Chapter 3: Ou Eats Grass

Ning Jun had previously speculated that her talent might be far stronger than she had imagined. Yet she never dared to think that opening treasure chests could yield double rewards!

“Ah, what a pity. If only I could contact Xiao Qichen—he would surely know something,” she murmured.

Once again, Ning Jun wanted to curse the wicked system. It was called a survival game, yet it forbade players from communicating or trading with each other. Players couldn’t even choose their own names, only numeric codes, making it impossible to distinguish one from another.

Perhaps it was because the game was still in its beta testing phase.

She stored the items in her backpack and had intended to carry the treasure chest back with her. Unfortunately, the chest vanished instantly, offering no chance to exploit any loopholes.

Ning Jun had read plenty of novels where protagonists could dismantle empty chests to obtain materials. How infuriating that this system wouldn’t allow any such tricks!

Frowning deeply, she wanted to curse out loud but restrained herself. Under the eaves, one must bow—she endured.

Her feet were still clad in thin-soled shoes, so she swapped them for sneakers, instantly relieving her discomfort.

As she wandered around, Ning Jun picked up a tree branch and used it to brush aside the surrounding bushes as she walked.

She moved slowly, eyes fixed on the ground, determined not to miss a single treasure chest.

After nearly half an hour without finding a chest, she did come across raspberries and mulberries, which she quickly gathered.

Though small, the quantity was considerable. With some frugality, it would be enough to sustain her for a day.

If she weren’t in such a hurry to find chests, she might have even harvested all the visible grass.

Unconsciously, Ning Jun noticed the environment becoming hazy—it was fog. She realized she was approaching the fog zone.

She ventured further; the fog thickened until she could barely see a meter ahead.

From outside the mist came faint roars. Though not too close, the sound exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Ning Jun stopped in her tracks, unwilling to proceed. The system offered no warnings.

Sure enough, her guess was correct.

In the past half-day, she had rarely encountered animals—just a few birds that posed no threat.

The game wasn’t easy because the danger was hidden beyond the fog.

The mist not only restricted player movement but served as a novice protection.

At least for the first three days, players needn’t fear attacks by ferocious beasts.

Decisively, Ning Jun turned around and headed home in a different direction.

This time, she finally found something under an unremarkable tree—a chest.

Hurriedly, she approached and squatted down to open it, once again triggering her critical hit talent!

But inside were only two red bean buns.

Ning Jun wasn’t fond of bread, yet all the chests seemed to yield was this stuff.

As noon approached, she found a low tree with many branches and climbed up to sit on one.

Holding the freshly obtained buns in her hand—with no packaging to worry about—she took the opportunity to check the chat channel during lunch.

The messages were full of complaints from players.

“Is this for real? Are there even treasure chests in this game? I’ve been searching all morning and only found one!”

“Finding one is good enough. I haven’t found any yet and am just waiting to die.”

“Dude, you’re giving up so early? At least struggle a bit before surrendering.”

“Ha! I found two ordinary chests with water and bread inside—does that count as luck?”

“Seal, get lost!!!”

“I’ve been working overtime without eating and am starving. Please, anyone, help me. I’ll return whatever I find.”

“Stop begging for help. I’ve tried; no private chats or item transfers allowed. While you’re still alive, keep looking for chests.”

“Honestly, the chests are pretty obvious. Just explore nearby and you’ll find them. But be careful opening them—there might be snakes. I got bitten once. Luckily, no poison, just some pain.”

Player 356’s message caught Ning Jun’s attention. Snakes could be inside the chests?

Her doubt was shared by others.

“Wow, I thought it was bad not finding chests, but opening one with snakes inside is a whole new level. Props to you, brother.”

“Indeed.”

“Good thing it’s not poisonous. One bite won’t kill.”

Soon, Player 356 replied to the concern.

“Thanks, everyone. I found another chest with a self-heating hotpot inside. Gotta eat and keep searching.”

No one responded after that.

Hah, the seal flaunting his luck in every way.

Ning Jun finished her last sip of water, and the bottle instantly vanished.

Ah, so the idea of fetching river water and storing it in the bottle was dashed.

Next time, she might leave some water inside and try refilling it at the river to see if that works.

After lunch, replenished and ready to descend, the sun shone directly overhead.

Ning Jun noticed something in a nearby tree, backlit and glinting.

She memorized the spot and quickly ran beneath the tree. Looking up, she saw something perched on a branch resembling a treasure chest.

Without hesitation, she climbed up.

The tree was somewhat thick, making climbing difficult, but fortunately, it wasn’t very tall.

Soon, she reached the chest.

She didn’t open it on the tree but stored it in her backpack first.

This chest was no longer ordinary; the system notified her it was a Bronze Chest.

Back on the ground, she took it out and placed it before her.

Her previous luck hadn’t yielded snakes or other creatures, but that didn’t guarantee continued fortune.

The Bronze Chest wasn’t locked. Holding an axe ready to defend herself, she grasped the lid with her left hand and gently lifted it, quickly stepping back with the axe held before her chest.

Yet the chest remained silent; nothing happened.

Ning Jun breathed a sigh of relief—her luck held.

Inside lay several items, accompanied by a system notification.

“Ding! Congratulations, you triggered a 100% critical hit talent!”

“Congratulations! You obtained two pairs of goggles, two bandages, and two steamed buns.”

Steamed buns! Her favorite.

The only regret was that the talent hadn’t triggered this time; otherwise, she would have had four buns and wouldn’t go hungry all day.

Though a little disappointed, she was satisfied. She had found three chests that morning plus her newbie gift pack.

For the first three days, she likely wouldn’t worry about food.

That would give her more time to gather wood and stone to upgrade her thatched hut.

All afternoon, Ning Jun scoured the area between her hut and the thick fog.

She found two more ordinary chests, gaining four rice balls and a dagger.

Her 20-slot backpack now had only five slots left.

With 20 minutes until sunset, the sun had turned a faint orange, barely hanging in the sky.

Ning Jun returned to her hut early but didn’t enter immediately. Taking the opportunity, she chopped down two more trees.

Her critical hit talent triggered again, yielding six pieces of wood.

She was one step closer to upgrading her hut.