LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5: Rebirth Necklace
"Alright, I agree!" Arlo nodded repeatedly, rubbing his hands together and chuckling. "Old man, look, I've agreed. Now, about that necklace..."
"You rascal, take it." The old trickster tossed the Rebirth Necklace to Arlo. "Since you've agreed, work hard. When you reach level 100, I'll come back to lend you a hand. Oh, and here's some good news: the time ratio between the Dream Space and Earth is 10:1. Ten days here equals just one day on Earth. Take care of yourself. Farewell!" With that, the old madman waved his whisk, and his body vanished into thin air.
Arlo had no time to worry about whether the old man was alive or not; he was already stunned by the attributes of the Rebirth Necklace.
Rebirth Necklace: Divine Artifact
Effect: When equipped, it allows the wearer to resurrect three times a day. After resurrection, the user is invincible for three seconds.
"Resurrection! It can actually resurrect! And three times a day! A divine artifact! Truly worthy of the name!" Arlo, an experienced online gamer, knew what resurrection gear meant. Although the Rebirth Necklace added no extra stats, the ability to resurrect three times a day and the three-second invincibility afterward undeniably qualified it as a divine artifact. One might even call it a mythical treasure! It was the perfect tool for farming monsters and looting gear.
Arlo immediately put the necklace on and started familiarizing himself with the system interface in his mind. Besides the task status, there were many other tabs, such as inventory, skills, pets, mounts, and more, each one making Arlo's eyes sparkle brighter.
But he was also a little annoyed. "Old man, couldn't you at least give me a guide sprite? This world is a mess. Am I supposed to figure it out all by myself?"
"Rascal! Believe it or not, I'll turn you into a pile of ashes!" The old man's scolding voice echoed from the sky. Arlo instantly froze, laughing sheepishly. "Old man, I know a sage like you wouldn't hold a grudge against a mere mortal like me. By the way, how about that guide sprite..."
"Take it!"
A green light suddenly appeared in front of Arlo. As it faded, a tiny girl with butterfly wings and dressed in traditional Melody Mark palace attire emerged. She looked about twelve or thirteen years old, palm-sized, and was yawning adorably.
The little girl rubbed her eyes, looked at Arlo, and said in a crisp, bell-like voice, "So you're my master, Arlo? Hehe, what a funny name."
Arlo's eyes lit up as he reached out to gently poke the girl's cheek with his index finger. "Haha, that's right, I'm your master! Little one, what's your name?"
"Hey! Men and women shouldn't casually touch each other!" The tiny girl's face turned bright red. Flapping her colorful butterfly wings, she flew up to perch on Arlo's head like a nest. "My name is Caiyi! I'm your guide sprite. If you have any questions about this world, just ask me!"
"Caiyi? That's a lovely name," Arlo praised. "Caiyi, is there a beginner's village or a town in this world?"
"Nope," Caiyi replied bluntly. "This world is full of monsters. It's dangerous at every step. All you can do is defeat them, level up, and loot gear. But the drop rate here is really low. Even after killing a hundred monsters, you might not get a single piece of equipment. However, the money drop rate is quite high. Every monster drops at least one coin!"
"One... one coin? Like, real money?" Arlo was stunned.
"Yep!" Caiyi smoothed her silky hair and giggled. "The money here can be exchanged for your world's currency!"
"Exchanged? You mean..."
"Of course! The coins you earn here can be spent in your world," Caiyi said, tugging Arlo's hair with a look of disdain for his intelligence.
"Wow! Haha!" Arlo laughed uproariously. "What are we waiting for? Let's go kill monsters and make money! By the way, I don't even have a weapon right now. Am I supposed to fight with my bare hands?"
"You can loot weapons from monsters. If you're lucky, you'll get gear in no time," Caiyi assured him.
"Alright, then! I'll conquer the world with my fists! Caiyi, where's the nearest monster?" Arlo asked.
"Just a moment, Master." Caiyi flapped her wings, flying up high to survey the area before returning to her perch on Arlo's head. "Master, there's a group of Level 1 Man-Eating Flowers about 300 meters southeast."
"Man-Eating Flowers?" The name made Arlo nervous. "Are they strong?"
"Don't worry, Master. With your current stats, you can easily defeat them. But be careful of their flower poison—it reduces health," Caiyi warned.
"Haha! What's a little poison? Watch me unleash my might!" Arlo said confidently, heading toward the Man-Eating Flowers' territory.
After crossing a stream, Arlo reached a patch of grass. Amidst the greenery was a field of beautiful red flowers. Seeing them, Arlo asked, "Caiyi, are these the Man-Eating Flowers?