Chapter 12

As dawn broke, Su Jing was squatting under the honey fruit tree, brushing the dirt off the eighth honey fruit she had just picked up from the ground.

The night had mostly faded, and pale golden light filtered through the gaps in the giant blades of grass, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The giant bees that had been active among the branches were nowhere to be seen.

The system had indicated that these bees are active at night and rest in tree holes during the day, which gave her the opportunity to collect them safely.

She stored the 8-kilogram honey fruit in her spatial storage. Just as she was about to stand up to look at the fruit on another tree, a system notification suddenly sounded in her mind, carrying a clear summary of the current stage:

[Instance Phase Notice: The first 24 hours of the Giant World instance have ended. Currently, there are 8236 surviving participants (out of an initial 10000), and the mission completion rate is 37% (3721 participants have collected 100 kg of edible plants).]

Real-time ranking (based on a combination of task completion time and survival time):

1. I am the God of Wealth (Completion Time: 19 hours and 23 minutes in the instance, Survival Time: 24 hours)

2. Hunter (Completion Time: 20 hours and 15 minutes into the instance, Survival Time: 24 hours)

3. Windrunner (Completion time: 20 hours and 47 minutes of the instance, survival time: 24 hours)

Note: Only the top 3 rankings are displayed. Subsequent rankings can be viewed in the system panel. The ranking is based solely on task completion efficiency and survival status, without considering the weight of collected resources.

Su Jing was stunned for a moment, then realized—she was actually ranked first! She had collected 100 kilograms in the 19th hour of the dungeon, almost an hour faster than the second-place player. She brought up the system panel and confirmed the total collected weight: the previous 205 kilograms, plus the 3 honey fruits she had just collected (24 kilograms), totaled 230 kilograms, exceeding the limit by 130 kilograms.

This weight is probably among the highest of all participants—after all, most people only have enough to complete the task and don't have the energy to hoard more.

"Ranked number one..." she murmured to herself, her fingertips tracing the words "I am the God of Wealth" on the virtual panel, feeling a surge of confidence.

In her past life, she barely completed the tasks in the dungeon, ranking at the bottom and failing to even receive the basic rewards. In this life, thanks to her spatial ability and the system's special functions, she not only lives easily but also consistently ranks first. This disparity has further solidified her idea of ​​"stockpiling more resources."

While dungeon rewards are important, these giant plants that can boost physical strength, resist hunger, and survive longer are the most practical safeguards in the apocalypse.

Just as she was about to continue collecting the remaining honey fruits, the system notification sounded again, this time with new environmental exploration information:

[Environmental Expansion Alert: A high-value edible plant—Giant Wheat—has been detected in the core area of ​​the instance (1200 meters northeast, at the edge of the Giant Tribe). This plant produces fist-sized grains, with a single plant yielding 5 kilograms. It can be ground into powder and consumed. Consuming it doubles wound healing speed, with the effect lasting 12 hours. Multiple consumptions can stack the duration (but not the intensity).]

[Core Area Risk Warning: Approaching the Giant Tribe, the activity frequency of Tier 1 Giants has increased by 3 times (Danger Value 85), and the number of accompanying giant insects (Giant Beetles, Danger Value 65) has also increased. It is recommended to proceed with caution.]

"Giant Wheat? Wound healing speed increased by 100%?" Su Jing's heart skipped a beat—this effect was crucial! Getting injured was common in the apocalypse, especially when encountering monsters or conflicts. Slow wound healing could easily lead to infection and even endanger life.

If you can stockpile enough Giant Wheat, you'll recover from injuries much faster in dungeons and the apocalypse, which is like having an extra life.

But the risks in the core area were also obvious—the giants' activity frequency had increased threefold, and there were also giant beetles with a danger level of 65. She subconsciously touched the climbing rope around her waist (it had developed a small crack when she strangled the praying mantis last night, which she had just repaired with tape from her spatial storage), then gripped the folding shovel in her hand, her mind rapidly weighing the options:

If you don't go, even though you already have 230 kilograms of supplies and are ranked first, you can just hide and wait for the dungeon to end to get the rewards. But it would be a pity to miss the Giant Wheat, especially the wound healing effect, which you may not have the chance to encounter again in the future.

Going there is risky, but if you successfully collect the supplies, you can not only further expand your reserves, but also obtain crucial recovery materials, which will greatly help you survive the subsequent apocalypse.

Moreover, she possesses spatial abilities, allowing her to quickly conceal herself in dangerous situations. She also benefits from the power boost from sweet grass roots and the speed boost from honey fruit, making her far more capable of dealing with danger than ordinary participants.

“Go!” Su Jing quickly made up her mind. She wasn’t the kind of person who would give up key resources because of risks. Her painful experience in her previous life told her that in the apocalypse, “surviving” was only a temporary solution. Only by actively acquiring more advantages could one survive longer.

She first walked to the tree where she had collected the honey fruits before, scanned the bluestone in her space with her mind, and then aimed at the branch with four honey fruits hanging on it again. With a "crack", the branch broke and the four honey fruits rolled down. She quickly picked them up and put them into her space, and the total weight increased by 32 kilograms, reaching 262 kilograms.

"Stock up on more honey fruit first, the speed boost can't be interrupted." She said in a low voice, then took a small piece of honey fruit from her space and put it in her mouth. The sweet fruit melted, and the warm current of the speed boost instantly spread throughout her body, making her steps a little lighter.

Next, she began to organize her equipment: a folding shovel was clipped to her waist, a climbing rope was wrapped around her wrist (for easy access), and an entrenching tool (a spare weapon) was clutched in her hand.

She also checked the supplies in the space: 262 kilograms of edible plants (15 kilograms of giant mushrooms, 120 kilograms of sweet grass roots, and 127 kilograms of honey fruit), enough to last until the end of the dungeon, and even enough to leave for the apocalypse; medicines and high-energy foods were also plentiful, so there was no need to worry about supply issues.

"The core area is 1200 meters to the northeast, near the edge of the Giant Tribe." Su Jing adjusted her route according to the direction suggested by the system.

Instead of heading straight towards the core area, she took a detour—she had heard from other participants that there was a rocky area around the giant tribe, where the rocks could be used to avoid the giants and to observe the tribe's activity patterns, serving as a "safe buffer zone" for entering the core area.

She took a step, and the speed boost made her stride much longer than usual, causing the giant blades of grass to rush past her.

After walking for about ten minutes, she suddenly heard a dull "thump, thump" sound coming from afar—it was the sound of giants' footsteps! She immediately stopped, crouched down, and crawled into the grass stalks beside her, scanning her surroundings with her mind.

The system message reads: "A Tier 1 Giant (Danger Value 85) has been detected 500 meters to the northeast. It is moving in the northwest direction and has no intention of attacking."

Su Jing breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the giant's footsteps to fade into the distance before continuing. For the rest of the journey, she became even more cautious, using spatial concealment for three seconds every 30 meters to ensure there were no giants or giant insects around before proceeding.

The power boost from the sweet grass root made her feel no fatigue even when she walked very fast;

Honey Fruit's speed boost allows her to instantly hide in a concealed place when she hears any dangerous noise, and she has avoided passing giants or small insects several times.

After walking for about half an hour, the surrounding environment gradually changed—the giant grass blades became sparser, fist-sized stones began to appear on the ground, and a low stone hill could be vaguely seen in the distance. Behind the stone hill, several huge wooden pillars could be seen (probably the fence of the giant tribe).

“We’ve reached the rocky area.” Su Jing stopped and hid behind a rock about half her height, using her senses to perceive what was ahead—the system notification said, “The core area boundary is 200 meters ahead. Three giant wheat plants have been detected. There are no giants around. Two giant beetles (danger value 65) are lurking under the rocks.”