Chapter 4: Danger Lurks Everywhere

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[Five minutes until sunrise.]
[PS: There are many dangers hidden in the mist. It is not recommended to leave your tree hollow to explore the world when the fog is thick, as you are very likely not to make it back.]

So it wasn't daytime yet—or rather, the sun had yet to rise, which was why the mist outside hadn't dispersed.

No wonder he was attacked by a giant bear when he went out to retrieve a treasure chest.

Since going outside wasn't an option right now...

He might as well study the rules of this game further. Ye Da tapped on another submenu on the luminous screen.

[Trading Market]

A few trade offers appeared on the screen.

[Dried leaves, 1 unit: exchange for 1 bottle of water or 1 portion of food.]
[Bundle of branches: exchange for 1 piece of bread.]
[Down jacket: exchange for 5 portions of food or 20 bottles of water.]
[……]

There weren't many items listed in the trading market. Ye Da browsed through, hoping to find a power bank.

After all, he had just obtained a treasure chest and hunted a bear. Among the players, he was probably considered one of the wealthier ones, so he had to seize the chance to trade for some valuable items while everyone was still short on resources.

Whether in a game or in life, only with resources in hand could one feel secure.

Unfortunately, after searching, he saw nothing worthwhile—just some junk or personal belongings, all marked at outrageous prices.

It was absurd!

After a long search, he didn't find a charger, but he did spot a player selling a down jacket!

Although it was daytime, Ye Da could still feel the chill in the tree hollow. He could hardly imagine surviving the long night in just a T-shirt.

Buy it!

After all, he had plenty of supplies, so Ye Da was generous. With a decisive gesture, he bought the down jacket.

[Transaction successful!]
[-5 units of bear meat]
[+1 down jacket]

The moment the transaction was completed, a long, dark blue down jacket appeared in Ye Da’s hands.

He glanced at the logo—it was actually The North Face.

What a bargain!

A jacket like this would sell for several thousand yuan online, and its warmth was exceptional.

With this thick, long down jacket, he could use it as a quilt at night.

After trading for the jacket, Ye Da surveyed the tree hollow to see if there were any other urgently needed materials he could trade his bear meat for.

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As the sun slowly rose and light filtered through the shredded tree seams left by the giant bear’s claws...

Ye Da immediately realized that everything else could wait—he had to repair the treehouse first. After all, it was his only shelter now!

[To repair this tree hollow, you need 10 units of low-quality wood. Repair?]
[No!]

He lacked the materials.

Ye Da could only silently decline.

This was the pain of not having enough funds. So, he decided to put his surplus food up for trade in exchange for the materials he needed most. Restoring the shelter was the top priority.

[1 unit of bear meat: exchange for 10 units of low-quality wood/1 unit of low-quality linen/1 unit of low-quality nails.]

No sooner had Ye Da posted the food than a notification popped up on the screen.

[Ding!]
[6:00 AM. You may now go outside! Please check the weather forecast.]

Ye Da returned to the main menu and sure enough, saw the weather forecast.

[Novice Protection Period: Day 1]
[Weather: heavy fog, clearing, then heavy fog again]
[The sun will drive away much of the fog. If you need to go out, make haste. In two hours, clouds will cover the sun, and heavy fog will once again shroud the entire forest until noon, when it will clear up again.]
[PS: Beware of the natives here, as well as various wild animals.]

In two hours, the heavy fog would return!

Ye Da frowned slightly as he read the forecast—this game was more complicated than he had imagined.

Not only did he have to monitor the weather, but also be wary of animals.

It seemed...

He still needed a weapon for self-defense.

His gaze fell on the damaged stone axe...

[To repair this stone axe, you need 1 unit of low-quality wood. Repair?]

Just in case, Ye Da decided to fix the broken stone axe first.

He might not have much wood, but he did have an empty wooden box he could dismantle for materials.

[Wooden box dismantled successfully!]
[+10 units of low-quality wood]

Ye Da dismantled the box, obtaining ten planks each ten centimeters wide and a meter long.

But these planks were riddled with wormholes, covered in bark, and their edges were rough and uneven—clearly scrap wood.

Still, low-quality as they were, they could be used to repair the stone axe and even the tree hollow.

[Repair!]

When Ye Da pressed the repair button...

A white light flashed over the broken axe, and when it faded, the stone axe looked just as it had when he first took it from the chest.

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Ye Da ran his finger over the fracture where the axe handle had broken—smooth as silk.

It was just like a brand-new stick, freshly carved for an axe handle. Whether he looked or touched, there was no trace of repair left!

A marvel!

[Please make good use of your time and go out to explore as soon as possible to gather survival essentials. If you’re lucky, you may find various treasure chests in the forest.]
[Treasure chest levels, from lowest to highest: wooden, black iron, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, amethyst, diamond, legendary, and divine chests.]
[Good luck!]

With the prompt appearing once more, Ye Da wasted no time. He grabbed the stone axe and hurried out to explore!

Though he’d gained quite a bit of meat from slaying the bear, meat alone wasn’t enough for survival.

He needed water, firewood, warmth, a safe shelter, and more.

Crawling out of the tree hollow...

Ye Da could finally see what kind of place he’d ended up in.

Though the world outside wasn’t as shrouded in mist as when he’d first ventured out—when everything seemed like a sea of clouds—there was still a faint haze in every direction.

It was like a world suffering from severe smog; nearby objects were barely visible, while those farther away looked like something in a fairyland.

When Ye Da stared in one direction for a while, text started appearing before his eyes!

[Analyzing current environment, please do not avert your gaze!]
[Analyzing...]
[Analysis complete. There is a small grove 100 meters ahead. You can cut wood there and obtain low-quality timber!]

“Hm?”

Ye Da’s eyes lit up at the prompt provided by his glasses.

He hadn’t expected his glasses to analyze not just items inside the tree hollow, but also the environment outside—this was impressive!

What about the other directions?

Excited, Ye Da quickly looked another way!

[Three hundred meters ahead, there is a wooden chest in the swamp.]

Another treasure chest!

After experiencing the benefits of treasure chests, Ye Da was thrilled to see the words “treasure chest” appear again in the prompt.

However...

This one was in the swamp, which made him hesitate.

Everyone knows how dangerous swamps can be.

Maybe...

He should check what’s in the other two directions first!

Ye Da turned south and waited a minute.

He’d just counted silently—his analysis glasses needed a full minute to process. If he looked away before the analysis finished, the process would be interrupted.