Chapter 53: Master Dog, What Do You Do for a Living?

Watching the black dog ahead, furiously digging at the mound and tearing at the coffin, Shen He felt a chill crawl up his arms despite the blazing midday sun. The hole gouged open in the coffin and the rotting white bones exposed within only heightened the sense of unease. Thankfully, it was still afternoon, and the sun hung high in the sky. Had this scene unfolded at night, even the bravest soul would have shuddered in terror.

How had things come to this? Wasn’t this straight out of a traditional horror tale? A black dog digging up graves—he never expected to see such a sight outside of ghost stories. Shen He instinctively held his breath as he watched the dog repeatedly thrust its paw through the hole, clawing at the jewelry resting on the skeleton inside. Only then did he realize the black dog had been lured here by the ornament clinging to the white bones.

What on earth could it be, to attract a mutated beast like this to desecrate a grave? He had thought the creature was after the bones themselves, but it seemed the burial goods were the real prize. Was greed so universal now that even mutated beasts succumbed to it?

Lines of text floated before his eyes:

[Survival Guide: Your ancestors do not seem to bless you; they have pointed you toward a dubious path. Look, that is a mutated corpse-digging dog. It has set its sights on the power gem atop the white bones.]

[Your presence will be seen as a threat. If you don’t leave now, you’ll be torn to pieces.]

Shen He’s eyes narrowed. So the dog truly was after the jewel. But what use could a beast have for such a thing? As he hesitated, the corpse-digging dog suddenly hooked its paw through the coffin’s opening. Perhaps it used too much force, for the paw sent the skeletal remains, jewelry and all, flying seven or eight meters—landing straight into Shen He’s arms.

[Survival Guide: Don’t just stand there after such a windfall. This power gem is coveted even by the mighty. Wearing it increases your strength attribute by five percent.]

[For once, your ancestor has truly watched over you.]

His hand trembled and the gem dropped into his pocket, the bones tumbling to the ground beside him. He silently offered an apology: “If blame must be assigned, let it fall on the black dog for running off…”

Not far away, the black dog, as large as a calf, had already turned to glare at him, baring its teeth with a menacing growl. Shen He blurted out, “Master Dog, what’s your profession?”

The corpse-digging dog answered with a guttural bark.

With that, the beast lunged at Shen He, leaping for his throat—the weakest spot on the human body, as even a creature with some intelligence would know.

As the monstrous jaws closed in, Shen He raised his arm and, in a flash, drove his alloy longsword straight into the open maw. The blade pierced through flesh and bone, skewering the dog’s skull from inside its mouth. Blood and brain matter spattered red and white in the sunlight. Shen He spun, yanked the sword free, and used the hilt to smack the dog’s corpse to the ground.

He glanced at the carcass and muttered, “Some intelligence, but not much.”

[Ding! Congratulations, player, on slaying a Tier-3 corpse-digging dog. Free attribute points +3.]

[Ding! Congratulations, player, on completing Daily Quest Two: A New Storm Has Arisen.]

[Quest reward issued.]

[…]

[Survival Guide: Why is your luck so damned good? Is it truly the ancestors’ blessing?]

[Damn it! Why can’t I have ancestors like yours?]

[Kid, the power gem can be worn or embedded into equipment. Think about what the mighty would do.]

[…]

Shen He’s eyes shimmered with delight as line after line appeared before him. A double blessing—no, a triple one! He had slain a corpse-digging dog for three attribute points, completed a daily quest for another three, and now possessed a power gem that boosted strength by five percent. For the survival guide to call this a treasure coveted by the strong, its rarity was beyond question.

This also made him realize just how extraordinary the “Leapfrogging Battle” achievement was: a twenty percent boost to all attributes. In any game, that would be a top-tier SSR-level reward. Truly, the ancestors were watching over him!

He took out the gem to examine it. It looked like nothing more than a cheap stone. Could something so plain really enhance attributes? He rolled it between his fingers before slipping it back into his pocket. After all, it had fallen off a corpse; he would need to clean it before using it.

He glanced at the dog’s body, then pulled out his phone and dialed Chen Zhao. The call connected quickly, and a clear voice answered, “Hello! This is Wu Xiaoxiao. For missions, press one. For personal calls, press two.”

Shen He paused, then said, “Officer Rabbit, you’re still as adorable as ever.”

“Shen, stop calling me Officer Rabbit! I’m actually very fierce. Keep it up and I’ll hit you next time I see you!”

“Alright, Officer Rabbit, please hand the phone to your mentor. I have business with him.”

“…”

“Hello, this is Chen Zhao.”

“Captain Chen, it’s Shen He, your five-star model citizen! I’ve managed to get a mutated beast’s corpse. Are you interested in buying it?”

“…You make it sound like our precinct is a wholesale market.”

“So, do you want it or not?”

“We’ll take it. Where are you? I’ll bring someone over for appraisal. You won’t be shortchanged.”

“Great, I’m in XX Village, XX Town. Call me when you arrive.”

“Understood.”

The call ended with a series of beeps. Shen He grinned at the abruptness; that man really was impatient.

He glanced at the bones lying nearby and cleared his throat. Using a corn leaf, he wrapped up the skeleton and walked back to the disturbed grave. As he went, he muttered, “I don’t know which family you belonged to, but today I’ve done you a great favor—gave you a whole body, and soon I’ll patch up your grave so it won’t leak when it rains. I bet you wouldn’t want to be bathed in muddy water. Let’s consider that power gem a gift from you to me.”

“As they say, one does not refuse a gift from an elder, so I’ll accept it shamelessly. If you’re unhappy, go find my own ancestors and complain—have them visit me in a dream tonight. But whatever the case, I’m not giving it back…”

Muttering his apologies, he returned the bones to the coffin, patched the hole with broken planks, and refilled the mound, stomping it down to guard against the rain. Only then did he feel somewhat at ease.

Next, Shen He found a place to stash the dog’s corpse, then fetched a large waterproof tarp to wrap it up and carry it home, tossing it absentmindedly in a corner. He knew eating mutated beast meat could boost one’s power, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to eat such a thing. Besides, no meal could match the swiftness of adding attribute points directly.

The savior never compromises!