A huge thanks to the donations of GreenKitea, Katy, Jellyfish, and Violetkitty09 on kofi. Enjoy these bonus chapters!

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Dan Xingyu ground his teeth lightly and snorted, “Go ahead, go ahead.” 

Qiyu didn’t notice his friend’s slight irritation at all and happily tucked into his meal.

After they finished breakfast together, Qiyu said, “Well, I’m getting ready to head out. Dan Xingyu, goodbye.” 

 “That’s not right,” he corrected him meticulously. “It’s ‘talk to you next time.’” 

Dan Xingyu was suddenly charmed again: “Mm-hmm, let’s talk next time!”

With his storage backpack, heading out was as convenient as it could possibly be. 

Qiyu decided to head north. 

Last time, as he headed in this direction, he saw a huge tree that blocked out the sky, and the tree was covered with swifts.  He hoped he’d see them again this time.

After the Qiyu energy tower had fully replenished its energy and he had cast their daily blessing spells, they prepared to head out.

Just before leaving, he took a moment to check on the demon vine.

The little guy must have enjoyed his meal last night—for once, he wasn’t loudly crying out that he was hungry. However, the emotion he conveyed left Qiyu a bit speechless: “Swifts… swifts… eat!”

Well, if you want to eat, go ahead and eat your fill. Anyway, for the time being, there should be plenty for you to eat. 

Since today’s priority wasn’t gathering supplies but finding swifts, Qiyu cast a wind spell on himself and headed north at breakneck speed.

Heavy rain might impair one’s vision, but it couldn’t hinder the exploration of one’s spiritual energy.

Soon, Qiyu spotted a small flock of swifts.

Without wasting any time, he channeled his magic, instantly firing dozens of water arrows—wiping them out in a single strike.

【Killed 45 Level 1 Mutant Swifts; obtained 20 Swift Meats, 20 Swift Feathers, and 5 Level 1 Beast Crystals.】 He continued onward while looting the remains.

The heavy rain pounding against tree leaves filled the entire forest with an unprecedented bustle. Yet there was also an unprecedented stillness; as he made his way through, aside from the swifts, Qiyu detected almost no signs of any other creatures.

He didn’t know if the swifts had “cleaned them all up” or if they’d just gone into hiding for the rainy season.

Before long, Qiyu spotted the familiar old tree.

Even upon seeing it again, he was still in awe of this ancient, massive living being. Along with that awe came a pleasant surprise.

He suspected that the swifts had likely turned this tree into a sort of “nest.” Just like last time, it was once again densely covered with white swifts.

But this time, upon seeing this scene, Qiyu no longer had any thoughts about whether it was eerie or not. Just look—these snow-white, fluffy little swifts were so adorable. 

Since he was here to earn points this time, he didn’t hide like he had last time; instead, he stood openly in plain sight of the mutated creatures.

The first swift spotted him. Soon, a shrill chirp rang out.

Flutter, flutter.

The sound of countless swifts flapping their wings momentarily drowned out even the sound of the rain.

Seeing them leave the large tree, Qiyu’s eyes shone with astonishing intensity: “Here they come.”

The water arrows were hidden within the curtain of rain, moving so fast they were impossible to see:

【Killed 300 Level 1 Mutant Swifts, obtained 139 Swift Meat…】 

【Killed 42 Level 2 Mutant Swifts, obtained Swift Meat…】

On the points leaderboard, everyone who had momentarily paused to watch the rankings noticed that the points for “I Love Survival Game” were skyrocketing by the second.

【 Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: What’s going on here? Has the gaming big shot teamed up with someone else?】

【The More I Involution, The Bitterer My Life Becomes: With this rate of increase, the Big Shot can’t possibly have raided a swift’s nest, can they?】

【A Stray By The Road: That’s unlikely. The big shot’s points have been rising at a steady rate, which suggests the number of Swifts attacking the shelter has remained stable. Could it be that a Swift leader led a massive swarm to attack the big shot’s shelter?】

【Irritable Brother: Huh? Didn’t they say life-based professions lack burst damage? Why do some people describe the top players differently?】

【Twilight Morning Song: You’re thinking too simplistically. These top-ranked players have way more resources than you can imagine. Don’t assume they have to guard their shelters as desperately as regular players. As the number one player on the shelter leaderboard, their shelter most likely has enough self-defense capabilities—they don’t need to stay there constantly.】

【Twilight Morning Song: With such a dramatic increase in points, the top player must have left the shelter to hunt swifts.】

【Cockroach Taste is So Weird: Whoa, it’s a big shot from the Shelter Rankings! Now that I see your high ranking, I believe you.】

【Liver Emperor: A strange username—another big shot who doesn’t usually make a splash has popped up.】

【Twilight Morning Song: @Liver Emperor, why don’t you check your own ranking?】

【Liver Emperor: I’m just a noob—this ranking is all thanks to grinding.】

“My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens” watched as Qiyu’s points skyrocketed, and a wave of anger welled up inside him: “What has he done now?” 

As for that sister-and-brother duo, he could understand that they’d practically sacrificed one of their own scores to pool their points—and that they’d managed to surpass him. 

As for the rewards, the only truly useful thing was the points; to put it bluntly, the ranking itself didn’t mean that much.

Besides, everyone knew that “the top nine on the leaderboard were all players who had fought their way up together; even if they were overtaken by them, no one would think it was strange.

But what’s going on?

Last night he was still there, but today, all of a sudden, he was being overtaken. He has the innate skill that doubles his points—and he’s just a farmer. What on earth is he relying on? “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens” sent a message in the Temple of Gods’ private group almost immediately. 

【My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens: I have a location teleportation scroll right now. @I Am Domineering, @Little Old Me, you two—hurry up and decide for yourselves. One of you, come to my sanctuary.】 

【I Am Domineering: Boss, my rank is still pretty high right now. Don’t you think it’d be a waste for just one person to go to a sanctuary?】

【My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens: What are you talking about? It’s up to me. If my points are high by then, do you really think I’d shortchange you?】

【My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens: @I Am Domineering—are you not okay with that?】

Little Old Me pretended to be busy earlier and acted like he didn’t see anything, but as soon as he saw “I Am Domineering” pop up, he knew everything was settled.

【Little Old Me: I just finished hunting a round of Swifts and didn’t see your message, Boss. I just bought some potions that attract mutated creatures. Boss, should I send them over? If I can’t reach you, I’ll head over to your shelter.】

“My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens” felt even more satisfied upon hearing this, while growing increasingly annoyed with “I Am Domineering.”

Ever since “Very Handsome Down There” died, he’d felt that “I Am Domineering” was becoming less and less like himself.

【My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens: Domineering, I’ll send you the teleportation scroll.】

He didn’t give me the slightest chance to refuse.

“I Am Domineering” gritted his teeth and let out a cold laugh.

【I Am Domineering: Ah, Boss.】 

【I Am Domineering: Boss, do you have any items to protect the sanctuary? Can I borrow one? After all, I only have a few days left on this mission. I’m afraid that once I go to your place, if the sanctuary faces danger and I can’t protect it, it’ll be a big problem.】

“My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens,” thought he was just using this as an excuse to ask for something for himself, and couldn’t help but feel disdain. Of all the subordinates he’d handpicked, aside from Little Old Me, not a single one met his expectations. 

He sent a virtual item over, sounding impatient:

【Done. Hurry up and clean up—I’m coming over!】

【Killed 1,900 Level 1 Mutant Swifts, obtained 1,000 Swift Meat, 900 Swift Feathers, and 498 Level 1 Beast Crystals.】

【Killed 400 Level 2 Mutant Swifts, obtained 181 Swift Meat, 200 Swift Feathers, and 90 Level 2 Beast Crystals.】

Qiyu opened the live leaderboard.

First place: “Reaching for the Moon in the Heavens.” 13,900 points. 

Second place: “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens.” 9,730 points. 

Third place: “I Love Survival Game.” 8,460 points.

He had just earned nearly 4,000 points this time. It seemed that the shelter had also earned nearly 1,000 points after he left his territory. Sure enough, when he opened the territory log, it was filled with a string of repeated messages: “Your territory has been invaded” and “The crisis in your territory has been resolved.”

Qiyu wanted the Level 3 Shelter blueprint, which required 120,000 points. With only seven days left to live, he’d have to earn an average of at least 17,000 points per day.

That’s no easy feat.

Qiyu now understood why the siblings from “Reaching for the Moon in the Heavens” had decided to team up.

Many people in the channel questioned why, since they were all top-ranked players, the shelter surely had enough self-defense capabilities—there was no reason for them to be completely confined to the shelter for the duration of the game.

Given that, there seems to be no need to opt for a points-based collaboration that risks leaving anyone behind.

It now appears that players likely feel earning 120,000 points in a week is challenging, so they want to pool their resources first to securely obtain a Tier 3 Shelter blueprint. 

Qiyu cast a blessing spell on the tree as a token of gratitude. 

As he continued north, he suddenly remembered that he had an item he hadn’t used yet.

Dan Xingyu had given him the Blue Sky Wings, and they currently allow for one hour of flight per day.

Using them to find the swarm of swifts was clearly an excellent choice. With a thought, Qiyu equipped the Blue Sky Wings.

In an instant, a pair of enormous blue wings unfolded behind him. The wings emitted a faint glow, and the power of the wind element kept the rain at bay.

Qiyu glanced back at the magnificent pair of wings and marveled at Dan Xingyu’s impeccable taste. 5

He really liked them.

In a survival game, once you equip an item, you automatically know how to use it. With a spread of his wings, Qiyu soared into the air.

The world rapidly shrank before his eyes. The ancient tree that had once filled Qiyu with a sense of awe and oppression also grew smaller and smaller as he ascended, eventually becoming just one of the countless living beings on the earth.

Is this… what it feels like to be in the sky?

A completely new world unfolded before Qiyu. He looked down upon the earth; the green Star Forest stretched endlessly, seemingly reaching to the very ends of the heavens and earth. 

He extended his spiritual energy and continued flying northward.

This time, it took him less than a minute to spot the swift.

【Killed Level 1 Mutant Swift x187…】 

【Killed Level 1 Mutant Swift x98…】

With the wing’s help, the efficiency of locating swift flocks improved significantly.

In just under an hour, he located six small flocks of Swifts—the smallest consisting of 98 Level 1 Swifts, and the largest numbering over 400.

+1,500 points.

With only a few minutes left on the wing’s usage time, Qiyu flew north while scanning the landscape. 

His gaze suddenly froze.

Amid the gray sky and endless green waves, he spotted another color.

It was the ultimate contrast of black and white.

He had seen this before.

Black trees stood like giants between heaven and earth, while pale swifts had made their nests in the dead trees. 

The difference was that before, he had seen only a single tree. Here, however, there was a vast black forest teeming with countless swifts. Qiyu retracted his Sky Wings and slowly landed on the ground. 

A living person had strayed into the realm of monsters; countless pairs of eerie eyes opened, fixing him with an icy stare.