"I was too careless initially, not realizing that the tree elemental power could be used to concoct Tree Essence Pills, each increasing combat strength by three points. One source of tree elemental power can produce up to five pills, which means an increase of fifteen points in combat strength! Three sources could boost nearly fifty points!"

Waldo sighed, shaking his head with a look of regret on his face. It was hard not to feel the loss. Elements like tree and water sources were incredibly rare. Throughout his time, Waldo had never encountered them, highlighting their preciousness.

Hearing Waldo’s words, Mallin was initially stunned, then asked excitedly, "Water source? Captain, are you saying that tree elemental power can be used to make pills that enhance your strength?"

"Oh? You have a water source?" Waldo’s eyes lit up, turning sharply towards Mallin.

"Yes, it was not long ago that Xiaoqing and I found it," Mallin nodded enthusiastically. "It was a lake, and as soon as we entered that area, we fell into the water. We found these three water sources at the bottom of the lake. To be honest, when we got this water source, we didn’t know what it was for. It just felt special, like something very spiritual. We asked the system, but it didn’t provide any information, so we’ve been puzzled about it."

While speaking, Mallin excitedly took out three sources of water elemental power. Waldo took them and immediately felt their abundant energy, which gave a refreshing sensation, like a cool spring in the heat of summer, making one feel relaxed and delighted.

If one feels restless, just having this water source power can stabilize an unsettled mood without much effort. Clearly, this was undoubtedly a water source.

"Great! These three water sources can increase my combat strength by forty-five points, at least raising me to a new level! This is truly a timely help!" Waldo exclaimed excitedly upon confirming the water source. Then, without any hesitation, he took out a pill furnace and began concocting pills right in front of the siblings.

To make Water Essence Pills, more than just the water source is needed; various other ingredients are also required. However, Waldo was not worried about this aspect, as the herbs he needed were common types, and he had plenty of them, thanks to the system’s previous gifts.

Meanwhile, the WadeMallin siblings watched with anticipation. Wade said with a relieved smile, "I’m glad we kept the water source. We almost discarded it not knowing its use. If we had done so, we would have regretted it immensely now!"

Waldo nodded in agreement. "This time, I have to thank you both. However, just three water sources are not enough. I need more elemental powers to make more pills, or more pseudo-axes." The former would enhance Waldo’s intrinsic combat power, while the latter would boost his external combat ability. Of course, the combat power from the axe isn’t counted in his personal combat strength because if Waldo lost the axe, he would lose that part of the strength. But it would help him kill the stone man more quickly.

...

"Alas, how can I obtain more pseudo-axes and elemental powers?" Waldo mused, somewhat helplessly.

In the end, Waldo had no choice but to turn to the trading platform for transactions. Previously, he hadn’t realized it, thinking his resources were exceptionally abundant, making him one of the wealthiest in the entire chessboard world. However, when he actually needed them, he discovered that his wealth was quite limited. After this round of trading, he feared he would become penniless, possibly even in debt.

"No choice, I have to get through this first," he thought. "Once this is over, everything will get better. And with increased strength, obtaining resources will be easy!"

Waldo pondered his strategy for exchanging resources.

...

Meanwhile, in the outside world, several days had passed. The chessboard world had seen countless battles erupt. Many trial participants had died over these days, and numerous criminals had been killed. Simultaneously, many new criminals had been identified by the system due to their killings.

In essence, the chessboard world had turned into a battleground. Previously, the chance of encountering other participants was very slim. It was common not to meet anyone for a week. However, the past few days were markedly different. It seemed like the system had deliberately arranged for participants and criminals to encounter each other more frequently.

As a result, battles never ceased. Almost every day, participants encountered different adversaries, and each day was filled with combat. Only in rare cases did peace prevail. And once a battle broke out, it was a fight to the death!

Even if you were a gentle lamb before, after several days of slaughter, you would become a beast adept at killing. Following the baptism of battle, the combat strength of the participants in the chessboard world was growing at a terrifying rate. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

...

"Have you heard? A participant’s combat strength increased by a hundred overnight, breaking through three hundred and becoming one of the top participants!" This sensational news broke out in a chat channel.

"No way, is that true? An increase of a hundred in combat strength overnight is insane!"

"It’s unbelievable! I’ve been here for over half a month since entering the chessboard world, and I haven’t even increased my combat strength by a hundred. And this guy does it in one night? That’s the difference, huh?"

"Stop envying, some people are just lucky. I heard they encountered the fifth-ranked individual on the black list. Five of them teamed up, and even with the boost of the power of justice, four of them were killed."

An insider revealed at this point, "In the end, only he survived, claiming all the spoils of war and a fivefold reward of all resources possessed by that black list individual, which led to his combat strength increasing by a hundred."

"Well, it’s their luck, and they earned it with their lives. We can’t envy that."

The participants came to a realization. Was it gained by killing a black list individual? That made sense.

As time passed, their view of the individuals on the black list had gradually changed. Initially, they thought these individuals were prey. Although powerful, encountering them meant an increase in combat strength for regular participants. So, wasn’t it easy to take them down? But as time went on, reality proved them wrong.

The individuals on the black list were vicious, killing without blinking an eye, each one a living demon of slaughter. Their ranking on the black list was not without reason. Even with the power of justice boosting regular participants, it was tough to defeat these tough nuts. In recent days, many participants had died at their hands.