Opening Chests
Bang!
A crisp gunshot suddenly tore through the silence of the darkness. The bullet struck a staggering skeleton with pinpoint accuracy, blowing the top of its skull off in an instant and scattering fragments everywhere.
Ye Xu coolly blew on the smoking muzzle, then slipped the silver Desert Eagle he had traded an exorbitant amount of supplies for back into the holster at his waist.
"Easy. I'm taking the first level three in this area!" Full of confidence, he opened the Level Rankings.
[Level Rankings] [top 1: Song Shige — level 2 (81%)] ... [top 7: Ye Xu — level 2 (35%)]
With the enormous amount of resources generated by his [Thousandfold Increase] Talent, he had long since upgraded his shelter to level three and claimed the top spot on the Shelter Rankings.
He had also spared no expense in scouring the trading plaza for a full set of top-tier equipment:
[Fearless Armor (Fine)] [When worn, your defense increases greatly, while your mobility decreases moderately] [Gale Boots (Fine)] [When worn, your mobility increases greatly] [Skill: Wind Flash: consume Magic Power to launch a forward charge] [Complete Assault Rifle (Fine)] [When used, your ranged attack capability undergoes a qualitative change] ...
There were many more weapons and special items like these.
Together with the twenty-six skills crammed into his skill slots, they left Ye Xu feeling power surging through his entire body. His confidence swelled to unprecedented heights!
"I guarantee even Song Shige from the Mutual Aid Association isn't as strong as me!"
Before he had finished speaking!
Whoosh! A ghastly pale flash sliced through the air! It was a bone javelin, flying at incredible speed straight for Ye Xu's heart!
Ye Xu had no time to react! The instant the javelin's tip touched his breastplate, an ancient-looking talisman on his chest burst with emerald light, forming a barrier that barely deflected the fatal blow!
[Nature Talisman]
[When used, it can block three instances of fatal damage for you (2/3)]
"Gah!" Ye Xu broke out in a cold sweat as his adrenaline surged. Without hesitation, he flung a cylindrical object into the air with a flick of his hand.
[Floating Flare (Fine)]
[When used, illuminates a 300-meter radius, 150 minutes/180 minutes]
Dazzling white light erupted in an instant, illuminating the surrounding three hundred meters as brightly as day!
By the light of the "little sun" overhead, he immediately identified his attacker: a giant skeleton over two meters tall, covered in menacing bone spurs and wielding a bone spear!
"Appraisal!"
[Appraisal: unknown target]
[Assessment: your level is 2, the target's level is 2, your Appraisal level is 3...]
[Assessment passed, you have obtained partial information on the target]
[Skeleton Thrower (Elite)]
[Level: 2]
[Strength: 10]
[Constitution: 6]
[Spirit: ?]
[Skills: ???, Berserk, ???, ???]
"Four skills?! An Elite monster?!"
Ye Xu's expression changed dramatically. He hurriedly retreated to put distance between them, fumbling to gulp down several bottles of buff potions as he went. Then he abruptly raised his assault rifle, and scorching tongues of flame spewed from its muzzle...
Meanwhile, in another dark area.
"Roar!" A Corpse Tiger reeking of decay was sent flying by a massive sword, swatted away like a fly.
Without so much as looking at it, Song Shige turned his wrist. The massive sword traced a fierce half-arc, cleaving a zombie trying to ambush him from behind cleanly in two from head to toe!
"Kill!" he growled, holding the door-sized sword across his body. The ground sank slightly beneath his feet as his powerful muscles unleashed terrifying strength, and he barreled into the pack of monsters like a tank! Sword light flashed repeatedly, and several ranged monsters in the back were chopped to pieces in an instant.
After a long while, the fighting stopped. Song Shige wiped the filthy blood and scraps of flesh from his face and opened his system panel.
"Twenty hours until the rankings are tallied... To hold first place on both rankings through the subsequent tallies... this lead isn't enough!"
After a moment's thought, he took out a tube of deep-blue injectable solution and plunged it without hesitation into his bulging, rock-like biceps.
[Stamina Potion]
[When used, quickly restores your stamina]
Feeling strength flow continuously through his body, Song Shige touched the three remaining syringes tucked against his chest and decided to stop resting from now on and focus all his efforts on grinding levels! He would make full use of his early advantage!
Just then, the Kill Rankings suddenly refreshed! His first-place position changed hands in an instant!
Song Shige stared at the name that had abruptly risen to the top. His pupils contracted, and he was momentarily dazed.
[Kill Rankings] [top 1: Ye Xu] ...
The survivors were competing fiercely to make the rankings, but none of that had anything to do with Su Luo.
He controlled a dark red fireball for illumination and carefully surveyed the surrounding three hundred meters, picking up three Wooden Chests and an Iron Chest along the way.
Then Su Luo plopped back down at the entrance to the Dungeon.
What? Go out exploring? Fight monsters and level up?
He, Su Luo, lacked neither food nor drink, so why should he go out exploring? What would he do if he ran into monsters?
All he needed now was time to learn and improve himself at a breakneck pace. He was still far from hitting a bottleneck, so why go out and take risks?
"Let's open a chest!"
"Mm, I'm finally opening treasure chests. I've been here three days, and I'm finally getting a taste of 'proper' survival."
The chests weren't big, half a meter long and thirty centimeters wide. They weren't heavy either; Su Luo could easily stack several in his hands.
[You opened a Wooden Chest and obtained: four pieces of black bread, three bottles of drinking water]
[You opened a Wooden Chest and obtained: Lamp Oil × 3 cans (30 units)]
[You opened a Wooden Chest and obtained: Wood × 10, Stone × 10]
His luck was terrible. It was all basic supplies; he hadn't even gotten any ordinary-quality weapons or equipment.
The lucky bastards on the forum could even pull Fine equipment from Wooden Chests.
Rubbing his hands together, Su Luo turned his gaze to the Iron Chest gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"This is a chest they just added... It's bound to have something good!"
With a little tap, he opened it!
[You opened an Iron Chest and obtained: Sharp Greatsword (Fine)]
[Sharp Greatsword]
[Strength attribute does not meet the requirement; unable to use]
"How did such a long sword come out of such a small chest?"
The sword was extremely long, almost as tall as a person. Its blade was broad and thick, somewhat like a Scottish claymore, but considerably heavier.
He lifted the greatsword with effort and hefted it. It weighed about forty kilograms.
Su Luo estimated that it would take at least eight points of Strength just to lift it and swing it at someone, and probably more than nine to use it normally.
He looked at his own Strength of 4.9, his mouth twitching, then tossed the greatsword aside.
After sending Qin Lang the information about the Dungeon cooldown, he thought for a moment and sent another message.
[Su Luo: I want to make a guide to the introductory chapter of [Fireball] and post it on the forum]
After all, he had obtained Fireball from the Mutual Aid Association, so he ought to ask first to avoid disputes later.
[Qin Lang: Fireball? You've grasped the basics?!]
[Su Luo: Yes]
[Qin Lang: Even the people in our department who specialize in this haven't grasped the basics yet...]
[Qin Lang: Sure, sure!]
[Qin Lang: If circumstances allow, you can make more guides on the subject. You can publish any knowledge you got from us! On behalf of all the survivors, thank you in advance!]
The Mutual Aid Association was quite generous. At least, they were very friendly toward Su Luo.
After the conversation ended, Su Luo squatted on the ground and pondered for a while, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Isn't this survival for everyone? Isn't this survival for everyone, full of danger and where humanity has gone to ruin?
According to the usual formula, shouldn't there be:
—All kinds of brain-dead villainous organizations inexplicably coming to cause trouble and getting slapped in the face.
—Murder and robbery, cheating and swindling becoming the norm.
—The chat channel being full of idiots offering RMB for supplies and "newbies" begging every day.
There really were people in the chat channel clamoring to exchange money for resources, but they were all trolls, joking and laughing.
The forum had more survival guides, monster compendiums, and data analyses selflessly shared by experts from all walks of life...
Everyone was a little hostile, but not overly so, and the goofy group members were also very friendly toward Su Luo...
Su Luo stroked his chin and pondered for a long time. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh as realization dawned:
"Case solved! It must be because—I'm not the protagonist!"