Chapter 4: Chapter 3: This Cow Won’t Stay Still, Help Me Hold It Down
Yang Tao stood behind a cow, holding a wooden sword, ready to attack. But suddenly, he remembered a joke he had heard before.
"Thank you for saving me! I'll agree to any request you have!"
"Then come over here and help me hold this thing down."
Hahaha.
Shaking his head to get rid of the strange thought, he swung his wooden sword at the cow. The sword passed right through as if it were an illusion, but he still felt a slight resistance—like cutting through water. A flash of red light surrounded the cow, and it started running around wildly.
Yang Tao, somewhat prepared for this, quickly chased after it and struck again. Another red flash, but the cow still wasn't down. It had ten health points, while his wooden sword only dealt four damage per hit. Without a critical hit, he needed four strikes to take it down.
One by one, the cows fell under his sword, and he even earned a new achievement: **[Bullfighter!]**. Once defeated, the cows vanished into thin air with a puff of white smoke, leaving behind some drops and experience orbs.
Feeling "kind," Yang Tao spared two cows for future farming purposes.
"I should gather some grass and find seeds to start farming. Whether it's for raising animals or making bread and cakes, I'll need wheat."
He quickly collected a bunch of wheat seeds, found a spot by a small river, leveled the ground, and used a hoe to turn the dirt into farmland. Then, he planted all the wheat seeds. The moment they touched the ground, they sprouted, but he had no idea how long they would take to grow.
A while had passed, and now the sun was just about to reach its highest point. It seemed like a full day here lasted twenty-four hours.
With the wheat planted, Yang Tao left it alone and returned to his underground home with some beef and leather. He took out the raw beef and placed it in the furnace to cook. Technically, he could eat it raw, but it would restore too little hunger—what a waste. Besides, who in real life could just bite into a huge slab of raw beef, thirty centimeters long, twenty wide, and five thick? If anyone could, he'd love to see it…
As soon as he picked up the beef, a strange feeling of understanding entered his mind. He realized that he could eat it just like in a game—instantly, without chewing, and his hunger bar would increase. But he could also eat it the normal way, like in real life, which would take more time and wouldn't be ideal in urgent situations. If he left it uneaten for a day, it would disappear.
Since arriving here, Yang Tao hadn't felt tired or hungry at all.
His hunger bar did show that his hunger level had decreased, but being able to taste food was still one of life's greatest joys. If he couldn't even enjoy food, that would be truly miserable.
Before long, the beef was fully cooked. He grabbed a piece, took a big bite, and savored the crispy outside and tender inside. The flavor and texture were amazing, but then, another weird thought popped into his mind.
"A furnace made of stone can cook food? That's insane!"
"Where's the flavor coming from? Does beef naturally have salt and Sichuan pepper inside?"
"And the temperature is just right, even though I pulled it out the moment it finished cooking?"
"Wait… is the temperature actually fixed? It hasn't changed at all…"
With all these random thoughts in his head, Yang Tao finished his steak. Yet, he didn't feel full or hungry—just a neutral state.
Seeing that his hunger bar was now full, he thought about what to do next. While exploring earlier, he hadn't seen any sheep nearby. If he wanted to make a bed, he'd need wool. In the game, sleeping could fast-forward through the night and set a new respawn point. But here, he wasn't sure if sleeping would actually skip time. He also didn't dare test if he could respawn after dying. If he couldn't… then it would truly be the end.
Yang Tao wasn't some lunatic obsessed with death. In his past life, he had no choice but to give up, but after dying once, he now wanted to live even more.