Nightmare Despair

Chapter 60 Progress
Outside the bedroom, the sound of Lu Yan washing up could be heard.

Zhou Kai glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table; it was exactly eight o'clock in the morning.

He brought up the control panel, ready to start planning his new day.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion, Clear Mind]

【Scars: Chariot - Part 1 (1/100)】

【技能：综合格斗lv3（1/50），轻盈步伐lv3（13/50），索拉卡剑术lv2（12/25），神秘学lv2（0/25），隼击术Lv2（3/25）】

[Items: Residence Permit, Bloodstained Axe, Morning Star Notebook (Part 3, Part 2), Moonshine Orchid Seed (Full), Exquisite Moonshine Orchid Amulet, Sturdy Two-Handed Greatsword]

[General Experience Points: 14]

The effects of the pill had not been fully absorbed yet, and Zhou Kai did not intend to waste it; there was no point in swallowing another one at this stage.

He understands the principle of "don't bite off more than you can chew" better than anyone else, given his expertise.

Therefore, the experience points on the panel only increased by five points, reaching fourteen points.

"Fourteen experience points... Soraka's swordsmanship can just reach level three."

Soraka's swordsmanship learning progress has reached 12/25. Zhou Kai only needs to add points to make it transform.

But Zhou Kai wouldn't upgrade so hastily.

"Being strong is fundamental, that's true... but I'm still a long way from being able to single-handedly defeat Nightmare."

"At this stage, it's best to keep some cards up our sleeve."

Items like the Moonlit Orchid Amulet significantly boost his survival and growth efficiency.

Going all in is a sign of wisdom, but there's no need to go all in when you're already in a comfortable position.

……

After getting ready, Zhou Kai and Lu Yan went to a shopping mall in the city center.

Even if you gain extraordinary powers, as a young person in modern society, the first thing you'll do when your phone breaks is buy a new one, otherwise you'll still feel like ants are crawling all over you.

Inside the mall, promotional electronic announcements mingled with the sweet aromas of dessert shops, and the counters showcasing new mobile phones were packed with people.

"Flagship phones are so cheap now? I remember when I upgraded a year or two ago, even the decent ones cost seven or eight thousand."

Lu Yan examined Zhou Kai's new phone from all angles. There wasn't a single physical button on the phone, and it even had a secondary screen on the back, giving it a high-tech feel, yet the price tag only said 4799.

"It really is."

Zhou Kai nodded, fiddling with the new device in his hand: "In the past two years, food has become ridiculously expensive, while industrial products like mobile phones, computers, and cars have actually become cheaper."

Lu Yan smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits: "That's great! My favorite brand is releasing new products next month, I'll come and snag a bargain then."

Is it a good thing?
Zhou Kai didn't reply, but he shook his head inwardly...

He doesn't plan to replace his computer.

Firstly, since Morning Star Club was started as a hobby, if he didn't intend to seriously develop and strengthen it, he would only receive a fixed salary of 10,000 yuan per month from the rich woman.

Of the ten thousand, three thousand had to be returned to Zhou Qing, and nearly five thousand had been spent on the phone, leaving only a little over two thousand in hand. If he bought a computer, he would be starving.

Secondly, after graduating from university, I didn't have a strong need for a computer.

If you're really in a hurry, a street-side internet cafe isn't a bad option.

After getting their communication equipment sorted, the two parted ways at the entrance of the boxing gym.

Lu Yan is a member of the boxing gym. She feels bad about the membership fee, and as long as the sky doesn't fall, she won't miss a single class.

Zhou Kai, on the other hand, absorbed most of the medicinal effects after a night of intensive training.

Recently, Chen Ping has been so busy during the day that he can't spare a moment to spar with Zhou Kai, so Zhou Kai has lost the motivation to go to the boxing gym early in the morning.

Today, he has more important things to do.

Add more trump cards to your deck for survival in the nightmare.

For example, what I learned from Dirham.

“The sacred symbolic plants of the Limpinian Church are Gastrodia elata and Cyathea spinulosa.”

During this period, he spent a lot of time researching online and learned a great deal about these two plants.

First is the Japanese tree fern.

Tree ferns are a type of woody fern, extremely ancient, that flourished in prehistoric times over 100 million years ago, spreading across the world like weeds. In China, they are currently only found in the southwest of Chixing and are a first-class protected plant.

As for the dwarf tree fern that Zhou Kai was looking for, that's even more outrageous. This small plant, whose adult size is only a fraction of that of a tree fern, is... critically endangered on Red Star.

Even the slightest touch will land you in for tea.

To get your hands on it, you either have to go abroad or risk spending your life in jail by traveling hundreds of kilometers to the mountainous areas of southwest China to live like a hermit, and even then, you might not be able to find it.

"In that case, we can only start with Gastrodia elata."

Having figured things out, Zhou Kai changed direction and headed towards an ancient medicine hospital in the city.

The three sacred plants of the Limpini Church all have one thing in common: they require very little sunlight.

Their survival philosophy is remarkably similar to the church's goal: to survive in the darkness.

Gastrodia elata is the most overpowered of the three plants. It has no roots or leaves, and it doesn't need sunlight or even bother to absorb nutrients from the soil.

It survives on a fungus called Armillaria mellea, which provides the nutrients it needs to grow.

Getting Gastrodia elata is actually quite easy; you can just go to any pharmacy.

Besides being a symbol of the church, Gastrodia elata is also a commonly used medicinal herb in ancient Chinese medicine, with a wide range of applications, and it is stocked in almost every hospital pharmacy.

……

"You want medicine without a prescription? What do you need Gastrodia elata for?"

Behind the pharmacy counter, a female doctor in her thirties leaned back in her chair, too lazy to even lift her eyelids.

"Is this a prescription drug?"

Zhou Kai asked this question subconsciously, because he hadn't actually found out about it.

The doctor shook his head and said impatiently, "No, sometimes old ladies come in to get some to take home and make soup."

She pointed to the registration desk next to her: "Now everything is standardized. The prescriptions I issue have to match the doctor's prescriptions. So, you can just register at any outpatient clinic and have the doctor give you a prescription for dietary supplements."

"Okay, thank you."

Zhou Kai nodded, indicating that he understood.

A short while later, Zhou Kai completed all the procedures and picked up a small bag of dried Gastrodia elata from the pharmacy.

The total cost was 23 yuan, which is incredibly cost-effective.

As he was leaving, the female doctor noticed his secretive behavior and offered a word of advice: "Use it carefully, it's medicine after all, don't take it indiscriminately."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Kai winked knowingly and said, "Don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy."

"Uh……"

The female doctor immediately blushed.

Logically speaking, processed medicinal herbs are no different from pickled salted fish; they are already dead and could never be revived.

But for Zhou Kai, personal effort can overturn basic common sense.

"How many experience points are needed to add some cooked gastrodia elata to allow it to continue growing?"

A number floated lightly before his eyes.

【2】

This is for reviving Gastrodia elata, and comes with a set of live Armillaria mellea ecosystem consumption.

"Less than I expected... feasible."

His Moonlit Orchid seed had been in the nightmare for who knows how many years, at least a century, and when he finally got his hands on it, it was completely lifeless.

As a result, with just a little experience, the shriveled seed immediately plumped up, and the dead thing came back to life.

There's no reason why it wouldn't work to use Gastrodia elata instead.

Just two simple tips can turn the tide and bring about a new lease on life.

not bad.

"Let's test the waters tonight, and hopefully it won't disappoint me."

Zhou Kai carefully tucked the packet of gastrodia elata into his pocket.

Today is the 14th. Which guy will have the last laugh tonight? Any experts out there who can predict it?

(End of this chapter)