The marketplace had far more listings than the day before.
Most were basic resources like wood and stone gathered by players, or monster drops.
[Listed Item: Slime Jelly (White) ×10]
[Requested Item: Raw Meat ×1]
[Seller: Tian Tian]
[Note: Slippery and great for lubrication. Useful material.]
[Listed Item: Wood ×20]
[Requested Item: Raw Meat ×1]
[Seller: Lumberjack Joe]
[Note: Freshly chopped wood!]
Then, Li En noticed someone selling iron ore—for just 1 piece of raw meat.
Why so cheap?
Had they already secured an iron mine?
He checked the seller's info: Level 2, with stats far inferior to his own.
Could resource point difficulty be random?
After messaging the seller, Li En learned that the iron deposit near their camp was guarded by slimes—all of which were frozen solid, making them easy to defeat.
Li En frowned. Yesterday, the iron deposit he scouted was guarded by two wolves and a Level 2 wolf-girl.
The system only marked a location as "Extremely Dangerous" if the enemies far outclassed the player.
If that was the case, he'd be stuck without iron for a long time unless he found a way to break through.
No, I need a strategy.
After browsing more listings—most of which didn't interest him—he noticed that nearly all sellers were desperate for meat, willing to haggle.
Once players stabilize their food supply, prices will skyrocket. Now's the time to buy low.
Then, a new listing caught his eye.
[Listed Item: Fire Element Crystal (Green) ×1]
[Requested Item: Raw Meat ×10]
[Seller: Sun Pan]
[Note: Rare fire-attribute crystal. High-grade material.]
"Rare?" Li En scoffed. Green-tier isn't even that valuable.
The seller clearly didn't understand the item's worth. Perfect for bargaining.
He sent a message.
Li En: "5 raw meat for the crystal."
After a short wait, the reply came.
Sun Pan: "20 raw meat. Not a single piece less."
Li En blinked. He's raising the price?
Li En: "You sure?"
Sun Pan immediately edited his listing—now demanding 20 meat.
Realization struck. This guy knows I'm ahead in resources and is trying to fleece me.
Li En: "That's not fair."
Sun Pan: "Sorry, it's the only one in the whole server. First come, first served."
Li En: "Fine."
On the other side of the world, Sun Pan grinned, certain Li En would cave.
He had no idea what the crystal was worth—he just wanted to exploit a "whale."
But then, Li En posted in the regional chat.
Li En: "Anyone selling elemental crystals? 5 raw meat per piece."
At first, silence.
Then—
Ma Dongmei: "Li En? The Li En?!"
Han Leilei: "Holy shit, it's really him!"
Zhang Guyu: "After lurking all day, the legend finally speaks!"
Hua Xia: "I've got a fire crystal! Just 3 meat!"
Tang Yuan: "Ice crystal here! Only 1 meat!"
Lu Yuan: "Li En, I'll give you both fire AND ice crystals for free! Let's be friends!"
The chat exploded with offers—everyone desperate to curry favor with the top player.
Li En picked a few reasonable trades, refusing to take advantage. Alongside fire and ice crystals, he acquired some low-tier gear and even Earth-made clothing scavenged from corpses.
One item stood out:
[Name: Fine Leather Boots]
[Quality: Purple]
[Armor: 40]
[Effect: Stamina +3, Slide +1]
Perfect for tomorrow's battle.
Before logging off, Li En gave a few players early-game tips—potential allies for the future.
Meanwhile, Sun Pan watched in fury as his "easy profit" slipped away.
Sun Pan: "Fine, 5 meat! I'll take the loss!"
No reply.
Sun Pan: "I was first! Have some integrity!"
Still nothing—until the system notified him:
[Li En has blocked you.]
"FUCK!" Sun Pan slammed his fist on the table.
---
The Next Morning
After washing up, Li En and Hill equipped their new gear. He even gave Hill a few pieces, claiming they were "specially chosen for her."
Delighted, she hugged him tightly.
They lingered by the fireplace before stepping outside.
"Good morning, Lord Li En! Lady Hill!"
The camp members greeted them warmly. Even yesterday's refugees looked healthier—no longer the frostbitten, desperate souls who had stumbled into camp.
Grateful for food and shelter, they bowed deeply.
Li En gathered the yak-folk and announced today's mission: hunting the giant wolves guarding the iron deposit.
Amnos, eager to prove himself, volunteered to lead the charge.
After crafting weapons, the group set out.
---
At the Cave
The two white wolves still patrolled outside, scanning for intruders.
"Minotaur, let's go!"
"For the Lord!"
Amnos and Minotaur roared, charging with hammers and axes to draw the wolves' attention.
"RAAAH!"
Fear gnawed at them—but they channeled it into battle cries.
The wolves snarled, lunging to tear the "weak prey" apart.
The yak-folk barely had time to raise their weapons—
"Fireball!"
Li En and Hill's spells blasted the wolves mid-air, sending them crashing down.
Before they could howl for backup—
THUNK! THUNK!
Two axes smashed into their skulls.