Xia Qiu’s vision darkened. She hurriedly searched all over the panel for her title, finally spotting an extra line on her personal information page, right beneath her player ID.
[Title: Pinecone Thief (Activated)]
She forcefully tapped the illuminated title. Two options immediately popped up on the screen.
[View Details] [Hide Title]
She decisively selected to hide it. Seeing the word "Activated" change to "Hidden," she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought, "Are you kidding me? In my current squishy, weaponless state, there’s no way I can handle an effect that draws one hundred percent aggro from Neutral Creatures."
Only after hiding it did she tap the title again to check the details.
[Pinecone Thief: Neutral Creatures in the dense forest have 100% aggro. While equipped, all Neutral Creatures within the forest will share your location and initiate active attacks.]
A gust of wind blew through the dense forest, sending a shiver down Xia Qiu’s spine.
What a ridiculous effect. Even if it was restricted to the dense forest, it meant that as long as she wore the title in these woods, she would be subjected to endless attacks from Neutral Creatures.
She had no idea what kind of Neutral Creatures inhabited the area yet. Rabbits and squirrels were one thing, but what if there were monkeys!? Her face darkened at the thought of a screeching troop of monkeys chasing her down in a frenzy.
However, if she could improve her combat power and defense in the future, this title would actually be an excellent tool for pulling monsters. Who cared what kind of Neutral Creatures they were? If they came at her, they would just be bonus meals.
Provided she survived long enough to see that day, of course.
Her hunger gauge dropped a little further as time passed. She glanced at the panel; it was already 3:44 PM.
The system hadn’t specified the time of sunset, but it had explicitly warned that danger lurked everywhere once night fell. She needed to gather some resources as quickly as possible and leave the woods.
Xia Qiu spent the next block of time entirely focused on scavenging through the dense forest. She tested everything she could physically pick up to see if it would fit into her inventory. Compared to the barren grassland, this forest was practically overflowing with treasures.
As she gathered materials, Xia Qiu abruptly stood up straight and stared ahead. Amidst the chirping of insects and birds, it felt as if something was secretly watching her from the depths of the forest.
Her intuition screamed at her to stop moving forward.
Without realizing it, she had wandered quite a distance into the woods. She couldn’t even see the grassland when she looked back. Tightening her grip on the small knife she was temporarily using as a weapon, Xia Qiu decided to quit while she was ahead. She turned and jogged back toward the edge of the forest. To avoid getting lost, she had carved markers into the trees along her path.
She dashed out of the dense forest well before sunset.
At that very moment, another system notification rang out.
[Friendly Reminder: 10 minutes until sunset. Players, please prepare yourselves for the night.]
[The sun rises and sets, and the seasons cycle. No one can alter the laws of the Desolate Continent.]
[Brave adventurers from the Otherworld, we wish you safety through every silent night.]
Panting, Xia Qiu opened her panel and glanced at the time.
5:20 PM.
It seemed sunset would occur at exactly five-thirty today. The panel indicated that daylight hours would gradually shorten during autumn, which meant tomorrow’s sunset would be even earlier.
Xia Qiu walked away from the dense forest for a few more minutes before sitting on the ground, deciding to prioritize building a fire. Not only would she need the light for the night, but she also urgently needed to restore her body temperature. The temperature inside the dense forest had been quite low, and her status bar now showed a new debuff next to "Gray Rabbit’s Mockery."
[Status: Gray Rabbit... / Hypothermia (You are feeling a bit cold. Please warm your body as soon as possible, or risk falling ill.)]
Rummaging through her inventory, Xia Qiu took out a few materials she thought might be useful and began constructing a campfire.
She arranged stones into a circle, then padded the bottom with a bundle of soft, fluffy hay that had been processed by the system. She placed two short logs on top. Striking a piece of flint against a metal block, she sparked a flame and ignited the hay beneath the wood.
The fire caught much easier than she had expected—likely a system mechanic designed to keep beginners from getting completely wiped out on the very first night.
The moment the flames flickered to life, Xia Qiu received another system notification.
[Successfully Crafted: Campfire (Gray)]
[Campfire: A light source is indispensable at night. Please remain alert to everything in the dark. (Durability: 300-800. Consumes 20 Durability per hour while lit.)]
[Congratulations to Player Xia Qiu on unlocking the achievement: "Technology Changes Life."]
She thought, "I get an achievement just for starting a fire?"
Seeing that the flames were stable, Xia Qiu tapped open her panel and checked the top section. Going by her previous experiences, unlocking an achievement always came with a reward. And when it came to rewards, she would never complain about having too many.
[Technology Changes Life: Those who excel at utilizing resources will always stay ahead of the times. Brave adventurer, I’ve got my eye on you~ (Click to claim achievement reward)]