In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

The pursuers behind him were getting closer and closer, and Rhode reluctantly searched for anything he could use in his surroundings.

Even if he were to die, he would die standing up.

Rod picked up a stone.

He was completely exhausted and the only weapon he could find was a small rock, about the size of his palm.

"You guys, go to hell!"

Seeing Tanit's pursuers closing in, Rhodes mustered his last strength and threw the stone away.

However, his body was already exhausted, so how could he possibly harm these fierce tribesmen? The stones he threw fell limply to the ground before they even reached the Tanit warriors.

A dark shadow appeared before Rhodes, and a camel-like beast over two meters tall charged straight at him without slowing down at all.

bang——

Like a tattered sack, Rod flew more than ten meters and rolled on the ground countless times before finally coming to a stop.

The impact seemed to have rearranged his internal organs, and Rod felt as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart, so he could no longer get up.

His mouth and nose were filled with blood, and he could only breathe with difficulty, like an old bellows.

As the bandits drew ever closer, Rod felt a deep sense of resentment.

But the resentment that came out of his mouth turned into a sobbing cry.

"I, I don't want to die!"

It seemed as if someone heard his voice from the depths of their being.

A dazzling sky-blue light suddenly exploded before Rhode's eyes. Immediately afterwards, a power that was emanating a chill yet made Rhode feel as warm as a mother's embrace flowed into his body from these lights.

The pain lessened, and his previously exhausted strength gradually returned. In fact, he was even able to stand up again, despite being crippled.

After the light completely dissipated, his injuries had mostly healed. At the same time, a sky-blue glass bead marked with a snowflake appeared in his hand. Powerful inhuman strength surged within his body, and he could also faintly sense that the power dissipating in the world could be used by him.

These robbers in front of me don't seem so scary anymore!

"Eye of God!"

"It's the Eye of God!"

"By the Goddess of Flowers, he has actually obtained the Eye of God!"

These were the last cries of the Tanit tribe's bandits, and these cries were quickly drowned out by bursts of shrill screams and wails.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 2 Blazing Light Beast Hunt

Jingle bell bell—

The clear sound of bells echoed in Rhodes' ears.

In a blur, he felt his body swaying and rising and falling, a very familiar sensation.

It's a camel!

He was thrown onto the back of a camel again!

Unpleasant memories flooded back, and Rhodes abruptly opened his eyes.

What came into view was a long face full of curiosity.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar face, Rod jumped in surprise and instinctively threw a punch.

"Ouch!"

After a scream, the young man who had been staring at Rhodes lost his balance and fell off the camel.

But instead of getting angry, he covered his eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dishia! She's awake!!!"

Dixia?

Another familiar name.

Rhodes, who had just woken up from his coma, was still a little dazed. He turned around and looked around in all directions.

He is currently in what is clearly a mercenary group.

Unlike those Tanit robbers who are always thinking about robbing money and women, and who spout dirty jokes whenever they have free time.

Most of the mercenaries in this mercenary group had cheerful faces, chatting and laughing about serious matters. When they met Rhodes' gaze, they would smile kindly and take the opportunity to mock the unlucky guy who had been punched away by Rhodes. Occasionally, a few with cold faces would nod when faced with Rhodes' scrutinizing gaze, as a way of saying hello.

Tread-tap-

The camel's footsteps drew near again, and a woman dressed in revealing clothing with long black and blonde hair appeared before Rhodes.

She was a very beautiful woman, especially her pair of icy blue eyes, which were absolutely captivating. Her oily, honey-colored skin almost shone in the sunlight, and her exposed abdomen clearly showed eight-pack abs, further highlighting her extraordinary skills.

As she drew nearer, a delicate fragrance wafted over.

It smells like face powder.

In the harsh conditions of the desert, the fact that this kind of face powder can prevent body odor under the scorching sun speaks volumes about its value.

This was the first time Rhodes had ever met someone who had actually stepped out of the game.

Oh no.

That's how it should be said.

This was the first time Rhodes had seen a real player character since he jumped into the game.

Pretty.

This was his first impression of Dixia.

As expected of a recognized desert beauty, her figure is exquisite yet strong and healthy, coupled with her resolute and handsome face. Even though the timing wasn't right, Rhodes couldn't help but blurt out to himself, "So beautiful."

"We met you when we were passing through the sandy desert."

“You fainted at that time, but since you were still breathing, we took you with us.”

Desia spoke eloquently, recounting everything that happened after the Blazing Beast discovered Rhodes.

Rhodes didn't have any memories of the time he was unconscious, so these descriptions filled in the gaps in his mind during that period.

From Desia's words, Rhode learned something else.

That means he went in the wrong direction.

The place where he was kidnapped by the Tanit tribe was not far from the Tanit tribe's camp, and it was also within the Thousand Ravines Sandy Land. According to the direction that Rhodes fled in his panic, he was just a little short of entering the Corridor of the Dead, which was a real dead zone. Ordinary people who went in could never come out again.

Fortunately, because Rhodes was determined to head east, he did not enter the Death Canyon.

Unfortunately, if he didn't change direction, he would never reach Aru Village in his lifetime. He would only be blocked by the towering sand walls and eventually have no choice but to return to the desert to continue searching for a way out.

As for the reason he fell into a coma.

It was because he had been traveling continuously without food or water, and his physical strength was completely exhausted. His body, which was just recovering from serious injuries, simply couldn't hold on any longer.

If it weren't for encountering the Blazing Beast Hunter, who had just finished a mission and was on his way back to Sumeru City, Rhodes would probably have perished in that endless yellow sand.

Desia was very talkative, as were the other mercenaries of the Blazing Beast Hunter.

Seeing that Rhodes had woken up, they even stopped to set up camp and prepared a modest dinner for him to celebrate that he had not died in the desert.

Mercenaries are just that direct.

The fact that a complete novice didn't die in the desert is something to celebrate.

The temperature in the desert at night is nearly 20 degrees Celsius lower than during the day.

But the camp of the Blazing Beast Hunters felt no chill from the low temperature.

Sing along with me, pick up your instrument and sing along.

Sing of my sword, sing of my crossbow, sing of my tattered headscarf.

I'm not afraid of anyone getting angry, unless you piss off Desia.

【Oh Deishia, oh Deishia, beautiful and powerful Deishia, our treasure Deishia.】

Sitting around the campfire, the mercenaries sang merrily, passing food and wine among themselves. The lively atmosphere finally made Rhodes lower his guard.

Despite knowing that the Blazing Beasts were a legitimate mercenary group and that Desia was a kind and warm-hearted person, Rhode still developed a habit of being constantly on guard during their escape in the desert.

"Rhodes, chill this for me, this hot wine doesn't taste good!"

"Help me out too!"

"And me, and me!"

"Get out of the way, I'll go first! I took a punch from him, so I have to go first! If you want to take it, then let Rod give you a punch too!!"

In just half a day, Rhode became familiar with these mercenaries. With his Eye of the Ice Element and ability to manipulate the power of ice, he became a hot commodity among them.

The mercenaries loved to drink, but the daytime temperature in the desert was so high that the fruit wine they carried would turn into hot, unpalatable liquor by nightfall after a whole day.

But it's fine now.

Rod's arrival allowed them to enjoy a refreshing sip of fruit wine even in the desert.

Speaking of this Eye of God...

Rhodes couldn't help but recall the time when he first obtained the Eye of God.

When he used the power of the Eye of God for the first time, he killed seven of the Tanit robbers who were chasing him, leaving only two survivors who fled in panic when they saw that things were not going well.

"Is this the power of the Eye of God?"

Rod opened his palm and looked at the glass bead lying there quietly, feeling a sense of emotion.

He was a complete novice, almost exhausted and seriously injured, yet with just this newly acquired Eye of God, he was able to wipe out almost all the battle-hardened warriors of the Tanit tribe.

This power is truly mesmerizing.

"It will take about seven more days to reach Aru Village."

Desia, carrying a roasted pork leg, sat down next to Rhodes with an air of nonchalance, and casually handed him her wine glass: "Chill this for me too."

"okay."

Rhodes nodded.