Combat Power Soars — The First Treasure Chest
1631 Words
[Congratulations! You have successfully learned "Appraisal."]
[Appraisal Lv.1: Active Skill. Allows you to identify monsters and item information.]
At last, Ye Chuyun had acquired his very first skill.
The fourth item in his inventory was a small blue crystal.
[Skill Stone: Can be used to upgrade any skill.]
His eyes lit up immediately.
Skill Stones were incredibly valuable.
The higher a skill's level became, the more Skill Stones would be required for future upgrades.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Chuyun chose to use it on Appraisal.
[Congratulations! Appraisal Lv.1 has advanced to Appraisal Lv.2.]
[Appraisal Lv.2: Active Skill. Can identify monsters, items, and terrain.]
A wide grin spread across his face.
"Perfect."
Immediately, he crouched down and pressed a hand against the ground.
"Appraisal."
The skill activated.
A flood of information rushed into his mind.
Moments later, a complete map appeared before his inner vision.
Ye Chuyun's pupils contracted.
"This is... the full terrain map of the Poisonous Swamp!"
Excitement surged through him.
Combined with the memories from his previous life, this map was worth far more than a simple skill upgrade.
It was a roadmap to countless opportunities.
While everyone else was still stumbling through the swamp blindly, he already possessed detailed knowledge of the region's geography.
The advantage was enormous.
Three items remained.
They were three identical long blades.
Unlike the crude novice machete, these weapons were beautifully crafted.
Elegant engravings covered their surfaces, their polished steel gleaming faintly in the dim light.
They looked less like weapons and more like works of art.
[Greenclaw Machete]
Attack +5
Strength +2
Tier 1 Equipment
Just then another notification appeared.
[Two identical pieces of equipment detected in storage.]
[Would you like to enhance this item?]
Ye Chuyun wasn't surprised.
Equipment of the same type could be fused together to increase its enhancement level.
The maximum enhancement potential depended on the equipment's tier.
"Enhance."
[Enhancement successful.]
[Two identical items consumed.]
[Greenclaw Machete +2]
Attack +15
Strength +6
Tier 1 Equipment
A thrill shot through him.
"Awesome..."
"No, this is absolutely insane."
The feeling of becoming stronger at such a speed was intoxicating.
He immediately unequipped the Novice Machete and replaced it with the enhanced Greenclaw Machete.
Then he opened his status panel.
Ye Chuyun
Level: 1 (28/100)
Strength: 22
Agility: 6
Constitution: 6
Spirit: 6
Skills: Appraisal Lv.2
Combat Power: 95 (80 + 15)
Divine-Demon Coins: 20
Equipment: Greenclaw Machete +2 (Attack +15, Strength +6)
His combat power had skyrocketed.
95 Combat Power.
Even Wang Gang, a professional Sanda champion equipped with Tier-1 gear, only had 93 Combat Power.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Ye Chuyun had surpassed him.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Time to move."
Sorting through the loot had taken roughly ten minutes.
By now, the outside world was probably already in chaos as players fought desperately against monsters.
He couldn't afford to waste any more time.
Glancing once more at the people still sitting in the plaza with defeated expressions, Ye Chuyun merely sighed.
He understood them.
In his previous life, he had been one of them.
Lost.
Terrified.
Hopeless.
But unlike before, he no longer had time to hesitate.
Without looking back, he left the plaza.
Beyond the square stretched an endless forest.
The Poisonous Swamp was dark and oppressive.
Towering trees blocked most of the sunlight.
Their thick canopies intertwined overhead, forming a massive green ceiling.
The air was damp.
The ground was muddy.
Heavy clouds loomed above, casting the entire region beneath a blanket of gloom.
The atmosphere alone was enough to make ordinary people uncomfortable.
Ye Chuyun moved carefully between the trees.
He deliberately avoided every muddy pit he encountered.
Those puddles were far more dangerous than they appeared.
Many contained highly toxic substances.
Once someone became trapped inside, survival was nearly impossible.
The regional chat channel remained extremely active.
Messages were flooding in constantly.
So far, nobody had publicly mentioned discovering a treasure chest.
Of course, that didn't necessarily mean nobody had found one.
People weren't stupid.
Most would keep such information to themselves.
Ye Chuyun certainly would.
His current objective wasn't hunting monsters.
Not yet.
The Poisonous Swamp was overflowing with beasts.
There would be plenty of opportunities to level up later.
Even groups struggled to fight a single monster safely.
There was no shortage of prey.
Right now, treasure chests were far more important.
Although his combat power had reached ninety-five, he still wasn't confident in fighting a Level 1 monster head-on.
Most Level 1 beasts possessed at least two hundred combat power.
The five Greenclaw Beasts he had killed earlier?
Those had been stolen kills.
He had merely delivered the finishing blow after others had done the hard work.
Rebirth had taught him one thing above all else.
Never act recklessly.
Every action should have at least an eighty-percent chance of success.
That was how one survived.
That was how one thrived.
Therefore, his priority was increasing his strength through treasure chests.
Only after building a sufficient advantage would solo hunting become truly safe.
There was another reason.
Monsters did not respawn.
Treasure chests did not respawn either.
Once opened, they were gone forever.
Every chest claimed by another player represented a permanent loss.
He needed to get there first.
As many as possible.
Before anyone else did.
Fortunately, Appraisal Lv.2 had granted him a terrain map.
Combined with memories from his previous life, he already knew several likely chest spawn locations around the outer region of the swamp.
If a treasure chest appeared within one meter of him, the system would automatically provide a notification.
Finding them wasn't the problem.
Getting there before everyone else was.
ROOOAAARR!
Monster cries echoed throughout the forest.
Grrrrrr...
Howl!
Shriek!
The sounds rose and fell from every direction.
Ye Chuyun lowered his body and moved carefully through the undergrowth.
Every step was deliberate.
Every movement controlled.
At times he looked less like a player and more like a hunter stalking prey.
Or perhaps prey avoiding hunters.
"If only I had a stealth skill..."
The thought crossed his mind.
"That would make things so much easier."
Unfortunately, wishes didn't change reality.
For now, all he could do was proceed cautiously.
After more than ten minutes of careful travel, Ye Chuyun finally arrived at the southeastern section of the map.
Before him stood a gigantic ancient tree.
Its trunk was so wide that several people linking hands couldn't encircle it.
Just then—
A notification appeared.
[Treasure Chest detected within one meter.]
[Try looking around.]
Ye Chuyun's heartbeat accelerated.
Without delay, he circled around the tree.
Behind the massive trunk was a hollow opening nearly a meter wide.
And inside it—
Sat a gray treasure chest.
A genuine treasure chest.
Just waiting to be opened.
A flash of excitement appeared in his eyes.
"It's really here."
He had learned about this location in his previous life.
Back then, he had seen someone casually mention it in the regional chat.
Out of curiosity, he had asked for the location.
To his surprise, the player had answered honestly.
Apparently, they hadn't been lying.
Ye Chuyun climbed into the hollow tree and immediately cast Appraisal on the chest.
[Gray Treasure Chest]
90% chance to obtain Divine-Demon Coins.
20% chance to obtain Tier-1 Equipment.
5% chance to obtain a Skill Book or Special Item.
Ye Chuyun laughed.
"Probability?"
"Not my problem."
With 100% Drop Rate, percentages meant absolutely nothing.
He reached forward and opened the chest.
A burst of dazzling multicolored light exploded outward.
The chest vanished.
Four new items appeared inside his storage space.
Ye Chuyun had already grown accustomed to ridiculous loot explosions.
Calmly, he began examining the rewards.
Item One
200 Divine-Demon Coins
Item Two
A silver ring with ancient engravings.
Item Three
A crimson medicinal pill.
Item Four
A skill book.
Appraisal Results
[Agility Ring]
Agility +8
Tier 1 Equipment
[Body Tempering Pill]
Constitution +10 after consumption
[Stealth]
Tier 1 Skill
Consumes Spirit to become invisible for 30 seconds.
Cooldown: 2 minutes.
Requirements: None.
For a brief moment, Ye Chuyun simply stared.
Then he burst into laughter.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
Moments ago, he had been wishing for a stealth skill.
Now he had one.
He immediately equipped the ring.
Then swallowed the Body Tempering Pill.
Warm energy exploded through his body.
His muscles strengthened.
His bones hardened.
His stamina increased dramatically.
After checking his panel, Ye Chuyun's combat power had surged once again.
131 Combat Power.
A terrifying increase.
Compared to the ordinary survivors still struggling around sixty or seventy combat power, the gap was already becoming hopeless.
As for Stealth—
He learned it immediately.
Just then, his ears twitched.
Footsteps.
Several people were approaching.
Without hesitation, Ye Chuyun activated Stealth.
His figure gradually faded from sight before disappearing completely.
Then he silently left the area.
A short while later, three men and one woman arrived beneath the giant tree.
Their bodies were covered in cuts and bloodstains.
It was obvious they had barely survived several battles.
One of the men wore a motorcycle helmet.
Looking at the empty tree hollow, his eyes widened.
"Holy crap!"
"So that's what that rainbow light was!"
"It was a treasure chest!"
The others immediately looked over.
"A treasure chest?"
"No wonder the light disappeared so quickly."
The helmeted man clicked his tongue.
"I wonder what the lucky bastard who opened it got."
"Probably hit the jackpot."
One of the others shrugged.
"Whatever he got, it doesn't belong to us."
"Let's keep moving."
The group reluctantly left.
Meanwhile, somewhere deeper within the Poisonous Swamp, an invisible figure was already moving toward his next opportunity.
And neither they nor anyone else had any idea just how quickly the gap between themselves and Ye Chuyun was beginning to grow.
- Writer
