Ji He walked quickly, ignoring the shouting behind her.

She wasn’t strong enough yet—barely able to take care of herself, let alone anyone else.

After encountering those two medicinal plants, she had a better understanding of the situation. These plants wouldn’t harm her.

The parts she plucked were likely unnecessary for the plants, and they even seemed to welcome her help in removing them.

However, the others didn’t understand these plants and had no way to communicate with them. Seeing such terrifying appearances, their first instinct was to attack.

When the plants were attacked, they naturally fought back.

It couldn’t be helped—after all, the others weren’t locals.

They didn’t even know the names of these plants.

Ji He noticed that the sky had completely darkened and decided not to continue traveling. She still had the entire next day, and her task wasn’t particularly urgent.

She found a hollow tree, quickly crawled inside, and carefully sealed the entrance with the weeds she carried, leaving only a small bottle-cap-sized hole in the corner to observe the outside.

The hollow wasn’t large, so Ji He curled up inside.

If nothing unexpected happened, she would spend the night here.

While she was safe and comfortable, she had no idea that everyone else was cursing up a storm!

This dungeon’s difficulty was insane—not only was the mission exhausting, but there was no food provided. Most people had spent the entire day fighting plants and were now too drained to move.

They wouldn’t starve to death, but how were they supposed to maintain their condition for the next day?

Nian Nian Bu Wang and Yi Ma Ping Chuan were in particularly bad shape.

They had used up three substitute lives just to complete the day’s task.

Even though they had successfully gathered two types of medicinal herbs, neither of them looked happy.

“Is this really edible? It won’t kill us, right?” Nian Nian Bu Wang held a root in her palm, her face full of disgust. Even dogs wouldn’t eat this stuff.

She had never imagined that one day she’d be reduced to eating plant roots.

Yi Ma Ping Chuan frowned so hard he could crush a fly. “I don’t know… I saw others digging them up.”

He tried to bring the dirt-covered root to his mouth but hesitated every time, unable to force himself to take a bite.

Frustrated, he tossed the root a meter away.

“Forget it. I won’t eat it. So what if I go hungry for two days? It won’t kill me.”

Seeing him throw it away, Nian Nian Bu Wang didn’t hesitate either and quickly discarded her root.

It was covered in dirt—no way was she eating that.

With no food, the two spent another exhausting day fighting the medicinal plants, their energy drained. Now, leaning against a tree root, hunger made them feel lightheaded.

After resting for a bit, Yi Ma Ping Chuan stood up. “I’m going to look for something else. If there’s no food, at least I can find some water.”

Before Nian Nian Bu Wang could say anything, he turned and left.

She leaned against the tree, looking miserable.

She was starving!

This damn game—aside from the clothes on their backs, it wouldn’t let them bring anything.

If only she had been allowed to keep her backpack, she wouldn’t be starving like this!

And Yi Ma Ping Chuan was useless—he couldn’t even find her something to eat.

Useless!

Furious, she punched her thigh. Suddenly, she felt something in her pocket.

She pulled it out, and her eyes lit up.

A nut chocolate bar?

It was a tiny piece of candy she had casually stuffed into her pocket earlier.

Finding it now was like a miracle!

Without a second thought, she stuffed it into her mouth, letting it slowly dissolve instead of chewing.

Her aching stomach finally felt some relief.

As for Yi Ma Ping Chuan, she had already forgotten about him!

Meanwhile, inside her tree hollow, Ji He didn’t rest. Instead, she organized the supplies in her storage space.

This was her happiness.

Even though she had already sorted it before, every time she looked at her stored goods, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

This determined whether she could live comfortably in the future—it was very important.

Back when she bought them, it had felt like a lot. But now, as she sorted through everything, Ji He thought it was far too little.

Nothing was enough!

She barely had enough rice and flour. Everything else was lacking.

She hadn’t been able to afford much meat, and it was expensive. At the time, she thought she had enough for two years, but now that she looked at it—how could this tiny amount last?

She wasn’t only going to live for two years!

Snacks, instant noodles, and frozen foods were even scarcer—only what she had stocked up from the supermarket.

After a quick check, Ji He put her worries aside. There was no use stressing over it now.

Once the surroundings were completely dark, she teleported into her farming space.

As usual, she fed the livestock and tended the crops.

After finishing the farm work, she headed to a small hill. The grass there was lush, a sign of fertile soil. She harvested some and stored it in her inventory.

Then, she took out the vegetable seeds she had bought earlier and soaked them in water.

Soaking the seeds would help them germinate better—she had learned this from watching videos.

She soaked all the vegetable seeds she had. They were cheap, and she had bought a lot—enough to last her entire life if she was alone.

Radishes and cabbage had to be planted in abundance.

Not only did pigs love them, but she did too.

Dried radishes mixed with chili oil were delicious.

After finishing her work, Ji He sat at her small table and ate.

As usual, she was mindful of time. She ate three large buns and a bowl of porridge.

Since time in the space was limited, she didn’t waste any of it. The moment she finished eating, she teleported out.

Just as she crawled back into her tree hollow, she sensed something was wrong.

The forest, which had been eerily silent during the day, was now filled with noise.

And whatever was making the noise was very close to her.

Ji He’s heart skipped a beat.

Carefully, she pressed her eye to the hole she had left for observation.

The forest was pitch black, with only a faint glow from the phosphorescent fungi on the tree trunks.

Using the weak light, she saw a massive shadow moving in the darkness.

It was very close.

As it brushed against tree trunks and grass, it made a rustling sound.

She held her breath, not wanting to be noticed.

What was this thing?

Ji He squinted, trying to see more clearly. From her angle, she could barely make out a third of the creature—she had to tilt her head back to even get a glimpse.

The posture was uncomfortable, and she still couldn’t see the full creature.

Just as she was trying to get a better look, the dark figure suddenly stopped moving.

Faintly, Ji He thought she saw two long, thin appendages at the front of the creature’s head…

They were swaying back and forth.

What was this?

Antennae?

Ji He’s heartbeat quickened. She watched as the antennae slowly extended toward her hiding spot, growing larger in her vision.

She panicked, instinctively shrinking back.

But even though fear gripped her, she forced herself to stay silent, pressing her hands tightly over her mouth.

The hollow was small. Even if she wanted to back away, there was nowhere to go.

Then, in the suffocating silence, she heard the eerie sound of the antennae scraping against the tree bark.

And then—precisely—one of them slipped through her tiny observation hole.

It stretched inside, inch by inch.

Ji He’s eyes widened in terror.

Just as she was about to teleport into her space—