Ita Era

Chapter 158 Swift Sword

Ding Shi went to the martial arts school and told the young lady that he wanted to learn swordsmanship. After the young lady made a move, various swords appeared on a blank wall.

There were a dazzling array of swords, including short swords, double swords, long swords, and bronze swords. Ding Shi tried out each one and finally chose a set of Western swords.

This set of swords consists of one long and one short sword. The long sword is a classic type of swift sword, with a slender blade that resembles a sewing needle. Its shape is somewhat similar to the Olympic épée. The beautiful spherical guard effectively protects the main hand and is one of the main reasons that attracted Ding Shi.

The Swift Sword's primary method of attack is stabbing; even an ordinary soldier can wield it to pierce chainmail. The blade can be sharpened or left unsharpened, and it can also be used for striking, but its lethality is far less than that of piercing.

The shorter one is called a fighting dagger. It is shaped like a cross and can be used for surprise attacks or as a finishing blow in combat.

The training is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on footwork, including foot movement and maintaining eye-to-sword alignment. The second part emphasizes thrusting, focusing on speed and accuracy; neither aspect can be neglected. The third part is defense, which includes techniques such as parrying, spinning, and striking. Only after mastering all three training stages will the instructor begin practical combat instruction.

The diligent Ding Shi began practicing, taking breaks to observe the splitting palm technique, and then finding time to practice hand seals.

The swift sword thrust and retraction may seem simple, but it is actually not easy.

Ding Shi practiced against a dead target, but he either caught up with the speed but lost his accuracy, or he hit the bullseye but his release speed was too slow. The practice process was very tedious, but Ding Shi enjoyed it immensely. He could feel that the time and effort he put in were paying off.

The swordsmanship learned at the martial arts school is not a skill; it remains yours even after leaving the world of Ita.

The good news is that Ding Shi has good talent, and his training progress is 40% faster than the system predicted.

At 11 PM, Ding Shi went to the Ghost Market, found Zhong Kui's clinic, and used most of his Yin Virtue to repair his arm. He also ordered a spicy hot pot. With the late-night snack, he moved to Fire Seed City, deposited the 300 dollars he received as a group reward into the group account, and earned 300 contribution points.

The central bonfire in Fireseed City has been built, burning continuously for 24 hours without the need for fuel. A circle of benches surrounds the bonfire. Wang Meng sits alone on one of the benches, his hands wrapped in boxing bandages, his body covered in sweat, as if he had just finished a round of boxing.

Ding Shi sat down on a bench, took out a case of ice-cold beer, pulled out a bottle and tossed it to Wang Meng. Wang Meng caught the beer, hung the cap on the edge of the chair, and tapped it down with his left hand, opening the cap immediately.

Ding Shi opened a bottle for himself and asked, "Can't sleep?"

Wang Meng asked, "What is our life now? We're just running dungeons, dungeons, what is our goal? Is it just to survive?" He didn't want to stay in the Sky Villa looking at the stars, as it would fuel his associations with the unknown and instill fear in him.

Ding Shi said, "I might have guessed something."

Wang Meng: "Oh? Please begin your nonsense."

Ding Shi said, "The first issue of the newspaper already contained a lot of information. The Interstellar Alliance needs humanity to prove its worth, the solar system is restarting, and the dangerous planet Ita is at risk."

Wang Meng: "Really? So, we want humanity to reflect on its own value through the script of our times?"

Ding Shi looked at the campfire, drinking beer, without answering. It wasn't until he opened his second bottle that Ding Shi said, "My first guess is that Ita isn't asking to save humanity or the solar system. Rather... inaccurately speaking, to enrich species."

Wang Meng asked, "Abundant species?"

Ding Shi said, "In the 2012 disaster movie, in addition to people with tickets who could board Noah's Ark, various animals also rode on Noah's Ark. There was also a reason for choosing the animals. Even a simple pair of mice was chosen from the strongest and smartest pair of mice."

Wang Meng pondered for a moment: "Are we rats?"

Ding Shi corrected: "Only lucky mice and hardworking mice are qualified to board Noah's Ark. We are not yet."

Wang Meng suddenly realized some details: "The newspaper said that humans cannot reproduce in the Ita world, and time has become very long, which is equivalent to increasing human lifespan. In other words, this is a one-off deal, and there will be no new humans in the future."

Ding Shi said, "Sancai City is a ghost city, and I don't know about Liangyi City yet. But it can be seen that people are becoming less and less like people, no, it should be said that they are souls after shedding their skin. My guess is that Ita is building a cyclical system, where humans die, enter the cycle, and are reborn. Ghosts stay in Sancai City for 10 years, and they may stay in Liangyi City for even longer, perhaps 20 years."

Ding Shi said, "I predict that it will take Ita 30 years to build a soul circulation system. As for the dungeons, they might be the source of the system's energy." Those with good karma can be reincarnated earlier.

Wang Meng asked, "Is there any basis for this?"

Ding Shi answered honestly, "No."

Wang Meng: "The cyclical system object you mentioned is the unlucky mouse. What about the lucky mouse?"

Ding Shi said, "Perhaps by completing a certain number of dungeons, or by accumulating points from hidden dungeons, it is possible to become a new human, no longer a carbon-based life form."

Wang Meng asked, "Is it immortality?"

Ding Shi said, "Perhaps, but don't make it sound so scary. There's another possibility: the solar system is about to disappear, and aliens gave us an Ita system. The Ita system is not yet perfect and will need decades, or even longer, to rebuild an ecosystem. The Ita system is like a computer with many games on it, and we are the characters in those games. The computer has many games, and therefore many corresponding instances."

Ding Shi said, "In this way, we will evolve from carbon-based life forms into digital life forms. We don't need a solar system; we can survive in a small area. The aliens will collect the Ita system and make it their private collection."

What is the point of being a digital being? It seems pointless, but it's entirely different if you don't know you're a digital being, believe that the solar system and the Earth are real and not made up of programs.

Wang Meng said, "Forget it, don't make things difficult for your walnut-sized brain. Just tell me what you think our goal is?"

Ding Shi said, "Conquer all era instances."

Wang Meng asked, "What's the point of the other instances?"

Ding Shi replied, "Improve your strength. In the feudal era instance, a very strong imperial guard appeared. Apart from ghosts and monsters, he is currently the strongest humanoid creature to appear in the instance."

Ding Shi said, "Why does every player have a little candy by their side? I think the little candy is a digital monitor that observes our physical and emotional changes. Have you noticed that in all dungeons, whether it's the Ghost King or NPCs, they are becoming more and more human-like? Do you think that's the result of the little candy's observation and optimization?"

Wang Meng said, "What you said does make some sense. In the third round, I noticed that one of my NPC subordinates had an unusual fawning smile, and the NPCs' emotions are becoming increasingly rich." Ding Shi said, "I think they don't have emotions; they're just imitating. Their behavior is limited by the rules. Similar to our deduction, when faced with certain objective conditions, the NPCs produce corresponding reactions. By adjusting their physical parameters, we can make them react differently to the same event."

Ding Shi said, "I think they can't imitate human emotions because we humans sometimes have a hard time explaining our own emotions. For example, if you are the leader of the Dragon Gang, and you are alone in front of the fire feeling melancholy, why is that? Is it because your ancestral graves were dug up, or because your wife ran away with someone else? No, it's because you have learned to think."

Wang Meng sighed, "I've already used those two excuses to fight. I'm not in a good mood today and don't want to fight."

Ding Shi took out the Thunder Ninja headband and threw it over. Wang Meng caught the headband, which turned into a card. His dejected mood vanished, and he said, "I think Ita is still quite interesting."

Ding Shi was about to make a sarcastic remark when Wang Meng simply left. With the Ninja Village instance available, who would want to play the role of a complaining woman with a man in the middle of the night?

Damn it! That bastard, he's heartless.

So Ding Shi could only drink alone by the fire, setting out the snacks he had brought: peanuts, boneless chicken feet, and braised beef. Why not go home to drink? Perhaps it was simply because he didn't want to be alone. Although he was alone here, at least there was hope.

Ten minutes later, Yu Yuan arrived, donated the collective fund, sat down next to Ding Shi, and started drinking without any hesitation.

Ding Shi asked Wang Meng's question, but Yu Yuan had a different opinion: "So what about the real world? The Earth is billions of years old, humanity is millions of years old, and civilization is five thousand years old. For an individual, a hundred years is nothing more than a cup of yellow earth. Ita and Earth are very different, but what remains unchanged is that I am still me."

Su Su and the woman in red arrived together. After listening to half of the speech, Su Su's opinion was: "Just be happy and live each day to the fullest."

Hongyi didn't pursue the truth either; her thoughts were similar to Yu Yuan's: "Life is just about taking a business trip, working, and resting. I prefer Ita, though; it gives you a more exciting life and world. The only downside is that there are too few people to interact with; NPCs are just NPCs. I'm now looking forward to seeing who can quickly collect the five truths and open up a social platform."

The woman in red said, "I prefer playing poker to solving Rubik's Cubes. Rubik's Cubes are all about strategy; the higher your IQ, the better you play. Poker is in the unknown; you don't know what cards you have or what cards your opponents have."

Su Su asked Ding Shi for knowledge, and Ding Shi explained: "Playing Rubik's Cube is like going to work. Although it won't be exactly the same every day, it's pretty much the same. Smart people can get promoted and get a raise more easily. Playing poker is like delivering takeout. Every day you meet different people and things. On Earth, many people are stuck in a certain way of life because of their profession. In Ita, the variability of the dungeons allows players to constantly experience new lives."

Su Su understood: "If that's the case, I prefer Ita to Earth."

……

the next day.

"711,"

"Boss, I'm here."

"Did you do what I asked you to do last time?" Ding Shi instructed 711 to keep an eye on the auction house and acquire the Truth Playing Card and Body Optimization Card.

711 replied, "No."

That makes sense; money isn't very useful these days, so people won't sell important items.

711 said, "Boss, the Body Optimization Card works best the first time; the effect diminishes significantly the second time."

Ding looked at 711-Eleven curiously: "Do you have any suggestions?"

711 replied: "Boss, you've been to the Ghost Market, enjoyed a bath, and eaten delicacies from the Underworld. Have you noticed any changes in your body?"

Ding Shi thought for a long time before saying, "No."

711 said, “It’s understandable, because the changes are very small and hard to detect. The Ghost Market doesn’t offer ordinary food and baths, but rather medicinal cuisine and baths that enhance the body. Over the years, one’s physical condition can approach the limits of human potential.”

Ding Shi asked, "But we still can't break through the limit."

711 said, "Before the Era of Ita, humans could already break through the limits of the human body through mechanical means. For example, a mechanical arm can deal more damage than a normal arm. For example, although the best performance of the Blade Prosthetic did not surpass Bolt, it was more energy-efficient. Boss, don't ask me how to obtain a mechanical arm or a mechanical body, I don't know either."

Ding Shi said, "What I'd like to ask is, assuming there's a set of human mechanical armor, should I have my own head transplanted into it?"

711 responds with a smile, but its concepts and values ​​are incomplete, making it impossible to choose between right and wrong options.

Ding Shi asked, "I want to improve my physical fitness. The best way right now is to go to the Ghost Market to spend money?" But the cost is not low. After repairing his arm, Ding Shi's good karma has been completely squandered.

711 replied, "You can also improve your physical fitness through exercise." This means that there are two ways to lose weight: one is to eat less, and the other is to eat less and exercise.

Ding decided to eat less, which meant farming Ghost Dungeons to accumulate good karma. However, Ghost Dungeons aren't readily available. Normal difficulty dungeons refresh daily at 7:30 AM. Hard difficulty dungeons refresh every two days. Nightmare dungeons refresh every three days. Hell dungeons only appear after completing Nightmare dungeons. Hell dungeons won't refresh within three days until you enter a new dungeon.

While waiting idly for the demon's quest, Ding Shi began his swordsmanship training. He learned the basics quickly and steadily, and on the third day, he entered practical combat training. The targets of this training were opponents wielding various melee weapons, from giant axes to daggers.

On the fifth day, the young lady gave Ding Shi three choices for his left hand. The first was a traditional fighting dagger. The second was a flintlock pistol from the musketeer era. Why not a modern pistol? With a modern pistol, why fight with melee weapons? The third was a hand shield, worn on the left hand, with a small shield on the back of the hand for blocking blade attacks.

Unlike ordinary convex shields, this hand shield is concave, which allows it to better counter thrusts and limit the opponent's weapon. It can also be used as a primary weapon for shield strikes.

Modern hand shields are foldable; when the left hand is clenched into a fist, the shield covers the back of the hand and fingers, combining the functions of a knuckle duster and a shield.

While hand shields are useful, they require a high level of coordination between the left and right hands and strong left-hand reaction ability.

Ding Shi asked the saleswoman and, upon learning that the hand shield and swift sword were a set, chose the hand shield without hesitation. He then went to Four Symbols City and purchased a swift sword and hand shield set forged using the highest modern forging techniques. Since the sword and shield set was a luxury item, it cost a whopping $300.

The Swift Sword purchased from Sixiang City was not sharpened, so Ding Shi gloriously handed over the sharpening work to 711.

(End of this chapter)