Volume 1, Chapter 23: I Am Not Magnanimous!

[System Prompt: LV36 Giant-Gilled Fish captured. EXP +100]
[System Prompt: Assisted in killing LV36 Giant-Gilled Fish. Gold +2, EXP +300]
Snap.
Five pieces of green fish meat, ten fish bones.
No equipment.
[System Prompt: LV35 Grass-Base Fish captured. EXP +100]
[System Prompt: Assisted in killing LV35 Grass-Base Fish. Gold +2, EXP +300]
Snap.
This time, there was gear!
[Advanced Combat Top (Set): Blue]
[Equip Level: 15]
[Armor +500, Agility +5.]
[Set Bonus: Not yet activated]
[Description: An exquisite set suitable for various melee classes.]
This seems to be part of the same set as the trousers I’m currently wearing.
Store it away! Keep it for when I reach level fifteen.
Cast the line again!
[System Prompt: LV35 Silver Chub captured. EXP +100]
[System Prompt: Assisted in killing LV35 Silver Chub. Gold +2, EXP +300]
[System Prompt: Player 'Li Chuan' has maxed out experience. Level +1. Gained 5 free attribute points.]
Level twelve now, and more gear!
[Radiant Necklace: Green]
[Equip Level: 15]
[Mana +10, Agility +8]
[Skill Cooldown Reduction 1%]
[Description: Wear this, and you will be the most dazzling star at the ball.]
Can’t you give me something I can actually wear now?
Li Chuan picked up the fishing rod, ready to cast it back into the sea.
[Daily Task: Anyone want to go to the wonderful ocean to catch some fish for a taste? Completed]
[Task Progress: 5/2]
[Task Rating: Excellent!]
[Task Rewards: Copper Coins *100, EXP *100, Bronze Treasure Chest *1, Temporary Photosynthetic Cabin (Blue) *1]
His vision blurred, and the beautiful, emerald-green ocean instantly vanished. The desolate, barren scene—where even the sky seemed gray—returned to his view.
"Sigh, back to this hellhole again."
Whoosh!
Before Li Chuan could even steady himself, he heard the sound of an arrow cutting through the air.
Side roll!
Li Chuan instinctively performed a side roll.
The arrow grazed his cheek.

Li Chuan regained his footing, just in time to see a person holding a bow turning to flee.
They had calculated exactly when I would return and set an ambush!
Rage surged within him. He raised his hand crossbow and fired two bolts without hesitation!
-40! -37!
Two red damage numbers floated up.
Players only had one hundred HP in total; Li Chuan only needed one more hit to end this person’s life!
The man suddenly turned and knelt.
"Brother! Big brother! Don't kill me, please don't kill me!"
Li Chuan held the crossbow, staring at the scrawny, hunched survivor before him.
"Tell me, why did you do this!"
Nearby players watched the scene, their jaws dropping in shock.
"Damn, I saw that survivor archer camping there for two hours, and he actually dodged it."
"Well, he is a ruthless guy who's killed a dozen players; it's normal for him to have fast reflexes."
"The survivor is the one in trouble now."
"He’s no saint either! But now that the 'Cold-Blooded One' is out, does that mean the intermediate daily tasks are doable?"
"What a shame! I hesitated for half a day and didn't dare do it. I’ve still got a few pieces of bread left; I'll hold out for one more day."
The survivor in front of Li Chuan looked up.
"I... I was too hungry. I wanted to kill you and loot some gear to trade for food."
"You are a generous man, please don't hold a grudge against someone like me. I was starved out of my mind, I beg you."
The man's left shoulder was grotesquely swollen, the skin on his face tinged blue with visible, bulging veins.
To survive the eerie nights of the Aman Forest, these survivors could not discard their Plant Spirits. They had to plant the spirits, now degenerated into seeds, into their own bodies to keep them alive.
However, doing so caused a massive loss of moisture and nutrients, leading the survivors to have insatiable appetites.
Snap!
Li Chuan pulled the trigger.
"I am not generous."
-31
[System Prompt: Killed LV8 Wang Dalong. Copper Coins +0, EXP +40]
A bolt pierced the man's throat. His eyes widened, his hands clawing desperately at his neck as he collapsed inch by inch.
Afterward, a tender shoot pierced through his skin and flesh, growing out from the corpse.
Gradually, the Plant Spirit grew into a small, verdant tree.
The shape of the tree uncannily resembled a person kneeling in agony.
Li Chuan scanned his surroundings.
The other survivors who had been attempting to approach retreated in terror. Once they saw Li Chuan walk away, they rushed to the dead survivor’s body, scrambling to grab the green shoots sprouting from him and shoving them into their mouths...
The sight was deeply unsettling.
"Sigh... whatever! Those who are pitiful are often detestable as well!"
With twin suns overhead, the blinding, scorching light baked the parched earth. Having just returned from the green sea, Li Chuan felt a stinging heat on his neck and face after just a few moments of dealing with the man.
"Damn it, to think the Central Light Screen’s weather could get this hot. Lack of water plus this heat—no wonder the Plant Spirits degenerated."
Li Chuan hurried back to 'Little Green' to check its condition.
Little Green’s vines were curled up in the shade. Its once-lush canopy seemed smaller, and the leaves were shriveled from lack of water.
"This hellish weather is going to be the death of me!"
Li Chuan quickly pulled four buckets of water from his inventory and poured them onto Little Green’s roots.
He had dozens of buckets of water in his inventory; wasting four or five was no problem.
But to his surprise, this act drew the ire of the other players.
Someone shouted at him in fury.
"Hey! People are dying of thirst here, and you're using life-saving water to feed a tree! Are you even human?"
"Yeah! Don't you have any empathy? Why won't you share some water with us?"
"Damn murderer, go to hell!"
...
Li Chuan raised his right hand and gave the group a high, middle finger.
If they knew they were dying of thirst, why didn't they participate in the daily tasks? If they die, they deserve it!
He took out the bronze treasure chest obtained from the daily task, nibbling on some bread while staring at the numbers on the chest.
[Bronze Treasure Chest, can drop up to LV10 Blue quality items. No key required. Open?]
[99%]
"Open!"
Li Chuan was practiced in this.
Twenty pieces of bread, four buckets of pure water, and one piece of blue equipment.
[Advanced Combat Belt (Set): Blue]
[Equip Level: 10]
[Armor +300, Agility +5.]
[Advanced Combat Cloth Armor Set Bonus I Activated: Armor +1000]
[Description: An exquisite set suitable for various melee classes.]
After strapping on the belt, Li Chuan's armor value jumped to sixteen hundred.
He was now on par with a level fifteen behemoth.
Blue sets were truly overpowered!
He opened the regional channel and watched for a while.
Most players were complaining about the heat, the lack of water, and the shortage of food.
These were the ones who hadn't dared to participate in the daily tasks.
Some who had participated had returned, but only half of them made it back; nearly half had remained in those waters, becoming fodder for the Duckweed Monsters. These lucky survivors were now complaining about the difficulty of the task.
Others were regretting having shared their food with survivors yesterday, leaving them with nothing to eat today.
Li Chuan had opened the channel to find news about the Forbidden Land, specifically the depths of the Deadwood Forest.
But clearly, almost no one dared to venture into the forest to search for the clearance key. They were all waiting.
Waiting for someone else to succeed and reveal the method to them.
Everyone knew that the first person to eat the crab was always in the most danger.
He closed the regional chat panel.
"Forget it! If no one dares to go, I’ll go myself!"