Looking at the complaints and boasts about new abilities on the [World Channel], Chen Shu suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, right, there's also the Starter Pack."
He instinctively looked at the word "Backpack" and clicked on it. A virtual panel appeared before him, showing ten unlocked slots.
Below, the slots were marked with a lock symbol, indicating they would unlock later.
The first slot contained a red gift pack, and the second slot had a question mark.
Without hesitation, Chen Shu opened the first gift pack, and a series of notifications appeared before him.
[Received Bread *2]
[Received Mineral Water *1]
[Received Portable Workbench *1]
[Received Stone Axe *1]
That's it?
That's all?
"Is that it?!" Chen Shu almost poked through the virtual panel. "Two pieces of bread, one bottle of water? Are they trying to feed a beggar?!"
He had just woken up from a nap, and his stomach was already hungry. Now he couldn't even eat freely, it was pure torture.
Helplessly, he could only take out one piece. After clicking "Take Out," a palm-sized piece of bread appeared in his hand.
[Bread (100g): Basic bread that only sustains basic physiological functions.]
Chen Shu took a bite. It wasn't terrible, just barely edible. At this moment, he couldn't ask for much.
Then he took out the "Workbench," which he had been curious about.
With a thought, a half-meter square metal table filled with simple grooves and patterns landed with a "clang" at his feet.
[Portable Workbench: As long as you have enough materials, you can craft all kinds of tools.]
His first reaction upon seeing this thing: Isn't this just like the workbench from a sandbox game he played?
It was too similar.
Upon closer inspection, there were some differences, but the function was almost the same. It had various tool prompts, and you could craft them by consuming certain resources, with a wide variety of options.
For example, axes were divided into several types: Stone Axe, Iron Axe, Military Hand Axe...
Unfortunately, Chen Shu had nothing right now, so he couldn't craft anything. Luckily, the "system" gave him an axe, albeit a Stone Axe, but it was barely usable.
After putting away the workbench, Chen Shu clicked on the second item, a "?", which should be the so-called ability talent.
[Talent Ability: Randomly grants a survival talent or special ability.]
Random?
The fluctuation with this word is too great. With good luck, you soar; with bad luck, you perish.
It's like buying a lottery ticket. If it weren't for his roommate's coaxing, he wouldn't have bought one.
How could good things ever come to him!
He took a deep breath and clicked "Use."
[Acquired Ability: 'Identity Roleplay.']
[Identity Roleplay: Each day, you will randomly receive a temporary identity tag. The survivor will gain corresponding abilities and traits, which may also bring restrictions or side effects.]
Identity Roleplay?
Isn't this just cosplay?
And it's random again?
Is this game made by some game company? They love randomness so much.
[Ding, today's identity has been determined: Resource Perceiver.]
[Resource Perceiver: Passively perceive all basic survival resources within a 500-meter radius, highlighted in your vision.
It can save a lot of trial-and-error time and effort.]
"Oh wow, this seems pretty good."
Chen Shu stroked his chin. Starting with a radar ahead of everyone else, how are others supposed to play?
He kind of liked this randomness. If it always turned out like this, wouldn't his ability be invincible!
A divine skill!
Absolutely a divine skill!
Thinking of this, Chen Shu couldn't help but laugh out loud. The laughter was particularly abrupt in the silent giant forest, even startling a few unknown birds perched on distant low shrubs.
He quickly shut his mouth, but his eyes were incredibly bright.
In his vision, just a dozen meters ahead, on the side of a dirt mound raised by massive tree roots and covered in thick moss, a fist-sized red dot was steadily blinking.
Next to it floated a semi-transparent text label: [Purple Scale Fruit].
"Damn, food!" Chen Shu's heart pounded, instantly throwing any confusion about transmigration and the pain of losing his house out of his mind.
The instinct to survive and the excitement of discovering resources took over.
He rushed to the mound in a few strides, pushed aside a layer of wet moss and a few broad fern leaves, and indeed saw a small cluster of low shrubs.
The branches of the shrubs were hung with clusters of purple berries the size of longan, their skins plump and looking very enticing.
[Purple Scale Fruit: Rich in water and a small amount of sugar, edible. Contains mild paralyzing toxin, only effective on small creatures, harmless to humans.]
The moment he held it in his hand, the detailed information of the berries automatically displayed.
"There's poison? But it's useless against me." Without hesitation, Chen Shu plucked one and popped it into his mouth. With a gentle bite, the sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth, carrying a mint-like coolness, immediately relieving the dry taste from the bread earlier.
The taste was unexpectedly good.
Without any hesitation, Chen Shu immediately began picking them, popping a few into his mouth as he went.
Meanwhile, his eyes weren't idle, starting to scan the surroundings.
In his vision, besides the berry bush close at hand, there were several other red dot markers.
[Small Stream], [Mushroom], [Shepherd's Purse].
"Water source!" Chen Shu's spirits lifted. This was a real lifeline; the bottle of water from the Starter Pack was far from enough.
He quickly stored the picked Purple Scale Fruits in his backpack. The fruits automatically stacked, with one slot showing [Purple Scale Fruit x100] and another slot showing [Purple Scale Fruit x25].
One slot could stack 100 of the same item, not bad.
Having done this, Chen Shu immediately moved toward the red dot indicating the water source, not even bothering with the mushrooms and shepherd's purse.
Compared to the latter two, the red dot for the small stream was noticeably farther away.
The forest floor was uneven, with tree roots covered in moss and humus, soft underfoot.
The air was filled with the mixed scent of earth and trees, moist and fresh.
He walked while paying attention to his surroundings.
This world was too quiet, apart from the occasional calls of unknown birds, there was almost no other sound.
Could it be due to the Novice Protection Period?
It should be.
This excessive silence made the warning of the "Novice Protection Period" seem even more weighty.
As the distance closed, the sound of flowing water finally became clear.
Chen Shu's spirits lifted, quickening his pace, parting a curtain of hanging vine leaves, and the scene opened up before him.
A small stream about two or three meters wide meandered, its water crystal clear, revealing smooth pebbles and swaying aquatic plants at the bottom. The streamside vegetation was lush and vibrant.
[Small Stream: Water quality is clear, preliminary judgment is that it can be drunk directly.]
The "Resource Perceiver" identity provided the answer.
"Nice!" Chen Shu growled low, almost diving to the streamside.
He first observed the water flow and quality, confirming it matched the system's description, then eagerly bent down, scooped up a handful of water, and drank greedily.
Cold! Refreshing! With a hint of sweet mountain freshness, it instantly quenched his parched throat and body, more satisfying than any bottled water.
Not content, he dunked his entire head into the water, thoroughly washing his face, scrubbing away the night's stickiness and dust.
Having just woken up without brushing his teeth or washing his face, he felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Comfortable."
Chen Shu wiped his face, exhaling a long breath.
The discovery of a stable water source injected a shot of adrenaline into his tense nerves, visibly easing the pressure of survival.