Shen Yun: "Huh? You can actually add friends just by their name!"
Cheng Jianyong: "Brother Xing, I finally found you! I've been searching for you so desperately!"
Han Xing, with a speechless expression, replied, "If I'm not mistaken, we just saw each other less than half a day ago, right?"
"Half a day! It felt like half a year! Brother Xing, you have no idea what I've been through!"
Cheng Jianyong sounded like a pitiful complainer. Not wanting to hear his long rant, Han Xing cut him off, "Tell us in the group chat."
After adding Han Xing as a friend, the three of them quickly formed a group chat.
Once inside, Han Xing immediately asked, "How are you two doing now?"
Shen Yun responded right away, "I'm alright. Since entering the game, I've been moving toward the islands covered by clouds. I avoided the dangerous ones, and I finally found an island that wasn't dangerous. I've started expanding my territory."
Han Xing nodded, "That's about where I'm at, too."
Cheng Jianyong was a little surprised, "What?! You guys have already started merging islands? Every island I encountered was full of monsters. The system even warned me that I'm suffering from hunger and dehydration. My mouth is so dry, and my head's getting foggy!"
"You're so bad at this," Shen Yun mocked. "Back in school, you were always the worst at games, and even now, in another world, you're still terrible."
Cheng Jianyong laughed awkwardly.
Han Xing added seriously, "Jianyong, when you approach the clouds, pay close attention to the system warnings. You need to expand your territory quickly. If your mental state worsens, it could become dangerous."
Cheng Jianyong stiffened up, "Dangerous? You mean, like passing out and falling to my death?"
"Exactly."
"Shit! I don't want to die yet! I still have a wife and kids! Brother Xing, Brother Yun, save me!"
Cheng Jianyong's desperate cries echoed through the group chat.
Shen Yun dismissed him, "Relax, with me and Brother Xing here, do you think we'd let you die? Look at this."
In the chat, Shen Yun shared an item.
[Spring Water: 600ml, safe for direct consumption]
"Holy crap, it's water!" Cheng Jianyong exclaimed. "Give me some! I'm dying of thirst!"
Shen Yun smirked, "You want water? Sure, but what do you have to say first?"
Cheng Jianyong immediately understood the implication and hesitated, "Brother Yun… this… isn't that a little inappropriate? I mean, I have a family…"
"Are you gonna say it or not? If not, I'll drink it myself."
"Godfather!"
Cheng Jianyong instantly caved in.
Shen Yun burst out laughing and traded 200ml of spring water with him.
At this moment, Han Xing also received a trade request from Shen Yun.
"Brother Xing, have a little water to tide you over."
Han Xing didn't refuse. While water was an extremely precious resource, there was no need for him to be stingy given their close relationship.
Besides, he really needed to replenish some water. Although berries were sweet, they didn't provide enough hydration.
After completing the trade, a small puddle appeared on Han Xing's territory.
Since he didn't have a container, he had to drink the spring water directly from the ground.
Han Xing drank all the water in one go, immediately feeling more alert.
Cheng Jianyong sighed in relief, "Man, I feel alive again! Now if only I had something to eat."
"I've got food. I'll trade some to you both."
Han Xing picked ten berries from his berry tree, giving each of them five.
"Thank you, Brother Xing!"
"Thanks, Brother Xing."
Han Xing smiled. This moment felt oddly familiar, bringing back memories.
It reminded him of the times in school when the three of them used to team up in games.
Shen Yun and Cheng Jianyong also felt the nostalgia.
Shen Yun sighed, "Who would've thought that one day, all of humanity would be transported to another world?"
"Yeah, and what's even more unexpected is that the three of us would end up teaming up again here," Cheng Jianyong added with emotion. "Ever since graduating, it's been endless work and overtime. I almost forgot what playing games felt like."
Han Xing chuckled, "Alright, let's focus on exploring more islands, gathering resources, and getting stronger."
He didn't tell the other two that he had played this game before. There wasn't much point in mentioning it anyway.
At that moment, Han Xing checked his interface.
He opened the blueprint tab.
He had already gathered all three materials needed to craft the 'space backpack,' so he could start crafting now!
Han Xing was eager to see what special effects would come with the space backpack blueprint, especially with his 'God-level Craftsman' talent!
He stretched out his hand and clicked 'Craft.'
A ten-second progress bar appeared in front of him.
Then, with a flash of white light, the system notification arrived.
[Successfully crafted Space Backpack (White) *1]
[Space Backpack (White), Quality: Excellent, Storage Capacity: 30, Special Effect: Vitality (Constitution +4)]
"Wow!" Han Xing couldn't help but be amazed by the stats.
Compared to the space backpack he had received as a first-kill reward, this new one had not only a larger capacity but also a special effect that increased his constitution.
And it didn't just increase it by one or two points— it added a whole 4 points!
To put this into perspective, after killing that slime and leveling up to level 1, his constitution had only increased by two points. This backpack alone gave him an extra four points, the equivalent of two levels' worth of constitution boosts. That was insane!
Excited, Han Xing equipped the new backpack, and his stat panel updated.
[Name: Han Xing]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Hunter]
[Level: LV1]
[Strength: 4, Agility: 5, Spirit: 4, Constitution: 7+4]
[Skills: Basic Archery Mastery]
[Talent: God-level Craftsman (SSS)]
[Status: Healthy]
His constitution stat had broken into double digits!
At this moment, Han Xing felt like he had endless energy, as if he could smash a stone with his bare chest.
Facing slimes in the future would now be much easier.
He continued steering his floating island forward.
After reaching level 1, his island's speed had increased, now traveling at 5 meters per second. Early on, every level-up would increase the speed by 2 meters per second.
Although it was still a bit slow, it was enough for now.
Soon, Han Xing encountered a gray cloud.
"There seem to be signs of life inside. Enter?"
As always, before entering, Han Xing pulled his bowstring to its full extent—one of the perks of being a hunter.
The cloud dispersed, revealing two blocks of terrain. Emerging from the fog was a creature covered in thick gray-brown fur, with long limbs and exposed fangs— unmistakably, a wolf.
[Forest Wolf (One-Star Creature)]
[Level: LV1]
[Strength: 5, Agility: 7, Spirit: 4, Constitution: 8]
[Skill: Bite!]
Compared to the slime he had faced earlier, this forest wolf was clearly much stronger.
Its body, over 1.5 meters long, exuded an intense pressure, and its sharp eyes were filled with killing intent.
The moment it saw Han Xing, the wolf lunged at him!
But as fast as it was, Han Xing was faster!
*Swoosh!*
As the wolf pounced, a sharpened arrow flew straight toward it.