A Comprehensive Network: An Endless Adventure Begins as a Wanderer

Cheng Yi stared at the withered hand for a long time.

Then he remembered something else.

It wasn't about the role-playing group, or the forum; it was something from a long time ago—something he might have forgotten, but the thought suddenly popped into his head.

When he was a child, around seven or eight years old, he saw a cat that had been hit by a car by the roadside. The cat's hind leg was broken, and it was lying in the ditch by the roadside, covered in mud and blood, with its eyes half-open and its mouth opening and closing, making very faint sounds.

Cheng Yi squatted by the roadside for a long time. He wanted to pick up the cat and take it to the vet, but he didn't dare. The cat looked like it was in a lot of pain, and he was afraid that if he picked it up, it would meow, and if it meowed, people would gather around to look, and if people looked at him, he would get nervous.

He squatted by the roadside for ten minutes, then stood up and went home.

The next day when he passed by, the cat was gone. The ditch had been washed clean, and there was no trace of it on the road, as if the cat had never existed.

Cheng Yi thought about this many times afterward.

It's not out of guilt; it's not a big deal that a seven or eight-year-old child is afraid to touch an injured cat.

It was because he realized that he had thought about many things in those ten minutes, but he hadn't thought about one thing: whether the cat wanted to live or not.

He only knew his own fear, not the cat's.

Cheng Yi stood up and went into the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator and took out the leftover takeout from yesterday. The stir-fried rice with green peppers and shredded pork was completely cold, and the rice was as hard as sand. He didn't heat it up; he just scooped a spoonful and stuffed it into his mouth. The cold green peppers had a raw, bitter taste, the shredded pork tasted like chewing rubber bands, and the rice grains scattered in his mouth, devoid of any flavor.

Cheng Yi chewed a few times, swallowed, and then scooped out another spoonful.

He ate slowly, not because the food was bad. Although it really was.

It's not because he needs time to think things through.

He's no longer seven or eight years old. He still has many fears—fear of pain, fear of death, fear of being seen, fear of making mistakes, fear of not being able to start over if he makes the wrong choice.

But those guards who died had no chance to be afraid. When Kram's mace came crashing down, they probably only had time for a moment of fear before everything was gone.

Count Hawke was still sleeping in his manor, waiting for news from the caravan.

Cheng Yi stuffed the last mouthful of rice into his mouth, threw the lunchbox into the trash can, washed his hands, and went to the second bedroom.

He needs to prepare.

Assassinate a count, not a goblin bear.

The bear goblin will charge at you, roar, and smash you with a mace—every move it makes tells you, "I'm going to kill you."

But the count won't. The count will sit in his chair, smile, ask you "Who are you?", and say "We can talk" when you draw your dagger.

Then, in that split second of hesitation, call for the guards.

Cheng Yi sat cross-legged on the floor of the second bedroom and turned on the control panel.

He first glanced at his experience points and disaster coin balance.

[General Experience: 2340]

[Disaster Coin from the Comprehensive Network: 1330]

The Kram camp gave him a lot of rewards, which, combined with what he had accumulated from the previous Web Nest, was enough for him to strengthen his equipment again.

Cheng Yi first opened the skill bar and took a look at his current abilities.

Observation Haki Lv1, Luna Knife Lv2, Shadow Binding Ritual, Trickster's Hand, Agile Movements, Steady Hands and Night Eyes.

During the battle at the Kram camp, his Observation Haki helped him spot traps and sentries in advance, and his Luna Throwing Knife silently dealt with the wolf pack. However, facing an unfamiliar manor, twelve guards, and a count hiding in a third-floor bedroom, these two abilities would need to be even stronger.

Cheng Yi allocated his experience points to Observation Haki and Luna Knife.

[Consumed 600 Universal Experience Points, Observation Haki upgraded to Lv3]

[Consuming 400 Universal Experience Points, Moon Goddess Flying Knife upgraded to Lv3]

A more pronounced force surged into his wrists than before. Without thinking or aiming, the moment Cheng Yi's fingers touched the throwing knife, the force had already flowed along his arm to the tip of the blade; all that remained was the timing of the release.

1330 experience points remaining.

Cheng Yi did not continue upgrading, but instead clicked into the [Multiverse Trading Center].

He needs more methods. Assassinating the count isn't just about direct combat; he needs disguise, cover, and an unseen eye to pave the way.

Although a trickster is also a spellcaster, he cannot acquire new spells by copying scrolls like a mage.

Therefore, Cheng Yi had no choice but to settle for second best and spent 1000 disaster coins to buy three more expensive spell skill books to learn.

Disguise Techniques

One-Circle Illusion School

Spellcasting time: one standard action or ritual (one natural time).

Casting range: Self

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: 1 mana

Description: You alter yourself and everything on you, including your clothing, armor, and weapons. The effect ends when the spell terminates. To the naked eye, your height can increase or decrease by one foot, and your build can vary from fat to thin. You must choose a form that aligns with your basic limb alignment. Furthermore, the area of ​​effect of the illusion is determined by you.

The changes produced by this spell cannot be detected by physical objects. For example, if you add a hat with this spell, physical objects will pass through the hat, and anyone who touches the hat will not be able to touch anything.

If a creature wants to determine whether you are in disguise, it must use a research action to study your appearance and succeed on an intelligence (investigation) check against your spell save DC.

P.S.: Hey buddy, I just saw a gun shoot a blueberry pie! — Ling Lingqi, Detective of the Third Police Department of Wizard City

Twilight

One-ring energy-shaping school

Casting time: one standard action

Casting range: 60 feet

Duration: 1 minutes

Cost: 2 mana

Description: A magical twilight diffuses from a sphere with a radius of 50 feet centered on a point you choose during the spell's duration. The gradually spreading twilight will extend to the corners of the area. The twilight is considered as a soft glow.

If you target an object you are holding or not wearing/carrying with a spell, twilight will emanate from around the object and follow its movement. Completely covering the object will also block the twilight emanating from it.

If the spell's area overlaps with any area of ​​light created by a second-circle or higher-circle spell, the spell's effect will be dispelled.

【Crawling Touch】

One-cycle change school

Casting time: one standard action

Casting range: Self

Duration: 10 minutes

Cost: 3 mana

Description: You detach your hand from your wrist, transforming it into a spider. You can communicate telepathically with the spider when it is within 100 feet of you. With a single action, you can observe and listen through the spider's senses until the start of your next round. During this time, your own senses will be deaf and blind.

If the spider is destroyed or unable to return, your hand will automatically regenerate, but you will suffer mental damage based on the extent of the spider's destruction. If you command the spider to return, it will crawl back to your wrist and terminate the spell.

P.S.: Spider-Hand! —Beyand Parker

He's still missing one last thing.

Cheng Yi searched for "night clothes," flipped through a few pages, and found one.

Shadow Cloak

Type: Cloak

Quality: Green

Description: This is a cloak woven by a Shadow Spirit from spider silk soaked in the Shadowlands. When draped, it blends seamlessly into the surrounding shadows. While wearing this cloak, you gain a +3 bonus to stealth checks performed in dim or dark environments.

Price: 200 Crossnet Disaster Coins

Cheng Yi learned the skill book and then took out the short sword he had taken out of Kram's box.

First Blood Dagger

Type: Short sword

Quality: Green

Description: This sword deals massive additional piercing damage to creatures with full health.

P.S.: First Blood! ————Call of Duty: Quinn

Cheng Yi bought it. The cloak felt cool to the touch, as light as a wisp of mist. He unfolded it and draped it over his shoulders. The edges of the cloak seemed to melt, seamlessly blending into the surrounding shadows. He glanced down at his body—in the dim light of the second bedroom, his outline became blurred, as if someone had erased a section of his edges with an eraser.

[Shadow Cloak equipped]

[Stealth check +3 (in dim light/dark environments)]

Cheng Yi put the cloak into his backpack and then took out the short sword he had found in Klam's box.

Daylight had broken. Sunlight streamed in, making him squint. In the distance came the sounds of rush hour traffic and the occasional horn honking. The aroma of fried dough sticks wafted from the breakfast stall downstairs, and the old man next door was watering his flowers on his balcony, humming off-key Peking Opera.

Everything is normal, nothing has changed.

Cheng Yi lowered the curtains, turned and walked into the bedroom, took out the land deed from his backpack, unfolded it, and looked at it again.

Wade Hawke.

This name will soon cease to be a name.

Cheng Yi folded the land deed, put it in his backpack, and lay down on the bed.

He needs to sleep.

It's only a little past seven in the morning. He needs to be well-rested and needs to maintain peak alertness in the dark.

Cheng Yi closed his eyes.

Before his consciousness sank into darkness, the last thing he thought of was the cat.

If you asked him to go back to that roadside now, he wouldn't squat there for another ten minutes.

He would pick up the cat.