Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Mist
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“Welcome to the World of Mist!”
“Don’t trouble yourself wondering how you arrived here. The fact is, you’re here now, and you will never return. Please make the most of your life in this place!”
“Furthermore, this is a real world. If you die here, you will truly die!”
“Do not doubt this.”
“Below are the survival rules for the World of Mist. Remember them well!”
“1. Do not go outside after night falls, or you may be taken by the monsters lurking in the mist.”
“2. Campfires can provide warmth and drive back the fog, so be sure to light a fire before night descends!”
“3. Hidden throughout the World of Mist are various supply chests, filled with many useful items—if you can find them! Note: The locations of treasure chests refresh every day.”
“4. In three days, extreme cold will descend. Upgrade your treehouse and gather enough firewood, or you’ll find it very difficult to survive the frigid nights!”
“5. Silently reciting ‘Panel’ will reopen the panel, which includes (Personal Attributes), (Communication Channel), (Trading Market), and (Leaderboard).”
A pale blue light swept past.
Yet the information seemed to pour straight into Ye Da’s mind, lodging there in an instant.
Still, Ye Da remained filled with uncertainty.
If he remembered correctly, he’d been working overtime on a report, dozing off for a moment—so how had he ended up here?
He looked around, realizing he was surrounded by rough, impenetrable walls. He reached out and felt a texture like tree bark, with an earthy tang and the sharpness of plants in the air.
Was he... inside a tree hollow?
Turning around, he saw light filtering in behind him.
He looked more closely and found a half-meter-wide crack in the tree, through which gray-white light squeezed, struggling to illuminate the darkness within.
Moving to the crevice, Ye Da peered outside...
The swirling mist was like a colossal curtain, draped before his eyes, obscuring any view of the world beyond.
Was this... a game?
Doubt filled Ye Da’s heart.
Everything before him felt so real, yet he still refused to believe he’d crossed into another world. Instead, he suspected he’d been kidnapped by some television crew or scientific project to participate in a brain-machine interface experiment.
Just like in Sword Art Online, where every player, once they put on the helmet, entered the game world with no way to leave.
Unless the game could be broken.
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And before playing a game, the most important thing was to understand the game first.
“Communication Channel”
As soon as he silently recited those words, a pale blue screen shimmered before his eyes.
“What the hell is this place? There are giant trees outside, the grass is taller than green onions in Shandong—have I ended up in the Amazon rainforest?”
“It’s possible! I just tried to explore, but as soon as I left the tree hollow, I saw a massive dark shadow in the mist—one of them even lunged at me! I ran back in terror. There must be wild animals out there. It’s terrifying!”
“Does anyone have food? I haven’t eaten all day—I’m starving.”
“Am I dreaming? Please, let me go home!”
“I’ve tried. There’s no way back! I think we’ve been abducted into some kind of game experiment. Instead of dwelling on returning, you’d better think about how to survive. As far as I know, if you die in these brainwave games, your real body suffers brain death too.”
“But the panel said this is the real world, and we shouldn’t doubt it!”
“It feels too real. I slapped myself and it hurt like hell—this is nothing like a game!”
“Why slap yourself? Wouldn’t it be more fun to charge ahead?”
“I’ve always wished I could live in a game—no work, no money worries, how great would that be! I don’t care if this is real or a game, the tips say the first three days are the newbie period. Time to get started, everyone!”
“I agree, a game is great—finally, I don’t have to look for a job. Life is sweet!”
“I’m a gaming expert—my chance to stand out has finally arrived! Let’s go, brothers!”
“I’d love to charge ahead, but it’s all fog outside. Can we really go out?”
“...”
“Hm?!”
As Ye Da was busy studying the rules of the game...
Out of the corner of his eye, through the glowing screen, he caught sight of a box-shaped shadow in the mist outside the hollow—a wooden chest the size of a beer crate.
A treasure chest!
Ye Da’s pupils contracted, his breath catching for a second.
“Hidden throughout the World of Mist are various supply chests, filled with many useful items—if you can find them!”
The supply chests mentioned in the Mist Survival Rules must refer to this.
Wait—when did he ever get so lucky? Without even leaving the hollow, he’d found a treasure chest?
He wanted to go out and grab it, but the darkness and thick mist outside left him unsure how dangerous it might be.
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He poked his head out of the tree hollow, straining to look around.
Outside, there was nothing but mist.
Not even the sound of insects.
No sound.
That probably meant no danger, right?
After all, it was only a dozen steps away. If anything happened, he’d have time to run back!
Ye Da slipped sideways through the half-meter-wide crack. Before leaving the shelter completely, he paused, listening carefully for any sound outside. Only after confirming there was silence did he dash swiftly toward the treasure chest about ten meters away.
The mist outside was dense.
Running through it, Ye Da felt as though he floated on clouds.
In a few quick strides, he reached the wooden chest, scooped it into his arms, and dashed back!
“Sh-sh-sh!”
“Sh-sh-sh-sh!”
As he ran, the swishing of grass blades scraping together sounded behind him.
Ye Da glanced back—nearby, a patch of grass was swaying violently, as if some massive creature was forcing its way through!
Whatever moved in the grass was incredibly fast!
It was almost at the edge, about to burst through the grass!
Ye Da’s heart pounded, his hair stood on end.
He dared not waste a single moment pondering what might emerge...
Clutching the treasure chest, he tore back toward the hollow, racing against time—hoping to reach shelter before the monster in the grass could catch him.
Bang!
The instant Ye Da squeezed through the tree crack, a heavy thud sounded behind him, vibrating the trunk—a sure sign that something from the mist had crashed into it!
A deafening roar exploded at his ear just as he forced himself through the opening.
Only after he was safely inside did Ye Da dare to look back.