The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

To survive in a game plagued by rampant beasts and continuous disasters, one must build their own power!

"Death is easy. It's surviving that's the hardest." Irving said, his eyes firmly fixed on Sophia. "If you choose the former, I won't stop you. But if you want to truly control your destiny and save them, then you can come with me."

After saying this, Irving left the cave with Vicky.

By this time, James and his team had cleaned up the bodies of those people, leaving only traces of fire in the mine.

The Brotherhood of Night Blades would eventually find this place. Having witnessed Irving's strength firsthand, everyone's attention was now focused on him.

"Irving, we've gathered all the materials mined these past days." James said, presenting the materials.

[Black Iron Ore*1249]

[Gold Sand Ore*842]

[Obsidian*8]

In addition, they had picked up quite a bit of gear from the bodies of the Brotherhood members: thirty-two common pieces, eight rare pieces, and three blueprints.

"The second wave of catastrophes is about to hit. Take all the[Black Iron Ore]and[Gold Sand Ore]back with you, along with the equipment." Irving instructed.

"Irving." James hesitated. "You were the one who originally secured this mine. The Green Ivy Group only managed it. If we take all these materials, what about you?"

Since the incident in the park, James had regarded Irving as a true friend, even risking a fallout with the Taylor family during that banquet. This deeply moved Irving, who secretly made up his mind that no matter how difficult the future may be, he would spare no effort to support and protect this precious friendship.

Irving smiled. "We had an agreement, remember? I only need the[Obsidian]from the resources mined here. As for the equipment... the Green Ivy Group lost quite a few people this time, so it will be more useful for you to keep it."

While the large amount of ore could significantly upgrade the shelter, it wasn't of much use to Irving personally.

Finally, Irving took the[Obsidian]and four blueprints, then left with Vicky.

James left a small group of people to continue mining at the site and specifically instructed them to temporarily retreat if they encountered any attempts to seize the mine. He advised them to wait until after the second round of cataclysms before making any further plans.

"Irving, are we really just going to leave her?" Vicky asked, following closely behind Irving, occasionally glancing back at the mine.

At first, she had been filled with anger when she learned the mine was taken. But after hearing about Sophia's plight, her anger turned to sympathy.

"It's her choice.No one can make it for her." Irving replied.

A mage like Sophia, who can wield ice-based skills, would undoubtedly be highly sought after by many guilds. However, if she can't overcome her own inner struggles, no one will be able to help her.

Of course, part of the reason he was willing to give Sophia a chance was because of the Brotherhood of Night Blades... or more accurately, the Night Blades.

The incident in the park and that threatening text message meant they would inevitably cross paths again.

Irving wouldn't allow such a threat to persist, and Sophia seemed to know more about the Brotherhood of Night Blades than he did. Perhaps this could be an opportunity.

Unfortunately...

Just then, trailing behind, Little Black suddenly let out a howl, as if to signal something. When Irving turned to look, he saw a figure swiftly running towards them not far away. Irving immediately became alert and clenched his weapon, carefully observing the figure, pondering whether the newcomer was an enemy or a friend.

"It's her!" Vicky exclaimed.

Moments later, a young woman in a black robe, Sophia, arrived breathlessly.

Originally, Sophia had planned to end her life in the cave, thinking that her death would be the end of it, sparing her guild and her family any further trouble.

But at the last moment, Irving's words lingered in her mind.

"Death is easy. It's surviving that's the hardest."

A person's perspective could change in an instant. Thinking back to her confrontation with Irving just now, she realized she wouldn't have stood a chance against him if not for the attribute disadvantage.

More importantly, his calm demeanor and thoroughness when she tried to provoke the Green Ivy Group into killing her made her suddenly realize...

This man might be her chance to change her fate. She took a deep breath and decided not to hesitate anymore. No matter how unknown the road ahead was, she would bravely face the challenge of fate.

"I've made up my mind. As long as you help me seek revenge and rescue the guild my family established from those bastards, I'll follow you!" Sophia said through clenched teeth.

Yet in the next moment, Irving's cold voice echoed, "You are not in a position to negotiate with me just yet."

"What did you mean when you said you wanted to take control of your destiny by following you? Were you lying to me?" Anger flashed across Sophia's cold face as she glared at the man in front of her.

"Before I fulfill those promises, you have to make some sacrifices." Irving said in a deep voice.

"At the very least, until you show me your worth, you have no right to negotiate with me. Think it over and decide if you still want to follow me."

"You!" Sophia stood frozen, unable to utter a word.

She hadn't expected to be deemed worthless by this man, especially as a mage.

Irving didn't wait for her response. He simply continued walking toward the shelter with Vicky. But before they could get far, Little Black howled again.

Other than that Sophia's voice echoed from behind: "I promise you. As long as you give me this chance for revenge, I'll follow you!"

She had no choice!

On her own, she stands no chance against the Brotherhood of Night Blades, let alone rescuing her family.

Compared to dying alone in the cave, she'd rather take a gamble on this man!

...

The afternoon sun bathed the earth in golden light, casting long shadows of the three figures in the forest. And among them was a cute creature, Little Black, occasionally drawn to butterflies by the roadside or disappearing into bushes, only to catch up with Irving and the others in the end.

Soon, Irving returned to the shelter.

And when Sophia entered the shelter's range, a system prompt sounded.

[Detected another player entering the shelter, please confirm affiliation!]

[Reminder: Once affiliation is confirmed, if the shelter is breached, affiliated players will also be affected, suffering severe backlash! (Affiliated players will automatically relocate to this shelter)]

This system prompt was audible not only to Sophia but also to Irving.

Affiliation confirmation required the consent of both players. Once confirmed, only the shelter's owner, Irving, had the authority to dissolve it.

"Confirmed!" Sophia glanced at the man once again, firming her resolve.

For Irving, Sophia's addition was beneficial without any harm. So he naturally wouldn't refuse.

[Affiliation established!]

"Alright, you take her to familiarize herself with the shelter's situation and the power generator over there." Irving instructed Vicky.

"A power generator?" Sophia couldn't believe her ears, but she would soon realize how correct her decision to follow Irving was.

As Vicky led Sophia towards the eight turbine generators not far away, Irving took out the materials James had given him.

Three blueprints and eight pieces of black shimmering stone!

[Would you like to view the blueprint information immediately?]

"Yes," Irving replied, and as he did, the information of the three blueprints appeared before him.

Blueprint One.

[Attack Tower]

[Introduction: Using this blueprint, you can construct a defensive arrow tower, which will enhance the shelter's ranged defense capabilities. Additionally, upgrading the defensive arrow tower can improve the types of arrows it fires, thereby increasing the tower's power...]

Blueprint Two.

[Thorn Wall]

[Introduction: A thorny wall is a highly efficient defensive structure that uses spiked plants to create a barrier for the shelter. It can immediately stop any intruders attempting to enter the shelter.]

Blueprint Three.

[Mind Alarm Device]

[Introduction: The core of this device harnesses the unique energy contained within the hearts of exotic beasts. This energy is closely linked to the life force of other exotic beasts. The device amplifies and converts this energy into recognizable signals, enabling real-time monitoring of the proximity and activity of nearby exotic beasts.

Note: The more powerful the exotic beast heart, the better the monitoring effect. Low-tier exotic beast hearts will be unable to detect the activity of high-tier exotic beasts!]

"I never expected to pick up such treasures from those people..."

Irving's gaze fell on the last blueprint, his heart pounding.