Little Beginnings Don't Count as Beginnings

Small Beginnings Don't Count as Beginnings.

At four in the morning, Mu Yuan was getting more and more fired up, his whole being brimming with energy.

There was no doubt that this ability to grant his troops evolution was the key to breaking out of his current predicament, but there were still many unclear aspects to the ability.

Mu Yuan began studying it.

Evolution Points could grant a single skeleton a baptism and allow it to transform, but his initial attempt had failed—the current number of Evolution Points was insufficient.

He received a vague intuitive prompt. Roughly speaking, he needed to accumulate "1" unit of Evolution Points before evolution could begin.

The source of Evolution Points was the Little Skeletons' own activities.

Perhaps the Little Skeletons would eventually produce Evolution Points simply by existing, but after a series of controlled experiments, Mu Yuan discovered that working skeletons produced Evolution Points at a noticeably higher rate than idling skeletons.

Working seven days a week produced more value.

He wanted to continue researching, but unfortunately... dawn was breaking. Only then did Mu Yuan suddenly realize that he had fought through an entire night. He really couldn't hold on any longer.

His mind was hazy, and everything he looked at appeared doubled.

If he didn't sleep soon, he was afraid he would drop dead in front of the computer.

"In the Transcendent Game, my identity is a lord. My task is to defend my homeland and expand my territory, while I can also materialize certain special treasures into reality... This is a protracted battle. Staying up all night once or twice won't help. Keeping myself in peak condition will let me respond better to emergencies."

"Besides, my Little Skeletons can evolve. There's no need to recklessly send them out of the village to explore the outside world right now. Using the Village Ruins as a base and holding our ground is the prudent choice."

Mu Yuan was still somewhat worried.

The Transcendent Game wouldn't stop just because he logged out. The other side was a real world, and even if he didn't operate it, it would continue functioning according to its established rules.

In other words, while he was resting or away, his territory might be attacked by outsiders.

This was the situation novice players feared most.

"But fortunately, when the territory is invaded by enemies, players will receive an alert even if they don't open the game. The troops will also defend themselves."

Before going to bed, Mu Yuan had originally wanted to assign the skeletons some training work or other tasks so they could accumulate more Evolution Points, but for the sake of safety, he ultimately abandoned the idea.

These Little Skeletons were incredibly foolish. He was afraid that after giving them an assignment, they would pull some other bizarre stunt.

He was also worried that training might affect the Little Skeletons' condition and, in turn, compromise the safety of the entire territory.

It was better to play it safe. There was no need to rush.

He would try again tomorrow.

He ordered the skeletons to guard himself and the Territory Altar, then closed the computer. He didn't even wash up before crawling into bed. He pulled the small blanket over himself, closed his eyes, and slept peacefully.

But that night... or rather, that whole day, Mu Yuan's sleep was anything but peaceful.

He couldn't stop thinking about the Transcendent Game. Even his dreams were filled with that ruined village. He dreamed that a Dragon flew out of the mist, swooped down, and turned the entire village into a sea of flames with its Dragon Breath in the blink of an eye.

Mu Yuan woke up immediately afterward, drenched in sweat.

When he checked the time, he saw that he had slept for only six hours.

Six hours was enough. Time to get up and have some fun.

Mu Yuan hurried to the computer and opened the game as quickly as possible. Only after seeing that the ruined village was safe and sound did he wipe the sleep from the corners of his eyes.

"Even playing a game is this nerve-racking. Until my territory has powerful defenses, I'm afraid I won't be able to experience the joy of gaming."

When Mu Yuan opened the game, his game avatar, representing him, also woke up inside a shabby, drafty wooden hut.

Perhaps sensing that he had awakened, several Little Skeletons gathered around him, their jaws opening and closing with a clacking sound.

One of the Little Skeletons was even holding a door panel high in its hands.

Oh, no, it wasn't a door panel. It was a shield modified from a door panel.

Yesterday, Mu Yuan had taught the Little Skeletons to make full use of resources and had set up several simple pit traps and rope snares. Today, the skeletons had already drawn inferences and modified and crafted things on their own? They were teachable after all!

Mu Yuan controlled his avatar to pat the skeleton's smooth skull in praise, then looked at the other Little Skeletons.

They also looked as though they wanted praise.

Uh, one Little Skeleton had several branches wedged between its ribs, making it quite the performance artist. Another had found a black, tattered cloth bag from somewhere and pulled it over its head, looking full of spirit. Yet another was tapping and hammering at its own bones, and with a smack, it pulled one of them free.

Mu Yuan: "..."

He really couldn't set his expectations for the Little Skeletons too high. They were already doing better than he had expected. Really.

Mu Yuan silently thought of Evolution Points, and a special line of code appeared in the game.

"Skeleton Evolution Points: 0.71"

Having the Little Skeletons merely remain on guard without squeezing out all of their "potential" had indeed resulted in fewer Evolution Points.

Since he was keeping an eye on them today, he would first figure out the most efficient way to generate points.

As for exploring outside, Mu Yuan wasn't in a hurry.

Other players really did need to begin exploring at this point. If they didn't take that step, they would never become stronger. They had to take risks.

But he was different.

He was accumulating Evolution Points at all times. As long as he saved up one unit and evolved a high-level troop, he could then go out to search for resources and fight monsters to level up. Wouldn't that be much safer?

There was no need to risk his life right now.

Playing it safe was the path to victory.

The Little Skeletons didn't need to eat, and the game avatar's condition was closely linked to his own. In other words, as long as he filled his stomach in reality, the game avatar wouldn't starve to death. There was no need to worry about food.

From this perspective, starting out with Little Skeletons was pretty great.

A seven-days-a-week work schedule suited the Little Skeletons quite well, too.

Mu Yuan opened the player's proper panel again to check the details.

"Mu Yuan"

"Identity: Quasi-Heaven Chosen Lord"

"Territory: Unnamed (You must pass the Novice Trial before you can possess a lord's true authority and control a territory)"

"Commanded Troops: Little Skeleton ×10 (Click to view details)"

"Number of Lord's Marks that can be stored: 0/3"

Players... Heaven Chosen Lords could store their own troops inside the Mark Space, then summon them in the real world... This was also the most basic manifestation of a player's control over supernatural power.

However, the strategy posts clearly stated that extracting resources across worlds consumed energy, and summoning troops across worlds was even more difficult. Especially when the player was weak, it was not recommended.

Mu Yuan naturally wouldn't try it.

Cross-world troop summoning also required Soul Sand as a medium, and he didn't have even a single grain.

If he forced an attempt, either something would happen to the troop, or he would be drained dry.

No way, no way.

He was even less willing to weaken his territory's already feeble defensive forces while he himself was still weak.

He needed patience and prudence.

Mu Yuan controlled the skeletons one by one, assigning each different training or work tasks to accumulate Evolution Points.

The process was tedious, but he didn't grow impatient.

That slow yet steady increase in Evolution Points was the greatest source of joy.

Mu Yuan planned to play it safe until the Little Skeletons evolved, and only then begin exploring the outside world.

But,

Heaven never followed people's wishes, and the Eternal Continent was not as safe as one might hope. Harassment and attacks on player territories were the norm.

The back of Mu Yuan's hand suddenly lit up with mysterious runes. They radiated a faint heat and a faint sting.

He seemed to see several dirty-coated but fierce-looking Gray Wolves emerge from the thick mist and head toward the Village Ruins, wary yet unwavering.

They really had picked the worst possible time to come!

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P.S. Thank you everyone for your comments and votes (`). During the new-book period, there will be two chapters a day, with three occasionally. The signing status will change next Monday. Investing now will bring greater returns, dear~~~