Chapter 9 Second Test Announcement and Slime Must Die
The Earth and the internet world have been hit like a depth charge.
As the gameplay demo video of "What Canned Food I Say" continued to gain traction, the hashtag #GodForsakenLand# quickly rose to the top of the trending topics on major social media platforms around the world within just half a day.
The official forum, which had only recently opened and had an extremely rudimentary interface, was now experiencing a surge in traffic. Countless netizens flooded into this "only official channel," trying to find download links or registration qualifications, nearly crashing the server (which was actually Li Wei's mental link bandwidth).
Just as everyone was focused on it, a pinned post in red and bold appeared quietly in the forum's announcement section.
The poster's ID is [God's Forsaken Land Official], and their profile picture is a deep black vortex.
[To the first pioneers who stepped into the abyss: Your courage illuminated the darkness.] [But the abyss's gaze has never ceased, and the temple's revival requires more fuel.] [The Forsaken Lands Ver 0.2: Echoes of the Ruins - Closed Beta Recruitment Officially Open.]
[Recruitment Information]
Test type: Closed beta test with/without data wipe (core assets will be retained, and data may be adjusted according to version balance).
Number of recruits: 35 (combined with the 15 recruits from the first test, increasing the server's total capacity to 50).
Application requirements: Applicants must be at least 18 years old, have no history of heart disease, possess extremely strong psychological resilience (important!), and have a heart that yearns for real adventure.
New content:
Open areas: Ruins behind the temple, edge of the withered forest.
New monster types added: Acid Slime, Bone Rat, and Mutant Thorn Monster.
Basic Open Life Skills Modules: Blacksmithing (Simple), Cooking (Dark), Building (Wasteland Style).
Special Note: This game strives for ultimate physical realism and sensory experience. Please be prepared to roll around in mud and fight in pools of blood.
At the very bottom of the announcement, the red "Application Eligibility" button is lit up.
In an instant, Li Wei sensed a tremendous vibration coming from the "network cable" that transcended dimensions.
"Only 35 spots?! The organizers are so stingy!" "Only 50 people in total? If I get one, I'll be one in a hundred elites!" "Pick me! Pick me! I'm a university student! My physical abilities are amazing!" "I'm a chemistry PhD! I can go to another world and make gunpowder!"
...
In another world, inside a temple.
Li Wei rubbed his temples, blocking out the noisy prayers in his mind (mainly the players' murmurs).
"We'll recruit 35 more to make a team of 50, which should be enough for now."
Li Wei watched the surging power of faith within his divine core, calculating in his mind. Although his current energy was enough to recruit more people, he knew that taking too big a step could lead to disaster. Fifty people were still within his precise control, but if hundreds came, just managing their food, drink, and other needs would give this evil god a major headache.
"However, even if there are only 50 people, accommodation will be a big problem."
The Temple Square is spacious enough for 15 people, but if 35 more big men came, it would definitely turn into a refugee camp.
"The ruins on the back hill must be cleared out to create a new residential area."
Li Wei turned his gaze to the back of the temple. Where the divine servants once lived, now it was covered in thick humus and green slime, a paradise for a group of low-level monsters.
"Mia."
"Meow?"
"Go and call those lunatics… I mean, the warriors back. They're here."
Outside the temple, the players who were arguing about whose house was uglier suddenly felt a collective jolt.
The familiar gold lettering reappeared on everyone's retina once again.
[Urgent Quest: Cleaners of the Ruins] [Quest Description: New companions are on their way (35 players from the second closed beta test will arrive in 24 hours). To welcome them, the gods have decided to reclaim the ruins behind the temple. However, a group of repulsive native creatures inhabits the area.] [Quest Objective: Clear the "Acid Slime" (0/50) from the ruins behind the temple.] [Quest Reward:]
Contribution points +15 per unit (distributed based on damage contribution).
Unlocks access to Slime Gel (which can be used to make adhesives and torch fuel).
Once the server-wide cleanup progress reaches 100%, each participant will receive the title "Cleanup Team Leader".
"Second closed beta? New players are coming tomorrow?" "I'm not a husky" threw away the mud in his hand, looking excited. "Only 35 people? Looks like our position as first closed beta players is still pretty secure! From now on, I'm a veteran, and I have the right to show off!"
"Stop talking nonsense, look at the mission rewards!" "Ding ding ding Xin Zhi Gang" was brimming with fighting spirit. "15 points per kill! One kill is three black breads! Charge!"
The players roared and grabbed their weapons—some with sharpened sticks, others with stones—and marched in a mighty force toward the back of the mountain.
Behind the temple, there was a damp and dark area of broken walls and ruins.
As soon as you get close, a sour, foul odor hits you. The ground is covered in a translucent green slime that makes a squelching sound when you step on it, which is extremely disgusting.
"There it is! A slime!"
The sharp-eyed "Edison reincarnation" pointed to a broken wall.
In the corner, several jelly-like green creatures, each the size of a millstone, were slowly wriggling. Their bodies contained undigested bones and fragments of stone, making them look both bouncy and eerie.
[Monster: Acid Slime (Lv.3)] [Characteristics: Physical Damage Reduction, Corrosive, Brainless]
"Level 3? Brothers, let's go! Let's stomp this noob!"
A player named "Is this melon ripe?", relying on the fact that he had just made a simple spiked club out of wood, charged forward with a strange cry and hit the nearest slime on the head with the club.
puff!
The blow didn't feel like a real impact; instead, it felt like hitting super glue.
The spiked club sank directly into the slime's body, and the viscous fluid instantly enveloped the club.
"Huh? I... I can't pull it out!"
"Is this melon guaranteed to be ripe?" His expression changed, and he pulled it back with all his might.
Just then, the slime was attacked, its body suddenly contracted, and then—
Pfft!
A stream of green liquid sprayed out like a water gun, hitting "Is this melon guaranteed to be ripe?" right on the face.
"Ahhh! My eyes! They're burning! So burning!"
Although the pain sensation was weakened, the acid clearly contained some kind of neurotoxin. The player rolled on the ground, clutching his face, with a red [Poisoned/Blinded] status appearing above his head.
"Holy crap! This thing can attack from a distance!"
"Don't use blunt objects! Don't use brute force!" "Edison reincarnated" shouted from behind, "This is a non-Newtonian fluid! The harder you use it, the harder it gets! Use a spike! Or use fire!"
"Fire? Where did the fire come from?"
Just as the scene became chaotic, with players being chased all over the place by several soft slimes, "I'll teach you a lesson" who hadn't spoken until now suddenly stepped out with its eyes shining.
He was holding a still-burning torch (borrowed from the campfire).
"Make way! Let the professionals handle this!"
The fat chef roared, but instead of attacking directly, he pulled out a handful of... salt from his pocket?
That's right, it was coarse salt that he had exchanged for at a high price from the supply station yesterday, which he originally intended to use for curing meat.
"Since it's a mollusc, like a snail or a slug..."
The fat man threw coarse salt all over the slime.
Zzz—!
A violent chemical reaction rang out. The slime, which had been so majestic just moments before, trembled violently upon contact with the salt, its body water began to seep out frantically, and its once plump body quickly shriveled up.
"Chirp!!!" The slime made a leaky sound.
"Now's the time! Strike at its core!"
With lightning speed, the fat man thrust a torch into the slime's softened body, precisely burning away the green core that was floating inside.
Snap.
The slime turned into a puddle of green water, leaving behind only a crystal-clear gelatinous substance.
[Slay the Acid Slime! Experience +5, Contribution Points +15!]
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone looked at the fat man as if he were a god.
"Wow, fat guy, that's awesome! Biological and chemical weapons?"
"This isn't just a cook, this is an alchemist!"
"I'll teach you a lesson," he said smugly, wiping his nose. He picked up the [slime gel], smelled it, and a chillingly infatuated expression appeared on his face.
"Hmm...it's sour, kind of like lemon jelly. I wonder if it could be made into jelly? Or...slime sashimi?"
The surrounding players all took a step back.
These are the true followers of an evil god!
With the strategy guide in hand, the battle that followed turned into a one-sided massacre.
Although people didn't have that much salt, they quickly discovered its weakness: it would be ruined if the core was pierced with a sharp object or heated with a torch.
The husky invented the "brick-sandwich method," where two people would hold up a large stone slab and squeeze the slime between them until it bursts. Gangzi discovered that you could bury the slime in mud to suffocate it (if the slime needed to breathe), which was inefficient but very stress-relieving.
In just two hours, the fifty slimes on the back hill were completely cleared away.
The players were covered in green slime, and although they looked disheveled, their faces were filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
Especially the line "Let me teach you how to be a person," where he carried a whole sack of slime gel and muttered "braised, steamed, fried, made into pudding," made the person next to him, "What canned food, I'll tell you," feel a little nauseous.
Li Wei stood atop the temple, watching the group of players returning laden with spoils, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good, the cleaning team is in place."
He looked at the night gradually enveloping the earth in the distance, his eyes gleaming with a purple-gold light.
"Next, it's time to welcome those 35 new leeks... new companions."