Arya glanced at the small pop-up window on her screen. A new option had appeared: "Arya Shop" has been opened. Well, in her case, it was Arya's shop now. Alongside it came a small storage warehouse—ten slots in total. It wasn't much, but far better than stacking items in her tiny, cramped room.
Curious, she tested the storage and retrieval functions, placing a mineral water bottle inside. Instantly, it disappeared, only to reappear when she retrieved it. Convenient, yes—but perhaps a little too convenient.
After the test, Arya checked her personal stats, confirming what she'd suspected from yesterday. Twenty Mana points had been spent. Too expensive for her current situation—she couldn't afford that frequently. She would need to prioritize finding treasure chests first.
Determined, Arya turned and flew out of her room, scanning the nearby area for any hidden chests. Searching in daylight, however, proved much harder than at night, when ambient lighting made treasures easier to spot. She munched absentmindedly on a hot dog sausage, her eyes darting across the forest floor. As she finished and prepared to discard the casing, a thought struck her. She tucked the empty wrapper into the pocket of her patient gown.
This strange, fantastical world had far less pollution than Earth, and her patient gown—already dirty from days without a shower—wouldn't be harmed by a little extra dirt.
After half an hour of flying, Arya had yet to find a single treasure chest. But her efforts weren't entirely fruitless. She kept a close eye on her Mana and discovered that after all this time, it remained at 60 points—neither rising nor falling. This led her to a bold hypothesis: the Mana recovery rate might be exactly 1 point per minute. If this were true, she could continue flying indefinitely, so long as her Mana didn't drop to zero. This was excellent news.
As she explored a more open area, Arya noticed a thick clump of vines climbing diagonally up a tree. Beneath them, it looked like someone had pitched a tent. Could it be a shelter? The forest brimmed with life, but Arya recalled stories of others upgrading shelters using only vines. She proceeded cautiously.
After observing the area from multiple angles for ten minutes without spotting any windows or doors, she decided to investigate. Pushing aside some vines, she discovered a wooden house—mostly collapsed from decay. The interior was chaotic: fallen tables, chairs, and bookshelves lay strewn across the moss-covered floor, intertwined with wild plants.
Yet Arya didn't leave empty-handed. In a corner of the decayed room, she spotted something far more interesting than the collapsed furniture: a small notebook. Palm-sized, bound in cracked brown beast-hide, the cover read: Albert's Alchemy Notes.
The material was difficult to identify, yet the text inside remained remarkably intact, untouched by the passage of time—unlike the rest of the room. Perhaps the notebook was infused with Mana? Arya could sense faint Mana fluctuations emanating from it.
Curiously, she could understand the text despite never having seen the script before. Could it be Kalim World's ancient language? Or perhaps a gift from the World's Will as part of her transmigration? Either way, Arya didn't care; she pocketed the notebook, feeling its potential importance.
With nothing else left to explore, Arya left the dilapidated house and resumed her search for treasure chests. By morning, she had discovered two, similar in size to the one she found last night.
The first contained a 500ml bottle of tea, a 500g coconut bun, an apple, and a towel. The second held a 500ml can of snowball beer and a packet of instant noodles, with extra portions included at no extra cost. Even a wooden bowl, roughly twenty centimeters wide and ten centimeters high, had been tucked inside. The chest seemed thoughtfully prepared, as if designed to help anyone survive comfortably.
Arya had discerned a pattern: a typical treasure chest provided one drink, one or two food items, and a miscellaneous daily necessity. The latter could be anything, often bizarre, but always practical in its own way. She tied the two chests together using vines and carried them home.
Through her morning experiments, Arya discovered that she could lift objects as long as their combined weight didn't exceed her own. Standing at 1.7 meters tall and weighing roughly 100 kilograms, she managed to carry both boxes without issue. Her goal wasn't merely convenience—her home lacked basic supplies, and the chests could double as storage cabinets.
As she carried the chests, Arya noticed two people gathering supplies nearby.
"Did you see that? Something just flew past," said one, glancing up at the sky.
"Don't be lazy. Even if your Mana runs out, you need to gather materials fast. Who knows when an ambush might happen? I don't trust the seven-day novice period the World's Will promised," replied a bespectacled man, diligently chopping wood.
"No, seriously! I saw a black shadow!"
The man paused, adjusting his glasses. "Mm… maybe we shouldn't stay here. Let's head south for supplies." Shouldering his long sword and logs, he departed, muttering about wishing he had an axe instead.
Arya observed them but had no intention of interacting. Flying around all morning, she had seen many others collecting resources: some used Gathering Skills powered by Mana, others relied on tools or brute force. Everyone was focused on survival—but Arya's priorities were different. She intended to live well for herself first, and later deal with anyone who had wronged her in a memorable way.
Returning to her shelter, Arya finally allowed herself to rest. She drank some water, consolidated all her supplies into a single chest, and pulled out the coconut bun to snack on while browsing the world channel.
The world channel was as chaotic as ever, flooded with posts and updates. The sheer volume made it nearly impossible to find anything useful. Regional chat, however, was lively and practical, offering valuable information about the surrounding environment.
Arya carefully absorbed this knowledge, gaining a clearer understanding of the land she currently occupied.
Arya's morning had been productive: she discovered a notebook infused with Mana, found two well-stocked treasure chests, and confirmed her Mana recovery theory. Although the forest seemed serene, it was far from safe. Others prowled the area constantly, gathering supplies, and a black shadow in the sky hinted at threats she couldn't yet comprehend.
Still, Arya felt a rare sense of satisfaction. For the first time since her arrival, she wasn't merely surviving—she was beginning to understand the world around her and the rules that governed it. With her treasures secured, Mana stable, and knowledge steadily accumulating, she was ready to plan her next move.
The notebook in her pocket seemed to hum faintly with energy. Albert's Alchemy Notes might hold secrets that could turn the tide in her favor. And with the chests of supplies, Arya had bought herself some breathing room—an opportunity to think strategically rather than react desperately.
Looking out over the forest, she noticed the subtle rhythms of life all around her: birds chirping in the trees, insects skittering across the ground, and the gentle sway of vines. This world, strange and dangerous as it was, also offered a kind of beauty that Arya found herself appreciating, even if only briefly.
She couldn't let herself get distracted for too long. Time was precious, and the shadows she'd glimpsed earlier were a reminder that the forest held more than just nourishment and quiet corners. Danger lurked in the air, in the ground, and perhaps in the very trees themselves.
Yet Arya had her advantages. Mana recovery, knowledge of treasure chests, and a growing understanding of the regional dynamics all placed her ahead of many others. The challenge now was to leverage these advantages carefully. She had no intention of repeating past mistakes.
As she munched on the last piece of her coconut bun, Arya reviewed her surroundings once more. The forest stretched endlessly, mysterious and unpredictable. But for now, it was under her watchful eyes.
The morning's work had yielded more than food and supplies—it had given Arya a measure of control, however small, over her chaotic new reality. And in this world, control was the first step toward survival.
Pocketing Albert's Alchemy Notes once again, she prepared herself for the next phase of exploration. Treasure chests might be plentiful, but opportunities were rarer. Every piece of information, every discovery, could tip the balance in her favor.
The black shadow in the sky earlier had been unnerving—but Arya didn't let it frighten her. She had survived this long by staying alert, learning quickly, and using her strengths strategically. And she intended to continue that way, no matter what the forest threw at her next.
For now, Arya's shelter felt safe. Her Mana was steady, her supplies secured, and the morning's discoveries had already changed her trajectory in subtle but significant ways.
As the day progressed, Arya knew that the forest would not remain quiet forever. Others would continue to gather resources, and danger would always lurk nearby. But she had something they didn't: knowledge, preparation, and a careful, methodical approach to survival.
The world might be strange, the forest wild, and the Mana system puzzling, but Arya felt ready. Each treasure chest, each note, and every careful observation added another piece to the puzzle—a puzzle she was determined to solve.
With a quiet nod to herself, Arya tucked Albert's Alchemy Notes firmly into her pocket, secured the chests, and prepared to explore further. The day was far from over, and the forest was full of secrets waiting to be uncovered.