"You have successfully chosen your profession: 'Hunter.' Initial equipment has been distributed."
"Your personal territory has been generated successfully."
The system notifications ended.
Suddenly, in the sky tens of thousands of meters high, a floating 1-meter cube of dirt appeared.
Han Xing stood on it, as if standing on grass, but the height below made his legs weak.
At some point, a faded wooden bow appeared in his hand, and a quiver with 10 wooden arrows hung at his waist.
In front of him, item information appeared.
[Wooden Longbow (White): Quality - Rough, Attack Power 6~8, Special Effect - None.]
[Note: A weapon made from oak and cow tendon. When fully drawn, it can damage basic 1-star creatures.]
[Arrows *10 (White): Quality - Rough, Attack Power 1~2, Special Effect - None.]
[Note: Wooden sticks sharpened to make arrows.]
Gripping the bow tightly, Han Xing felt a bit more confident now that he had a weapon.
Looking around, he noticed many clouds of various sizes and colors appearing in the sky nearby.
Some clouds were as large as mountains, while others were as small as a table, about the same size as Han Xing's territory.
He understood how this game worked. These clouds contained floating islands, and all initial resources, including food and water, had to be gathered from these islands.
He needed to explore other floating islands quickly to gather supplies. If not, it wouldn't take long before he would die of thirst or hunger.
Han Xing began to move his block forward.
After about ten minutes, his lips were dry.
The clouds looked close, but in reality, they were far away. With his current block's slow speed, he could only move about 10 kilometers an hour, less than 3 meters per second.
While the speed of the floating island would increase as his level grew, for now, it was too slow.
Another ten minutes passed, and Han Xing finally approached a small cloud that emitted a crackling electric sound. The system prompt came: "There is a cluster of active lightning energy inside. Do you wish to enter?"
Lightning energy? Are there monsters inside?
Han Xing hesitated for a moment but decided to pass.
After all, this wasn't a mobile game where you could respawn after death. The system clearly stated that each person only had one life.
He changed direction and continued floating forward.
After about twenty more minutes of floating, an hour had passed since Han Xing entered the game. Traveling on the floating island not only drained physical strength but also consumed a lot of mental energy.
Han Xing suddenly felt dizzy, and his throat grew parched.
Glancing at his status, he saw that it had changed.
[Status: Thirsty, Mentally Exhausted.]
(Note: You need to rest soon. Driving while tired is dangerous.)
"Rest? How am I supposed to rest up here at this height?"
Han Xing gritted his teeth in frustration.
Even if he could overcome his fear of heights, the initial 1-meter square space didn't even allow him to stretch, and a wrong move could send him plummeting to his death.
And Han Xing wasn't alone in this situation. Other players were faring even worse.
In less than an hour since entering this world, at least a million people had already fallen from the sky and lost their lives.
"No, I need to explore the islands and expand my territory as soon as possible!"
Han Xing shook his head, trying to focus. He scanned the surrounding clouds once more.
At that moment, he noticed a cloud about the same size as his floating block, emitting a faint green glow, drifting nearby.
A few minutes later, Han Xing got closer, and the system prompt appeared: "There is weak life force inside. Do you wish to enter?"
Hope!
Han Xing's heart leaped with joy, and he immediately chose to enter.
The cloud dissipated, revealing a square patch of soil covered in green grass.
In the middle of the soil grew a tree, less than a meter tall, but with a trunk as thick as an adult's thigh. Its lush crown was dotted with red berries.
[Berry Tree: A shrub-like plant. The berries on the tree can be eaten directly to replenish water and satiate hunger.]
Seeing the berry tree was like seeing a savior. Han Xing was so moved he almost cried.
He rushed to the tree and began shoving the red berries into his mouth.
The juicy, slightly sour and sweet flavor spread through his mouth, refreshing him like rain after a drought.
After eating a few berries, his hunger and thirst subsided.
Han Xing counted the berries on the tree—there were over 20, each about the size of a strawberry. If he rationed them, they would last him at least two days!
At that moment, the system prompt appeared.
[Would you like to merge this land into your territory?]
Han Xing immediately clicked "Yes."
[Fusion successful. Your territory has expanded.]
The system notification ended.
Han Xing looked at his 1-meter square block, which had now become a 2-meter by 1-meter rectangular block. One of the new sections had the berry tree growing on it.
His hunger and thirst had been taken care of, but he still felt mentally exhausted.
Han Xing leaned back against the tree and slowly laid down.
Half an hour later, Han Xing opened his eyes.
Upon waking, he realized he had somehow rolled to the edge of the territory, with one arm dangling over the void. He was inches away from falling!
"Whoa!"
Han Xing gasped and jolted awake, fear flooding through him.
"Damn, I can't even sleep safely. How are people who move around in their sleep supposed to survive?"
Han Xing couldn't help but complain, but his sense of urgency returned.
There was no way to avoid sleep, and no one could guarantee they wouldn't roll off their territory in their sleep.
The initial territory was so small that even the slightest movement could send someone plummeting to their death.
So their top priority now was to explore the clouds and expand their territory, at least to ensure their own survival.
With this in mind, Han Xing scanned the surrounding clouds again.
Earlier, he had already explored the nearby clouds. Most of them contained dangers, like monsters.
Han Xing knew that if he wanted to survive, he would eventually have to confront those monsters. So, he might as well strike while he was still in decent shape.
"But first, I should use my advantage to increase my combat strength!"