Slacking off in the Game of Survival

Chapter 15 Dark Rock Incident(3)

On the first day of the instance, it was destined to be an extraordinary night.

Although the most intense volcanic activity had passed, the eruptions continued, and the flow of magma had not ceased, leaving behind a charred path.

Since only a few people signed up for the closed beta due to their love for extreme sports, most players joined the beta test just for the sake of the game’s reputation. In real life, not many had even experienced volcanic earthquakes, let alone have a thorough understanding of them.

At night, the surviving players finally found a place to rest. Just as they were about to relax and take a break, they were suddenly shaken by an aftershock that startled their souls.

During the day, many people saw Qian Yue riding a dinosaur, which led some players to set their sights on these indigenous creatures.
However, most of them couldn’t tell exactly what these prehistoric animals were.

Some fortunate individuals found abandoned nests and decided to stay together for the night, at least getting some rest, although they remained on edge throughout the entire night.

Some people accidentally intruded into the territory of carnivorous dinosaurs. Before they could even catch their breath, they turned around and saw a pair of bronze bell-like eyes.

And before they could even scream, they found themselves inside their nutrition pod in the blink of an eye.

Even Qi Yeyun had a restless night.

She carefully nestled on the outskirts of the group of Struthiomimus partly because she believed Qian Yue wouldn’t deceive her and that it must be safe there. On the other hand, she was still full of worries.

She was concerned that these Ostrich-like dinosaurs might drive her away at any moment, and at the same time, she feared encountering even more enormous carnivorous dinosaurs that would prey on both her and the Ostrich-like dinosaurs.

Her mind struggled for a long time, torn between these thoughts, until she realized her mental points had dropped significantly. She had to force herself to take a rest.

In this situation, only Qian Yue could sleep peacefully.

Early in the morning, Qian Yue was awakened by Qi Yeyun’s voice.
“Qian Yue, do you want to eat some fruit?”

Qian Yue opened her eyes, and Qiyun walked in holding a bunch of fruit. As she moved, many Struthiomimus raised their heads as well.

Qian Yue glanced at the time.

00:03:56

Qi Yeyun probably went out before dawn.

“I’ve washed them clean. Give them a try. I wonder how’s the taste of the prehistoric fruit,” Qi Yeyun enthusiastically said as she divided a small pile for her and sat down next to her, cross-legged.

After receiving the fruit, Qian Yue didn’t eat it directly. Instead, she placed one on the ground nearby.

The small Struthiomimus, which had been eagerly watching, quickly devoured the fruit as soon as it hit the ground.

“…” Qi Yeyun’s chewing motion paused as she belatedly realized that Qian Yue was testing for poison.

At that time, she saw that the fruit resembled an apple and picked it without much thought, ignoring the fact that it wasn’t an apple.

Qi Yeyun felt regretful for forgetting such a thing.

Fortunately, the Ostrich-like dinosaurs had eaten it, proving that the fruit was not poisonous.

Only then did Qian Yue take a bite of the fruit, “Is there a water source nearby?”

“Yes, there’s a small river less than three hundred meters away if you go east,” Qi Yeyun replied.

So precise?

Qian Yue keenly noticed that the description given by the other person was different from that of an ordinary person.

Thinking about the way Qi Yeyun chased after her yesterday for a long time, Qian Yue asked, “Do you also enjoy outdoor activities in real life?”

Qi Yeyun was taken aback and asked, “How did you know?”

Continuing the conversation, she said, “I like cycling. But usually, I follow a large group and stick to national highways. I rarely go to uninhabited areas.”

Qian Yue thought to herself: That makes sense.

No wonder she didn’t even know not to use untreated water. Turns out she wasn’t experienced with wild camping.

After finishing the fruits together, Qian Yue noticed that her stamina stubbornly recovered by 1 point.

“…The water sources in the wilderness are very dangerous, you can’t drink untreated water directly. You should be more careful in the future.”

The nearby small Struthiomimus finished chewing the fruits and looked expectantly at Qian Yue. She casually threw two more over, attracting several small dinosaurs to come and fight for the food.

“They’re so cute.”

Qi Yeyun wanted to feed them too, but she had directly approached the small Struthiomimus as if it were her own pet, offering the fruits and nearly got her hand bitten.

Qi Yeyun, “Oops.”

Qian Yue, “…”

Qian Yue sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of powerlessness.

If it were her younger brother, she would have given him a big fat slap on the face. That little brat doesn’t pay attention at all.

Indeed, it was more comfortable to be alone. Taking care of a newbie was not the kind of task she, a lazy person, should be doing.

Fortunately, Qi Yeyun wasn’t the clingy type. After Qian Yue made her position clear yesterday, she gave up on clinging to her.

But now, it was somewhat difficult for her to survive alone, so she decided to look for other players nearby.

“Thank you for all your reminders. Farewell, boss!”

Qi Yeyun put the remaining fruits into her bag, waved her hand, and left the campsite.

Qian Yue opened her backpack and glanced at what she had obtained today.

A piece of hard bread.

Better than nothing, right?

She got up and left the campsite, intending to go to the water source mentioned by Qi Yeyun.

Ten minutes later, by the small river.

A large dinosaur was consuming water by the riverside, and several unidentified amphibians were lying a little further away. Other than that, there were hardly any other animals around.

Qian Yue patiently waited until the dinosaur left before walking quickly toward the river.

The aura of a Tyrannosaurus rex still lingered, and other small predators didn’t dare to approach for the time being. For Qian Yue, this was the safest time.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have any other water storage tools except for the begging bowl.

After scooping a bowl of water, the description of the item in her backpack changed from 【Begging Bowl】 to 【Begging Bowl filled with a bowl of water】.

This was the advantage of the game. She just needed to put things into her backpack without worrying about water spilling out or anything like that.

After making sure there was no one around, Qian Yue used the sharp edges of her ice pick to cut her clothes and turned a T-shirt into a cropped top.

She soaked the torn cloth in the water.

The Dark Rock incident was terrifying not only because of its inherent volcanoes and earthquakes but also because of its secondary disasters.

Before long, the acidic substances emitted by the volcanic eruption will spread, causing a significant decrease in air quality. It can range from mild respiratory problems to fatal poisoning.

Therefore, Qian Yue planned to make a simple mask using a cotton cloth soaked in water.

With limited time, she didn’t have the luxury to worry about parasites in the water. She directly soaked the cloth and tied it on.

After completing everything, Qian Yue planned to explore the jungle to see if there were any bamboo shoots or nuts like coconuts that could be consumed to maintain hydration.

At that moment, a notification suddenly rang in her mind.

【Special Event Function Is Online】

【Item Merchant Qi Feng has appeared within one kilometer of the player’s vicinity, staying for half an hour. Hurry up and find him for supplies~】

One kilometer!

Qian Yue looked at her freshly made crop top and thought about the cape still in her backpack. Although she felt reluctant, she resigned herself and started walking.

What had to come would come eventually. It was better to explain the cape situation and buy some supplies.

In the end, Qian Yue found Qi Feng near a cliff.

Perhaps to fit the context of the instance, the appearance of the item merchant Qi Feng had changed.

He wore a military uniform, black hiking boots on his feet, and a leather suitcase placed beside him. With his hands folded in front of his chest, he casually leaned on a rock with one leg bent. His black ponytail fluttered in the wind, giving off an indescribable coolness.

As if sensing someone’s presence, Qi Feng turned his head. His face was partially covered by a black mask, leaving only a pair of piercing cold eyes that seemed to see through a person’s soul.
Qian Yue was slightly stunned.

The next second, a girl’s scream sounded in her ears, “Ah! Feng Baby is so handsome!”

Qian Yue turned around and saw four or five girls who had appeared without her noticing.

“This style looks so good, wahh! I can’t believe I’m a fan of a 3D character in a survival game!”

“Damn it! Why won’t the company agree to make body pillows? Even as a non-paying player, I would buy them like crazy! Stupid company! They can’t even manage their finances!”

“After this instance ends, I’m going to write a blood-soaked letter on the forum to call for his debut as a virtual idol!”

…

Feng… Baby?

Huh??

Qian Yue was at a loss.

I’m so old now that I can’t keep up with the trends? What was this new nickname? Isn’t he just an NPC?

Perhaps they also discovered the secret of increasing NPC favorability? That doesn’t seem likely!

Question marks kept appearing above Qian Yue’s head, thanks to those girls. The term “Feng Baby” lingered in her mind, and even her gaze toward the item merchant Qi Feng became somewhat strange.

Item Merchant Qi Feng, “?”

Due to the remote location, not many people came. After those few individuals left, Qian Yue approached.

Unsure if it was Qian Yue’s misperception or not, she felt that his expression instantly turned cold as soon as he saw her.

Qian Yue cleared her throat, “Sorry for the misunderstanding last time. I’m here to return your cape.”

Item Merchant Qi Feng, “Just throw it away.”

His tone was indifferent, but Qian Yue felt a surge of energy, “You don’t want it anymore?”

Qian Yue was expecting the temperature to drop in the coming days and felt reluctant to part with the cape. Since the original owner didn’t want it anymore, she is more than happy to keep it.

“Well, then I’ll happily keep it.”

Item Merchant Qi Feng, “…”

His expression became even more sour.

However, he didn’t show any additional facial expressions and stood there coldly, waiting for the next player to come for supplies.

Qian Yue, “I want to buy something.”

The moment her words fell, the shopping interface appeared before her eyes again. Qian Yue keenly noticed that the store had added many more items.

Masks, mineral water, outdoor water bottles… There’s even essential tools like sleeping bags and tents.

No wonder he didn’t want the cape anymore. It turned out that he had something better.

Presumably, due to the criticism received from players about the rudimentary items in the previous instance, they added many modern tools for optimization this time.

However, the prices were high.

“A sleeping bag for 700 yen? A tent for 1,300?”

She remembered that the most expensive item in the previous inventory was just over 500 yen. How did the prices increase?

Qian Yue immediately went back to check the basic supplies and discovered that it wasn’t only the tools in the later section but also items like hard bread and Vitamin C that had increased in price.

Had there been inflation?

Looking at the expressionless and nonchalant item merchant Qi Feng by her side, a ridiculous thought suddenly crossed Qian Yue’s mind.

Could it be that this guy deliberately raised prices as revenge against me?

Eruisreads