【Yunzhou】: I defeated two monsters, raising my skill level to 2. The reward was the blood knife blueprint.

【Yining】: What are the materials? If you have a steady supply of weapons, you’ll have established yourself.

【Yunzhou】: Alloy Metal ×3, Monster Blood ×5, Gem ×1, Ether ×1.

【Yunzhou】: The blood knife’s ability is +5 Attack, and it grants a 1% lifesteal effect on hit. The lifesteal effect is determined by the monster’s maximum HP.

That means a monster with 1,000 HP will restore 10 HP to the weapon’s wielder with a single effective attack. But out of the four materials, Yining only recognizes the gem—the one dropped by monsters.

【Yining】: I have seen metal ores for sale at the trading market, but since no one currently knows the use of metal materials, they’re all being sold for points.

【Yunzhou】: I know the approximate proportions for tool steel, so I plan to buy some iron and carbon to see if I can use a synthesis card to turn them into an alloy. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to wait for the forge.

【Yining】: I hope the synthesis cards can prove themselves.

【Yunzhou】: I got one from the Blood Demon monster. Now I just need a way to get Ether.

【Yining】: Got it, I’ll keep an eye out.

【Yining】: Do you need any medicine? Are you injured?

【Yunzhou】: I found a box of antibiotics after expanding my territory. If you have other types of medicine, let’s trade. Yining traded three rolls of hemostatic bandages for a strip of six antibiotics and was so pleased he almost laughed out loud.

Hemostatic bandages, antibiotics, vitamin C—that’s how simple, unpretentious, and rewarding this game is. The downside is that people can die just as simply and unpretentiously.

【Hint: Bloodflesh Flower Growth Matures】 Has the six-hour countdown ended? Yining raised his wrist.

The hardened blood vessels wrapped around his wrist had grown considerably thicker, and the tingling sensation was becoming increasingly intense. Whenever they brushed against the fabric of his sleeve, he could clearly feel the contact.

So bizarre. So beautiful.

He really, really wants to lick it…

Just as his wrist neared his mouth, Yining suddenly realized he was doing something very strange. He quickly slapped his own face, his sense of dread growing.

This bloodflesh flower is a bit sinister.

He watched as the bud bloomed into a fist-sized flesh flower, its texture distinct, with capillaries tracing eerie patterns between the petals. There was no time to waste. He reached out with his other hand, gripped the calyx, and yanked it violently—

“Ouch—”

A sharp, twisting pain—a part of his body had torn apart. There was no blood, but the hardened blood vessels spasmed uncontrollably, scraping back and forth against the skin on Yining’s wrist.

This feeling was so strange.

It was both painful and itchy, sending a chill down his spine.

【Hint: The “Contaminated” status will cause your sanity to steadily drain until you go mad or die. Please harvest the bloodflesh flowers wisely.】

What on earth is that gibberish?

Yining took a few deep breaths and tore off another flower. He didn’t dare mess with those hardened blood vessels, fearing the other end might be connected to his own arteries and veins.

He certainly wouldn’t eat the bloodflesh flowers growing from his own body, but leaving them untreated would be a waste, so he listed them on the trading market to exchange for some basic resources.

Meanwhile, in the chat channel, some were showing off screenshots of their points; others had already accumulated over 80, claiming to have a stable method for obtaining paper—1 wood could be turned into 3 units of paper.

Impressive.

No one was pestering the big shots for free resources now—he didn’t know if the players with such naive ideas had already “logged off,” or if they’d finally accepted this world’s survival model.

It didn’t take Yining long to sell the bloodflesh flower, trading it for 5 wood, 5 stone, and 6 hemp. 

He took stock of his current points balance: there were 55 medium-sized shipping boxes that had been delivered by noon. He also pulled out an additional 10 medium-sized boxes and used 13 synthesis points to combine all the medium-sized boxes into large ones. After subtracting those he had previously converted into points, he now had a total of 25 large shipping boxes and 29 small shipping boxes.

That’s equivalent to 25 points.

This doesn’t include the 12 boxes that arrived between 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Yining saw that his resource system was taking shape: food and fresh water could ensure his survival; medicine, gold coins, gems, and weapons were strategic resources that must be saved until the New Year; basic resources could be used for trading; and cardboard boxes provided a steady supply of points.

There’s also the soul-summoning brazier.

As long as he finds a way to deal with 【Contamination】, avoids serious injuries and illnesses, isn’t scammed by other players, and doesn’t trigger any absurd game mechanics, his chances of safely surviving the beginner phase are very high.

Additionally, the bone meal obtained from defeating “Shadow Phantoms” was definitely a valuable item—it served as fertilizer to speed up planting. Yining sold the bone meal to Fanfan, claiming it was “after-sales service” for the watermelon seeds he’d sold her.

Fanfan generously sent Yining two grilled sausages.

Tong Fan sat in front of the smokeless stove, watching the beef and potato soup bubble away in the pot.

Behind him stood a spacious tent, with a drainage ditch dug alongside it, and all the tools and storage boxes he needed—a guy who started off incredibly well-off, he hadn’t even bothered to claim the expansion rewards for making it into the top ten.

Surprises, of course, are best saved for later.

Most of Tong Fan’s family were in politics, while he himself was in research, but the 【Market Merchant】 status he’d acquired here allowed him to engage in business effortlessly. The ability to gain additional items during trades made it arguably the strongest skill available.

Even if players don’t have many resources, the extra items are funded by the game system—Tong Fan just needs to trade. All sorts of useful and useless items and intelligence pour into his domain like snowflakes.

“Getting off to such a lucky start—will I face some kind of retribution later on?”

This was Tong Fan’s greatest source of anxiety and frustration.

So he treads carefully with every move, thoroughly reviewing the potential consequences of his actions afterward. He told Yining there are clergy in the game…

I hope it doesn’t mess with my love life. 

When it comes to mystery and charm, how can he possibly compare to someone who can use magic!

No, need to work on boosting Yining’s favorability. As the saying goes, when you’re full, you think of…

Ahem, what Tong Fan meant was that Yining is reliable and someone worth building a long-term relationship with. His efforts won’t go to waste; they’ll be remembered by her.

The more friends you have, the more paths you have.

If Yining really doesn’t like this design of mine, there’s nothing he can do about it, right?

Tong Fan found the motivation to keep improving himself.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Two grilled sausages, each providing 8 Satiety, 3 Health, and 3 Stamina.

After Yining finished eating, his stomach felt warm. He picked up his shovel and knife again and headed toward the second grave mound.

There was still plenty of time; he should be able to take down a zombie before dark.

He recalled a cryptic note he’d found when he first entered the game, which stated that the game would never put players in a no-win situation.

So even if he did dig up a monster in the second grave mound, it should be within a player’s capabilities at this stage. Unless, of course, someone went in without any preparation—though Yining didn’t think anyone would be that foolish.

Digging with a shovel was far more efficient than using alloy thighbones. After about two hours, a corner of the coffin lid was exposed to the air.

But to everyone’s surprise, the soil covering the coffin lid began to shake violently! Bang, bang, bang!

Something inside the coffin was pounding frantically, desperately trying to break free from that narrow, dark space.

The pounding felt like a hammer striking his nerves. Yining panicked for a moment, then forced himself to stay focused and quickened his movements. As dirt flew everywhere, the coffin lid

suddenly shattered!

The monster inside burst out like an arrow from a bow, knocking Yining to the ground.

【Zombie: Level 2】

【Attack: 2】

【Defense: 1】

【HP: 100/100】

HP remains unchanged, but Attack, Speed, and Weight have all been significantly boosted!

Yining pressed the machete against the zombie’s rotting head. The creature stretched its neck and bit down with its sharp-toothed mouth, clawing and tearing at him with its withered claws, instantly tearing several bloody gashes across his body.

Gritting his teeth, he swung his blade. Empowered by the Attack Gem, he literally sliced off half the zombie monster’s head!

But even so, the half-headed monster still unleashed terrifying strength, like a wild beast gone berserk, with destructive power rivaling that of a leopard. So now… Can he go toe-to-toe with a leopard?

Does that mean he’ll need the courage to fight a bear when he faces a Level 5 zombie in the future?

Yining used all his strength to fling the zombie monster aside, seizing the opportunity to roll and leap up to reposition himself. He did his best to anticipate the Level 2 zombie’s movements in the briefest of moments, then swung his blade to counterattack.

Against a fast opponent, offense is the best defense. This zombie monster didn’t have high defense; each attack could chip away at least 10 HP.

But Yining couldn’t afford to make a mistake. If he got tackled again, he might not have the strength to break free—that thing weighed at least 80 kilograms.

After another successful strike, the zombie was down to half health, but instead of continuing to attack, it suddenly turned and retreated into the shadows, vanishing from sight. Did it run away?

Or is it planning a sneak attack?

Yining dared not let his guard down. Soon, he heard a rustling behind him. Without a moment to think, he instinctively gathered his strength and twisted his waist, the blade tracing a semicircle, striking the zombie monster squarely in the lower back and abdomen.

This strike was exceptionally effective, reducing the monster’s health to just over thirty.

The zombie monster stopped circling and launched a storm of relentless attacks. A barrage of blows can defeat even a master; Yining took several hits, and his own rhythm began to falter.

He gasped for breath, squeezing every last ounce of energy from his body, thinking to himself: Even with the attack and defense bonuses during the newbie period, this is still such a struggle…

Fortunately, he had the numerical advantage. If he wore it down, he could eventually kill it.

His attacks never ceased. Yining focused intently on finding openings, as long as he didn’t make a mistake! Another strike landed perfectly, leaving the zombie monster with less than twenty health points remaining.

In the end, he really did it—and did it perfectly. The moment the monster fell motionless, Yining let out a long breath, glanced at his precariously low health bar, and silently prayed that it would drop something good for him.

【Successful Kill: Level 2 Zombie Monster】

【Obtained: Synthesis Card (Gray) ×1, Attack Coins ×2, Bone Meal ×2, Points ×10】

【Congratulations! The hollow puppet’s skill has been upgraded】

【Hollow Puppet: Level 1】

【Stats Reset: Health 50/101, Satiety 50/100, Stamina 50/100】

【Reward: Enchantment Blueprint ×1】

【Enchantment Blueprint: Consumes 100 HP to grant any item a random additional attribute. Random options include 【Resistance to Contamination】, 【Resistance to Oxidation】, 【Resistance to Corrosion】, 【Poison Resistance】, 【Hallucination Resistance】, and 【Disease Resistance】. Weapon-type items are excluded from this range.】

After pushing the zombie into the Dark Realm, Yining’s attention shifted to the scope of the enchantment blueprint’s capabilities.

Is this the true power of a Black-tier skill? Is this what those 101 HP are for?

This…

Can he use the monsters’ lives instead?

There’s still one grave left in the area. Yining has never liked getting involved.