Chapter 18: A New Use for the Happiness Point

After getting a rough handle on what the Crimson creatures were, Chen Zhuo immediately grabbed the life-giving fruit he’d just acquired and popped it into his mouth.

Three quick bites, and it was gone—still that same crisp, refreshing taste flooding his mouth.

【Happiness +20】

Funny thing about this fruit: aside from being green instead of the deep red of the Vitality Fruit, it looked, smelled, and felt exactly the same.

Host: Chen Zhuo
Strength: 8
Speed: 6 + 2
Stamina: 8 + 2
Reaction: 9

He finished the fruit, then stuffed every last bit of supplies from the crate into his backpack. His eyes shifted next to the carcass of the horned deer lying twisted and grotesque on the ground.

Both hind legs had been completely severed, jagged stumps jutting out like broken bones. The front legs were rigid, splayed forward as if the creature had clawed desperately at the dirt in its final moments. Its head tilted sideways, mouth half-open, revealing a bloodied tongue. The wild frenzy in its eyes had faded, but they remained wide open—staring blankly, still burning with rage and defiance even in death.

The arrow piercing its abdomen was still lodged deep, fletching stained dark crimson by dried blood. The surrounding fur was soaked through, forming a spreading patch of rust-colored stain. The bleeding had stopped, but beneath the body, a pool of congealed blood had already hardened into a dark, sticky mass.

The scene was nothing short of brutal—vastly different from Chen Zhuo’s first hunt, when he could’ve killed blindfolded. This fight with the Crimson Horned Deer had left him battered, even after using his hunting bow. With numbness granted by his buff, only headshots or heart shots could kill it instantly. Arrows hitting anywhere else? Useless.

At first glance, the arrow wound looked devastating—but the beast hadn’t slowed down one bit. Its speed and lethality were unchanged. Only by thinking fast and exploiting its poor turning radius had he survived. If not for that, he’d be another corpse in the dirt.

“Speaking of which… can I even eat this deer meat? It’s been drenched in acid rain.”

【Crimson Horned Deer Meat: Blue — Edible, no side effects. Long-term consumption slightly increases physical resilience.】

“Wait… eating this doesn’t just keep me alive—it actually makes me stronger?”

“The system said no side effects. So I probably won’t die from it.” Chen Zhuo nodded. Not because he was scared—he wasn’t. But this world had made it brutally clear: it hated outsiders. Same disaster, same acid rain. Humans died from drinking it. Creatures? They mutated. Adapted. Evolved.

He carefully packed the deer’s body into his backpack, then retrieved the severed hind leg he’d chopped off earlier and tossed it in too.

As he stood up, scanning the wreckage around him, he hesitated.

“This battle zone is too obvious. If other survivors find it, fine. But if it draws more Crimson beasts? That’s a problem.”

This place was just steps from the shelter. He couldn’t forget—they all had a bloodlust bonus. That much fresh blood? It’d be a beacon. No way it wouldn’t attract attention.

Pulling out a bucket of water, he rinsed away the mess and scrubbed the bloodstains clean. Only then did he feel safe enough to head toward the shelter.

Now that he had a reliable water source, he didn’t need to ration so tightly. Safety came first. If he got trapped inside because he’d been too stingy over a little cleanup? That’d be a real joke.

Back inside the shelter, Chen Zhuo’s first move was to check the new water line he’d connected midday.

A pipe emerged from the inner wall, cleanly bursting through the concrete like a living root. It snaked through the structure with elegant precision, ending in a sleek, sealed cap—no leaks, no puddles. The pipe itself was made of corrosion-resistant high-strength plastic, ensuring clean water and long-term durability.

【Safe & Stable Water Source: Happiness +120】

“Whoa. A single water source gives me *120* happiness points? That’s more than everything I own combined!”

True, he’d picked up some solid loot thanks to the acid rain—valuable gear, rare materials—but none of it boosted happiness. Only buildings and furniture did. Now, adding this water system meant his daily happiness gain jumped by *12 points*.

“Still need more stainless steel for the water tower. But my current supply is enough for now. No rush.”

He planned to carve out a dedicated space later for the tower. For now, the shelter’s structure was unstable, and he hadn’t gathered enough steel yet. So the water tower would wait.

For now, he set the new water line aside.

The system’s previous renovation plan—materials included—had cost over 800 happiness points. It covered structural stabilization, ventilation, lighting, storage, kitchen, and bathroom. Right now, stability was priority one.

“System,” he asked, “how much would it cost to just stabilize the shelter structure?”

【Ding. Total: 375 happiness points. Includes: Steel x40, Concrete x80, and construction upgrade fees.】

“What if I provide the materials myself?”

【Remove material costs. Total: 95 happiness points.】

“Steel’s covered. But concrete? Where am I supposed to get that?”

Then—lightbulb.

“System,” he said suddenly, “can I substitute concrete with raw materials? Like cement, sand, gravel, water?”

【……】

Silence. The system seemed genuinely caught off guard. After a pause, it replied:

【Theoretically possible. However, using raw materials requires additional happiness points compared to direct delivery.】

“Seriously? Just asking casually—and it works?” Chen Zhuo blinked. Surprised.

Using happiness points to replace concrete directly? That’d be wasteful. But right now, he had no way to get actual concrete. This workaround—using base ingredients plus happiness points—was a stretch. He’d only asked out of desperation. And yet… the system agreed.

“Guess happiness points are even more versatile than I thought.”

That settled it. From now on, he’d save happiness points like gold. Only use them when absolutely necessary. Whenever possible, build with real materials—even if it meant combining basic resources with a few happiness points. Never just hand over happiness to cover gaps.

He estimated this hybrid method would cost only 80–100 happiness points per repair cycle—enough to keep the shelter stable.

Steel was already within reach. Concrete? Just needed cement. He could trade happiness points for that later. Water, sand, stone? He had plenty of those.

Right now, the real priority was killing monsters and farming drops—especially steel.

But night had fallen. Better stay put inside the shelter tonight. No point tempting fate.

He opened the survival chat channel to see what others were talking about.

“Did you guys notice the acid rain disappeared?”

“I saved some in an iron barrel from a loot drop. Last night, right at midnight, it vanished—just evaporated with the disaster.”

“Yeah. If I didn’t still have the scar from catching acid rain in my hand, I’d swear it was a dream.”

“Damn, dude. You *caught* acid rain with your bare hands?”

“Not just the rain. My whole forest was cleared—trees chopped down. Today I stepped outside and… they’re all back. Fully regrown.”

“Feels like the game just reset. Creepy.”

(End of chapter. Continue reading on next page for more!)