Chapter 1: The Pioneer

“Big brother, your house is just ahead.” The little boy stopped beside a weathered, mottled signpost and pointed to a wooden cabin in the distance.

“But… I don’t dare go any further.” There was a hint of fear in his voice. “Monsters never cross this signpost into the village, but outside, even in daylight, there might be monsters running out from the forest…”

Chu Jiu gazed at the wooden sign inscribed with “Forgotten Forest,” then looked at the rugged path ahead, his face full of bewilderment.

He distinctly remembered that just a moment ago, a runaway heavy truck had been hurtling toward him…

How had he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a strange little mountain village suffused with an exotic air?

He glanced at the child beside him, his guide—a boy of seven or eight named Aman, dressed in coarse linen clothes, bare feet tucked into upturned wooden clogs, looking every bit like the “Little Gleaner” from a classical oil painting.

Had he really crossed into another world?

Chu Jiu squeezed his eyes shut, only to find a new presence in his mind—a system.

This so-called “Farming Game Plug-in” system quickly explained itself in a mechanical voice.

Though the explanation left him dizzy, Chu Jiu managed to comprehend the essentials:

At the moment of his death in the car accident, he had crossed into another world. This world had suffered a monster invasion centuries ago, leaving civilization at a standstill. People now lived at the mercy of the land.

He had landed in a remote settlement called “Bean Village.” The vast lands on the village’s outskirts, including the entire mountain forest, were now uninhabited wilderness.

Just as Aman had said, the area beyond the signpost was fraught with danger—no ordinary person dared set foot there.

Yet, by some twist of fate, his identity was that of a “Pioneer,” charged with reclaiming that very wilderness.

Chu Jiu tried to adapt to his situation, forcing his voice to sound calm and collected: “Thank you, Aman, for guiding me. I’ll go on from here.”

Aman added, “But, brother, the ‘Pioneer’s Cabin’ where you’ll stay has a special effect that repels monsters. It should be safe inside.”

With that, he pulled two items from his pocket and handed them over. “Big brother, my grandfather sent these for you.”

Aman’s grandfather was the village chief. Ordinarily, it would have been the chief himself who showed Chu Jiu around, but the old man had hurt his leg a few days prior and could only send his young grandson.

“He said it’s not easy to find a young man willing to open new lands, and he hopes these help in some way,” Aman said earnestly.

As his words faded, the system popped up with two lines:

[Received Flint Set x1]
[Received Refined Edible Salt x10]

Both the flint and the salt were extremely practical.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Jiu took a jar of honey from his “Pioneer’s Welcome Pack” and gave it to Aman. “This is for you. You can mix it with water—it’s very sweet.”

At the word “sweet,” Aman’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful! Thank you, big brother! You’re so kind! I’ll take it back for Grandpa to try!”

Clutching the tiny wooden jar, Aman ran off delightedly.

Chu Jiu put away the flint and salt, then followed the uneven mountain path to the wooden cabin.

It was a two-story structure, clearly neglected for many years.

Chu Jiu took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Creeeak—

The hinges groaned harshly.

Daylight poured through the windows and door, revealing the interior furnishings—if they could be called that.

There were no tables, chairs, or benches.

The ground floor was divided into two rooms, both entirely bare. In the outer room, there was an old-fashioned brick stove that could be used for cooking.

As for the second floor—

Chu Jiu had intended to take a look upstairs, but the wooden staircase was so rotten that each step splintered and threatened to collapse. He doubted he would reach the second floor before the whole thing gave way.

He had no choice but to pretend the upper floor didn’t exist for now.

He moved to the window, found a spot on the floor that seemed clean enough, and sat down to rummage through his “Pioneer’s Welcome Pack.”

Five hundred copper coins, clean water, rope, a machete… all sorts of survival essentials, even a basic woodworking toolkit, a slingshot that could barely pass as a weapon, and a small mirror.

But not a scrap of food.

Did the system expect him to forage in the forest—this forest crawling with monsters?

As he pondered this, a prompt appeared in his mind:

[Host has arrived at the designated area. Main quest triggered! System panel activated!]
[Main Quest: Within three years, raise the reclamation level of the designated area to over 90%.]
[Main ways to improve reclamation include exploring the map and resources, adding new production facilities, etc.]
[Reclamation requires a large number of “Pioneer Points.” These can be obtained by completing commissions, selling products, and other activities.]
[Upon completion, the host may choose to live in any world.]
[Special Note: Upon mission completion, remaining Pioneer Points may be exchanged for any world’s currency at a 1:1000 ratio. For example, if the host chooses to return to the Huaxia world with 30,000 Pioneer Points, he will receive 30,000,000 Huaxia Yuan.]

Chu Jiu, whose life had always depended on part-time jobs and scholarships to scrape together living expenses, suddenly opened his eyes wide. How many zeros was that?

He held his breath, counted twice, and confirmed—thirty million.

If he could amass thirty thousand Pioneer Points, then after three years he could return to his original world and instantly receive thirty million yuan!

He couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

In that moment, even this drafty, dilapidated house seemed endearing, and the monster-filled forest outside no longer so intimidating.

Still grinning foolishly, he tapped open the system panel.

The activated system was divided into three sections: [Personal Status], [Spirit Beast Status], and [Area Status].

He first checked [Area Status]:

[Unlocked Area: Forgotten Forest
Area Map Unlocked: Forgotten Forest—3%
Overall Reclamation Rate: 0.1%
Current Pioneer Points: 0
Current Facilities: Pioneer’s Cabin x1]

…Hmm, 0.1% reclamation—still a long way from ninety.

Clenching his fists, Chu Jiu opened [Spirit Beast Status].

He had no idea what a “Spirit Beast” was, but it sounded impressive. Perhaps it was his system “cheat”?

But the system only popped up a grayed-out message: [Spirit Beast summoning conditions not met. Option currently unavailable.]

Tsk.

He could only retreat to check [Personal Status].

Level, stamina, spirit power, equipment, skills…

Hm? What’s this skill?

He currently had three skills. One was an active skill called [Oiled Heels], which allowed for rapid escape when monsters attacked—the lower the monster’s level, the higher the chance of success; it could only be used once every five minutes.

There were two passive skills: [Concealed Presence], which greatly reduced the chance of being detected by monsters, especially those of lower level; and [True Sight]:

[True Sight: Due to the host’s unique experiences, you can discern the true uses of most monsters. For example, the Screaming Mushroom, with its garish colors and frightening appearance, is shunned by others, but the host can tell it is non-toxic, harmless, and delicious.]

As he read the skill’s name and “Screaming Mushroom,” and thought of “Forgotten Forest,” Chu Jiu suddenly exclaimed in realization.

So that’s it!

During the summer, he’d taken a job proofreading item descriptions for an indie farming game—checking if each description was accurate and matched the in-game encyclopedia. There were tens of thousands of items, and he’d spent over ten nights checking every one, his eyes red and streaming with tears by the end.

One of the entries had depicted a mushroom called the “Screaming Mushroom,” whose collection site happened to be the “edge of Forgotten Forest.”

He’d never dreamed that this very game would become his system, and that his experience would become a passive skill!

No matter how this game had turned into a system plug-in, as long as he used it well, it was the ultimate cheat for foraging!

Chu Jiu’s eyes curved into delighted crescents.

Without delay, he pulled the machete from his welcome pack and cheerfully made his way toward the forest.

*

The mountains were lush, dense with vegetation. Trees several men could barely encircle formed an endless canopy, beneath which stretched wide swathes of ferns.

It was already afternoon; the sun hung low, and the forest was shadowy and chill.

But Chu Jiu felt no fear.

In his memory, there were no high-level monsters in this setting. Coupled with [Concealed Presence] and [Oiled Heels], he could traverse the forest with ease.

A few steps in, he could hear, in addition to birds chattering, a shrill, childlike wailing.

Aman had mentioned earlier, “There’s a kind of monster in the woods that looks like a giant mushroom, always screaming, and it sounds terrifying. Luckily, it can’t move, and as long as you don’t get too close, it won’t attack.”

In hindsight, he must have meant the Screaming Mushroom.

Chu Jiu stepped on the soft earth, following the sound, and soon found a Screaming Mushroom at the base of a tree so large it would take several people to encircle.

It stood as tall as half a man, with a red cap speckled with white, and was shrieking for all it was worth.

If nothing else, its size and voice were enough to frighten anyone.

Even more unnerving was the gaping, toothed maw from which its screams issued.

Aside from that black, cavernous mouth, its thick, tan skin bore no other features—just an orifice that looked capable of biting off half a person’s head.

This terrifying monster automatically appeared to Chu Jiu as a collectible card: red-capped, white-spotted, with a description below:

[Screaming Mushroom: A common plant of the Forgotten Forest.
Though it appears to be a fearsome poisonous mushroom, it is in fact harmless and surprisingly delicious!
Its “mouth” is merely a decoy to scare off predators.
When eating, be sure to remove the tough outer skin and the brightly colored cap!
Main collection site: Edge of the Forgotten Forest]

Chu Jiu raised his machete and swung it at the gaping mouth.

Yiya-ya-ya-ya—

After a long shriek, the Screaming Mushroom toppled.

[Acquired Screaming Mushroom x1]