Chapter 15 Will, That Was My Stupid Brother!

Monster World.

Wisps of white clouds drifted across the azure sky.

A sapphire river surrounded the Blackwood Forest, separating it from the verdant fields. A village nestled beside the river, smoke rising lazily into the air.

Far from the village, in a deserted stretch of the river, the gentle and slow current washed over the pebbles in the riverbed day after day.

Suddenly, a point of light appeared at the bottom of the river. The water flowed together, forming a transparent human shape, followed by the emergence of different colors. Matter recomposed, forming the body of a Star Realm Apostle.

*Splash!*

The body abruptly sat up from the riverbed and spat out a mouthful of water, along with a confused little fish fry.

"Well, this one really knows how to pick a spot!"

Zhou Jing quickly stood up from the river and clambered onto the bank. The coarse, soaked clothes clung to his body. The cold wind made his skin tighten all over.

Shivering, Zhou Jing looked a little helpless.

Last time, at least he was a piece of wood, but this time he was made of water. He didn't dare think what it would be next time.

If he were born in a cesspool, using years of fertilizer to reconstitute his body, he would rather swallow dung on the spot and commit suicide. Original soup, original flavor, quickly restart the next round.

Having been reborn for the second time, Zhou Jing was already familiar with the process. He leaned over and looked at his reflection in the river to confirm the appearance of this Star Realm Apostle.

Hmm, chiseled features, a clean-cut buzz cut, a tall and muscular body… It was indeed what he had created, half as handsome as his original self.

Zhou Jing jumped around a couple of times, feeling light and agile. This body felt stronger than that of “Will Wood.”

"This time, the physical fitness is 10 points, which is 1 point higher than last time. The actual change in feeling is quite obvious… It's just that the senses don't seem as sharp as last time. No wonder, the talents are different after all."

Zhou Jing experimented for a while before summoning the panel and scanning it.

[Estimated Stay Time: 710 days]

[Current Synchronization Rate: 10%]

"I increased the traversal time by two hours. The stay in the Monster World is two or three days longer than last time. It seems that the current time flow difference is about one hour in the main world, which is close to one day here. However, the time flow difference will fluctuate, and it may change in the future."

Zhou Jing didn't dwell on this. He glanced at the synchronization rate and then at the trait profile.

Persistent personality, martial spirit, pursuit of power…

Based on his simple experience, this was somewhat of a martial arts fanatic.

As for persistence, he did have some of that trait, so it seemed easy to synchronize this time as well.

Zhou Jing climbed onto the riverbank, raised his eyes, and soon saw a small cluster of houses in the distance, smoke curling into the air. It must be Frostwood Village.

"Okay, not too far… Let's get the follower out first and take a look."

Zhou Jing looked around. When he was sure nobody was around, he activated the auxiliary function in the panel to summon the follower.

*Swish—*

The sand and soil a few meters away suddenly spun and flew up, instantly turning into a man with a blank expression and an ordinary face. It was Ross, the follower he had created.

"This is a follower?"

Zhou Jing was very interested and circled around him.

Ross stood still, his eyes following Zhou Jing.

"Why does he seem so dull?"

Ross: …

"Speaking of which, how do you operate a follower… Can you talk?"

Ross: …

"Then can you communicate with sign language?"

Ross: …

"Okay, I guess not… Can you stop looking at me? It's kind of creepy."

Ross: …

Holy shit!

His eyes were almost rolling back in his head!

"Stop! Just look at me!"

Ross: …

Zhou Jing wiped his cold sweat.

His eyeballs finally went back to normal. Why was one bigger than the other? Did he pull a nerve just now…?

He didn't dare to mess with this follower anymore, afraid that something inhuman would happen again.

After a little testing, he found that he only needed to give verbal commands to the follower… If he told him to lie down, he would lie down. If he told him to drink water, he would drink with all his might. Aside from being a little rigid, there were no other problems.

The initial follower was rather clumsy. Ross seemed simple-minded and had no ability to communicate, but he could save all the images he saw with his own eyes. Zhou Jing could review the other party's experience log through physical contact.

Moreover, he could vaguely sense the follower's location in the dark, preventing him from getting lost.

"Think of it positively. At least he can be a guide or a sentry… Just follow me for now."

Zhou Jing figured it out and nodded. He walked toward the village in the distance.

Ross followed closely behind.

…

After walking for a while, Frostwood Village gradually came into view.

This was a peaceful and tranquil little village built by the river. There were three mills by the river and a small stone bridge over the water. Across the river was the Blackwood Forest.

Surrounding the village were fenced-off farmlands and short walls, defining the boundaries.

At a glance, there were dozens of houses scattered throughout the village, made of stone bricks of varying sizes, with yellow roofs and gray walls.

Zhou Jing led Ross down a dirt road toward the village. The farmers working in the fields by the road noticed the two of them and looked up with curiosity.

As soon as they entered the village, their unfamiliar faces attracted the attention of more passersby.

"Who are those two?"

"They don't seem to be from the village…"

Curious and wary gazes gathered on the two of them. The villagers whispered, carefully following behind, seemingly wanting to see what they were doing in the village.

Zhou Jing noticed that a young villager ran off, seemingly to notify someone. He thought for a moment, then turned and walked toward the cemetery.

The cemetery was located on the edge of the village, with tombstones of varying heights.

Under the villagers' wary and puzzled gazes, Zhou Jing entered the cemetery and searched for a while before finally finding his target.

He stopped in front of a tombstone with two lines written on it:

"The Tomb of Will Wood"

"A brave soul rests here"

'This is where my last body is buried…'

Zhou Jing reached out and touched the tombstone. There was no dust, so it seemed that someone often took care of it and wiped it clean.

Was he paying respects to himself… It felt quite strange.

Before long, a commotion suddenly arose outside the cemetery.

The onlookers parted, and three hunters carrying bows and knives hurried over.

The leader was Griff. Looking at the stranger who had suddenly arrived in the village, he asked warily:

"Who are you? What are you doing in Frostwood Village?"

Zhou Jing turned around and his eyes lit up.

The three hunters were all familiar faces. He had fought alongside them when he was controlling the previous apostle.

Hearing the question, Zhou Jing smiled inwardly. He didn't answer immediately but pointed at the tombstone instead, deliberately putting on a heavy expression and asking:

"Do you know him?"

"Hmm?" Griff grunted in confusion.

He couldn't help but size up Zhou Jing's current body, secretly wondering about the origin of this stranger.

The villagers had just come to inform him that two suspicious men had entered the village and gone straight to the cemetery, so Griff had immediately led his men to come over.

He didn't know what these two outsiders were up to, but now he noticed that they were standing in front of Will Wood's grave, seemingly paying their respects.

Could it be that these two had some connection to Will Wood?

Griff was secretly shocked.

Unsure of Zhou Jing's intentions, Griff thought for a moment and answered truthfully:

"Yes, we do. He was a lost traveler we met in the forest."

"Why was he buried here? How did he die?"

Zhou Jing asked knowingly, deliberately looking somber.

Griff became even more suspicious of Zhou Jing's identity. Afraid of causing a misunderstanding, he honestly replied:

"We were hunting monsters in the forest when we happened to meet Will. He asked us for help, so we took him with us, intending to take him out of the forest after we finished hunting.

But during the hunt, we were attacked by the nearby Earth Bones. Will was unfortunately poisoned. I brought him back to the village for treatment, but we couldn't save his life, so we buried him here…"

At this point, Griff looked a little sad.

Although some time had passed, he was still troubled by Will's death.

Zhou Jing thought for a moment and asked, "How long has he been dead?"

"About twenty-eight days."

Twenty-eight days… Since the last return to the main world, about a day and a half has passed. It seems that the time flow still fluctuates, but it's roughly one hour in the main world to nearly one day in the Monster World.

Zhou Jing calculated inwardly, his face remaining calm. He slowly said, "Did he die bravely?"

"Of course!"

Griff didn't hesitate.

After a pause, he explained, "Although Will wasn't a hunter, he fought alongside us and helped us kill the monster… If it weren't for him, I might be dead. He saved my life!"

At this point, Griff couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and asked, puzzled:

"You've asked me so many questions about Will. Who exactly are you?"

You finally asked…

Zhou Jing raised an eyebrow, prepared himself, patted the tombstone, and sighed deeply:

"Will… he was my dear brother!"

Griff and the two hunters beside him were stunned.

What? Will had a brother!

And he had come looking for him!

Griff subconsciously opened his mouth:

"Then what's your name…"

Zhou Jing raised his gaze, looked directly at Griff, and said, word by word:

"My name is… Jason Wood!"

[Synchronization Rate +5%]