Chapter 78: Adverse Conditions

Chapter 78: Adverse Conditions

William was on his hands and knees, fingers buried in the coarse sand as he panted heavily with sweat dripping down his face. He had stored his outer robes in the spatial stone when the heat became far too unbearable, with most of the clothes soon following when even that was too much.

William only had his underwear and the Impact Boots on his body, and even still, it felt like he would spontaneously combust. So much for his belief that the desert weather couldn’t affect him since he wasn’t a mortal. His cultivation meant nothing here.

Especially since he had gained a trait that would kill him eventually.

Adverse Conditions in Environment - Loss of 50 Health per hour

As William had come to realize, on multiple instances already, his cultivation meant nothing here. It certainly didn’t stop him from getting a trait that would kill him in less than a day.

Of course, he had plenty of Vitality Restoration Pills in his spatial stone, capable of extending his life for weeks. Still, the result of ingesting so many pills would increase the Impurity in his body so much that cultivation would be a path cut off from him unless he met someone at Daoist Chen’s level.

In other words, that was simply a death of a different kind.

Thankfully, it seemed that only a little over thirty minutes had passed, and speaking of time, that horrible trait he recently gained did come with the convenient advantage of letting him keep track of that.

Health: 1073/1100

Positive thoughts were always good things to have, or some saying similar to that. William was too stressed to give a damn if that was correct or not.

He was currently halfway up one of the sand dunes he had seen at the start, and he dreaded what he would see when he reached the top. If it was more sand and even taller dunes in the distance, there might be a chance that he would experience a mental break.

William had been thanking his luck that he hadn’t woken up in the void when he was first dropped into this dimension, but even that would have likely been a better choice. Trudging along, popping pills to extend your lifespan, all the while knowing that death still awaited you in the end and nothing could be done except for hoping a miracle would drop out of nowhere, was horrible.

Horrible enough that the desert would soon join the void as the places William feared the most. However, that all depended on whether hope could be seen at the top.

With a grunt, William pushed himself back on his feet after his Stamina had recovered. It was being sapped at a much faster pace than usual, so that was another thing that would slow his progress up the sand dune.

Hours passed, his health decreased by the minute, but William was still in good spirits. In great spirits, actually.

With every step he took, the anticipation of finding a miracle grew, and his exhausted mind seemed to gain a new life.

That dot was no rock but a sweet, life-saving, beautiful oasis. Heaven in the middle of a dead desert, and William wasn’t describing it simply because of the harsh contrast with its surroundings.

At his full sprint, he was no more than a few more minutes from the oasis, and he could clearly see the paradise it offered.

Lush palm trees were moving slightly in the breeze, with plentiful shadows that would hopefully give William a break from his newly gained trait. In the center was an inviting body of water, and while he couldn’t be sure from this distance, it looked crystal clear.

His parched throat almost cried in relief at the sight, even though he knew his body didn’t need food or water for a day or so more. The simple option to have it without thinking of future supply was a balm on his mind.

If William had to think of the closest comparison of the oasis, he would say that the illusion Daoist Chen created would be the closest. Everything he wished for was presented to him right when he was losing all hope.

William’s entire body slumped in relief when his feet stepped onto the soft grass. Not only was the lack of sand under his foot something he wanted to cheer about, the drastic difference between the weather was astonishing.

It felt like he was right back in the forest, with everything feeling just right.

[Trait Removed | Adverse Conditions in Environment]

William let out a manic chuckle when he was no longer under the threat of dying simply by being alive.

Health: 297/1100

The trek to the oasis from the bottom of the sand dune took a little over six hours. It wasn’t as bad as William was expecting.

He glanced at his Impurity level briefly before shaking his head. Restoring his health with a pill would still take him to the next stage. With his safety hopefully no longer in question, William wanted to wait a little longer before taking that step.