C10 Treasureseeking Eye

[Mission Completed. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a new skill: Treasure-Seeking Eye.]

No sooner had Lee Daoquan stepped away than a celebratory firework of notifications burst forth in Su Jiuming's mind, heralding the reward for his completed mission.

"Oh? Treasure-Seeking Eye? That sounds intriguing. How does it work?"

Su Jiuming was thrilled; this was his second skill acquisition to date!

[Treasure-Seeking Eye: Once activated, you can view the basic information of all nearby items and creatures.]

"Really? Let's try it out!"

Upon reading the system's description, Su Jiuming immediately wanted to activate it, envisioning a video game interface where he could see the levels of spirit animals.

[Treasure-Seeking Eye can be activated only once per day, lasting one hour. You may deactivate the skill at will.]

[Using it right away might be wasteful. I recommend saving it for when you're on a mission~]

The system, however, thwarted Su Jiuming's immediate plans, suggesting he reserve the skill for mission use and promptly issued a new task.

[Mission Requirement: Mine at a designated location and collect more than ten types of ore.]

[Go, go, go! Host, don't delay in trying out your newly acquired skill!]

"... Alright, I'll do it."

Though disappointed he couldn't use the skill right away, Su Jiuming's spirits lifted at the prospect of a new mission.

Luckily, the mission site was nearby, just beneath Misty Peak.

There lay a natural mine, filled with various stones that were so tough and difficult to extract that they had been forsaken by the Veiled Moon.

Su Jiuming grabbed a stone from the roadside and hurled it at the mine's rocks, which instantly collided and crumbled to pieces.

"... System, these stones are incredibly hard, and I don't even have a tool. How am I supposed to mine?"

Su Jiuming grimaced and questioned the system.

Having dealt with the system's antics for so long, Su Jiuming had grown accustomed to its tricks and no longer reacted with the same alarm as he had initially.

[Are you daft? Have you forgotten about the Stone-Shattering Sword Aura? How did I get stuck with such a dim-witted host?]

As expected, the system berated Su Jiuming once more. Unfazed, Su Jiuming didn't respond and instead calmly employed his skill. Now that he had the technique down, his next task was to repeatedly use Stone-Shattering Sword Aura to break apart the rocks for mining.

Su Jiuming drew his sword and swung it wildly, the sword qi striking the cave's rocks with resounding booms. "That should do it, right? Time to use Treasure-Seeking Eye."

After unleashing over a dozen sword qi strikes, which sheared off a considerable amount of rock, Su Jiuming felt it was sufficient and activated Treasure-Seeking Eye to gather the ores. Upon activation, rows of tiny letters appeared above the stones before him.

Su Jiuming nodded in approval; the outcome was nearly what he had anticipated. Yet, as he moved in to collect the ores, he realized he'd been duped: among the many fallen rocks, each was uniformly labeled with the word "Stone." Stone after stone met his gaze, nothing but stones as far as the eye could see.

It took some time, but Su Jiuming finally unearthed a red Bloodcliff Rock from among the stones, marking a step forward in his mission. "System, why is there only one piece of ore among all these rocks? Rocks should have names, like granite or marble... but you've just labeled them all as 'stone'?"

[I thought it would make it easier for the host to identify them since the mission requires finding ore. Isn't this much simpler to recognize?]

"Simple to recognize? Hardly."

Su Jiuming couldn't agree with the system's justification, but he didn't see it as a problem either. The rocks were of no value, so referring to them simply as stones wasn't an exaggeration.

Thus, Su Jiuming persisted in using Stone-Shattering Sword Aura, tirelessly repeating the cycle of mining and searching for ores. Thankfully, the skill could conceal specific words; otherwise, Su Jiuming would have been overwhelmed by the endless repetition of the word "stone."

At last, after an hour, the Treasure-Seeking Eye skill expired, and Su Jiuming had just managed to collect ten different types of ores, which he took back to his dwelling.

[Mission completed. The reward, Heavenly Silkworm Silk, has been deposited in the system's warehouse.]

"...You've stored the Heavenly Silk for me, but what about these rocks? Why didn't you store them as well?"

Exhausted from continuously using his skills, Su Jiuming lay sprawled on the lounge chair, too tired to move. The system's notifications left him speechless.

He hadn't managed to witness the skill effects he was hoping for, and the mission reward had been whisked away by the system before he even got a glimpse.

Was there no justice? No rule of law?

"Those stones are useless. Just find a place to put them yourself."

The system's response was blunt, but it only served to infuriate Su Jiuming further:

"Damn it, why did you make me dig them up in the first place?"

In the days that followed, the system sporadically issued more missions, and Su Jiuming's storage room became increasingly cluttered.

The Jabberwocky continued to grow larger, yet it remained unchanged in appearance, still resembling a fluffy chick.

Then, one morning after completing his routine farm work, the system suddenly spoke up.

[Congratulations, host. Your spirit animal is now available for use as a mount.]

Su Jiuming glanced at the Jabberwocky nearby, then at the system's prompt, and once again sank into contemplation.

The Jabberwocky had grown to his height and seemed suitable as a mount.

But it still looked like a chick, clearly not fully matured, and yet the system was suggesting that he, Su Jiuming, ride the Jabberwocky?

"...Are you serious?"

Su Jiuming looked at the Jabberwocky, struggling to find words.

[Yes, seriously, it can be ridden. If you don't believe me, give it a try.]

The system wasn't kidding. If it said the creature could be ridden, then it truly could be.

Knowing that arguing with the system was futile, Su Jiuming sighed, grabbed the Jabberwocky's fur, and attempted to mount it.

Jii!

The moment he settled on its back, the Jabberwocky, startled by the unexpected weight, let out a shriek and bolted forward.

Su Jiuming, who hadn't secured his grip, was thrown to the ground, mouth full of dirt.

He picked himself up, watching the Jabberwocky as it ran off in fright and then circled back. Covered in mud, he was at a loss for words.

A snicker echoed in Su Jiuming's head, and he couldn't stand it any longer. Clenching his fists, he bellowed, "Is this what you call rideable?"

[Indeed, it is rideable, but you're just not able to ride it steadily.]

"How am I supposed to ride it indirectly?" Su Jiuming retorted, clearly irritated by the system's attitude.

[Well, not indirectly... You need a special saddle. Complete the mission to gather materials, and I'll craft it for you.] The system promptly issued the mission. Su Jiuming scanned the lengthy list of materials with some trepidation, but thankfully, he had already collected many of them on previous quests.

Still, Su Jiuming was annoyed. He couldn't shake the feeling that the system had orchestrated everything, including his potential falls.