Chapter 17

Chapter 017: A Simple Bowl of Instant Noodles

While waiting for the instant noodles to cool down, Yan Cang casually opened the class group chat.

As expected, his classmates were in a similar state to his—having just opened their supply boxes, they were either busy with lunch or had just finished eating.

With the launch of the [Trading House], messages in the group were flying faster than before.

Before long, it was already "99+."

"Brothers and sisters, has everyone eaten?"

"Not yet. The stuff on the Trading House is way too expensive! A single piece of bread costs over twenty Fate Points—who can afford that?"

"It just launched, so food is scarce and prices are high. It should get better after a while."

"Here's a little tip for you—in the food category of the Trading House, change the sorting to 'Price Low to High.' You might stumble upon some surprises from time to time!"

"I tried that ages ago! I did find a few good items selling for 1 Fate Point, but I couldn't snag them—they were gone in a second!"

"I didn't get them either. It's way too hard!"

"Actually, there are bread and steamed buns for around ten-something Fate Points, but these high-carb staples are hot commodities. If you want to grab a bargain, you have to keep your eyes glued to the screen."

"Seriously? Even items worth ten-something Fate Points are considered bargains now? And we have to fight for them? Where does everyone get so many Fate Points? I could barely manage after topping up two or three points!"

"It's different for everyone. Most of us in the class just became adults. Classmate Liu, you're a girl, so it's normal for your physical strength to be a bit weaker."

"According to the big shots on the forum, 1 Fate Point is roughly equal to one-tenth of a healthy adult male's physical strength. So it's best to only top up 1 point at a time. That way, it won't affect your condition. Same goes for before bed—otherwise, you might sleep too deeply."

"I saw that advice too. Last night, I only topped up 1 point before bed, and now I can't afford decent food..."

"Ugh, same here."

"...Can't really blame them, though. Who would've thought the Fate Net would suddenly launch the Trading House, turning Fate Points into hard currency overnight?"

"Actually, the big shot was right. You really shouldn't top up too much at once. Last night, I went straight for 8 points, collapsed on the spot, and slept until the Trial Ground's alert jolted me awake just now. I still feel weak all over."

"You topped up 8 Fate Points?!!"

"Doesn't each Fate Point cost a chunk of physical strength? Classmate Zhang, how did you manage to top up 8 points in one go?"

Classmate Zhang replied, "I just pushed through it! My original goal was 10 Fate Points, but I only made it to 8 before I passed out."

"Damn! Old Zhang lives up to being our PE rep!"

"Is that... really a good thing? What if a wild beast had broken into the cabin last night? Classmate Zhang wouldn't even have had time to choose to abandon the trial."

"That's definitely dangerous."

Teacher Qiao Yue then spoke up, "Classmate Zhang's approach is a bad example. Everyone must not imitate it."

"Before bed, it's best not to top up more than 3 points, or you'll sleep too deeply and it won't be safe. During the day, top up at most 1 point at a time, then rest for about half an hour to recover. Cycle through this process, and it won't affect your condition while still giving you decent gains."

"As for those of you who are both hungry and out of Fate Points right now, you can first look for edible things near the wooden houses, or go to the Trading House to buy some cheap wild vegetables and fruits to tide you over. Remember, don't starve yourself while stubbornly saving up Fate Points—that will only slow down your Physical Strength recovery, or even accelerate its depletion."

"Got it, Teacher Qiao!"

"The teacher is right. Save where you should, spend where you should. Starving and hurting your recovery is the real loss."

"Hehe! Before the teacher even said that, I already cooked and ate my wild vegetable soup! [Image]"

"It tastes a bit bitter, but after a day of hunger, it's pretty comforting."

"Is it as good as my wild fruit? [Image]"

"My wheat bread is applying to join the fight! [Image]"

"?"

"Wait?! You're all eating this well, and I'm still gnawing on grass roots?"

"Speaking of good food, we have to @Yan Cang here."

"True, Yan Cang ate a whole roasted rabbit yesterday. I'm so jealous. He's probably eating well today too, right?"

"Not necessarily. He got lucky and caught a rabbit yesterday. He might be starving today—that's not impossible."

"Yeah, after all, he just shares the same name as the Top of the List. He's not the real big shot."

"'Got lucky and caught a rabbit'? You really think a rabbit would just run into a tree on its own?"

"As for his identity, that's really not certain. Yan Cang never directly denied it before. Maybe the big shot just likes to keep a low profile!"

Watching the classmates chat, the topic was about to drift back to the identity of the Top of the List on the contribution ranking.

Yan Cang quickly typed out a message:

"I'm really down on my luck today, classmates. Lunch is just a simple bowl of Instant Noodles!"

[Attached image: A steaming bucket of Instant Noodles]

Gulp—

The rich broth and familiar Instant Noodles instantly stirred everyone's taste memories. Classmates scattered in different places all swallowed in unison.

Yan Cang added another line: "Eating Instant Noodles before the transmigration, and still eating Instant Noodles after it—sigh, I feel like I transmigrated for nothing!"

"..."

The class group fell silent.

The silence was filled with a sour, lemon-like bitterness.

Although compared to yesterday's whole roasted rabbit, today's Instant Noodles seemed a bit more "down on luck,"

how could the complex aroma crafted by "technology and ruthlessness" compare to the bland, flavorless taste of natural wild game?

The full industrial fragrance was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

To suppress any dangerous comments in the group like "Let me have a bite, I'll do anything," the classmates forcefully changed the subject.

"By the way, is anyone in your Regional Channel calling for teams to build a camp?"

"Of course there is."

"+1, and there's more than one here!"

"So, are you going?"

"Yeah, but I need to wait and see which camp is reliable first."

"Same here, but I plan to head out soon. The leader on my side isn't far from me."

"...That reckless? Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what? No one else can open the Supply Boxes. And we're in the same Faction with aligned interests—why would they harm us?"

"Even if someone really has bad intentions, you can always choose to Abandon the Trial and just run away. I think it's more likely that others will help you for Faction Contribution than harm you."

"Besides, joining a team lets you survive longer and open more days' worth of Supply Boxes. Who knows, maybe one day you'll get something good and change your fate."

"Agreed. Humans are social animals by nature. Everyone has their strengths, and banding together is the way to live better and safer."

"I thought the same way at first, but after the Trading House went online, it seems like going solo might not be so bad, right?! At least you avoid that kind of crap like 'hand over the good stuff you opened from the box.'"

"No matter how much stuff is in the Trading House, you still need Fate Points to buy it. Except for big shots like Yan Cang, who ate roast rabbit yesterday and Instant Noodles today, and can thrive even more easily, us ordinary folks are better off sticking together for warmth."

"Of course, you do have to watch out for that 'hand over the good stuff' nonsense. But don't forget, the trial rules say the difficulty will increase later on. At the very least, it's clear the beasts will get stronger."

"True... I almost forgot about that."

"After hearing you guys talk, it really seems like I should consider joining a team."

"@Yan Cang, the big shot who ate roast rabbit yesterday and Instant Noodles today, are you going to join a team?"

"No."

"Whoa~ Truly the style of a big shot! So what do you think about teaming up, big shot?"

Yan Cang slurped a mouthful of Instant Noodles and said, "There are pros and cons, but overall the pros outweigh the cons. As long as you don't open the box in front of others, generally no one will know you got something good."

"Makes sense!"