Among the three, Ye Hui Fei’s tree-chopping progress was the slowest.
And his extra experience points increased the slowest, too.
Focusing to observe nature did raise experience.
But even imitating the method, he still couldn’t keep up with the understanding speed of the two real tigers.
He thought about it.
He decided not to care about extra experience points!
As long as his tree-chopping speed was fast enough—one tree every five minutes.
He could completely make up for the loss of extra experience points!
But to meet this condition, he needed a lumbering tool better than the Kuangjing Leaf!
“Chopping trees is fun, but we can’t stay in the game forever!”
Ye Hui Fei pounded his arm in frustration.
“The exercise in the game can’t be brought into reality.”
Lin Xian lowered his head in thought.
Don’t be fooled by his enthusiasm all morning.
As a “prison” Player with over a thousand hours in farming and base-building games, he knew himself too well.
At first, he could chop trees all day without getting bored.
Just sitting happily under the banyan at the town entrance, watching the tree stumps left behind gave him a sense of accomplishment.
But after two or three days at most, he’d start to feel the pain of tree-chopping.
Even if there were many labor tasks on the game panel, doing them one by one.
After about half a month, he wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“We really should think of ways to improve task efficiency.”
“The Game Background is about conquering the whole world. We can’t just stay in the Novice Village for two or three years!”
Lin Xian felt thirsty as he spoke, took out an unknown wild fruit, and took another bite.
“But the path of magical plants probably won’t work. If there were more convenient tools, the NPCs would have given them to us already.”
“Even if there are, it’s not content that can be released in this version or the next couple of versions.”
Luan Ma frowned.
“Could it be that the local environment can’t grow plants more suitable as tools than the Kuangjing Leaf?”
“Something like that.” Lin Xian replied.
“The meaning’s the same, but your way of saying it is what The Game Company would say to Players to hype up and complete the Game Background.”
Ye Hui Fei winked at Luan Ma.
“Garble Bro, I didn’t expect someone as big as you to be an immersive experience Player!”
First analyzing the plot, now supplementing the game and improving the setting.
If this were on the Forum, after a planning disaster, he’d definitely be labeled a game loyalist by the Players.
Luan Ma was speechless, not knowing what to say for a moment.
In the end, he just said:
“Because this game really is worth immersing in.”
He lowered his head, looking at his intact Right Hand and legs, and muttered.
“It’s like having a new healthy body in another world.”
“What?”
Ye Hui Fei, lying beside him, didn’t catch his words.
“Nothing.”
Luan Ma continued with the previous topic.
“If finding new tools doesn’t work, why don’t we make tools ourselves?”
“You mean unlock the Technology Tree?”
Lin Xian immediately understood.
In most games, pioneering and developing tech is normal strategy.
But isn’t this a western fantasy magic world?
Wouldn’t going the tech route conflict with the Main Quest?
Ye Hui Fei slapped his forehead in surprise.
“That’s right! This game’s freedom is so high, we can do whatever we want!”
“If we can find Iron Ore, we can build a Chainsaw—wouldn’t that be awesome!”
“Let the magic world witness the power of Modern Technology!”
Luan Ma thought for a moment.
“Iron Ore needs to be smelted to remove impurities to achieve the hardness needed for making a Chainsaw. I can help with that step.”
The two started discussing, one after the other.
Lin Xian was stunned.
“Wait, you two actually know how to make a Chainsaw?”
Ye Hui Fei:
“As long as I have the parts and raw materials, making a homemade Chainsaw isn’t a big deal—as long as it works!”
Luan Ma:
“I only know how to smelt iron.”
“No, seriously, just being able to smelt iron is already crazy, okay?! Who learns this kind of thing normally?”
Lin Xian suddenly felt the two beside him were strangers.
Was he the only one who’d only done crafts in-game?
The only thing in real life related to handiwork for him was, uh, assembling a computer.
But he’d never gone so far as to make the coils and resistors himself!
Ye Hui Fei clutched his forehead in pain.
“Sigh, it was all because my brain was full of water when choosing my major! I picked mechanical engineering.”
“My dad said if I failed courses and shamed the old Li family, he’d cut my living expenses!”
“The more I say, the sadder I get!”
Lin Xian had a complicated expression.
“Your dad’s too ruthless. Also, I haven’t seen any mechanical major who can build a Chainsaw by hand!”
And it’s too much of a coincidence for the game to need it and for Ye Hui Fei to know how to build it.
What else could he make?
Ye Hui Fei waved his hand, looking up with a long sigh.
“Don’t mention it. I thought playing this game was to be a superhero, but now I’m working as a mechanic!”
As for Luan Ma…
He simply said, “Work requirement.”
Lin Xian was silent.
Fine, everyone has their own skill tree forged by life.
But.
Even with two experts who could handcraft a Chainsaw.
Producing a finished Chainsaw wasn’t something that could be done overnight.
During their break, the three went to ask Leaf Zhi, who was sunbathing at the Church entrance.
They successfully learned that the Novice Village’s Iron Ore materials had already been prepared.
But they still didn’t know exactly where the Iron Ore was.
Leaf Zhi only said the Giant Oak Forest was rich in resources—if they wanted something, they should find it themselves.
The three weren’t fools.
Just because they hadn’t encountered danger all morning, they wouldn’t leave the Novice Village and risk their lives.
In the end, they decided to keep chopping trees and level up to 2, so they’d have enough strength to explore safely.
Soon, night fell.
Luan Ma was the first to gather enough experience to level up.
But he didn’t leave the other two to hand in the quest right away.
Leaving aside the extra experience, the three needed to chop 60 trees total for everyone to level up.
There weren’t that many trees at the town entrance.
And many didn’t meet the criteria—too short, or like primeval jungle trees that were harder to chop than three normal ones.
They had to go deeper to find other sources.
Thinking about the Giant Oak Forest’s Game Background, Luan Ma was worried about the danger if they split up, so he went with them.
He had plenty of time anyway, and earning more experience was no loss.
Everything went smoothly.
Until.
Night fell.
The afterglow of the setting sun had not completely faded, but the sky above them suddenly darkened.
Raindrops seeped through the leaves, wetting the earth, and muffled thunder rumbled from the clouds.
Lin Xian hurriedly used vines to bundle the wood on the ground, shouting behind him.
“Ye Fei, hurry! It’s about to thunder!”
He definitely didn’t want his first in-game death to be from being struck by lightning under a tree on a rainy day!
“Coming! Just one more!”
Ye Hui Fei replied.
His hands moved faster, the Kuangjing Leaf almost sparking from the friction.
The tree was already halfway cut—he really didn’t want to give up.
If, among the three who got game slots, he was the only one not to reach level 2 on the first day, that would be too embarrassing!