Volume 1, Chapter 3: Opening the First Treasure Chest

Lin Yifan placed his axe on the ground, spat into his palms, and rubbed them vigorously together before picking up the axe to begin felling trees.

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!"

Ten minutes later, the cedar tree finally toppled!

The moment it hit the ground, the entire tree automatically disintegrated, transforming into a pile of knee-high logs left in its place.

[Basic Wood] × 3

Three units of basic wood, and it resulted in such a large pile?

Lin Yifan sighed, feeling somewhat miserable as he began to haul the wood. Fortunately, he was close to his safe house; otherwise, moving this pile would not have been easy.

It took Lin Yifan about ten minutes to move all the wood back to his thatched hut. He then returned to the woods to continue chopping. Over the next two hours, he spotted six more cedar trees. After obtaining 18 more units of basic wood, he stopped.

His safe house was currently at level 1.5. To upgrade to level two, he only needed 30 units of basic wood. Since a night’s worth of firewood only required two units, and he already had 18, he only needed five more cedar trees. There were plenty of cedars here, and he could return anytime, so there was no need to rush.

Right now, what he desperately needed was food and water. He had to prioritize searching for supplies. Fortunately, he was familiar with the local ecosystem, so finding some wild fruit shouldn't be difficult.

After walking about 100 meters, he spotted a bush covered in purple fruits the size of mung beans. They were wild blueberries! Hungry from a long day, Lin Yifan’s eyes lit up. He reached out, grabbed a handful, and shoved them into his mouth. The sweet and tart juice provided immediate comfort to his taste buds.

After eating the blueberries from half the bush, Lin Yifan finally let out a satisfied sigh. While wild fruit wouldn't fill him up, at least he wouldn't starve. He lacked a container, so he simply used his axe to chop down the rest of the blueberry bush and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Unlike other fruits, blueberries didn't fall off easily even when fully ripe, so carrying it back meant he could graze on it for a few more days—a win-win.

With his hunger temporarily sated, Lin Yifan finally had the peace of mind to think: where were the treasure chests?

While moving the wood earlier, he had occasionally checked the chat channel. Many people were already posting that they had found treasure chests and obtained abundant supplies. Beyond water, bread, and biscuits, some had even found weapons and safe house blueprints. Someone even claimed to have opened a "storage bag," something existing only in novels and legends.

It was said that a storage bag was only the size of a palm, yet it held two or three cubic meters of space inside. Two or three cubic meters! That could hold a hundred or two hundred units of wood!

If Lin Yifan wanted to upgrade his safe house, blueprints were essential. But he coveted the storage bag even more. If he could get one and use his item upgrade ability on it, he could obtain an even larger one. With a storage bag, he could save a tremendous amount of time while scavenging.

Lin Yifan also noticed that while the forest was lush and the ground soaked through with rainwater, there were hardly any mushrooms. Even wild fruits were scarce; aside from the blueberries, he hadn't found anything else. He had originally hoped to rely on foraging to sustain himself, but it seemed the survival world didn't allow for such loopholes. Survival, after all, required one to actively seek out life.

Just as he was about to open the chat channel to ask those who had found chests for tips, he suddenly spotted a grayish-white chest in the grass at his feet. It had been mostly covered by leaves; if he hadn't happened to kick the foliage, he never would have noticed it.

"I finally found a treasure chest!"

Overjoyed, Lin Yifan dropped his belongings and pulled the chest out.

[White Treasure Chest] (Can be opened)

"Open..."

Seeing the words "Can be opened," Lin Yifan instinctively wanted to unlock it. However, remembering his three remaining [Luck Talisman] item upgrades, he stopped himself. Pressing his hand onto the chest, he whispered, "Upgrade item!"

A faint white glow flashed. The grayish-white chest transformed into a dark green wooden chest.

[Green Treasure Chest] (Can be opened)

Lin Yifan looked at the green chest, his heart pounding with excitement. He had saved those three upgrades specifically for this moment. If others could find storage bags in basic white chests, he didn't believe he couldn't find one in a green chest.

He clasped his hands together, prayed to the heavens once more, and then opened the chest.

Peering inside, he saw three items. The most eye-catching was a raincoat woven from palm fibers.

Item Name: [Palm-Fiber Raincoat]
Quality: Fine
Description: A high-end, custom-made fashion piece hand-crafted by a master artisan using palm silk. It is waterproof, windproof, and warm—three features in one. You deserve it!

"This is exactly what I needed!"

Lin Yifan excitedly pulled the raincoat out and draped it over his shoulders, letting out a long breath. The raincoat offered both protection and warmth. While it wasn't as light as a modern raincoat, it was far more practical in these mountain wilds. Modern raincoats tore easily, but the palm-fiber one did not. It even came with a bamboo hat, so Lin Yifan removed his homemade grass hat. He didn't discard it, though; he had dismantled it from his hut and would need to reattach it later.

Once equipped, Lin Yifan turned his attention to the other two items. One of them was the storage bag he had been craving.

Item Name: [Storage Bag (6 cubic meters of internal space)]
Quality: Fine
Description: A storage bag crafted with a space stone as its core. With an internal capacity of 6 cubic meters, it is a rare and exquisite item, and a great helper for travel and survival.

Lin Yifan’s eyes brightened as he read the description. As expected from a green chest, it was a "Fine" quality item. Based on what he had seen in the chat channel, the largest storage bags others had found were only three cubic meters, with most being only one. His had six, and if he used an item upgrade on it...

Thinking of the upgrade, he couldn't wait. He immediately applied it to the storage bag.

However, after a flash of white light, the drab storage bag vanished! In its place was a bronze ring inlaid with a white gemstone, featuring intricate, beautiful patterns.

Item Name: [Space Ring (15 cubic meters of internal space)]
Quality: Excellent
Description: An exquisite space ring crafted with a space stone at its core and bronze as an auxiliary material. A perfect blend of beauty and utility, with an internal capacity of 15 cubic meters. A great companion for travel and survival!

Lin Yifan picked up the ring, his face filled with pure excitement.