Xu Xin woke up in a dense jungle.
The various insect sounds around him were so noisy that he couldn't sleep. He sat up abruptly and realized he was lying on a square stone slab, surrounded by lush jungle.
Xu Xin's mind was still muddled. He rubbed his eyes, feeling sore all over as if he had slept on the floor all night.
"Is this really happening?" After sitting in a daze for a long time, Xu Xin finally regained his sense of self and accepted the reality that he wasn't still dreaming.
Last night, he distinctly remembered taking off his clothes and getting into bed. How did he end up here, wearing a set of unfamiliar shorts and a T-shirt?
Just as he was speculating wildly, a voice in his mind suddenly made him snap back to reality.
[Welcome to the Survival World. Here, your sole objective is to stay alive, forget everything you once had, and strive to survive. We've prepared a grand gift for all beginners, a treehouse. Remember, never abandon your treehouse, it is your only reliance.]
[You've received a Treehouse Seed*1. Please choose a suitable location for planting within three days. Once planted, the treehouse cannot be moved.]
[You are currently under beginner protection. Survivors won't be attacked by creatures within three days. Please plant your treehouse as soon as possible.]
What? Treehouse? Treehouse Seed? Beginner Protection?
Xu Xin sat on the stone slab, still unresponsive, when suddenly a ball of light appeared in front of him. Instinctively, he reached out to touch it, and a seed the size of a walnut appeared in his hand.
[Treehouse Seed: Can grow a small treehouse, providing the most basic survival guarantee for the survivor. Remember to find fertile soil!]
The massive influx of information took Xu Xin quite a while to digest.
Is this a game world, why is there a beginner's pack, and what is the voice in my mind?
Using the most primitive method, Xu Xin pinched himself with his nails and felt a noticeable pain.
The previous prompt mentioned "all novices," indicating that there must be many others in the same situation as him. This place is like a survival game where everyone must stay alive.
If you fail, do you die?
Xu Xin wasn't sure, but he didn't dare to try. He stepped down from the stone slab, stood up, and moved around a bit. His body felt fine, and he was full of energy.
He began examining the seed in his hand.
The seed was pale yellow, about the size of a walnut and fairly heavy, roughly equivalent to an egg.
That such a small seed could turn into a treehouse, he wondered how long it would take to grow once planted.
The prompt mentioned finding fertile soil, was this part of a playful introduction, or does the fertility of the soil affect the growth of the treehouse?
Xu Xin instinctively glanced at the soil beneath his feet. Was the soil he stood on fertile or barren?
"What kind of game is this! Not even a beginner's tutorial, are they trying to scare people off?" Xu Xin muttered to himself somewhat indignantly. As an avid traveler, he wasn't too panicked, especially since there was mention of a three-day beginner's protection period, indicating that his current situation was relatively safe.
He didn't know who brought him here, but since he was already here, he had to find a way to survive.
[Unlocking Survival World Creator Permissions]
The sudden voice startled Xu Xin.
What now, what does this creator permissions mean?
[Unlock failed, attempting second unlock...]
[Unlock failed, attempting third unlock...]
What's happening, is there a system bug?
Xu Xin suddenly became nervous. If there's a major bug at the start, what's the point of the game?
[Unlock failed, attempting to unlock for the seventh time...]
By the seventh attempt, Xu Xin no longer hoped for any creator permissions to be unlocked. He just hoped nothing would go wrong.
[Unlock failed, partial creator permissions granted: Item Identification]
In the end, it failed, but partial creator permissions?
Xu Xin's eyes lit up. As someone who has played sandbox games, he knew what creator mode was—it was essentially invincible with unlimited resources, practically an in-game cheat mode.
Item Identification function, huh...
Xu Xin looked at the treehouse seed in his hand. The explanation for the seed was already different from before.
[Treehouse Seed: Can grow into a small treehouse, providing the most basic survival guarantee for the survivor. Planting in barren soil grows into a "Short Small Treehouse," planting in normal soil grows into a "Small Treehouse," and planting in fertile soil grows into a "Tall Small Treehouse".]
So this is the creator's permission: Item Identification, that's something!
Xu Xin suddenly became excited, turning his attention to the soil beneath his feet.
[Barren Soil (White): The most common type of soil with low organic matter and nutrient content.]
Focusing his gaze, the soil began to emit a faint white glow.
He looked around at the surrounding land, and with a thought, the soil all around began to emit a faint white glow.
Upon closer inspection, indeed, they were all white quality.
He looked up at his surroundings.
[Stone Slab (White): Birth Point. Aside from making a survivor sleep in pain from head to toe, it seems to serve no useful purpose. It can be chiseled.]
[Poplar Tree (White): A common tree in the jungle, can be chopped for wood.]
[Amanita (White): A poisonous fungus, eating it when you want to die.]
Hmm? He could even see whether fungi were poisonous, this ability was quite something!
Xu Xin looked around excitedly, but to his disappointment, the surrounding resources were all of white quality. It made sense though, given this is the point of birth. What good things could be around it?
The current goal is to find fertile soil and plant the treehouse seed. Right now, he knows nothing, but maybe all the features of this world are in the treehouse. After all, the previous prompt said, [Your treehouse is your only reliance].
If it were Xu Xin without the unlocked Item Identification feature, he might not have wasted time looking for fertile soil. After all, how could he know which soil was fertile and which was barren. But now, with confidence, he couldn't let it go.
Three days of time, and it's within the beginner's protection period, just enough to provide Xu Xin with security.
Having made up his mind, he put the walnut-sized seed into the pocket of his shorts, carefully examined the stone slab and its surroundings, and determined that there were no beginner tools before setting out.
"Such a stingy world, not even giving a beginner's tool." Stepping on the fallen leaves, Xu Xin moved forward in one direction. He didn't know where this direction would lead, but he couldn't just stay in place.
With a thought, the Item Identification ability activated, and the various objects around him began to emit a white glow. Probably due to beginner protection, there were no other creatures in the jungle besides the sound of insects.
From his observation, the range of his Item Identification ability was vast. At least in this jungle where his vision was blocked, he could see everything, near or far, glow.
"Huh?" He wasn't sure how far he had walked when a touch of green entered Xu Xin's view, invigorating him. He quickly moved towards the glowing green direction.