One, two, three…

Click.

At the last second, Jian Xingyi’s finger tapped the glowing point on the rose.

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard. Immediately, the system notification sounded.

[Collection Successful, Absorbed [Essence] x30]

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

Thirty points?!

He’d worked himself nearly to exhaustion all day. Including previous collections for his guild, he’d only ever gathered 36 points total. Yet this single rose alone yielded 30 points!

Not only that, but this rose also bore seeds.

[Collection Successful. Congratulations! Player has obtained a Purple-A Grade Seed!]

[Collection Successful. Obtained [Chili Pepper] Seeds x40]

…Purple!!! A Grade!!!

This was his first rare seed since entering the game! Though not a golden S-grade, purple was already exceptional!

[Variety: Grade A Chili Seed]

[Description: Roses, women, and chili peppers. Beauty, decisiveness, and fiery intensity.]

[Origin: Commander’s Rose]

Jian Xingyi covered his mouth, then remembered he was alone and could scream freely.

A purple seed, 66 essence points, and chili peppers!

Jian Xingyi laughed as he flopped onto the flowerbed. The red glow illuminated his face, petals scattering everywhere as he moved.

This is amazing…!

Jian Xingyi was utterly exhausted. His legs felt incredibly sore and swollen, his whole body aching as if beaten. He simply couldn’t walk anymore, so he lay down to rest for a while.

Too exhausted to eat, Jian Xingyi drank only water.

Moments later, glancing at the sky and then at the system interface, he forced himself to stand. Night was approaching, and the forest grew far more dangerous after dark.

He had to leave before the zombies became active!

Jian Xingyi looked up at the high skylight above and sighed.

How was he supposed to get up there?!

Finding nothing nearby to use for leverage, Jian Xingyi had no choice but to head back to the mall to buy rope and hooks.

Ah, well, at least these two weren’t consumables.

After all, he’d earned a whopping 6666 Dawn Coins today!

He was at least a little better off now, having paid off all his expenses and loans for the day in one go.

On his way back, Jian Xingyi pondered how the system determined the essence levels of living things. Comparing plants with high and low essence, he speculated that perhaps…

First, perhaps it depends on the growing environment. Plants in remote areas untouched by humans, with unpolluted soil and air, and fewer infected individuals, possess more essence. For instance, underground plants hold more essence than those above ground.

Second, it might be determined by the plant’s grade and rarity. Roadside weeds certainly lack essence, but rare roses imbued with meaning and blooming beside graves possess abundant essence.

Following this logic, if Jian Xingyi wanted to obtain more essence, he could search along the lines of the [Peaceful Tomb].

If Jian Xingyi’s guess was correct, these graves wouldn’t be in conspicuous places. Take Grave 03 he visited today—completing this task wouldn’t just get him the essence he needed, but also Dawn Coin. Wouldn’t that kill multiple birds with one stone!

There’s always a way out. He must gather the essence quickly to list items and earn more experience points for the guild!

By the time Jian Xingyi returned home, night had fallen. Dragging his weary body, he took a bath, ate dinner, and then did the thing that brought him the most joy today.

Upgrade the fields!

Upgrading one field required 50 essence points, and he currently had 66!

Why was he so perpetually haunted by the number 6?

Jian Xingyi glanced at the five fields before him and randomly selected a patch of Lucky Soil.

【Upgrade Successful! D-grade field upgraded to C-grade!】

After reaching C-grade, while the quality and yield were still mediocre, at least the field would no longer produce rotten or yellowed crops. As long as the food was in good condition, it could be listed for sale.

Jian Xingyi watched in amazement as the once-yellowed, haphazardly maintained plot transformed instantly into a neat, tidy field. It now stood in stark visual contrast to the remaining four plots.

Jian Xingyi: “Whoa…”

“Wow…”

“Wow…”

Startled, Jian Xingyi turned to find Lone Wolf and Chacha standing outside the back gate of the courtyard, equally stunned.

Lone Wolf and Chacha had ventured far today to gather resources. With good fortune, they discovered a newly spawned fruit tree, untouched by others. After harvesting some fruit, they planned to share it with the guild members—after all, fruit spoils quickly, and the two couldn’t eat it all themselves.

Returning to the guild through the back gate, their first stop was Jian Xingyi’s home. To their surprise, upon arrival, they witnessed Jian Xingyi seemingly casting a spell, transforming the dilapidated field into an exquisitely cultivated one.

Huh???

Spotting the two, Jian Xingyi opened the back gate and greeted them with a smile: “Good evening.”

All the fatigue from their hard day’s work vanished instantly. Jian Xingyi was in an exceptionally good mood, greeting them with surprising warmth.

The two approached the field’s edge to examine it closely. Chacha gasped in astonishment, “What are you doing?! That’s incredible…”

Jian Xingyi replied, “Upgrading the field.”

“…??!”

No way?

You can actually upgrade this thing??

They’d assumed their farm would stay that ugly forever.

Lone Wolf blinked, “How do you upgrade it?”

Jian Xingyi explained, “It’s a max-level management skill. You can collect essence from living creatures to use as upgrade materials.”

“Wow…”

“Wow…”

Both of them let out the same sound again, this time with a hint of regret.

Why hadn’t they leveled up their management skills before?

Why hadn’t they leveled them up at all?!

Lone Wolf’s defenses crumbled.

After handing the fruit to Jian Xingyi, they didn’t leave. They must have been waiting for Jian Xingyi to plant the seeds.

Jian Xingyi was also excited to use this plot of land for the first time, like finally unwrapping an expensive item she’d worked hard to buy.

Jian Xingyi pondered for a moment, then planted a few chili seeds. She even used the money she earned today to buy fertilizer for the chilies—after all, A-grade seeds shouldn’t be wasted.

Chacha: “What kind of seeds are these? I’ve never seen them before.”

Jian Xingyi chuckled, “Chili peppers. When they’re ripe, and I have extras, I’ll make some spicy snacks for you guys.”

“…!!”

“Wow…”

“Wow…”

Lone Wolf immediately declared his defenses breached.

He even has this?! Dammit!

Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but giggle.

“So are you still going out tomorrow to collect these essences? Will you keep upgrading all the fields?” Chacha couldn’t imagine the sheer joy if every single field got upgraded!

“Yes, I’m doing the Peaceful Tomb mission tomorrow. I already found 03 today, so tomorrow I’ll look for 0…”

Lone Wolf gasped, “Huh? You found 03?!”

Lone Wolf looked utterly incredulous.

The two nearly blurted out a fourth “Wow!” at Jian Xingyi.

This guy… how could he be both so weak and so strong?

If you call him strong, his combat power is 6.

If you call him weak, he’s achieved what even the top players on Grapevine Peak haven’t.

Every map has side quests, and many players upload guides after completing them. But guides for the Peaceful Tomb quest are scarce—because this quest… only appears after players enter the game.

After entering the game, new quests appeared on many maps. Players speculated that perhaps the anniversary update brought new content along with the version refresh.

Consequently, guides for these new missions are scarce. Details about this specific mission come from the Grapevine Peak Guild.

Even the Grapevine Peak Guild only located a single 05 marker in the valley. The higher the number, the tougher the search. Yet this Combat Power 6 guy found a 03 tombstone solo in the wilderness, triggering the mission and even upgrading his farmland.

Seeing Lone Wolf suddenly so excited, Jian Xingyi was startled: “Wh-what’s wrong…”

Lone Wolf exclaimed: “Finding 03 is insane! Grapevine Peak only found 05!”

Jian Xingyi was surprised—so there was a guide after all!

He immediately opened his terminal to check.

05 was in the Peace Mountain Valley, surrounded by zombies. It had been discovered by chance while grinding combat power in the Grapevine Peak member area.

The guide article concluded: “Peace Mountain isn’t particularly rich in resources, and our members don’t often farm here. Therefore, we have no idea about the locations of the other tombstones. If any player discovers and confirms the exact location, please let me know!” I’ll update this guide to help more people—deeply grateful!

Jian Xingyi pondered. If he really got lucky and found others later, he could reply again.

But…05 surrounded by zombies?

Jian Xingyi blinked at the two people in front of him. “Are you guys going out to gather resources tomorrow?”

They nodded.

“Then… would you mind going to the valley for gathering?”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The next day, Jian Xingyi sat on the back of Lone Wolf’s motorcycle, while Chacha rode her own. The three headed toward the valley.

Jian Xingyi gripped the metal bar at the back of the bike, not daring to touch Wolf.

Truthfully, Jian Xingyi was used to going solo. Even before he entered the game, he ate alone, shopped alone, and watched movies alone. If not for the mission, he wouldn’t have… or rather, wouldn’t have dared to go with others.

The valley was the most zombie-infested area in Peace Mountain, and its resources were mediocre. Thus, people generally avoided it unless they wanted to grind combat power.

Jian Xingyi clicked his way through, still only gathering carrots and rice. He also noticed that the closer they got to the valley, the fewer essences there were.

Sure enough, essences were affected by contamination levels!

As the group drew nearer to the valley, the once lush, vibrant trees transformed into bare, withered stumps, and the soil grew increasingly barren.

It mirrored the environment around Jian Xingyi when she left the guild. In truth, aside from certain system-designated mountainous areas, most regions were now this desolate.

Scattered, dilapidated houses appeared in the bleak woods, constructed from sparse wood and leaves.

Jian Xingyi understood why there were more zombies here compared to other parts of the mountains—because there was a village. Chacha didn’t enter the village with them, staying outside to provide backup.

“Be careful.”

Lone Wolf gripped the motorcycle with one hand while steering the gun with the other.

Jian Xingyi also drew his pistol, scanning the surroundings warily.

After riding for a while, the houses grew denser and the path narrower. The two had no choice but to dismount and continue on foot.

Amidst the desolation, only a few scattered dead trees and huddled, dilapidated houses stood. The surrounding stillness felt eerie.

Jian Xingyi was extremely tense. In this silence, he could clearly hear his own racing heartbeat.

Fortunately, the houses were too dilapidated to hide much. Beyond some old furniture, there was nothing else inside.

“Snap.”

Just then, Jian Xingyi stepped on a pile of dry grass. It seemed ordinary enough, but something felt off beneath his foot—somehow… soft and mushy?

He looked down. Buried beneath the grass was a faintly visible human hand. As he stepped on it, he saw the hand clutching a siren.

“Woo-woo—woo-woo—”

The shrill alarm pierced the surrounding silence abruptly, its deafening volume making his eardrums ache.

Echoing around him were the rising and falling cries of the undead.

Lone Wolf’s eyes widened. “Shit!”