Chapter 3 – Survival is Victory

A small advantage doesn’t count as a real advantage.

By 4 a.m., Mu Yuan was even more energized, feeling incredibly alert.

This ability to evolve troops was undoubtedly the key to breaking through his current predicament, though there were still many unclear aspects about it.

Mu Yuan delved into his research.

Evolution Points could bestow a transformative baptism upon a specific skeleton, but for now, his attempts had failed—insufficient Evolution Points.

He received a vague intuitive hint that he likely needed to accumulate “1” unit of Evolution Points to initiate evolution.

And Evolution Points originated from Little Skeleton’s own activities.

Perhaps, as long as Little Skeleton existed, it would eventually produce Evolution Points, but after a series of comparative experiments, Mu Yuan discovered that skeletons engaged in work yielded significantly more Evolution Points than those slacking off.

Working around the clock created more value.

He wanted to continue his research, but… by then, dawn was breaking, and Mu Yuan suddenly realized he had been working through the entire night. He was utterly exhausted.

His mind was hazy, and he was seeing double.

If he didn’t sleep soon, he feared he might drop dead in front of his computer.

“In the supernatural game, my role is that of a Lord. My tasks are to defend my home, expand my territory, and also materialize some special Treasures into reality… This is a long-term battle; pulling all-nighters won’t help much. Keeping myself well-rested is crucial to handle unexpected situations.”

“Besides, my Little Skeleton can evolve. At this stage, there’s no need to recklessly send them outside the Village to explore. Holding our ground at the Village Ruins is the steady path.”

Mu Yuan was still somewhat worried.

Because the supernatural game wouldn’t pause just because he logged out. The world on the other side was real, and it would continue operating according to its own rules, even if he wasn’t actively playing.

In other words, while he was resting or away, his Territory could be attacked by external enemies.

This was the scenario new players feared the most.

“But fortunately, if the Territory is invaded by enemies, players will receive alerts even if they don’t open the game, and the troops will automatically defend.”

Before going to bed, Mu Yuan had considered assigning tasks like training or work to the skeletons to accumulate more Evolution Points, but for safety’s sake, he dismissed the idea.

These Little Skeletons were rather foolish and clumsy. He was afraid that if he gave them an assignment, they might pull some bizarre stunt.

He was also concerned that training might affect the Little Skeletons’ own condition, which in turn could compromise the safety of the entire Territory.

Better to play it safe and not rush things.

He could try again tomorrow.

He instructed the skeletons to guard himself and the Territory Altar, then closed his laptop. Without even washing up, he crawled into bed, pulled the covers over himself, closed his eyes, and slept peacefully.

…

But that night… and the following day, Mu Yuan didn’t sleep as peacefully as he’d hoped.

His mind was fixated on the supernatural game, and he dreamed of that dilapidated Village. He dreamed of a giant Dragon emerging from the mist, diving down, its Dragon Breath instantly turning the entire Village into a sea of flames.

Then Mu Yuan woke up, drenched in sweat, startled from his dream.

Checking the time, he had only slept for six hours.

Six hours was enough, though. Time to get up and get busy.

Mu Yuan rushed to his computer and opened the game as quickly as possible. Only when he saw the dilapidated Village safe and sound did he wipe the sleep from his eyes.”Playing a game with such constant anxiety—I’m afraid I won’t experience any joy in gaming until my own territory has strong defensive capabilities.”

When Mu Yuan opened the game, his in-game character awoke inside a drafty, dilapidated wooden hut.

Noticing he was awake, several little skeletons gathered around, their jawbones clacking as they opened and closed.

One of the little skeletons was holding up a door plank high in its hands.

Oh, wait—not a door plank, but a shield fashioned from a door plank.

Yesterday, Mu Yuan had taught the little skeletons to make full use of available resources and set up a few simple pit traps and snare traps. Today, they were already applying this knowledge creatively, modifying and crafting on their own? Teachable indeed!

Mu Yuan controlled his character to pat the little skeleton’s smooth skull in praise, then glanced at the other little skeletons.

They too seemed eager for approval.

Well, one little skeleton had several branches stuck between its ribs, looking quite avant-garde. Another had found a tattered black cloth bag somewhere and pulled it over its head—very spirited. Yet another was tapping and hammering at its own bones, and with a snap, it pulled one out.

Mu Yuan: “…”

He really shouldn’t set his expectations too high for the little skeletons. They were already performing better than he’d estimated, truly.

Mu Yuan silently recited “evolution points,” and special code text popped up in the game.

「Skeleton Evolution Points: 0.71」

Simply having the little skeletons remain alert without fully exploiting their “potential” did indeed yield fewer evolution points.

With him keeping watch today, he could start testing efficient methods to generate points.

As for venturing out to explore, Mu Yuan wasn’t in a hurry.

Other players might need to start exploring at this stage—without taking that step, they could never grow stronger. They had to take risks.

But he was different.

He was accumulating evolution points constantly. Once he saved up enough to evolve an advanced unit, wouldn’t it be much safer to then go out searching for resources and leveling up by fighting monsters?

There was no need to risk his life at this stage.

Surviving was winning.

The little skeletons didn’t need to eat, and the in-game character’s condition was directly tied to his own. That meant as long as he ate enough in the real world, his game character wouldn’t starve—no need to worry about food.

From this perspective, starting with little skeletons was actually pretty good.

The 007 work schedule suited the little skeletons perfectly too.

Mu Yuan opened the proper player panel to check the details.

「Mu Yuan」

「Identity: Quasi-Chosen Lord」

「Territory: Unnamed (Must pass the novice trial to gain true lordly authority and control over the territory)」

「Commanding Units: Little Skeleton ×10 (Click for details)」

「Lord’s Mark Capacity: 0/3」

Players… Chosen Lords could store their own units in the Mark Space and summon them in the real world… This was the most basic manifestation of players wielding supernatural power.

However, strategy guides clearly stated that cross-world resource extraction incurred costs, and cross-world unit summoning was even harder, especially when the player themselves was weak. It wasn’t recommended to attempt it.

Mu Yuan certainly wouldn’t try.

Cross-world unit summoning also required Soul Sand as a medium, and he didn’t have a single grain.

If he forced it, either the units would meet with mishap, or he’d be completely drained.

Not worth it, not worth it.

He also didn’t dare further weaken his territory’s already feeble defenses during his own vulnerable period.

Patience and steadiness were key.Mu Yuan controlled each skeleton one by one, assigning them different training or work tasks to accumulate Evolution Points.

The process was tedious, yet he felt no impatience.

The slow but steadily increasing Evolution Points were his greatest source of joy.

Mu Yuan planned to lay low until Little Skeleton evolved before beginning to explore the outside world.

However,

Heaven seldom follows human wishes, and the Eternal Continent was not that safe—harassment and attacks on player territories were the norm.

On the back of Mu Yuan’s hand, mysterious runes suddenly glowed, faintly warm and tingling.

He seemed to see filthy-furred but fierce-looking gray wolves emerging from the thick fog, cautiously yet resolutely making their way toward the Village Ruins.

What terrible timing!

——

(End of Chapter)