Chapter 40: An Unexpected Boon

Chapter 40: An Unexpected Boon

Amidst this surge of warmth, Chen Shouyi felt the light before his eyes grow increasingly brighter, his vision sharper, while his muscles alternately contracted and relaxed.

The sensation was eerily familiar, yet before he could fully grasp it, the heat vanished as swiftly as it had come, lasting only a few seconds before dissipating entirely.

Feeling his body now strangely weightless, Chen Shouyi finally recalled where he had experienced this before.

Wasn’t this the same sensation he had felt when the Book of Knowledge first transformed his body upon his initial arrival on this island?

His heart stirred, and he swiftly opened his Attribute Panel:

Strength: 13.1

Agility: 13.1

Constitution: 13.8

Intelligence: 12.6

Perception: 11

Willpower: 11.8

Knowledge:

- Chinese Language (Proficient 6)

- Physics (Skilled 12)

- Chemistry (Skilled 11)

- Mathematics (Skilled 9)

- English (Skilled 6)

- Computer Science (Beginner 6)

- Culinary Arts (Beginner 5)

- Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques (Skilled 8)

- Meditative Self-Refinement (Skilled 8)

- Swordsmanship (Skilled 12)

- Archery (Skilled 6)

Innate Ability: Natural Healing

Energy Accumulation: 2.95

His attributes had undergone a dramatic change.

His Strength had increased from 12.7 to 13.1, a gain of 0.4 points.

Moreover, his Agility, Constitution, and Intelligence had all risen by 0.3 points each.

Even his Willpower had increased by 0.2.

However, Chen Shouyi suspected this wasn’t due to physical changes but rather the result of his life-and-death battle.

The more he examined the panel, the more delighted he became.

Though the increases couldn’t compare to the previous leaps of one or two points, it was like stumbling upon unexpected money under a mattress—one couldn’t ask for more.

A Strength of 13.1 translated to roughly 350 kilograms, far exceeding the minimum standard for a Martial Artist.

After a moment of excitement, he suddenly calmed down, a doubt creeping into his mind.

With his Intelligence now increased by another 0.3 points, his thoughts grew even more agile.

His memory, observation, imagination, reasoning, and judgment—all had improved.

His gaze fell upon the battered "fruit pit," and he couldn’t help but ponder.

Where there was abnormality, there was surely something amiss—this couldn’t be mere coincidence.

This "fruit pit" had been kept close to the barbarian tribe chief’s body all this time without any changes. It was impossible that its power had been absorbed and transformed his body the moment he touched it.

If such a boon existed, the barbarian tribe chief would have surely used it himself long ago.

If there was anything special about him compared to the barbarians, it boiled down to two points: First, he wasn’t from this world.

Second, he possessed the Book of Knowledge.

The first possibility was quickly dismissed—it was far too unlikely.

That left only the Book of Knowledge within him, which existed in the form of the World Tree.

Its origins were extraordinary, crafted from the heartwood of the World Tree itself and refined into a divine artifact. Though now damaged and its power diminished, it still retained some unique abilities.

Unfortunately, with too little information, he couldn’t draw any concrete conclusions.

However, he vaguely sensed that this object was not benign. Just looking at it filled him with a sense of revulsion.

...

In truth, Chen Shouyi was unaware that this was an effect of his subconsciousness. Though he had no memory of the mysterious, hypnotic whispers from before, his subconscious had developed resistance and wariness toward them.

Of course, this ultimately stemmed from his Willpower still being insufficiently strong.

The so-called "Tree God" was far from a true deity—merely a divine creature with rather feeble abilities. A battle-hardened warrior could easily ignore or even completely block such interference.

...

Chen Shouyi gave the fruit pit a light squeeze, and it crumbled as if made of flour, instantly turning to powder.

Rubbing his fingers together, he could feel a slight dampness in the residue.

It really was just a fruit pit.

He tossed the powder aside and dusted off his hands.

Then, one by one, he pulled out the two arrows embedded in the barbarian’s body, hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder, and headed toward the sea.

It felt lighter than expected.

Of course, he knew this was an illusion caused by his increased Strength.

Carrying the corpse, he walked carefully step by step, adjusting to his newly enhanced attributes.

Fortunately, the increase wasn’t too drastic, and he soon adapted.

After disposing of the body, he turned his attention to the two canoes stranded nearby.

Times had changed!

Last time, he had worried that leaving the canoes on the island might expose him if passing barbarians spotted them, so he had pushed them out to sea.

But now, there was no need for such concern.

Instead, he feared that sending them adrift might allow the barbarians to reclaim them.

The canoes were massive—about 4 to 5 meters wide and roughly 10 meters long. The interiors were uneven, rough, and covered in dense, overlapping chisel marks. Clearly, they had been laboriously hollowed out from enormous logs.

The chisel marks were jagged, and the wood’s structure was thoroughly damaged, with loose fibers everywhere—evidence that the tools used were blunt, requiring brute force and repeated strikes to carve.

How long would it take a barbarian tribe to build such a canoe?

Chen Shouyi estimated that, with enough manpower, selecting the log, felling it, and hollowing it out would take at least three to five years.

Though barbarians were far stronger than humans, the trees here were dense and hard as metal. Constructing such a massive canoe was a monumental task for them.

This estimate even assumed the barbarian tribe had specialized shipbuilders who focused solely on canoe construction without engaging in other productive activities.

In reality, it might take even longer.

Such canoes were a tribe’s precious legacy, passed down for decades or even centuries, and a vital tool for daily survival and fishing.

Losing two of them would be a severe blow to the barbarian tribe—possibly even leading to food shortages.

Chen Shouyi couldn’t let them reclaim the canoes, not even by chance.

...

He waded through the water and climbed onto one of the canoes.

Immediately, a bizarre and foul stench assaulted his nostrils.

He immediately held his breath, picked up a rough rope made of woven vine strips connected to the hole at the bow of the canoe, waded through the seawater, and tied it to a rock on the shore. Then, he secured the other canoe as well.

Of course, he didn’t forget to retrieve the arrows from the corpses floating on the sea, washing and collecting them one by one.

This battle made him realize the immense power of archery in warfare. An archery master, as long as they maintained distance, could often overcome strength with skill. The barbarians were stronger and faster than him, but in combat, aside from the barbarian tribe chief, the rest were all killed with a single strike.

After retrieving all the arrows, Chen Shouyi found that eight were missing. They had fallen into the sea and were lost forever. He didn’t mind, though—he wasn’t short on money now. These metal arrows, which came as freebies from the seller, cost only about twenty yuan each. A hundred yuan could buy five, and he had already decided to purchase another batch when he returned.

He picked up the war bow, clothes, and the fur left on the ground, glanced back once, then turned and walked toward the spatial gateway on the mountainside.

From afar, he could see the Shell Woman fluttering excitedly in the air. As Chen Shouyi approached, she immediately flew down to his shoulder, hopping up and down in excitement and shouting, "One... one giant was killed by you! One... one giant was scared away by you!"

As if I didn’t already know that.

Chen Shouyi pretended not to care, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help curling into a smile. Then, remembering the Shell Woman’s timely warning earlier, he felt he had to reward her.

He reached into his pocket and, unusually generous, fished out two small glass beads.

"Gems. For you, for spotting the giants!"

The Shell Woman immediately flew in front of him, clutching one bead in each hand, her face beaming with joy.

"Great giant, you’re such a good person!"