SSEI | Chapter 2.3

“Anyway, you can buy detection passes at the store in the sanctuary using points. You know what the points are, Yuan?”

“Uh, I’ve heard the term a few times, but no one ever explained it.”

“Points are a currency you earn for participating in the game. You can save them up and buy tools to help in the next match. You get points for killing enemies, assisting your teammates in killing enemies, and occasionally from supply boxes… Oh, speaking of which—look over there! A supply box!”

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

Eren Noeul spotted a supply box and, excited, immediately dashed toward it.

As she ran, the clam shook, making Yuan feel slightly nauseous, but closing his eyes helped a bit.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

Deciding to take the moment to sort through his thoughts, Yuan reflected on everything he had learned.

‘The more information I gather, the clearer the picture becomes… This survival game seems to be structured in a way that requires long-term effort to build a foundation for victory.’

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

Acquiring strong weapons and fighting well were important, but a single stroke of luck wouldn’t be enough.

Players needed to learn about the special landscapes scattered across the game world, understand the weapons they could obtain there, and know how to use them effectively.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

They also had to kill enemies diligently to earn points and buy useful tools.

In short, this wasn’t just about focusing on a single match—it was a long-term game where repeated deaths were necessary to gather resources for future matches.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Maybe that’s why they had immortal bodies in the first place.

‘If I want to escape this world… it’s probably going to take a long time.’

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

It’s probably for that reason that these people are being nice to Yuan. Sure, stabbing him in the back once or twice might bring some short-term benefits, but maintaining a good relationship with someone you’ll keep running into is much more useful in the long run.

Maybe in the next match, or the one after that, he’d end up on a team with one of these two. So betraying them half-heartedly or obsessing over immediate gains wouldn’t do him any favors. If possible, Yuan genuinely wanted to get along with them.

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

However, even after coming to that conclusion, there was one thing that didn’t sit right with him.

‘Then why does the Red Man act like that?’

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

That guy clearly knew a lot about this game, yet he didn’t seem interested in cooperating with anyone. Maybe that’s why his reputation among the others wasn’t all that great…

Was it just because he had a bad personality? Or was there some other reason?

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

While Yuan was busy pondering these things, it seemed like the two had already arrived at the supply box.

“I’ll go in and grab the weapons and supplies! Sael, you hold onto this clam for now.”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

After setting down the clam Yuan had been carrying, Eren Noeul pried open a dented section of the supply box and slipped inside.

That was when Yuan finally got his first real look at her.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

A woman with dark skin and hair twisted up into a casual bun, glowing in a shade of bright orange—her appearance definitely suited the name “Noeul” (sunset).

She could probably be called the Red Woman and it wouldn’t seem out of place…

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

As Yuan stood there idly thinking, Sael lifted the clam’s shell wide open and peered inside.

Come to think of it, this was also his first time seeing Sael’s face.

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He had a somewhat delicate impression—black hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck, dressed in a roomy robe, with skin so pale it was almost ghostly. He looked to be in his mid-twenties.

“Right. Yuan, do you want to have a look at a mirror?”

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

“A mirror?”

“If you wipe down the supply box’s inner walls, they reflect like a mirror. Earlier, you seemed confused about what had swallowed you, right? I thought maybe you’d be curious.”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

“Oh, yeah, I was curious. Please do. To be honest, I don’t even know what my own face looks like, let alone this giant clam…”

It was a good thing the chance to see a mirror had come so soon.

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

At Yuan’s request, Sael used his sleeve to polish the surface of the supply box’s wall. It wasn’t an actual mirror, so the reflection was a little blurry, but it was clear enough to make out his features.

‘So this is… the clam. And this is what I look like.’

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

The giant clam that had supposedly swallowed him whole was about the size of an adult’s fully outstretched arms. Its exterior was smooth and white, but the inside shimmered like a rainbow, giving it an almost beautiful appearance.

And right in the middle of its soft pink flesh was Yuan’s head.

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

His severed neck had fused awkwardly with the clam’s flesh, making it look as though his head had simply sprouted from inside it. But rather than the bizarre sight itself, what felt even more unfamiliar was… his own face.

‘Wow… I really am white.’

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

Hair, skin—his entire face looked like it had been drained of color, pale as a blank sheet of paper.

Maybe it was because he had bled a lot when his head was severed, but even without that, his complexion seemed naturally pale.

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

Yet, despite this ghostly lack of color, his expression itself was… utterly harmless.

He looked completely blank, like someone who never had a single thought in his head.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

A face so clueless and naive that he couldn’t possibly harm anyone, even by accident…

Yuan didn’t like it.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

Now he understood why Lork had teased him so much in the last match.

The only thing that looked halfway decent were his eyes.

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Bright green—at least they had a bit of life in them, which was nice.

But his eye color wasn’t the only thing that stood out on his face.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘…A scar.’

There was definitely a scar on his cheek.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Just like Eren Noeul had said earlier, it really did resemble a flower.

If someone pressed real petals—red at the edges, white at the center—into a delicate floral imprint on his skin, it might look something like this.

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

But even if it had the shape of a flower, a scar was still a scar.

A jagged, red gash ran across half of his right cheek and stretched all the way down to his neck.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Even to himself, it looked unsettling.

How does someone even get a scar like this?

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

Looking closely, it didn’t seem like something had scratched him from the outside—rather, the wound appeared to have formed from within, as if it had forced itself out through his skin…

If he could, Yuan wanted to touch his face.

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

Of course, he had no hands, so that wasn’t an option.

His expression must not have been great, because Sael tilted his head, looking at him curiously.

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

“Why the face, Yuan?”

“It’s nothing. I just… can’t believe this is my face.”

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

“You don’t like it? If it’s because of the scar, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t look that bad….”

“Sael, I’m tossing a weapon! Catch!”

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

Right at that moment, Eren Noeul flung something out of the supply box, and Sael was too distracted to continue the conversation.

He caught a bundle wrapped in cloth, and when he unwrapped it, a spear was revealed—pure white, wrapped in lace and tree branches.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was slightly taller than Yuan. He had no idea what kind of abilities it had, but at least it looked nice. Compared to all the grotesque weapons Yuan had seen so far, this one was practically a divine artifact.

Sael, however, didn’t seem pleased at all, his face scrunching up in discontent.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

“This doesn’t have any long-range attack capabilities. I’m not even good at close combat….”

“Just hold onto it for now. It’s better than nothing, and you’ll have a chance to swap it out later.”

Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text

With that, Eren Noeul stepped out of the box, carrying two backpacks stuffed full of supplies on her back and a slender curved blade in her hand.

Seeing that even she had chosen a melee weapon, Sael let out a resigned sigh.

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Well, at least the spear is better than that curved blade…. But Noeul, if you’re carrying two bags, who’s going to carry Yuan?”

“We’ll tie the clam securely on top of the bags. It’ll be fine. Anyway, Sael, get in. Time to use your specialty.”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

“Got it. Hopefully, I find a long-range weapon this time.”

A specialty?

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Yuan tilted his head in confusion as Sael set the spear down and climbed into the supply box.

But hadn’t Eren Noeul already searched the place? If there was no long-range weapon when she looked, then it wasn’t there. Why was she acting like searching again would change anything?

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

“You look kinda dumbfounded… wait, no. More like bewildered, huh?”

Eren Noeul, now sitting next to Yuan, flashed a grin.

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

Yuan hesitated for a moment before responding.

“You can just say I look dumb. Lork teased me the same way all the time…. But, um, what do you mean by specialty?”

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Oh, right, I should explain. It’s nothing crazy. Basically, every player in this game has at least one small talent.”

“Like what, for example?”

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Take Sael, for instance. He’s got no talent for combat, but he is good at finding things.”

“I see… but somehow, that explanation doesn’t quite—”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

“So, whenever he searches a supply box that’s already been searched by someone else, he automatically finds one additional weapon or tool that wasn’t there before. That’s his specialty.”

“……Huh?”

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“What’s with that weird noise? You make the funniest sounds when you’re confused.”

Eren Noeul cackled like she had just wrapped up a perfectly reasonable explanation, but Yuan couldn’t bring himself to laugh.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

Could something like that really be called a mere “talent”?

It sounded less like a skill and more like… breaking the rules of reality.

Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com

“You probably have a specialty too.”

“I don’t think so.”

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You do. You just haven’t figured it out yet. Oh, and for the record, I have one too. I can’t use it here, so I’ll keep it a secret for now, but you’ll find out soon enough.”

Still bewildered, Yuan tilted his head.

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Just then, Sael peeked out of the supply box, holding a crossbow painted in shades of blue and black.

“Found a long-range weapon! So I can ditch that spear now, right?”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

“Shame. It wasn’t great, but at least it looked nice. But won’t the number of bolts be limited? Maybe you should keep it just in case.”

“Nah, I’d rather not carry extra weight. We’ll be finding plenty more supply boxes later anyway.”

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Sael, grinning from ear to ear now that he had a long-range weapon, climbed out of the supply box.

Now that their search was complete, the group started preparing to move again.

For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com

However, a thought suddenly occurred to Yuan, and he turned to Eren Noeul.

“Oh, right, Noeul.”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

“Yeah?”

“Do you know if the Red Man or Lork have specialties too?”

Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish

Honestly, he wasn’t expecting much.