Chapter 10 - Danger Approaches, Take Cover Immediately!

Chapter 10: Danger Approaches, Take Cover Immediately!

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.

While the Scarlet Wild Boars and a group of Skeleton Dogs fiercely fought, Su Mu kept his distance, shooting arrows with precision. Safe and efficient, the battlefield became his personal hunting ground.

In just a few minutes, several Skeleton Dogs and Scarlet Wild Boars had become his prey. Now, Su Mu’s system backpack was nearly overflowing:

[Purified Bones x90]

[Scarlet Boar Meat x8]

To be honest, amassing this amount of loot would have required killing dozens of Skeleton Dogs. The purifying effect of the Anti-Evil Crossbow proved invaluable.

Scarlet Wild Boars didn’t benefit from this bonus, but even without it, Su Mu’s haul was staggering. Most survivors could only dream of gathering so much, especially this early in the game. And the rare Scarlet Boars? They were a luxury no one else could afford to hunt yet.

Still, Su Mu wasn’t here just for wild boar meat or bones. His true target lay deeper in the mine:

energy stones

.

Suddenly, a notification interrupted his thoughts:

[Warning: A level 10 monster is within 500 meters. Exact coordinates have been marked on the map.]

Su Mu’s eyes narrowed as he studied the updated map. A red dot blinked ominously—right inside the mine.

“A monster above level 10?” Su Mu mused. “It must be the boss of this Energy Stone Mine.”

The possibility of a mini-boss excited him. Defeating it would likely yield energy stones and other rare rewards. However, he quickly tempered his enthusiasm.

With his current level—

[Level 1 (590/1000)]

—taking on such a formidable foe seemed reckless.

“If it were an undead creature, I might’ve stood a chance with the Anti-Evil Crossbow,” Su Mu muttered. “But here? Not yet.”

Still, this didn’t mean he would leave empty-handed.

Focusing on the first level of the mine, Su Mu began gathering energy stones. The process was simple. The gem-like stones, resembling radiant pebbles, jutted from the cracks in the mine walls like clusters of ripe fruit.

While collecting the energy stones, Su Mu kept a watchful eye on the mini-boss on the second level of the mine. The map tracked the mini-boss’s movements, so Su Mu didn’t have to worry about being ambushed. However, seeing such a mobile treasure chest wandering around on the map made him a little envious.

“If only I could upgrade the Demon-Breaking Crossbow,” Su Mu thought. “Maybe I could take it down in one shot.”

The Anti-Evil Crossbow was indeed upgradeable.

Beneath its attribute bar, the upgrade requirements were listed clearly:

[Anti-Evil Crossbow: Level 1]

[Upgrade Requirements: Energy Stones x50, Fragmented Gold Grass x5]

Fifty energy stones was a steep price, but Su Mu could afford it. The real challenge was the

Fragmented Gold Grass

. The ground was covered with ashes and wasteland, and even with a map, collecting the rare grass would require a long journey.

Instead of embarking on that trek, Su Mu decided to check the world forum.

The forum channel had a trading function, and many survivors were already setting up stalls to conduct business. However, the prices were high, as if they were run by merchants.

One post caught Su Mu’s eye:

[Item: Purified Bone]

[Trade Price: Five energy stones]

In the comments, players were voicing their frustration:

[“Vendor, are you ripping us off? Trading Skeleton Dog drops for five energy stones?”]

[“Are you overestimating the rookie killers or underestimating people’s intelligence?”]

[“Screw you, everything listed now is trading purified bones for energy stones.”]

For newcomers like Su Mu, the only tradeable item was the

Purified Bone

. Over time, more players either managed to defeat Skeleton Dogs or were killed by them. These drops quickly became the first currency in trade. And Su Mu had a lot of them.

However, with the mini-boss approaching, he had no time to deal with trades. His focus was on the task at hand.

In just half an hour, Su Mu had collected enough to make any survivor jealous.

[Energy Stones: 160]

Sweat dripped down his forehead as he stood back to admire his haul.

“While others are fighting tooth and nail in the apocalypse,” Su Mu chuckled, “I’m bending over to collect money.”

It was deeply satisfying, especially knowing how valuable these stones were. Even so, Su Mu knew there were more riches to be found deeper in the mine.

“The first level’s almost cleaned out,” he noted, glancing around. “The rest must be on the second level.”

“It feels like I’ve earned more energy stones here than from opening special treasure chests,” Su Mu thought, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

That made sense to him. After all, the most valuable item in the special treasure chests was the map. Regional maps couldn’t be bought with money, making them incredibly rare and precious.

The

Blueprint for Basic Walls

was also quite useful, but in comparison to the energy stones he was collecting, it didn’t seem quite as rewarding.

However, the second level wasn’t without risk. The red dot on the map served as a constant reminder of the mini-boss waiting below.

As Su Mu reorganized his loot, the map’s warning flashed again:

[Warning! A level 10 dangerous monster is now only 300 meters away. Please leave immediately!]

Su Mu froze.

The mini-boss was on the move.