Chapter 2 Welcome to the Star Swimming Pool

Lin Nanxing was internally devastated, but his hands moved without hesitation. Standing inside the barrier, he mechanically made a forward thrusting motion.

Once no more goblins respawned outside the barrier, the sun was directly overhead.

Lin Nanxing collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and his short sword fell to the ground.

Although she is now quite skilled at killing goblins, she is under constant tension due to the dual pressure of having her life threatened and her strength exhausted. Now she can finally rest for a while.

The system notification arrived late.

[Congratulations on leveling up, host.]

You have gained 4 free attribute points, which you can allocate as you wish.

Without needing the system's explanation, Lin Nanxing understood the meaning of the reward, and she unhesitatingly added all 4 points to her stamina.

The character attribute panel will pop up automatically.

Player Name: Lin Nanxing

[Class: Summoner]

[Level: 3]

[Attributes: Strength 1, Speed ​​1, Stamina 7]

With the attribute boost, Lin Nanxing's hands, which had been trembling due to overexertion, returned to normal, and she felt that she could kill ten more goblins!

After fighting goblins all morning, she had a lot of gains.

Lin Nanxing glanced at her backpack, looking at the [Mineral Water x21] and [Instant Noodles x21] dropped by the goblins inside. She felt very satisfied. She no longer had to worry about starving to death. Not only food, but she also had accumulated 63 game coins, so she was no longer penniless.

However... Lin Nanxing pursed his lips, but still couldn't help but question the system: "System, didn't you say this is a management game? Why are there so many monsters appearing?"

If things continue like this, she will spend a lot of energy every day just fighting monsters, so where will she find the time to run the shop?

[Host, the world you are in now has been transformed into a post-apocalyptic survival game setting. Wherever there are people, there will be monster attacks; this is commonplace.]

Lin Nanxing's face turned green upon hearing this.

The system, seemingly worried that Lin Nanxing might lose her composure, quickly added: "Host, you don't need to worry. Currently, it's because your territory's level is too low and there are no permanent residents. That's why you need to personally kill monsters. Once you develop your territory, people will naturally protect it. The more people there are, the safer you will be."

[So, host, you're still playing a management game.]

Lin Nanxing knew this was just a pie in the sky offered by the system, but she had to admit she was convinced.

Once her emotions calmed down, Lin Nanxing was able to think about other things. She thought she had seen something she had never seen before in her backpack.

Open the backpack, which is evenly divided into 10x10 grids, with a maximum capacity of 99 per grid. Currently, besides instant noodles and bottled water, the first two grids in the first row are also in use.

[Cashier counter x1]

[Pool facilities x1: including changing rooms, showers and toilets]

【Placement option?】

"System, what's going on?" Lin Nanxing had witnessed the system's stinginess before. There's no such thing as a free lunch. She didn't believe that a system that could call a shabby outdoor swimming pool a swimming center would suddenly be so generous.

[Host, this is extra equipment provided by the swimming pool. Click to place it and use it. Also, when you complete the initial task and successfully serve a customer, you will receive a newbie gift pack.]

"As long as you work hard to upgrade your territory level, you'll have everything you need." The cold, mechanical voice seemed to carry a hint of grievance.

Lin Nanxing understood its words. So the reason her conditions were so simple was because she was still in the experimental stage and hadn't even passed the test of the novice period.

However, she wasn't upset at all that being suddenly dragged into this strange place when she was completely unfamiliar with it, but the culprit was the one who felt wronged.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you." Lin Nanxing apologized perfunctorily, but her finger was already impatiently clicking "Yes".

The next second, she heard the clanging and banging of a hammer hitting nails.

A minute later, a perfectly square, enclosed house appeared out of thin air around the swimming pool, with signs on its three doors reading "Changing Room," "Shower Room," and "Toilet."

At this point, the system did not detect that private facilities such as changing rooms and restrooms had also been turned into open-air spaces.

Lin Nanxing went inside and looked around. It was nice; clean and hygienic, with complete facilities. The interior decoration was very similar to the five-star hotel where she had worked before she transmigrated, but the space was relatively small, and it could only accommodate one person at a time.

The cashier's counter consisted of an empty table and a folding chair, placed outside the door. There was neither a cash register nor a computer for registering customer information.

Seemingly aware of Lin Nanxing's question, the system proactively explained: "Host, the cashier is merely a formality; the actual operations must be completed on your personal panel."

"No, that's it?" Lin Nanxing glanced at the clear blue sky. With no roof and no bed, where would she stay? What would she eat?

[Host, this is only the initial stage of the game. As your territory upgrades and becomes more powerful, you will have everything you desire.]

The system kept repeating the same things over and over, afraid that its novice host might get emotional and just quit.

Just as the system had predicted, Lin Nanxing was trying to calm herself down. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Then how can I level up?"

As soon as Lin Nanxing finished speaking, a territory information panel automatically appeared in front of him.

Territory Name: Stars

[Level: Shop. (There are five levels in total: Shop - Camp - Village - Town - City)]

[Suitable population: 10]

Current resident population: 1

[Unlockable building slots: 5]

Existing buildings: 2

[Existing Building Details: Outdoor Swimming Pool (Level 1), Territory Barrier (Level 1)]

To upgrade a shop to a campsite, the following conditions must be met.

[1. Host 50 guests. (0/50, Incomplete)]

2. Shop revenue reaches 10,000 game coins. (0/10,000 points, not completed)

[3. Unlock 3 different buildings. (2/3, Incomplete)]

[If the above conditions are met, and 10,000 game coins are paid, the territory can be upgraded.]

In addition, it also displays:

Today's operating cost is 50 points (10 points for the swimming pool, 40 points for the barrier).

Account balance: 63

Lin Nanxing stared intently at the 50-point operating cost, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

"System, could the operating costs be more than I'm thinking?"

[That's right, host. The system will automatically settle accounts at midnight every day and deduct operating costs. If operating costs cannot be paid, the corresponding equipment will be recycled. Please work hard to manage the business.]

If the barrier disappears, how will she survive in this 100-degree Celsius environment? A sense of crisis for survival arises spontaneously.

However, the game currency obtained from killing monsters today is enough to cover the day's operating costs, so there's no need to worry about the buildings in the territory being reclaimed for the time being.

However, killing monsters all morning was just enough to cover operating costs, which was too time-consuming and laborious. She still needed to focus on managing her territory.

Just as Lin Nanxing finalized his future goals, the system notification sounded promptly.

The first group of guests has arrived, get up and greet them!

*

"Li Zi, is your heat injury serious? Do we need to see a priest when we get back to town?"

A group of only five people were moving through the desert. They were dressed in heavy bodysuits, fully armed from head to toe. The five of them seemed to feel no heat, walking one on each side.

In the group, the woman who was called out moved noticeably slower than the people next to her. She shook her head listlessly: "No need, Captain, I can still bear it now. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

While the team was hunting monsters, the female assassin's protective suit was torn. Although she changed into a new one in time, she still suffered heat injury due to exposure to the high temperature.

Mao Qindong knew that Li Zi thought the priest was too expensive, as treating heat damage required 1,000 game coins, which she was reluctant to spend.

But as the team leader, he didn't have much savings and had to support his family, so he couldn't bring himself to pay for it.

The team had a good day, but no one seemed excited.

"Well, water would be fine too," a team member suddenly said.

"You're dreaming. To heal heat injury, you need to soak your whole body in water. Buying so much water from the store is less cost-effective than hiring a priest."

Upon hearing this, Mao Qindong also sighed.

Ten years ago, a game system descended, transforming the entire world into a high-temperature game mode. Temperatures soared, water evaporated, leaving no moisture on Earth, turning the land into desert, and animals into monsters.

The surviving humans moved underground, their bodies forcibly modified into players, and could only obtain game currency by hunting monsters, which they then used to purchase scarce survival resources in the game store.

500ml of drinking water costs 100 game coins, and you need to hunt at least 5 level 20 monsters to get it.

When the game first came out, Mao Qindong was just a college student. Now, he is the captain of a team, shouldering the hopes of five families for survival.

"Captain, why don't we find a shady spot to rest for a bit?" a team member said, panting heavily. "The monsters we fought today took a lot of energy, and everyone's protective suits are torn. If we keep walking like this, we're going to die from the heat."

"Hang in there a little longer, everyone. It's not safe to be out here right now. We can rest when we get back to town."

The game is called an apocalyptic game not only because of the high temperatures, but also because of the ferocious monsters that have been transformed by the game.

Wherever there are people, monsters will spawn. Even in the dungeons where they live, they are often attacked. Not to mention on the surface, there is no absolutely safe area.

The team is now exhausted. If they rest here, they will be completely unable to fight back if a monster attacks.

I don't know when these days of living in fear will end.

Just then, someone suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed, "Captain, look what's that?!"

Mao Qindong looked up and saw a lake-like scene in the distant desert, with shimmering waves on the surface of the water. It was an open-air swimming pool!

"That's just a mirage," a teammate said doubtfully. "How could there possibly be a swimming pool here?"

This road is the only way they can take back from hunting monsters, and they've never seen a swimming pool before.

“Let’s go, let’s go take a look,” Mao Qindong said decisively.

The five-person team cautiously approached, and as they got closer, the swimming pool became clearer and clearer, with a single-story building standing next to it, clearly not a mirage.

As the group approached the pool, a refreshing mist greeted them, bringing them a long-lost sense of comfort.

Mao Qindong carefully discovered that there seemed to be an invisible barrier around the pool, completely isolating it from the high temperature outside, while the temperature inside remained cool and pleasant.

"What... what's going on?" exclaimed a teammate beside him.

Just as the five were marveling at the temperature they felt, a message popped up on their game interfaces simultaneously.

Welcome to Xingxing Swimming Pool.