Chapter 2: To Get Rich, First Tend the Trees

After a moment of contemplation, he solemnly opened the Survival Manual.

Chen Fan knew that in Minecraft, the survival guide was essential to consult, as it contained crucial information.

1: During the day, gather as many resources as possible—food, logs, stones—these are necessities for survival.
2: This world is fraught with uncertainties: cold snaps, hailstorms, heatwaves, blood moons, torrential rains, and unknown creatures may appear at any time!
3: If luck favors you with a supply chest, congratulations—your chances of survival increase considerably.
4: Cherish daylight hours; nightfall will bring an endless symphony of disaster!
...
25: Your own kind may be the most dangerous of all!
26: The blocks in your hands are the faith that will carry you through this life!

Chen Fan’s heart remained unsettled as he absorbed this information. He needed time to process it all.

There was much more in the Survival Manual, but the most practical advice had already been covered.

Having already amassed five years of gaming experience on Earth, Chen Fan grasped the first fundamental truth: to prosper, first chop trees.

This was an unchanging law in Minecraft. Logs were the most basic material, and all tools depended on logs and crafting tables. Even in later stages, logs remained indispensable.

With a thought, Chen Fan opened his inventory and, focusing his mind, placed a wooden axe into the quick bar. Instantly, a wooden axe appeared in his empty hands. He murmured, “Pretty user-friendly... otherwise, punching trees barehanded would be brutal!”

In truth, it wasn’t just user-friendly—this was a modded feature from his previous Minecraft experience, which included a starter kit, chain mining, and a map, though Chen Fan was unaware of this.

He began chopping at a nearby oak tree. After some time, he noticed something odd: the cracks on the tree trunk progressed slowly, and after more than ten minutes, the trunk suddenly cracked with a loud cracking noise. Then, with a thunderous crash, numerous blocks fell from above.

The trunk was gone, but the leaves remained.

“What the hell is going on?” Chen Fan was momentarily stunned. According to Minecraft’s usual mining mechanics, blocks break one at a time—unless...

“Chain mining mod?”

Though uncertain, there was no time to ponder. Night was approaching, and crafting a weapon was paramount.

He opened his inventory, converted all newly acquired logs into wooden planks, then placed those planks into the four-grid crafting area beside his character.

Soon, a crafting table block appeared in his inventory.

He placed the crafting table by his side—a one-meter cube with a nine-grid interface appeared before him.

Combining two wooden planks produced four sticks. Placing sticks and planks in the correct order, he watched as the items on the table merged like liquid, gradually forming a wooden pickaxe.

Its durability was fixed at four points.

Surveying his surroundings, Chen Fan spotted a small hill not far away, with exposed cobblestone.

His eyes lit up. Crossing a few oaks and stepping forward a dozen paces, he began mining the cobblestone.

Without the wooden pickaxe, punching stone would have shredded his fists.

In no time, he mined three cobblestones.

He crafted another crafting table and decided to spend the night securely in the small hole he was digging, planning to search for supply chests during the next day.

After crafting a stone pickaxe, his mining speed improved further.

Before long, he assembled a full stone toolset, entering the Stone Age.

After chopping four more trees nearby, he returned to his mining hole and moved the crafting table inside.

He crafted two wooden doors to seal the entrance.

With everything in place, he created a furnace, placed four logs on the upper grid, and put wooden tools and logs into the fuel chamber.

While waiting, Chen Fan expanded the interior, turning it into a temporary shelter.

“Surely no one wants to live in a cave forever,” he mused. “I’ll build a grand mansion eventually.”

Soon, charcoal finished burning, and he crafted some torches.

With light banishing the darkness inside, terrifying monsters like Creepers would no longer spawn.

Leaning against the rough wall, Chen Fan took out a bright red apple, inhaling its fragrant aroma.

“This feels so real!” Ignoring everything else, he wiped it off on his clothes before bringing it to his lips.

As he ate, he pondered.

He vaguely remembered that one day in Minecraft lasted about 20 minutes. One hour equated to six days, and thus 24 hours would be 72 days.

If Minecraft’s time flowed at the same rate as Earth’s, then mining at a speed dozens of times slower was understandable.

Gradually, Chen Fan drifted into sleep, mumbling to himself.

The next morning, mechanical sounds echoed in his mind.

“Today’s supply chest spawn rates: Wooden chest—0.5%, Bronze chest—0.01%.”

Chen Fan sat up abruptly, rubbing his groggy eyes.

He checked the weather panel.

Weather: Clear, temperature: 18 to 23 degrees Celsius.
Day length: 8 hours.
Friendly reminder: Winter arrives in 9 days, with temperatures plunging to minus 70 degrees. Collect enough supplies to survive the cold and dress warmly!

Without hesitation, he stepped outside and began chopping trees.

Just as he felled the second tree, out of the corner of his eye he spotted a wooden supply chest appear out of thin air near the forest.

His eyes widened. “No way! That’s insanely lucky.”

He carefully surveyed the surroundings to ensure safety, then cautiously entered the woods.

After a dozen steps, Chen Fan approached the chest. Upon touching it, the chest opened automatically.

Inside were a 330 ml bottle of mineral water, an apple, and a piece of bread.

What puzzled him was that after chopping over a dozen trees, not a single apple dropped—not even saplings. That was highly unusual.

He opened his map to examine the area within 500 meters for suitable locations to build a wooden cabin—safe and with a wide field of view.

The terrain didn’t match his expectations. Closing the map, he pressed onward.

Along the way, he occasionally chopped more logs. Thanks to the chain mining mod, felling a tree took anywhere from a few minutes to over ten.

Breaking through a thicket and leaving the forest, he entered a vast grassland where several sheep grazed nearby.

Chen Fan’s eyes brightened—meat and wool at last.

He cast a ruthless glance at the sheep happily munching grass. To satisfy his hunger, he’d have to do what he must.

Drawing his stone sword, he charged fiercely, striking down at one grazing sheep.

The sheep cried out in pain and bolted.

“Don’t run, little guy. Stay and give me your wool and meat.”

Swinging the sword wildly, he pursued the fleeing sheep.

Yet, he soon faced a harsh reality.

Two legs could never outrun four.

Worse still, his hunger dropped by two points. It was a losing battle.

Panting, he leaned against a tree trunk and ate an apple to replenish his hunger.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure not far off.

The figure was walking forward, glancing around.

When Chen Fan caught sight of the face, his heart skipped a beat, and he whispered under his breath, “Is that her?”