Chapter 43 My Backpack Is Full Again

The corpse of the giant crocodile transformed into four glowing orbs: a beast core, fifty portions of crocodile meat, five portions of innards, and thirty-five crocodile eggs.

“Eggs?!” Ye Da stared in astonishment at the densely packed pile of white spheres within the glowing orb. But after seeing so many eggs and so much meat, he began to feel a headache coming on—he had nowhere to store them!

Ye Da’s magical storage backpack could only hold fifty units of items at a time. The crocodile meat alone filled up the entire capacity, not to mention the eggs and innards. There was simply no way to fit everything unless the backpack’s storage doubled, which was not the case.

Staring at the glowing orbs, Ye Da was at a loss for what to do.

In the end, he chose to take only the innards and the beast core.

The moment he grasped the beast core, its energy surged into Ye Da’s right forearm.

Crack! Crack!

Countless streaks of ashen black emerged from beneath his skin, quickly spreading to cover his entire arm. The instant his whole arm was petrified, Ye Da sensed something different. The feeling was elusive, almost ethereal, yet undeniably real. For reasons he couldn’t explain, as soon as the petrification was complete, he had the vague sense that his arm could change shape.

But... he had no idea how to do it.

He pinched his right arm with his left hand. It was hard as stone, hardly the sort of thing that could be reshaped.

This puzzled him.

Just then, as he was scrutinizing his arm, the analysis spectacles provided an answer:

[Petrification (Tier 1 Limit): By focusing your will or entering a meditative state, you can alter the shape of the petrified limb. The key is to truly believe you can change it—if your mind can convince your bones and flesh, you will gain the ability to transform.]

“So... this is the limit?” Ye Da was overjoyed by the analysis.

He had always felt that there would be some qualitative change once his entire arm was fully petrified. Now, he could sense that transformation, though he didn’t know how to use it.

The analysis spectacles, however, offered clear instructions, putting him at ease.

Willpower, then?

Ye Da closed his eyes and tried to picture his hand morphing into a drill.

The next second, he felt warmth coursing down his arm, as if something were surging toward his palm.

Did it work?

Excitement bubbled within him.

“I truly am a genius!”

But when he opened his eyes, the petrification had faded. There was no change at all.

Did it not work?

His pride, which had soared to its peak, quickly deflated.

He’d thought himself a genius, only to realize—the joke was on him.

Still, Ye Da wasn’t too disappointed. He’d try again when he had the time. After all, expecting success on the first attempt was a bit harsh.

Even Luffy from One Piece had to spend a lot of time and go through many battles to fully master his Gear Second and Gear Third abilities.

Ye Da, by comparison, was just making his first attempt during a wild adventure.

It hardly counted!

He’d try again at home—perhaps in a safe environment, with greater focus, he’d succeed.

After all, just now he’d already felt a hint of energy flow. If that wasn’t talent, what was?

After evolving to Tier Two with the beast core, Ye Da decided to quickly find a large tree, deploy his treehouse, empty his storage backpack, and then bring a basket back to pack up the rest.

The crocodile eggs and meat would have to remain inside the glowing orbs for now.

He’d tested it before: as long as he didn’t claim the items, the orbs would keep floating. At least, there was no bloody scent to attract carnivores.

Though...

He wasn’t sure if other animals could break open the orbs.

But for now, he had no better solution.

“Little Grey, come here!” Ye Da, ever cautious, called his little wolf cub over. Pointing to the orb filled with crocodile eggs, he ordered, “Bite it open!”

“Woof!” Little Grey barked and leapt at the orb containing the eggs.

Snap!

Little Grey bit at empty air and tumbled down. The orb remained, untouched.

As he’d suspected!

These glowing orbs were a bit like loot drops in video games: when a monster is defeated, the dropped items are shielded—a protective barrier ensures the loot goes to whoever landed the blow, preventing others from stealing it.

How long that barrier would last, Ye Da couldn’t guess.

For now, all he could do was hurry to find a big tree, empty his backpack, and race back for his spoils.

“Let’s go!”

With resolve, Ye Da set off in a chosen direction—east, toward the woods.

If luck favored him, he’d find a large enough tree. If not, he’d have to return to his starting point and use the treehouse for storage.

At this moment, Ye Da felt as if he were playing some kind of adventure RPG, constantly plagued by an overfilled inventory, always needing to trek back to town to stash his loot—a tedious process.

Sometimes, he’d be on a quest in some remote area, and halfway through his bag would be full.

In the old days, you couldn’t just click on a map to teleport anywhere. You had to walk, and sometimes even buy a boat ticket to sail across.

The round trip was a hassle.

Ye Da hated to throw things away, but didn’t want to go back either. So he’d wander nearby villages, hoping for a lucky break.

If luck was with him, he might find a small bank; if not, he’d just have to return to town.

Tap.

As he walked, Ye Da felt a chill atop his head.

Did something just drip on him?

Could it be bird droppings? There were plenty of birds here—the constant chattering overhead made him feel like he’d stumbled into a nest.

Startled, he quickly looked up.

But the moment he raised his head, countless threads rained down upon him.

The entire sky turned gray. White lines pierced the clouds, falling onto trees, leaves, grass, bursting into countless tiny droplets.

Plop!

Pitter-patter!

Ye Da reached out and caught a white streak.

It landed in his palm and instantly pooled into a tiny puddle.

It was raining.

So suddenly?

And so quietly?

Ye Da had thought rain would be heralded by thunder and lightning, or at least a darkening sky.

But this... how could it start so abruptly?

And it was only getting heavier.

“Hurry!” Ye Da quickly called to his two little companions, shielding his head as they dashed forward.

Luckily, he’d reached the edge of the woods. Though most of the trees were small, as long as there were trees, there was hope.

A tree with a trunk four or five meters in diameter wasn’t that rare; with careful searching, he should find one.

And yet—

The rain poured down relentlessly.

Ye Da searched the woods for half an hour and still didn’t find a suitable tree.

He was getting frustrated.

Once, he finally found a big tree, but when he threw the treehouse sphere, it indicated the trunk was only 4.3 meters in diameter—deployment failed.

“Woof woof!”

“Woof woof woof!”

Little White and Little Grey, the two wolf cubs, were obviously exhausted. They were still only pups, and after the earlier struggle with the giant crocodile, their strength was nearly spent. Now, after running around the woods for so long, their fatigue was understandable.

“Tired, huh? Let’s eat something first.”

Ye Da pulled out a portion of crocodile innards from his backpack—he wasn’t sure which part, just a bloody lump—and split it in two for the cubs.

“Woof!”

Neither cub was picky. Even in the pouring rain, they tucked in eagerly, paying no mind to the mud and grit.

Their simple meal made Ye Da realize that wandering the woods aimlessly was pointless. Better to stop and analyze his surroundings before moving on.

East: [280 meters ahead stands a towering tree known as the King of Trees.]

[Note: The King of Trees is home to many tree-eating beasts. If you can catch a few, you might harvest some excellent vegetables.]