Staying Alive is Victory

A small opening doesn't count.

At four in the morning, Mu Yuan was even more energized, his whole being wide awake.

This ability to grant evolution to his troops was undoubtedly the key to breaking through his current predicament, but there was still much about the ability he didn't understand.

Mu Yuan delved into studying it.

Evolution Points could grant a single skeleton a baptism of transformation, but for now, his attempts had failed—he didn't have enough Evolution Points.

He received a vague intuitive hint that, roughly, he needed to accumulate "1" unit of Evolution Points to unlock evolution.

And Evolution Points came from the activities of the Little Skeletons themselves.

Perhaps, as long as the Little Skeletons existed, they would eventually produce Evolution Points, but after a controlled experiment, Mu Yuan found that skeletons that worked produced significantly more Evolution Points than those that slacked off.

007—working around the clock—generated more value.

He wanted to keep researching, but unfortunately... at that moment, the sky was faintly brightening, and Mu Yuan suddenly realized he had been fighting through an entire night. He really couldn't hold on anymore.

His mind was hazy, and he was seeing double.

If he didn't sleep, he was afraid he'd drop dead at his computer.

"In the Transcendent Game, my identity is a lord. My mission is to defend my home, expand my territory, and also manifest certain special treasures into reality... This is a long-term battle. Pulling an all-nighter for a single day won't help. Keeping my energy up is the better way to handle emergencies."

"Besides, my Little Skeletons can evolve. There's no need to let them recklessly leave the village to explore the outside world right now. Holding the line at the Village Ruins as a stronghold is the steady path."

Mu Yuan was still a bit worried.

Because the Transcendent Game wouldn't stop just because he logged out. The other side was a real world, and even if he didn't take action, it would still operate according to its set rules.

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

This was the situation Newbie players feared most.

"But thankfully, when the territory is invaded by enemies, the player will receive a notification even without opening the game, and the troops will defend themselves."

Before going to sleep, Mu Yuan had wanted to assign the skeletons some tasks, like training, to accumulate more Evolution Points, but for safety's sake, he dropped the idea.

These Little Skeletons were stupid and dull. He was afraid that if he gave an order, they'd pull some crazy stunt again.

He also worried that training would affect the skeletons' condition, and in turn, the territory's overall safety.

Better to play it safe, not rush things.

He'd try again tomorrow.

He had the skeletons guard him and the Territory Altar, then closed his laptop. Without even washing up, he climbed straight into bed, pulled the little blanket over himself, closed his eyes, and slept peacefully.

But that night... that day, Mu Yuan didn't sleep all that peacefully.

He was preoccupied with the Transcendent Game. In his dreams, it was that ruined village. He dreamed of a Dragon flying out of the mist, diving down, and its Dragon Breath turning the entire village into a sea of flames in an instant.

Then Mu Yuan woke up, drenched in sweat, jolted awake.

He checked the time—he'd only slept six hours.

Six hours was enough. Time to get up and get going.

Mu Yuan rushed to his computer and opened the game as fast as possible. Only when he saw the ruined village safe and sound did he wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"Playing a game this nervously... I'm afraid I won't experience the joy of gaming until my territory has strong defenses."

When Mu Yuan opened the game, his in-game character also woke up in a drafty, broken wooden hut.

Perhaps sensing he was awake, several Little Skeletons gathered around, their jaws clacking open and shut.

One of the Little Skeletons was holding up a plank of wood.

Oh no, not a plank—a shield made from a plank.

Yesterday, Mu Yuan had taught the skeletons to make full use of resources and set up a few simple pit traps and rope snares. Today, the skeletons were already learning by analogy and making their own modifications? What teachable students!

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

They also looked like they wanted praise.

Uh, one skeleton had several branches stuck between its ribs, very performance-art style; another had found a black, torn cloth bag somewhere and put it over its head, full of spirit; and another was knocking on its own bones, and with a crack, pulled one out.

Mu Yuan: "..."

He really couldn't hold the Little Skeletons to too high a standard. They were already better than he'd expected, honestly.

Mu Yuan silently chanted "Evolution Points," and a special code popped up in the game.

"Skeleton Evolution Points: 0.71"

By only keeping the Little Skeletons on alert and not fully squeezing out their 'potential,' the Evolution Points produced were indeed a bit lower.

Today, with him watching, he'd first try to find an efficient way to produce points.

As for going out to explore, Mu Yuan said he wasn't in a hurry.

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

But he was different.

He was constantly accumulating Evolution Points—as long as he saved enough to evolve a single high-tier unit, he could then head out to find resources, fight monsters, and level up. Wouldn't that be far safer?

There was no need to fight for his life right now.

Surviving was victory.

Little Skeletons didn't need to eat, and the game character's state was directly tied to his own. In other words, as long as he filled his stomach in reality, the game character wouldn't starve. No need to worry about food.

From this perspective, starting with Little Skeletons was pretty nice.

The 007 work schedule suited Little Skeletons perfectly too.

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

"Mu Yuan" "Identity: Quasi-Heaven Chosen Lord" "Territory: Unnamed (Must pass the Novice Trial to gain true lord authority and control over the territory)" "Commanded Units: Little Skeleton ×10 (Click for details)" "Lord's Mark Capacity: 0/3"

Players... Quasi-Heaven Chosen Lords could store their units in the Mark Space and summon them in the real world. This was the most basic manifestation of a player wielding transcendent power.

However, the guide posts clearly stated that cross-realm material extraction had a cost, and cross-realm unit summoning was even harder. Especially when the player was still weak, it was not recommended.

Mu Yuan certainly wasn't going to try.

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

If he forced it, either the unit would end up in an accident, or he would be drained dry.

Not worth it, not worth it.

He also didn't dare to further weaken his territory's already pitiful defenses while he was still weak.

Patience. Steadiness.

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

The process was tedious, but he didn't find it boring.

That slow but steadily growing Evolution Points was the greatest source of joy.

Mu Yuan planned to lie low until the Little Skeletons evolved before exploring the outside world.

But, Heaven never follows man's wishes, and the Eternal Continent wasn't that safe. Player territories being harassed and attacked was the norm.

Suddenly, a mysterious rune lit up on the back of Mu Yuan's hand, faintly warm and faintly stinging.

He seemed to see dirty-furred, vicious-looking Gray Wolves emerging from the thick fog, cautiously yet relentlessly advancing toward the Village Ruins.

They couldn't have picked a worse time!

--

PS: Thanks for the comments and votes (`). During the new book period, two chapters a day, occasionally three. The contract status will change next Monday. The investment returns are even better now, dear readers~~~