According to the prompt, Ethan was only 187 meters away from the Silver Treasure Chest.
But the density of the mist had risen to an unbelievable degree.
Just half a meter away from his body, everything was already completely swallowed up by the thick, white fog, condensed as if it had turned solid.
He stretched out his hand, once it went into the mist, even his own fingers could no longer be seen.
'Huh?'
Suddenly, Ethan felt something flash past him on the left.
He quickly turned his head, and in the vast whiteness, he saw a huge black shadow, at least three meters tall.
That shadow flickered faintly in the fog, like some enormous being passing right beside him.
[East: Very dangerous! Unpredictable crisis detected, please be cautious.]
'Unpredictable danger?'
This was the first time Ethan had ever seen the system give a warning that said unpredictable.
'Could it be that whatever is in the mist is something even the system can't identify?'
Ethan swallowed hard.
'Should I still keep going forward?'
His heart was starting to waver.
But fortunately—
[Straight ahead: No danger detected. Proceed forward 102 meters. A Silver Treasure Chest is located at the edge of the Mist Forest.]
Since the system said it was safe, then… he'd trust it one more time.
Ethan took two more steps forward.
And then—
[System Notification: Map exploration progress has reached 1%. Upon reaching 10%, dense fog within the residential radius will be dispelled. Current exploration progress: 1/100.]
Fog-free residential radius.
Ethan's eyes lit up instantly, this was an incredible benefit.
But he had only completed 1% so far. He needed at least 10% to unlock it.
That wouldn't be easy.
Because of the thick mist, he couldn't even see the surroundings of his own house right now.
If he could view even a few meters of the scenery around him, he was sure he'd be able to find more resources and advantages.
Besides, according to the rules of this place, monsters seemed to only appear inside the mist. That meant once the fog within a certain radius of his house was gone, he'd have a safe zone.
Even at night, as long as he stayed within that range, he wouldn't need to worry about being attacked.
That was good news.
But there was also bad news, he had already been exploring for two days, and had only mapped 1% of the area.
"Just how big was this map?"
"Even reaching 10% would be a challenge."
"How long would it take before I could explore the entire map?"
Ethan quickened his pace toward the direction of the Silver Chest. Though the system currently showed "safe," after seeing that black shadow earlier, a heavy sense of unease still lingered in his chest.
No one knew what might happen next.
He sped up to grab the treasure, get the resources, and leave immediately.
[Silver Treasure Chest: Beware of the surrounding poisonous thorns. Multiple cuts can be fatal.]
Just as he arrived at the designated spot, Ethan received a new warning.
"Phew! That was close!"
He had almost reached out to open the glowing Silver Chest.
But seeing the red exclamation mark, he quickly withdrew his hand. Thanks to the prompt, he realized that danger was hidden all around the chest.
Anyone else, upon seeing a treasure chest, would probably have rushed in right away, and by the time they realized the trap,
It would have been too late.
Ethan pulled out his rusty metal axe, and chopped around the chest a few times. He couldn't see clearly what he was cutting, but the real, solid resistance against the blade told him he was hitting something.
[Poisonous Thorn: Can be used to build fences to protect your home from beasts. Pick up?]
'Good stuff!'
Ethan didn't hesitate and chose Pick Up. He even chopped a few more times.
Now that he knew it was useful, there was no reason to let it go.
Still, he didn't venture deeper, the fog made it impossible to see, and if he accidentally got cut by a poisonous thorn, it'd be a serious loss.
[Poisonous Thorn +13]
After collecting a few, and confirming the area around the chest was safe, Ethan finally opened the Silver Chest.
But—
To his surprise, the chest didn't contain the resources he had been expecting.
Inside was only a white, round egg, about the size of a bowling ball.
"What the hell?"
[An Egg: Only by dripping blood onto it can it hatch. If you're really hungry, you can also fry it and eat it, it's rich in protein.]
"That's it?"
Ethan was dumbfounded.
And from the description, all he could tell was, it was an egg. Not even what kind.
"How sloppy is it?"
He was so irritated he almost threw the damn thing away.
But then again, this was something from a Silver Chest, even if he didn't need it, it should still sell for a good price.
"Collect!"
[Unknown Egg +1]
However, something puzzled him, after taking the egg, the chest didn't disassemble automatically.
Yesterday, when he opened a Bronze Chest, it had turned into 10 units of bronze right after he took the flint.
"What's going on?"
Ethan looked carefully, and finally spotted an exclamation mark at the bottom of the chest.
[There are still hidden items at the bottom. You may want to search carefully. The chest will automatically disassemble in one minute.]
"Oh! There's a hidden compartment?"
If he hadn't noticed, he really would've missed it.
Following the prompt, Ethan groped around the bottom of the Silver Chest, and sure enough, he found a flap that could be lifted.
[Beast Hide: The skin of a Silver Python. Because its color resembles silver patterns, it's often used as the inner lining of Silver Chests.]
[Beast Hide +3]
After collecting the hides, a hidden compartment beneath the chest was revealed, filled with some sticky, unknown liquid.
[Resin +10]
[Linen Thread +10]
[Quartz Sand +10]
[Spirit Stone +2]
[Chest Disassembled: Silver +10]
"Huh?"
Several strange new materials appeared.
Ethan quickly checked them one by one.
[Resin: Used to make torches. A small piece can burn for hours, excellent fuel. PS: Torches are valuable items that can disperse mist within a certain radius.]
[Linen Thread: Thread made from Linen. Extremely versatile.]
[Quartz Sand: A key ingredient for making glass. Can be refined in an alchemy furnace.]
[Spirit Stone: A stone containing spiritual energy, rare and valuable. Can power elemental equipment. Handle with care.]
[Silver: A precious metal with many uses.]
"Not bad. The trip wasn't wasted after all.'
When Ethan saw that torches could dispel mist, his eyes lit up again. He immediately opened his magic book and silently recited the crafting formula for a torch.
Soon, the magic book displayed the Crafting Page, showing the materials required for [Torch]:
[Torch: Disperses mist within a 3-meter radius. If you're lost in the fog, lighting one could save your life. Burns for 1 hour. (Torch: Vine 13/1, Wood 41/1, Resin 10/1)]
[Craft?]
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