Chapter 3 - Survival is Victory_1

One who does not start knows nothing of starting.

At four in the morning, [Mu Yuan] was getting more and more energetic, his spirit invigorated.

The power to evolve his troops was undoubtedly the key to breaking free from his current predicament, but there were still many aspects of this power he didn't understand yet.

[Mu Yuan] started to delve into the matter.

Evolution Points could help a Skeleton transform through a kind of baptism, but his initial attempts had failed—he simply didn't have enough Evolution Points.

He gleaned a vague hint from his intuition, a sense that he needed to accumulate "1" Evolution Point to trigger the evolution.

And the source of these Evolution Points was the activities of the Little Skeleton itself.

Perhaps, as long as the Little Skeleton existed, it would eventually yield Evolution Points. However, through some observation and experimentation, [Mu Yuan] discovered that Skeletons working produced noticeably more Evolution Points than idle ones.

007 produced even more value.

He wanted to continue studying, but unfortunately… It was getting dawn. [Mu Yuan] only realized then that he had been fighting through the night and couldn't hold on anymore.

He was in a daze, seeing double even as he stared at his computer screen.

If he didn't sleep now, he was afraid he would drop dead right in front of his computer.

"In the Supernatural Game, my character is a Lord, tasked with defending my homeland and expanding my territory, and can also embody some special treasures into reality... This is a war of attrition; pulling all-nighters won't help me. Keeping my energy levels up is the best way to deal with sudden developments."

"Besides, my Little Skeletons can evolve. There's no need to rush them to venture out of the village to explore the outside world right now. Instead, defending our territory based on the ruins of the village is the wise course of action."

[Mu Yuan] was still somewhat worried.

Because the Supernatural Game doesn't stop when he logs out. It's a real world that operates according to predetermined rules, even if he's not actively playing.

In other words, his territory could potentially be attacked while he's resting or away.

This is the worst fear for new players.

"But fortunately, when the territory is invaded by enemies, even if the player doesn't log in, they will still receive a warning, and the troops will automatically defend."

Before going to bed, [Mu Yuan] wanted to assign the Skeleton some training tasks or something to accumulate more Evolution Points, but for safety's sake, he snuffed out the idea.

These Little Skeletons were a bit stupid. He feared that if he gave them a task, they would somehow mess things up.

He also worried that training would affect the state of the Little Skeletons, which could subsequently jeopardize the security of the whole territory.

It was better to play it safe, there was no need to rush.

He'd try again tomorrow.

Ordering the Skeletons to guard him and the Territory Altar, he closed his computer, skipped washing up, and went straight to bed. Once under the covers and with his eyes shut, he slept soundly.

…

But that night... this day, [Mu Yuan]'s rest wasn't as peaceful as he'd hoped.

He was preoccupied with the Supernatural Game, and in his dreams, he was back in the ruined village. He dreamed of a Giant Dragon flying out of the mist, diving down and decimating the entire village with its Dragon Breath.

[Mu Yuan] woke up in a cold sweat after that.

Looking at the time, he realized he had only slept for six hours.

Six hours was enough, it was time to get up and get back to it.

[Mu Yuan] quickly went over to his computer, opening the game as fast as he could until he saw that the ruined village was unharmed. Only then did he wipe the crud from his eyes.

"Such an uneasy game experience. Until my territory has a robust defense system, I fear that I won't be able to fully enjoy playing."

When [Mu Yuan] logged back into the game, his character awakened in a drafty wooden cabin.

Several Little Skeletons surrounded him, their jaws chattering.

One of the Little Skeletons was even holding up a piece of a door.

No, not a door. A shield made from a door.

The day before, [Mu Yuan] had taught the Little Skeleton to make full use of resources and set several simple pit traps and rope traps. Now, they had taken his teachings to heart and made things on their own? Good students!

[Mu Yuan], controlling his own character, gently touched the smooth skull of the Little Skeleton in approval and turned his attention to the others.

They too seemed to be eagerly waiting for some praise.

Well, one Little Skeleton had several sticks stuck between its ribs, very artsy; another had found a black cloth bag and put it over its head, looking very spirited; another was actively hammering on its bones, pulling one out with a snap.

Mu Yuan: "....."

He certainly shouldn't have high hopes for the Little Skeleton, which is already stronger than he anticipated. Seriously.

Mu Yuan silently recites evolution points and the special codes pop up in the game.

'Skeleton Evolution Points: 0.71'

Only letting the Little Skeleton stay alert, without squeezing out their entire 'potential', indeed resulted in fewer evolution points.

As he is watching today, he will first test the method of efficient point production.

As for going out to explore, Mu Yuan is not in a hurry.

Other players indeed need to start exploring at this time. If they don't take this step, they would never become stronger and they must take risks.

But he is different.

He is accumulating evolution points all the time, and as long as he accumulates enough for one unit to evolve into an advanced soldier, then he will look for resources to kill monsters and level up outside. Wouldn't that be much safer?

There is no need to desperately fight at this moment.

Survival is the victory.

Little Skeleton does not need to eat. The status of the game character is closely related to his own. In other words, if he fills his stomach in reality, the game character will not starve to death, so there's no need to worry about food.

From this point of view, the opening journey of the Little Skeleton is quite good.

The 007 work system fits well with Little Skeleton too.

Mu Yuan opens the official panel for players to check the details.

'Mu Yuan'

'Identity: Pre-Selected Lord'

'Territory: Unnamed (will be able to possess true lord powers and control territory after passing the Novice Trials)'

'Troops under command: Little Skeleton ×10 (click to view details)'

'Marks Space Capacity: 0/3'

The players...the chosen lords can store their troops in the Mark Space and summon them in the real world...this is the basic representation of the player's supernatural power.

However, the tutorial clearly states that there is a cost in cross-terrestrial withdrawal of resources, and summoning troops across terrains is even more difficult. Especially under the players' weak situation, it is not recommended to try.

Of course, Mu Yuan will not try.

The summoning of troops across terrains requires Soul Sand as a medium, and he doesn't have a droplet.

If he tried forcibly, either his troops would run into trouble or he himself would go bankrupt.

Not worth it, not worth it.

He dares not weaken his already weak territorial defenses when he is weak himself.

He needs to be patient and steady.

Mu Yuan controls each skeleton one by one, assigning them different training or work tasks to accumulate evolution points.

The process is dreary, but he doesn't consider it tiring.

Those slowly but steadily growing evolution points are his greatest source of joy.

Mu Yuan plans to lie low until the Little Skeleton has evolved before starting to explore the outside world.

But,

Things don't always go as planned. The Eternal Continent is not that safe, and it is common for player's territories to be harassed and attacked.

Mysterious runes suddenly light up on the back of Mu Yuan's hand, emitting a faint heat and a slight pain.

He seems to see grey wolves with dirty fur but fierce faces coming out of the thick fog, vigilantly and steadfastly marching towards the village ruins.

The timing couldn't be worse!

——

PS: Thank you everyone for your comments and votesღ(´･ᴗ･`). The new book is updated twice a day, occasionally three times. The contract will change on Monday, investing now gives more benefits! ~~~