2 Blessing in disguise

Time passed in a flash. In these short minutes of strained running, Zhu Yu had realized that the scenery around him was beginning to change. From polished metal to crumbling stone, he now had to take even more precaution as to not run into pieces of debris.

The white robe was the only article of clothing on his body. It's only purpose was to cover up; even the softest breeze would get right through the material, causing him to shiver. His long and black hair was unkempt. He had sharp, peach-colored eyes and silky white skin; his overall appearance resembled that of a handsome scholar.

However, the previously white robe now had red specks on it. The cuts on his body were beginning to open up, some bleeding more than the others.

Zhu Yu narrowed his eyes.

"System, how far is the exit? I'm done for once the blood stars leaving a trail. That compass of yours isn't defect, is it?"

[The compass is not defect.]

"You didn't respond to my first question."

[...]

Black lines covered his face.

Forget it, good-for-nothing System!

Zhu Yu eventually reached a staircase leading downward. Although hesitant, he still bolted down in the end, compass grasped firmly in his hand.

It didn't take him long to reach the bottom of the staircase. However, Zhu Yu was disappointed to discover that it didn't lead outside; instead, it led to a room that was even shabbier than the thrashed place he'd woken up in. The wooden door was barely standing with a large chunk of it missing, allowing anyone to see right through.

That room...seemed to be empty. And so, he entered.

The man whose robe was now more red than it was white, shoved the door open and scanned his surroundings thoroughly. There was a wooden table and a set of chairs, books lying all about and shelves overflowing with odd containers. However, other than the door he had entered through, there was no other exit.

He couldn't have taken a wrong turn, could he?

He, once again, glaced at the compass. The arrow was pointing northwards; as it did before he entered.

"Could there be...a secret passage leading outside? Zhu Yu murmured and began examining his surroundings even more thoroughly.

In the meantime, System remained silent.

As he was rummaging through the documents piled on the table, Zhu Yu's eyebrows shot up. Underneath a bunch of loose papers laid a luminous red gem the size of a ring. The surface of the gem seemed to be moving, as if there was something trapped inside of it.

"System, what type of stone is that?"

[System is unable to Identify the Object. System assumes that it is an item of unique origin.]

"...unique origin?" Zhu Yu murmured to himself before clicking his tongue.

He couldn't tell if it was on par with a treasure, but he nonetheless reached out to grab it.

"I'll take that as compensation for scarring my soon-to-be body like this. The wounds are still fresh and hurting. Pei!"

However, as soon as his skin brushed over the Gem's glassy surface, his surroundings suddenly began to warp. Zhu Yu's pupils shrunk. But before he could retract his hand, his vision turned blank and his body disappeared from sight, along with the stone.