[Qi Ling Village. Serpent Cave]

Towering mountains stretched far and wide, and all living things thrived in harmony.  

In the warm breeze of the peaceful forest, a few beasts darted back and forth. The noisy chatter of people had faded, replaced by a calm and tranquil atmosphere.  

This was Server 3145, one of the less populated servers among the 3,200 official newbie servers that the Divine Tree had opened. Players who checked their interface could see the server’s emblem glowing an unmistakable green — a clear sign that this server had far fewer players compared to others.  

Unlike the bustling servers filled with constant chatter, the world chat in Server 3145 refreshed much slower. Occasionally, players would still pop in, calling for teammates to complete tasks. The Qi Ling Village regional channel was even more desolate. The starting area was a sprawling and complex forest map, where all the NPCs were hidden deep in the woods. Even finding a place with residents required wandering around for ages. Unlike Sui Xing City, a major town where NPCs crowded the streets and directions were easy to obtain, Qi Ling Village’s layout left many players stranded in the forest right from the start.  

> [Qi Ling Village] Money Comes First: Damn it, I got unlucky and randomly landed in this backwater server! Can’t even find enough people to run the Serpent Cave!  

> [Qi Ling Village] Creamy Bear: How did someone already find the Serpent Cave? I’m still trying to figure out the way!  

> [Qi Ling Village] Sunny Everyday: Stop whining. Just wait until you’re a higher level before trying it. No point tackling the Serpent Cave at level 10.  

The Serpent Cave was one of Qi Ling Village’s main quests. Clearing it would unlock the Divine Tree’s skill system, allowing players to allocate points and gain new abilities.  

With only beginner skills at their disposal, players seeking to strengthen themselves had to conquer the Serpent Cave. However, the cave’s difficulty was notorious. Most players waited until they reached level 20 and acquired better equipment before attempting it for a higher success rate. Some impatient players braved the cave as early as level 15, but only when grouped up.  

“Tsk, this server’s practically a noob trap. Only beginners would get randomly dumped here… No wonder the clear rate is so low.”  

A player muttered to himself while watching the Qi Ling Village chat. He wore newbie gear from Sui Xing City, standing out amid the local attire. His ID, “Slack Bro”, floated above his head.  

In front of him loomed the very Serpent Cave that had become the channel’s hot topic.  

Slack Bro was already level 30, and he hadn’t come all this way for the cave itself. His goal was the valuable wild materials that could be found nearby.  

For a while now, he’d been watching groups of players attempt the Serpent Cave, only to retreat in failure. Most were inexperienced level 10–15 newbies attempting to mimic advanced players they’d seen online. The clear rate was absolutely dismal — as expected from those who didn’t realize that elite players succeeded by skill, not luck.  

Just then, Slack Bro spotted a lone figure passing beneath a tree.

Slack Bro looked down and was startled when the person below suddenly glanced up at him.  

The two locked eyes briefly before the newcomer shifted his gaze toward a shadowy spot beneath the tree — a burlap sack leaning against the trunk.  

Grinning, Slack Bro casually grabbed one of the items from the sack and tossed it down as a bribe. “Hey, keep it down, man.”  

The other player didn’t respond, merely continuing on his way without acknowledging Slack Bro or giving away his position.  

“Tsk, newbies are always so aloof… Guess this spot’s not as hidden as I thought. Gotta find a new one,” Slack Bro muttered. After spending so long undetected, being noticed left a sour taste in his mouth. He grabbed the burlap sack full of mystic fruits and prepared to relocate. His gaze flicked back toward the player who had spotted him.  

No privacy settings were enabled — the name Cycle of Eternity was displayed alongside a level 12 tag.  

…A newbie?  

Slack Bro pondered for a moment, then suddenly saw Cycle of Eternity stop at the entrance of the Serpent Cave. Two seconds later, he walked in.  

Slack Bro: “…”  

Whoa, going in at level 12? Bold move for a newbie.  

“Scared the hell out of me. Thought those guys chasing me had caught up,” Slack Bro muttered. He pulled a mask from his pocket and slipped it on, mumbling to himself, “All I did was steal one monster the other day, and now there’s a whole mob hunting me down. Had to hide in a tree this whole time… Once I finish farming the Golden Serpent King…”  

He trailed off, sighing. Whatever game he played, chaos always seemed to follow. He was used to being endlessly hunted.  

“Ah, the curse of being too good — always makes you a target,” he muttered smugly.  

—-

Qi Ling Village was located on the western side of the Divine Tree, surrounded by towering mountains and dense forests. The region had a quiet, isolated feel, far removed from the noisy bustle of civilization.  

After selecting his starting point, Zhou Sui entered the game and found himself in this tranquil yet remote area. His inventory was sparse — just a medicine basket filled with supplies and a sickle.  

He ignored the medicines in his basket marked with warnings like [Paralysis] and [Seal], opting instead to carry the handy sickle in his hand.  

Following an NPC guide, he completed a few introductory tasks.  

The game’s early stages introduced players to the world’s lore:  

The Divine Tree was a fantastical continent, and the players were the gifted ones of this land, blessed by the Divine Tree, enabling them to unlock various talents. 

The five starting zones were essentially training grounds for these gifted ones — akin to faction or guild selection in other games. Once a player chose their starting point, they were sent to the corresponding region, where they gradually adapted to the game’s mechanics, leveled up, and gained early attribute points and skills.

Zhou Sui first examined the various newly unlocked system menus before following the NPC that had suddenly appeared in front of him. He methodically completed a few quests, gradually getting a clearer understanding of each system’s function.  

The world system, friend system, and similar features were all for social interaction. He selectively hid those menus, focusing instead on the system tied to his character panel—  

The Divine Tree System.  

One of the biggest reasons Divine Tree was so popular in the gaming community was its unique power progression system, which revolved around the Divine Tree Skill Tree. The skill tree was highly flexible and complex, with a central trunk branching out infinitely like a massive diagram filled with countless nodes.  

At the start, there were only five initial nodes, corresponding to the five starting zones that players could choose from.  

Qi Ling Village’s branch was located on the lower side of the skill tree. At the moment, its node remained completely dark, indicating that Zhou Sui had yet to unlock the skill tree feature.  

[You have not unlocked this system! Please enter the Serpent Cave and complete the Tempering Quest!]  

Following the prompt, Zhou Sui arrived at the Serpent Cave. As soon as he reached the entrance, a simple and direct notification popped up—  

[[Qi Ling Village · Trial] Difficulty: ★★★ Recommended Level: 20]  

[Detected: Player level is too low. Not recommended to proceed. Continue?]  

Zhou Sui hesitated briefly before confirming.  

A faint mist spread out at the entrance of the Serpent Cave. As he stepped inside, a cool, damp sensation enveloped him. Then, just as confusion crossed his mind, the hissing of snakes echoed through the mist. Almost instantly, several snake-like monsters slithered into view from the narrow passage ahead.  

The creatures were grotesque, locking onto Zhou Sui the moment they appeared and lunging toward him. The cave was too cramped to allow for proper dodging, but his body reacted faster than his mind—he swiftly moved to the left, brushing past the monster’s flank. As he steadied himself, his eyes caught sight of the health bar floating above the creature’s head.  

Zhou Sui had no extra gear on him. He reached behind his back and drew his newbie sickle.  

Qi Ling Village players used sickles for harvesting medicinal herbs, and from his earlier tasks, Zhou Sui’s sickle was already covered in bits of plant debris.  

The monster turned to attack again. Zhou Sui lifted his weapon in a quick counter, blocking the strike. The moment of impact sent a strong pressure through his hands. Even though the game dampened pain sensitivity, the force of the clash was still unmistakably clear.  

As soon as he deflected the attack, Zhou Sui swung his sickle in retaliation. The monster’s health was surprisingly low—it immediately slowed down after the hit.  

Two strikes in, and only a third of its red health bar had been depleted.  

Meanwhile, the incessant hissing of more serpents echoed from deeper within the cave.  

It had been over three years since Zhou Sui had last played a full-immersion system.

Ever since that unexpected incident three years ago, the concept of the holographic system seemed to drift far away from him, and even the thrill and indulgence he once felt during that peak competition gradually faded.  

From a young age, he had trained in physical combat. His natural S-level physique gave him exceptional bodily reflexes and stress resistance, allowing him to achieve technical feats in the real world that ordinary people couldn’t. Because of this, three years ago, he accepted an invitation from the Supreme Mainframe to participate in the pinnacle holographic competition.  

However, just as he secured first place and advanced to the gladiator arena, an unexpected event occurred.  

He was rushed to the hospital due to sudden physical discomfort and was ultimately diagnosed with mental fatigue and a rare type C hypersomnia. For ordinary people, hypersomnia wasn’t as complex as genetic disorders; typical cases could often be managed with medication, exercise, and stimulation, making recovery possible.  

But Zhou Sui’s case was different. Due to his S-level physique and professional habits, his cellular activity was overly vigorous. Nearly every doctor who examined him was surprised and confused by his diagnosis of hypersomnia. After further investigation, they discovered that his condition wasn’t the common, treatable form of hypersomnia but the rare type C variant.  

His body had been pushed to its limits by excessive physical exertion, creating a heightened energy demand that ultimately forced his otherwise strong and healthy body to shut down, resulting in two years of deep sleep.  

Simply put, his body had been too active — and so, it went on strike and shut down to rest.  

Unlike ordinary hypersomnia, where stimulating the body could boost metabolism and aid recovery, Zhou Sui’s condition worsened with stimulation.  

To make matters worse, there was no known cure. His exceptional physique meant that even without external stimulation, his body’s natural activity levels remained high, placing additional strain on his system.  

It took him a full year after waking from his prolonged sleep to barely maintain a stable daily routine under constant medical supervision.  

Even so, his required sleep time far exceeded that of a typical person — often sleeping for half a day at a time, and sometimes struggling to wake up at all.  

It wasn’t until two months ago that his doctor finally gave the green light, confirming that his treatment had entered the recovery and rehabilitation stage.  

Only then was he freed from the numerous restrictions. When he searched for updates on the Supreme Mainframe and the Gathering Camp, he discovered that the Gathering Camp had halted at level 52’s challenge. The Supreme Mainframe’s computing program had since been integrated into the development team for a new game called Divine Tree. After three years of recalculations and development, Divine Tree was finally launched.  

His unfinished challenge had vanished, the Gathering Camp was canceled — but now, Divine Tree had taken its place.  

He had experienced holographic competition before — but as for holographic gaming? That was something entirely new to him.  

Compared to the previous single-player exploration worlds, holographic games were multiplayer, with more people, more complex information, and numerous built-in systems.  

All of Zhou Sui’s knowledge came from the past two weeks of scouring the star network for game guides, live streams, and other videos. Only after entering the game could he find a sense of familiarity with content similar to his past challenges.  

Holographic games lacked the straightforward map-based challenges he was used to and instead introduced a more complex background setting. There were no clear advancement milestones either — just continuous level progression and repeated mechanics with similar designs.  

If choosing his starting point and completing the forest mission still felt somewhat like following typical game progression, Zhou Sui’s actions became a bit dazed when he encountered the snake monsters. It was only then that his body seemed to finally stir awake.  

In the initial cave, only three snake monsters appeared. Their meager health bars were depleted after taking three strikes, and the creatures promptly died and vanished.  

Zhou Sui was a little surprised — these monsters seemed rather easy to deal with. But that feeling didn’t last long. After he finished off the three monsters, new ones respawned in the passageway. Compared to the earlier clumsy creatures, the newly spawned monsters moved at least twice as fast and lunged at Zhou Sui in an instant.  

[Detected: Player’s first experience in a trial dungeon. Would you like to enable the Intelligent Guidance Mode?]  

Zhou Sui dodged the attack, and when his blade struck the monster, the impact felt significantly stronger. The monster’s health bar had also doubled.  

It was only then that Zhou Sui noticed the monsters had levels.  

If the previous monsters he had easily killed were only level 10, then the new ones appearing afterward were steadily increasing in level. Within just a few minutes, the monsters had already reached level 14 — and he hadn’t even made it all the way down the cave passage yet.  

A snake monster lashed its tail again, and the stronger attack from the higher-level creature left Zhou Sui’s hand momentarily numb from the shock. He watched as his health bar dropped by 10%.  

Zhou Sui’s gaze sharpened. When another attack came rushing toward him, he quickly dodged. The snake’s tail slammed into the ground, sending fragments of stone exploding near his face.  

As if sensing Zhou Sui’s confusion, the game’s intelligent system provided an explanation:  

“Qi Ling Village Trial: The Serpent Cave is the designated trial ground for the gifted of Qi Ling Village. Only by bathing in the Serpent King’s blood can one fully activate their body’s innate talent. The Serpent King resides deep within the cave. Players must venture to the cave’s depths, defeat the Serpent King, and obtain its gallbladder to complete the trial.”  

There were many differences between holographic competitions and games — for instance, moments like this, when things got a little too chatty.  

Zhou Sui said, “You talk too much.”  

The system responded, “?”  

“I am your personal assistant, dedicated to providing guidance and serving as your personal advisor.”  

“How do I turn you off?” Zhou Sui asked.  

“Player, please describe your request in detail.”  

While dodging a monster’s attack, Zhou Sui repeated, “Turn yourself off.”  

“You’re too noisy.”  

The system fell silent.  

After that brief remark, the game’s intelligent system stopped speaking. The guidance interface shifted to a soft blue indicator, and the surroundings fell quiet.  

Once again, Zhou Sui could hear the dripping of water and the faint rush of air stirred by the monsters’ movements. Without the system’s chatter, he could better track the creatures’ sounds.  

The initial monsters were easy to deal with, but as the cave’s deeper sections began flooding with higher-level snake monsters, Zhou Sui’s kill rate gradually slowed.  

While his pace decreased, the monsters’ respawn speed remained constant.  

Qi Ling Village’s beginner skills included only three abilities: Scatter Powder, Slash, and Healing.  

Based on the game guides Zhou Sui had studied over the past few days, the medicine pouches in his basket served as the Scatter Powder skill’s items. The scythe itself provided the Slash skill, while the Healing skill was a slow-casting spell that only restored his health bar.  

Zhou Sui glanced at his medicine basket, which contained several types of paralyzing powders.  

He scattered some powder toward the snakes and immediately noticed their movement slowing down. A system prompt appeared:  

[Serpent Monster (Level 13) has been paralyzed by your powder. Movement speed reduced for 4 seconds.]  

Characters had experience bars, and Zhou Sui suddenly realized that the experience gained from killing monsters in this area was far greater than what he earned from doing missions outside. He recalled from gameplay streams that Divine Tree offered multiple ways to gain experience.  

He shifted his gaze toward the snake monsters that continued to emerge from the cave’s depths, quickly scanning their levels.  

Wiping the blood from his scythe, Zhou Sui locked onto the lower-level snakes among the group.  

If anyone were watching, they would have noticed that after his initial sluggishness, Zhou Sui was gradually becoming more adept. His movements were particularly nimble, sticking close to the cave walls as he moved. Each handful of powder landed precisely on a targeted spot, effectively slowing the advancing snakes. Seizing those openings, he prioritized clearing the monsters blocking his path, gradually carving out a narrow gap about half a person’s width.  

After twisting his scythe through another snake, Zhou Sui smoothly slipped through the gap. However, instead of proceeding deeper into the cave as the game’s intelligent system had suggested, he turned back to manage his distance from the higher-level snake monsters.  

The cave’s width was too narrow for open maneuvering — but its depth was just right.  

As long as he controlled the distance properly, it was the perfect place for one thing —  

Grinding.

—-

Meanwhile, outside the Serpent Cave.  

The previously quiet cave entrance suddenly became lively as two well-equipped teams emerged from the forest, gathering at the cave’s entrance.  

A player known as Slack Bro, who had been lazily hiding in a tree, instinctively shrank back at the sight. He had barely changed spots and crouched down for fifteen minutes before hearing the commotion near the cave entrance. Concealing himself in the tree, he muttered to himself, “No way… Are there actually people camping the Golden Serpent King too?”  

He had come here early just to camp for the Golden Serpent King.  

Without a word, the newcomers immediately activated their skills and attacked the nearby players around the Serpent Cave. Before most could react to what was happening, they were either driven into the forest or, if they tried to stand their ground and curse back, were promptly cut down and left lying dead on the ground.  

One of the elite team players shouted, “If you don’t want to lose experience, get out of here!”  

Seeing this, the remaining players turned and ran.  

After clearing the area, the elite squad turned their focus back to the Serpent Cave.  

“Have many players gone inside for the trial?”  

“On this fringe server, anyone grouping up for the trial is probably just a rookie under level 30. If they come out causing trouble, just bury them right away.” The speaker seemed to be the squad leader — a level 30 player from Sui Xing City. Behind him, the levels of the players in his group varied, but most hovered around level 30. “Boss and the others are already clearing out players at the entrance of the forest. Any teams that come out of the Serpent Cave later — just bury them. Don’t bother wasting time.”  

“There should still be a few teams inside. No big deal. If anyone stirs up trouble, just kill them outright — don’t waste time dealing with them.”  

Ambushing players, camping the Serpent King, and bringing a whole squad to do it…  

Wow, really? Picking on solo players now?  

Slack Bro felt this was getting tricky. Judging by their setup, this group was clearly here to camp the spot, and without some backup, fighting them would be tough. He thought back to the other teams that had entered the Serpent Cave earlier. Remembering the grim success rates made him wince — not exactly reliable teammates.  

At this moment, someone unexpectedly crossed his mind.  

Wait… that reckless solo guy hasn’t come out yet…  

Never mind. What’s a level 12 going to do anyway?