Chapter 40: The Eye of Investigation Mutates—The Eye That Sees Through Delusion

Xu Han felt a sudden darkness envelop his vision.

When his sight returned, he found himself standing amid an immense primeval forest. This woodland was unlike any he had seen before; every tree towered nearly a hundred meters high, their lush branches blotting out the sky and sun. The forest was dim, and it took considerable effort to discern his surroundings.

Carefully, Xu Han pressed forward, ever vigilant. His gaze soon fell upon a plant growing beneath a nearby tree. The plant stood about thirty centimeters tall, its leaves spread out like an umbrella. Nestled among the foliage were three bright red fruits. As he drew closer, an unusual fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

Xu Han activated his Eye of Investigation to examine the fruit's properties.

[Name: Crimson Pearl]
[Quality: Silver Grade]
[Description: A food beloved by pets. When consumed, pets gain experience and accelerate their growth, with a 1% chance of learning a new skill.]

Xu Han was astonished. Who would have thought he’d find pet food here in the heart of the forest? For pets, these foods not only enabled leveling but also hastened their maturation. Advancing from infancy to adulthood was a tremendous boost to combat strength.

A pet’s growth was not tied to its level—no matter how high the level, a pet in its juvenile stage remained weak and ineffective, much like his own little cub that spent its days eating and sleeping, utterly useless in battle. Pet foods could hasten its maturity. However, such foods were prohibitively expensive; even the lowest bronze-grade pet food cost tens of thousands per kilogram, while silver-grade commanded at least ten times that price.

Xu Han reached out to pick the fruit.

The moment his hand touched the Crimson Pearl, a chill swept down from above. Instinctively, he stepped back two paces.

A hiss!

A glob of dark green venom splattered onto the spot where he had just stood, emitting a piercing noise. The grass immediately began to corrode, white smoke rising in tendrils.

Xu Han looked up. An enormous azure python, as thick as an adult’s thigh, was slithering down from the tree. Its golden eyes locked onto Xu Han, tongue flickering threateningly as though ready to strike again.

Xu Han checked the serpent’s information.

[Name: Azure Scaled Python]
[Race: Python]
[Level: 28]
[Skill 1: Serpent Venom LV.1 (Sprays venom to attack enemies. Contact causes ongoing damage and reduces defense by 20%. Cooldown: 10 seconds)]
[Skill 2: Concealment LV.1 (Merges with the environment, becoming undetectable to launch surprise attacks. Cooldown: 5 minutes)]
[Weakness: Seven inches below the head]

“Hidden on the tree, no wonder I didn’t see it earlier,” Xu Han muttered.

The python opened its jaws, launching another glob of venom at him. This time, Xu Han was prepared. Raising his palm, he conjured a blazing fireball.

Exploding Fireball!

The fireball collided with the venom, instantly vaporizing it in the intense heat, then continued its trajectory towards the python.

Boom!

The fireball exploded, scattering sparks. The python let out a furious hiss, a large patch of its blue scales scorched black.

Shadow Step!

Xu Han’s eyes narrowed. His figure vanished, reappearing beside the python.

Dragon’s Fury Slash!

The python’s head crashed heavily to the ground.

Xu Han calmly dusted off his hands. Slaying these beasts was effortless.

He glanced at his experience bar—it still needed a bit more to fill. Once full, he could undertake the advancement quest and reach level twenty, officially becoming a Tier One professional.

He sliced off a chunk of snake meat, stowing it in his spatial ring, and gathered all the Crimson Pearls as well—he’d feed them to his little cub upon returning.

His tasks complete, Xu Han pressed onward, dispatching over a dozen more beasts along the way, and even obtained a set of chest armor. It was only bronze-grade, so he slipped it into his spatial ring for later sale at the market.

After walking for some time, his stomach began to rumble.

“Time to eat,” Xu Han decided.

He took the snake meat from his spatial ring and roasted it over a fire. As it cooked, the meat turned golden, releasing an irresistible aroma. Xu Han swallowed and sprinkled seasoning evenly atop.

Soon, a fragrant piece of roasted snake was ready. He bit into it, chewing with satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

After swallowing the meat, a system prompt chimed.

“Eye of Investigation mutating...”

Xu Han was stunned. His luck today was extraordinary—not only had he stumbled upon a secret realm, but his Eye of Investigation was mutating!

Eagerly, he wondered what it would become.

“Eye of Investigation successfully mutated into Piercing Eye.”

Xu Han immediately opened his skill menu.

Piercing Eye LV.2: Greatly enhances vision, allows viewing of target attributes, with a 5% chance of identifying weaknesses, can see through illusions and invisibility. Cooldown: 5 seconds.

Xu Han gazed in delight at his new skill. He could now check attributes without level restrictions, and even see through illusions and invisibility—troublesome abilities, as being caught in an illusion usually meant death unless one’s strength surpassed the caster.

With Piercing Eye, all illusions were nullified. Invisibility likewise posed no threat; assassins would be helpless before him.

He closed the skill menu and activated Piercing Eye. His eyes emitted a faint golden glow, and his surroundings sharpened, even the veins of leaves a hundred meters away now clear to him.

Sweeping his gaze, Xu Han suddenly froze.

In the dense woods, a massive, jet-black elk stood silently, watching him. Its size rivaled an elephant, and with its enormous antlers, its height was nearly doubled.

Xu Han checked its information.

[Name: Mystic Stag (Silver-grade Leader)]
[Race: Deer]
[Level: 35]
[Skill 1: Summon Dryad LV.1 (Summons several dryads to attack enemies; dryads possess varied abilities. Cooldown: 5 minutes)]
[Skill 2: Earthquake LV.1 (Stomps the ground to cause tremors, dealing heavy damage. Cooldown: 10 minutes)]
[Skill 3: Life Recovery LV.1 (Absorbs plant vitality to restore its own life. Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

A silver-grade leader? Xu Han narrowed his eyes, instantly shifting into battle mode, his mind racing with strategies to defeat the Mystic Stag.

But just then, the stag slowly spoke.

“Human, can you see me?”