Survival in the Core: I'm writing a guide for the entire server.

[The copper key mold is being made. Time remaining: 9 minutes and 48 seconds]

The mold making process would take 10 minutes, so Lin Youmo waited silently.

Flame Spirit lay at his feet, its tail flicking idly, the flames flickering at the tip.

"Bored?"

Lin You squatted down and scratched Yan Ling's chin with her finger.

The kitten purred softly and squinted its eyes in enjoyment.

"I'll buy you something delicious later."

Lin You remembered what she had promised Yan Ling and started searching in the trading market.

Meat prices remain high.

However, Lin You currently has more than 2 silver coins in liquid funds, so it's not that he can't afford it.

He browsed through the listings and found a seller offering "earthworm meat".

……

【earth worm meat】

Grade: 1 (White)

[Note: This is a piece of meat taken from a burrowing worm. The taste is so-so, but it's better than nothing.]

Price: 50 copper coins/serving

……

"The taste is just so-so...no wonder it's so cheap."

Lin You pursed her lips, but still bought two servings.

After all, Flame Spirit is still young and can't be picky about food.

[Transaction successful! You have obtained 2 "Earth Worm Meat"!]

[Consumed 1 silver coins, remaining funds: 1 silver coins, 5 copper coins]

Lin You took two pieces of grayish-white meat from the email and placed them in front of Yan Ling.

"Come on, let's eat."

Yan Ling leaned closer to smell it, her nose twitched a few times, then she looked up at Lin You with a resentful gaze.

"Don't look at me, just eat this for now, I'll buy you something better when I have more money later."

Lin You gently rubbed Yan Ling's little head.

Flame Spirit seemed to understand, and reluctantly took a bite of the earthworm meat.

After chewing a few times, its expression changed from disgust to reluctant acceptance, and it began to tear at the food in large bites.

The two portions of earthworm meat were quickly devoured.

Flame Spirit licked its paws, yawned, and then jumped into Lin You's arms, curling up into a ball.

Meow~

It let out a satisfied whimper, closed its eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Lin You looked at the little guy in her arms, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Get some rest. You must have had a hard day."

He gently stroked the Flame Spirit's soft fur, feeling the warmth of its body.

The physical and magical energy severely depleted during the battle is being replenished little by little through sleep.

"I'll buy you something delicious when you wake up."

Lin You made up her mind in her heart.

He currently has limited funds and cannot afford those expensive meats.

But once the key mold is made, he can start a highly profitable business.

[The copper key mold is complete!]

Lin You's spirits lifted, and he walked to the furnace.

A somewhat rough mold was taken out of the furnace, gleaming with a dull metallic luster.

.....

【Copper Key Mold】

Grade: 1 (White)

[Durability: 10/10]

[Note: Pour molten copper into the key and let it cool to create a copper key. Each creation consumes 1 point of durability.]

……

"Ten points of durability can make ten keys."

Lin You rummaged through the box and took out some copper ingots.

The method for making a copper key is very simple:

The copper ingots are melted in a furnace, then poured into a mold and cooled.

Each key requires 1 copper ingot and takes 1 minute to complete.

"Let's begin."

Lin You placed the copper ingots and the mold into the furnace together.

[Making a copper key, time remaining: 59 seconds... 58 seconds...]

While waiting, Lin You opened the trading market and searched for the price of bronze keys.

There are many search results, but the prices vary widely, ranging from tens of copper coins to tens of silver coins.

"The price difference is so huge..."

After pondering for a moment, Lin You decided to check the market situation first.

He glanced through the transaction records of the bronze key.

The transaction price in the last few hours has generally been around 1 silver coin.

"Then hang it for 1 silver coin."

Lin You made a decision.

A little over a minute later, the first copper key was completed.

[Crafting complete! You have obtained 1 "Bronze Key"!]

[Durability of the copper key mold: 9/10]

Lin You held the key in her hand and weighed it in her hand; it was exactly the same as the one she had traded coal for before.

He opened the trading market and hung the bronze key there—anonymously, of course.

……

[New Item: Copper Key x1]

Price: 1 silver coins

[Product Description: Lockable bronze treasure chest, limited quantity, first come first served]

……

The item was sold within ten seconds of being put on the shelf.

[Transaction successful! You have received 1 silver coin!]

Lin You looked at the payment notification, and the smile on her lips grew wider and wider.

The cost of a copper key is only one copper ingot.

One copper ingot requires three copper ore blocks plus one unit of fuel.

He mined the copper ore from a secret realm, and the fuel was charcoal made from burning wood.

The cost is almost negligible!

The price is 1 silver coin, which is 100 copper coins!

This profit margin is simply outrageous!

"A small investment yields huge profits... no, it's like making huge profits with no investment at all!"

Lin You rubbed her hands excitedly and continued making the second key.

[Crafting complete! You have obtained 1 "Bronze Key"!]

[Durability of the copper key mold: 8/10]

It was put on the market and sold out instantly.

[Transaction successful! You have received 1 silver coin!]

The third and fourth rounds also sold out instantly.

In just a few minutes, Lin You sold 4 copper keys and earned 4 silver coins!

After deducting the cost of buying the clay, I made a net profit of more than 3 silver coins!

"This business is doing..."

Lin You couldn't stop smiling.

Just then, a locked bronze treasure chest suddenly appeared in the trading market.

[New Item: Copper Treasure Chest (Locked) x1]

Price: 1 silver coins

[Product Description: A treasure chest found in the Earth's core; it can't be opened without a key, so I'm selling it cheap.]

Lin You's eyes lit up.

The bronze treasure chest can also be used as a storage container, with a capacity of 40 slots, which is much better than the wooden treasure chest.

Moreover, there's a chance to get good items from the treasure chests.

"I bought it."

Lin You didn't hesitate and placed the order directly.

[Transaction successful! You have obtained 1 "Bronze Treasure Chest (Locked)"!]

[Consumed 2 silver coins, remaining funds: 4 silver coins, 5 copper coins]

Having obtained the treasure chest, Lin You immediately used the fifth key he had just made to open it.

You have used 1 "Bronze Key" to open the "Bronze Treasure Chest"!

The moment the treasure chest lid was opened, a soft blue light emanated from inside.

Lin You reached inside and rummaged around, quickly pulling out two items.

You have received 1 "Pure Water"!

You have obtained 1 "Clay Bowl Recipe"!

……

[Ceramic Bowl Recipe]

Grade: 1 (White)

[Requirements: 2 pieces of clay, furnace]

[Note: After using this, you will learn how to make a "ceramic bowl," a type of container for holding food.]

[Bonus Information: You have learned the complete recipe for "Simple Pottery", including bowls, cups, vases, water tanks, etc.]

……

Lin You looked at the two items and her lips twitched.

"A bottle of water, a bowl...that's it?"

Since he published the formula for the simple water collector.

The price of purified water is not expensive; a bottle can be bought for just a dozen copper coins.

The recipe for "earthenware bowls" is so common that no one would buy them even if you offered them for a single copper coin.

He took a deep breath, activated his intermediate-level Eye of Insight, and re-examined the bronze treasure chest.

[Additional Information: The quality probabilities of items obtainable from bronze treasure chests are as follows]

White items: 70%

Green items: 20%

[Blue items: 9%]

[Purple items: 1%]

"The chance of getting a green quality or higher is only 10%..."

Lin You shook her head and carefully put away the recipe for the ceramic bowl.

"It seems that selling keys is more profitable than opening treasure chests."

He decided to continue acquiring raw materials and expand production.

Lin You opened the trading market and created two new acquisition lists.

[Buying: Copper ore, price 3 copper coins/piece]

[Buying: Clay, Price: 2 copper coins/piece]

As long as a player consigns an item at the price listed, the deposit paid by that player will be automatically deducted, and the transaction will be completed.

Soon, transaction information for ore and clay deals began to appear one after another.

Lin You turned off the market notification and put all the copper ore he had just acquired into the furnace for smelting.

Both smelting copper ore and making molds require time.

While the furnace was running, Lin You opened the forum and browsed other players' activities.

……

Meanwhile, in another part of the Netherworld in the No. 25535 beginner zone.

A petite girl in a sundress sat in front of the mine cart control panel.

She stared at the names on the leaderboard, her eyes wide.

"Lin You...90 points..."

The girl was Xia Qi, who was ranked second on the leaderboard.

She is only fifteen years old and a junior high school student.

After being drawn into a survival game, she unexpectedly switched to the rare profession of "Necromancer".

With the help of the undead servants, she fought her way through the secret realm and achieved a score of 70.

I thought I could easily secure first place.

Before she could even enjoy her victory, she was ousted by a guy named "Lin You".

"Hmph~ This guy does have some skill."

Xia Qi gave a soft hum and swung her two fair legs that peeked out from under her skirt.

"However... after this secret realm ends, they'll have kobold undead to command."

"Let's see who's stronger tomorrow~"

……

Another location in the Earth's core.

A bald, burly man sat on top of a mine cart, wiping his weapon.

He is none other than Lu Ge, who is ranked third on the leaderboard.

His weapon was not the common bronze sword, but a steel axe that gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

This is a treasure he bought at an auction with his entire fortune.

I thought I would get good results in this secret realm challenge, but who knew there would be other experts out there.

"90 points..."

Lu Ge stared at Lin You's name on the leaderboard, his face expressionless.

He felt no anger, no jealousy, only a heavy fighting spirit.

"To get 90 points, you really have some skills."

"However... this is only because I am not familiar with the terrain of the secret realm."

Lugo jumped off the mine cart, landing with a dull thud.

"Tomorrow, I will give it my all."

"We'll see who has the last laugh then."

……

Inside the secluded mine cart, a bustling scene unfolded.

He even stopped the mine carts and temporarily placed several rock furnaces there, specifically for smelting copper ore.

Lin You sat in front of the control panel, waiting for the key to be made while writing a new strategy guide.

In his arms, Yanling was curled up in a ball, fast asleep.

Its tail occasionally flickers, and the flames at the tip of its tail flicker, emitting a faint heat.

"Once this guide is finished, I should be able to gain a lot more points."

Lin You stretched her stiff fingers and continued typing.

Just then, a system announcement suddenly appeared.

[System Announcement: A new day has begun]

The challenge attempts for the "Dark Cavern" dungeon in the Earth's Core have been reset.

All players can challenge again.

Lin You glanced at the time; it was already midnight.

A new day, new challenges and opportunities.

But he didn't rush into the secret realm.

Instead, open the system panel first to check your strategy points.

Strategy Points: 2980

"Almost three thousand?!"

Lin You's eyes lit up.

He now has two choices.

One option is to spend 2000 points to purchase a gold skill card.

Secondly, you can spend 3000 points to unlock the minimap function in the strategy system.

As for the Advanced Eye of Insight, it requires a full 5000 strategy points, which is far from enough right now.

"Um……"

After careful consideration, Lin You made a decision.

"Unlock the 'Basic Map Function'!"

……