A huge thank you to Salt rose or topaz for the Kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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A weapon?

Qiyu couldn’t help but walk over to take a closer look.

Like the other plants, the tomato seeds had been planted last night—they were 24-hour plants. The plants were already as tall as his waist, with heavy fruits hanging from their branches.

The fist-sized tomatoes, with their mottled green and yellow hues, were shedding tiny golden specks here and there due to the mutation—a fresh and beautiful sight. Swaying gently in the light rain among the leaves, they showed not the slightest hint of their “irritable” nature.

Qiyu studied them for a long time, thinking to himself, “Perhaps they’ll look a little different once they’re ripe?”

Inside a bare wooden cabin. 

A man who was wolfing down his food froze for a moment upon hearing the announcement from the Quest Panel. 

“A diamond chest…” A hint of envy flashed across his face, mixed with regret and complex emotions.

He couldn’t help but wonder: If he hadn’t sold the blueprint and had done everything in his power to gather the materials, would this diamond chest have been his? 

The crackling of the burning fire shattered his daydream.

He snapped back to reality and shook his head: Why was he overthinking this? If he didn’t sell the blueprints, the Temple of the Gods might drive him to starve to death in a couple of days. Once he’s had his fill, he’ll start daydreaming! 

He gathered his thoughts and opened his personal panel:

【Need a Little Money to Save Me: Congratulations to the Gaming Legend!】

After posting this congratulatory message, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude as he opened the region chat to watch the show.

As expected, the zone chat for Server 01 was completely blown away by this announcement:

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Oh my god, a diamond chest—isn’t this the first diamond chest reward ever?】

【The More I Involution The Bitterer My Life Becomes: I thought “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens” would be the first to upgrade their Shelter—true gaming legends never reveal their true identities.】

【Reaching for the Moon in the Heavens: Impressive.】

【Liver Emperor: So the latecomer has overtaken the leader?】

【Little Old Me: What “latecomer overtaking the leader”? It’s just a server announcement. Hasn’t our boss triggered plenty of those? He’s still number one on both leaderboards!】

【Irritable Brother: I suggest you stop talking. Have you forgotten what happened last time the Temple of the Gods spoke like that?】 

The channel erupted in laughter.

A lot of people saw what happened last time when the Temple of the Gods “hunted down” that top player.

They kept circling until their own leader’s sanctuary dropped off the rankings.

【Little Old Me: …@Irritable Brother, are you crazy? Why are you picking on me?】

【Irritable Brother: Just telling it like it is.】

Qiyu was examining the latest diamond chest he’d received. So shiny, so shiny.

This was his first time seeing it.

Even on a gloomy day like today, the dazzling treasure chest still shone with a blinding brilliance. 

So beautiful.

Once he’s finished opening the chest, he’ll place it on the nightstand in his bedroom. 

【Diamond chest detected. Open?】

Qiyu’s expression remained calm, though he knew deep down that he wasn’t as composed as he appeared.

“Open.” 

He saw a crimson beam of light. 

At first glance, it didn’t seem as dazzling as the golden light—so bright it made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open. Yet it seemed to carry a profound, mysterious power that firmly held Qiyu’s gaze.

His heartbeat began to quicken involuntarily.

【Congratulations, player, on obtaining the “Guardian Mage Robe.”】

【Guardian Mage Robe: An ancient semi-artifact said to have vanished along with the silence of the Star Forest. 

Equip Effect: Physical Resistance +200%, Magic Resistance +500%, Magic Element Affinity +100%, Mental Attribute +100%. 

Additional Attributes: Stealth, Nature Affinity.】

Qiyu nearly got dizzy from that string of percentages. A semi-artifact?

Judging by the name and stats alone, this was definitely a top-tier item.

So, a crimson glow—a tier higher than gold. Above Epic and Legendary, there’s even such a thing as a semi-divine artifact?

And above the semi-divine artifact, is there such a thing as a divine artifact? 

Qiyu closed his eyes and meditated to calm himself down.

He equipped the Guardian Mage Robe.

The boost to his magical affinity and mental power made him feel, almost instantly, as if the entire world had changed.

His mind was crystal clear; the turmoil stirred by the “semi-artifact” had subsided, and his thoughts were more peaceful and composed than ever before.

Following this, a surging tide of magical elements rushed toward him, so intense it nearly engulfed him entirely.

Almost instantly, Qiyu realized that his efficiency in cultivating magic would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Is this the power of a semi-divine artifact?

Compared to its dazzling attributes, the appearance of this Guardian Mage Robe was decidedly understated.

A dark green robe, cut like a cloak. If it weren’t for the faintly visible magical runes painted on the sleeves and hem, it would look no different from the adventurer’s cloaks commonly seen everywhere. 

When Qiyu put it on, he felt a faint, strange sensation.

As the icy rain was about to fall on his head, something happened. The hem of the robe, which trailed on the ground, was dry and clean—it hadn’t been touched by the rain.

As expected.

It clearly came with properties such as “self-cleaning” and “resistance to water and fire.”

But perhaps, compared to its equipment effects, these properties weren’t even worth mentioning in the description. 

This is really great.

He would no longer have to patrol his territory while wearing a raincoat, nor would the weather delay his progress in exploring the Star Forest.

A diamond chest. How wonderful.

He couldn’t help but click on the leaderboard.

He remembered that at the end of each month’s leaderboard settlement, the number one player in the regional rankings would receive a diamond chest. He was currently number one on the Shelter leaderboard; all that remained were the Combat Power and Wealth leaderboards… Huh?

Server 01 Regional Channel.

The Irritable Brother was in the middle of an argument with the Temple of the Gods.

At first, he was only arguing with “Little Old Me.”

Later, other players from the Temple of the Gods stepped in to help.

【Irritable Brother: Whoa! So today you’re ganging up on me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll suddenly go on a rampage and snatch the top spot from you again?】

【Little Old Me: With trash like you, if you can snatch the top spot, I’ll stand on my head and eat shit!】

【Irritable Brother: Even if it’s hard to get resources in the game, you shouldn’t be scamming people out of food and drinks here—it sets a really bad example.】 

【Irritable Brother: I’m fine. What if some top player in the game claims the reward and ends up taking first place?】

【I Am Domineering: Where in the world do so many good things come from? It’s just a diamond chest—】

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Holy crap!】

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Check the leaderboard! It’s changed! It’s changed!】

【Civil Engineering Brother: Congrats to Game Master for topping the Combat Power Leaderboard!】

【Dare Not Open My Eyes: Congrats to the Gaming God for topping the Combat Power Leaderboard!】

【Irritable Brother: ??? Did I actually guess right?】

【Irritable Brother: Hahaha @Little Old Me, @I Am Domineering, haters speak up! I told you guys to keep a low profile. Look at that—even though the target of the witch hunt is different, it seems like you’ve lost another #1 on the leaderboard!】

【Irritable Brother: Congrats to the gaming legend for topping the Combat Power Rankings!】

Qiyu never expected that a single Guardian Mage Robe would catapult him straight to the top of the Combat Power Rankings. But come to think of it, it actually makes sense.

He looked at “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens,” which had climbed to second place.

He had no particular impression of this person, knowing only that he had previously topped all three charts in Zone 01.

He felt not the slightest bit of sympathy for “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens”; his gaze was already firmly fixed on the last remaining chart. He wanted to be number one on that one, too. 

【God Without Form: You’re the one who just posted the announcement, right?】

【I Love Survival Game: Yeah.】

【God Without Form: Then I’ll have to cook a big feast tonight to celebrate.】 A big feast?

Qiyu immediately picked up on the key phrase.

【I Love Survival Game: Is it even better than pork chop rice?】

【God Has No Form: Dude, you’re the big shot who triggered the server announcement and got the diamond chest—can’t you be a little more ambitious?】All you ever think about is that pork chop rice. 

Qiyu spoke honestly:

【I Love Survival Game: Diamond chests don’t reward me with delicious meals anyway.】1

【God Has No Form: ……】

He was momentarily speechless, yet slightly amused, and couldn’t resist teasing:

【God Has No Form: By that logic, doesn’t that make me more important than a diamond chest?】

Qiyu answered him seriously:

【I Love Survival Game: I can get diamond chests later—the leaderboards are updated every month. As for friends I’ve added across regions who also cook delicious meals, there’s only God Has No Form.】 

【I Love Survival Game: You’re still number one on the Combat Power Leaderboard in Zone 88—of course you’re more important than a diamond chest.】

【God Has No Form: Here you go again!】

【God Has No Form: You’re always sweet-talking me.】

You’re such a sly one. 

【I Love Survival Game: That’s the truth.】

【God Without Form: Want to have a barbecue tonight? I opened a bottle of wine.】

He changed the subject so skillfully that Qiyu was immediately taken with the idea and forgot all about the previous topic.

【I Love Survival Game: I’ve never had alcohol.】

Dan Xingyu had never had alcohol either.

On the day he joined the game, he took a day off work on purpose, baked an awesome cake, and prepared a feast to celebrate his 18th birthday.

Halfway through the meal, he inexplicably fell asleep with his head on the table. 

When he woke up, he found himself in the Survival Game.

Having already grown accustomed to the trials of life, he actually adapted to this magical experience quite quickly. 

【God Has No Form: “If we’re not drinking, let’s have some fruit.”】

Qiyu was very eager to join in on this topic:

【I Love Survival Game: The watermelon and honeydew melon seeds you gave me yesterday will be ready to eat tonight.】

【God Has No Form: ??? They grew already? No, how could they ripen so fast?】

For a moment, he didn’t know which one to be amazed by first.

Qiyu took a screenshot of the countdown on the plant page and showed it to him.

【God Has No Form: Farm Owner?】

Qiyu hadn’t covered up the profession listed there, so God Has No Form spotted it at a glance. 

【I Love Survival Game: Yep, that’s my profession.】

【God Has No Form: No wonder you can grow so many weird and wonderful plants.】

But isn’t the “Farm Owner” class a little too weak in the *Survival Game*? 

Now, he was the one feeling worried.