smooth and flawless, with no signs of injury ... . Thanks to the effect of the 1000 times healing speed, in just ten seconds, Gu Han's health had fully recovered by 10,000 points, and the wound naturally disappeared.
According to historical records, in his youth, the Sword Ancestor Liu Nian was different from his decisive and profit-maximizing character during his peak period. The young Sword Ancestor was a person with a proper worldview, eager to help others, and a great humanitarian known as the Holy Mother of Liu Nian
By the way, the term "finishing move" in this game does not refer to the typical damage doubling found in ordinary games, but rather embodies the true meaning of a finishing move, where a single strike can deplete all health points, resulting in instant death... Unless there are extraordinary attributes akin to a super novice buff, there is no escape from certain death
Looking at the indistinct inscription on the sword, Gu Han felt a surge of confusion. Why had none of the numerous strategies mentioned before ever mentioned that this sword bore an inscription of a name?
Indeed, this sword looks truly beautiful; I wonder where it was purchased from, " Liu Nian Li casually inquired.
The leopard firmly believes that in the next moment, its claws will crush the opponent's skull, and its massive jaws will easily tear open the human's throat, ensuring that it can enjoy a delicious breakfast
Suddenly, Gu Han's rigid body moved, charging towards the golden leopard with incredible speed. The leopard let out a fierce roar, pushing off the ground with its powerful limbs, leaping nearly two meters high. Its weak, boneless waist twisted in mid-air, and the entire leopard appeared above Gu Han, its pair of claws glinting with a cold light, aimed directly at Gu Han's head, while its teeth were poised to strike at Gu Han's throat
The total time for both is twenty-eight minutes, while according to the pre-established plan by Gu Han, there is a budget of thirty minutes included. At first glance, this seems sufficient, and there would even be two minutes to spare, but this comes with the condition that the time to the Provincial Museum must be kept within twenty minutes. This is impossible; the system will not allow this journey to be smooth sailing.
I am not sure about this either; it was passed down to me by my father. It seems that it was bought when my grandmother used to dance in the square. After my grandmother passed away, my father gave this sword to me. Mentioning my grandmother brings a sense of melancholy to the passage of time.
In a stable society, this may be a commendable trait, but in a post-apocalyptic world, it becomes a harmful tumor that endangers both oneself and others. It is one thing to be a burden to oneself, but often many friends who share the same fate are also severely affected by this person's nature, leading to the loss of their own lives
... ...
According to the statistics on the forum, during the escort of the Flow Year Calendar to the museum, one to three unexpected side quests will more or less occur, and these one to three side quests are randomly selected from a total of eighty-one side quests.
In the years of youth, one had the disposition of a naive good person, readily jumping out to assist others without hesitation upon witnessing any injustice or sorrow, disregarding the realities of the situation, and naively offering help despite the cunning nature of human hearts
As of now, eight minutes have already passed since the task began. There is a straight-line distance of three kilometers from "Honest Man Grocery Store" to the Provincial Museum. According to the best route planned in the guide, it would take at least twenty minutes to travel this distance.
"Brother Gu Han, look, what is happening over there?" The Flowing Year, which had been quietly following Gu Han, suddenly stopped in its tracks, pointed into the distance, and asked with a hint of fear.
Alright, the system notification has arrived, and the tasks have been refreshed. In order to achieve an SSS rating, Gu Han has no other choice but to complete this side quest
Thus, the woman continued to run with all her might, but as she ran, she turned her head to see how the foolish boy behind her was meeting his end. It was a sight she should not have looked at, for upon seeing it, she nearly had her eyes pop out in fright.
Hehe... Zhou Ziyu chuckled twice, then immediately resumed her affectionate demeanor, "That's right, I am the Japanese girl, Zhou Ziyu."
Brother Guhan, are you alright ... I clearly saw that leopard bite your throat just now, Brother Guhan, you aren't experiencing a moment of clarity before death, are you ... !" Liu Nianli looked worried.
Lord Gu Han, that is not a cat, it is a leopard! The intelligence of the years has reached its peak, and the compassionate nature has emerged. Lord Gu Han, we must definitely help her!
Amidst the woman's exclamations, Gu Han stood firm and unyielding, allowing the leopard to attack him. At the same time, the Qingpin sword in his hand sliced through the belly of the golden leopard like lightning, creating a gash that extended from its throat to the base of its tail.
Brother Guhan! Brother Guhan! The years have swiftly flown by to Guhan's side, and just now I saw a leopard biting down on Guhan's throat, nearly scaring this kind-hearted little fellow to death
According to the strategy outlined in the collection, the best approach for an average player is to act according to the method proposed by the annual calendar. This is because the money leopard will undoubtedly be lured by the annual calendar, abandoning the woman it was originally pursuing, crossing over the car to attack the annual calendar, thereby presenting its back to the player hiding under the car, allowing the player to easily thrust the sword into the money leopard's rear.
Although this leopard indeed caught Gu Han's head, it also truly bit into Gu Han's throat
This means that the critical damage of 9999 dealt by the Money Leopard just now left the Flowing Year Calendar with only a sliver of health. It is estimated that if it were not for the effect of the Super Novice Buff, which prevents any damage when health is reduced to a certain level, that strike from the Money Leopard would have already killed Gu Han
Are you afraid of me?" Gu Han's face showed an expression of impatience, "I don't have much time left
Following the direction indicated by the fingers of the flowing calendar, a woman in tattered clothing is running frantically, while behind her, a money leopard covered in patterns resembling currency is pursuing her wildly.
The golden leopard, which had just been chasing its own fortune like a bolt of lightning, suddenly came to a halt, lowering its body, its muscles taut, and emitted terrifying growls from its mouth, as if what stood before it was not a frail human, but a lion, a tiger, an equally matched opponent
After hearing the words of gratitude, Gu Han and Liu Nianli finally took a careful look at the appearance of this woman for the first time. She had a slender waist and long legs, a proud chest and a perky bottom, a beautiful face, and a mature and affectionate demeanor. What a luscious and ripe woman she was
However, the money leopard will not die immediately; instead, it will angrily redirect its attacks towards the player who has provoked it. At this moment, the player only needs to fully utilize their everlasting super novice buff, quietly enduring the money leopard's attacks for five minutes. After five minutes, the money leopard will automatically die due to excessive blood loss.
"Do not move here, I will be back shortly." Gu Han prevented Liu Nianli from jumping out as bait. With his sword in hand, Gu Han leaped from the ground and charged towards the direction of the golden leopard.
This is the most reliable way to complete the task, but Gu Han does not intend to do so, as he does not have five minutes to spare
Hehe, it's good that nothing is wrong... it's good that nothing is wrong..." Liu Nianli chuckled foolishly, touching his own head, and then gently caressed Gu Han's throat.
The large intestines, internal organs, heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and prostate of the leopard were accompanied by a copious amount of bright red blood, pouring out from its abdomen like a torrential rain
"You are... you are..." Liu Nianli suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "You are Zhou Ziyu! That Japanese actress Zhou Ziyu! I grew up watching your movies..."
Unfortunately, this leopard is overthinking
"Brother Guohan, I will go up to attract the attention of that leopard, and you hide behind that car with the sword. When the leopard jumps over the car to pounce, stab it fiercely in the rear with the sword"
... ...
... ...
Has the thing we were worried about finally arrived? Gu Han sighed inwardly, realizing that the character of our future Sword Ancestor, with that kind of saintly demeanor, has indeed manifested again
It's nothing, I don't know how to wield a sword. In this apocalyptic world, if it weren't for Brother Guhan wanting it, it would probably have been left at home, never to be seen again. Since Brother Guhan likes it, I will give it to him, as a small token of goodwill for the passing years.