【Upgrade materials detected. Do you want to upgrade the shelter?】
“Upgrade.”
No white mist appeared as the wooden cabin was upgraded. It was as though an invisible divine hand were working its magic. The house before Qiyu began to expand and grow, gradually revealing more functional areas…
A minute later, the wooden cabin had completely transformed.
The original wooden cabin had been nothing more than a simple square structure, bare and empty.
Now, however, the space had grown considerably. The single room had expanded into a one-bedroom layout, doubling in size, and several windows had been added to the walls. The rough wooden table that had originally come with the cabin had also been upgraded. Its surface was now smooth, and two wooden chairs had appeared beside it.
When Qiyu approached the bedroom, he discovered an even bigger surprise.
【Upgrading the shelter includes a bathroom.】
The bathroom was beside the bedroom.
It wasn’t large, but it was fully equipped with a sink and a shower stall.
Qiyu took a deep breath and immediately reached for the faucet on the sink. He hesitated for two seconds before carefully turning it on.
Clear water gushed out.
He hurriedly cupped his hands to catch some, then quickly turned off the faucet.
The Survival System provided the following instructions:
【Domestic Water: Unlimited usage. May be used for daily personal hygiene. Not tradable. Not for consumption. Forced consumption will reduce Health Points and may be life-threatening in severe cases.】
Not for consumption?
Qiyu stared at the water pooled in his palms, baffled.
“Such clean water, and yet I can’t drink it?”
In the post-apocalyptic world, any water that wasn’t severely contaminated—and therefore deadly if consumed—was considered good water. He had even drunk water from muddy puddles before.
But survival games didn’t follow common sense. Although he found it disappointing, he valued his life even more.
The shower stall had a showerhead, something Qiyu had never seen before. Fortunately, whenever he scanned it with the badge on his palm, instructions would appear.
One quick look was all it took to figure out how to use it.
There was a recess in the wall beside the bathroom door.
He scanned it, and a prompt appeared:
【Insert an energy crystal card or a universal electricity card to activate hot water.】1
Energy crystal card? Universal electricity card?
Qiyu remembered the mysterious green card he had found in his treasure chest and tried inserting it into the slot.
【Invalid. Please insert an energy crystal card or a universal electricity card to use.】
Alright, so it wasn’t either of those.
Seeing the card reminded Qiyu of the mysterious drifting bottle.
He took out an empty wooden chest, filled it with water, and tentatively placed the drifting bottle inside.
A magical scene unfolded.
The instant the bottle came into contact with the water, it dissolved and vanished without a trace right before Qiyu’s eyes.
Recalling the bottle’s description, Qiyu wondered if it had already drifted off to some unfamiliar realm.
Would anyone find it?
Just then, a notification popped up on his survival panel:
【Congratulations to player “I Love Survival Game” for becoming the 537th player in the entire server to upgrade to a Level 1 shelter. The system rewards you with 1 silver chest.】
A dazzling light appeared before Qiyu.
The surprise came completely out of the blue.
A silver chest?
Qiyu remembered that a player on this server named “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens” had received one before.
He recalled that the other player had apparently secured both the first kill in the entire server and the first registered ID, earning two silver chests.1 Yet he, who was only the 537th player to upgrade his Shelter, had also been rewarded with a silver chest.
Clearly, just as the system had stated when they entered the game, upgrading the Shelter was the highest priority.
He was the 537th player to upgrade his shelter, but he had no idea how many people there actually were in the “entire server.”
Qiyu remained calm about the fact that more than five hundred people were ahead of him.
The world was vast. There were bound to be all kinds of talented people.
Besides, he was already quite satisfied with his current life… No, his current life had already far exceeded anything he had ever expected.
The silver chest was the same size as the others, but its appearance was far more exquisite. Floral patterns were engraved across its surface, making it look like a beautiful work of art.
The system displayed a prompt:
【Silver Chest: A chest containing supplies that may yield high-tier items.】
【Silver Chest detected. Open?】
Qiyu was about to say “Open,” but hesitated.
He walked over to the wooden chest where he had previously placed the drifting bottle, then washed his hands again and again, meticulously scrubbing them until they were spotless.
He didn’t know why he was doing it, but for some reason, a thought crossed his mind.
If he washed his hands first, would his luck improve a little?
“Open.”
A dazzling golden light burst from the treasure chest.
Qiyu instinctively closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Several glowing orbs had appeared inside the chest.
The largest and most dazzling of them all was the golden light floating at the very center.
As soon as Qiyu raised his hand, the golden light seemed to sense his intention. It floated over on its own and settled into his palm.
【Congratulations on obtaining the Legendary-quality item Mental Power Cultivation Manual. Bonus: Elementary Magic Introduction】
【Mental Power Cultivation Manual: Written by the legendary elven archmage Aegnor, this is an extremely valuable text. Note: Those with Mental Power below 50 are prohibited from learning it.】
【Elementary Magic Introduction: An introductory text for mages, compiled by the Mages Association. Note: Recommended for readers with Mental Power of 8 or higher.】
Qiyu looked at the two books in his hands.
The former was quite thick, with a dark green cover adorned with embossed leaf patterns. It looked rustic yet grand, and seemed to radiate powerful vitality. Even without knowing what was written inside, anyone could tell at a glance that it was something extraordinary!
The other book, Elementary Magic Introduction, perhaps because it was meant for beginners, had a lively blue-and-white cover. In the center was an emblem depicting a wand and a white flowering branch, with the words “Mages Association” written beneath it.
Qiyu resisted the urge to flip through them immediately and placed both books into his backpack.
There were two more glowing orbs inside the silver chest, both emitting a faint blue light.
Qiyu had seen this kind of blue glow before. The Fine-quality barbarian fang dagger had emitted exactly the same light.
【Jade Necklace: Fine-grade equipment. Wearing it grants +3 Spirit, +5 HP, and increases Spirit regeneration rate by 10%.】
【Jade Boots: Fine-grade equipment. +3 Agility, +5 HP. Grants the “Windchase” effect, increasing movement speed by 10% while moving.】
Qiyu let out a small “Wow” and chose to equip both items.
The bonuses to Spirit, Agility, and Health immediately made him feel refreshed and invigorated, while his body seemed noticeably lighter.
“I was wrong, Survival Game,” Qiyu said solemnly, addressing the blue badge in the palm of his hand.
The Survival System remained silent, allowing him to have his moment.
Qiyu realized that he had made a huge mistake.
How could he ever have thought that simply living a stable, peaceful life was enough?
How could he have remained indifferent after seeing someone else receive two silver chests?
If he could get a silver chest while ranking in the five hundreds, then what kind of rewards would those in the top one hundred, the top three, or the very first person to upgrade their shelter receive?
Just thinking about the incredible treasures beyond anything he could even imagine made Qiyu’s eyes light up.
I’ve been far too complacent, he thought.
I have to work harder.