Chapter 2: A Storm is Brewing

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: A Storm is Brewing

The [Trading Hall] and [My Friends] were empty, while the [Chat] icon showed 99+.

She tapped on it, and messages flooded the screen, one after another.

[Player 126389: Hahaha, for an old salt like me who’s always foraging on the coast, island survival is a piece of cake.]

[Player 18364: Golden Island!!! I’m on Golden Island! The sand is gold-colored, and you can even dig up gold nuggets. I’ve struck it rich!]

[Turtle-Eating Empress Dowager Chen: Help! I’m on Sunshine Beach, and it’s almost forty degrees here! There’s no shade at all, and the sun is making my Life Value drop continuously. Does anyone have anything to cool off with? I can trade coconuts.]

[N: Everyone, keep an eye on your Life Value. Anyone who’s played games knows that you die when it hits zero. The most critical things right now are stockpiling resources and building a shelter.]

[Frozen: @Turtle-Eating Empress Dowager Chen, I’m on Ice Island. All the ice here is edible. Go to the Trading Hall; I’ll trade with you.]

The screen was flooded with messages, but very few were of any value.

The chat function was similar to those in games; you could send private messages or form groups and teams.

She could be sure of one thing: there were many islands in this game, with a wide variety of types.

Since there was a Golden Island, there must also be deserts, rainforests, grasslands, and snowfields...

Players posed no threat to each other before meeting and could even trade. But that might not be the case if the islands ever became interconnected.

As someone who had been bedridden long-term and could only play games for diversion, Shi Zhile understood the rules of the game all too well.

Since it was a survival game, it couldn’t be as simple as just finding resources. There were bound to be life-threatening dangers.

Natural disasters aside, perhaps the ultimate danger would come from other players.

She had to get used to her legs as quickly as possible and build a shelter before the novice protection period ended.

Her purified water was running low. Right now, the most important things were a water source and a fire source.

You could survive for a while without food, but without water, you were certain to die in this heat.

A fire source was just as critical. The heat could be used for sterilization, and the fire itself could repel snakes and bugs, reducing the risk of being bitten.

The island was where she would be spending most of her time. She had to first determine how safe it was and quickly choose a spot to build her shelter.

Shi Zhile first did a lap around the island.

The sun was already high in the sky. Aside from the trees in the island’s center, some scattered rocks of various sizes, and weeds growing in the cracks, there was nothing else.

She hadn’t even seen a single bird.

As she walked, she gathered things, eventually filling an entire inventory slot with branches.

It was sweltering. The sun baked the rocks until they were scorching hot. Even in the shade of the trees, there was no escaping the oppressive heat.

Having found neither a water source nor a place to rest, Shi Zhile didn’t dare to stop. Fortunately, her legs were adapting well, showing no signs of soreness or weakness.

As she continued onward and emerged from the forest, a message suddenly popped up and was pinned to the top of the [Chat] channel.

[Novice Period Warning: In half an hour, the North Coast will be hit by a level 7–9 typhoon. All players are advised to find a safe location, build an emergency shelter, and ensure their own survival.

Note: Typhoons are considered a natural disaster and are not covered by the novice protection period. You will be solely responsible for any injuries or deaths that may occur.]

Shi Zhile looked up at the sky. The sun hung high overhead, and a gentle breeze brushed her face. Under such a bright sun, there was absolutely no sign of an approaching typhoon.

’So this is island weather,’ she thought. ’Changes in the blink of an eye, just like a fickle man.’

That wasn’t the important part. What mattered was that her current position offered no protection from the wind.

The typhoon would likely bring heavy rain. Her options were to either press forward and find shelter, or turn back and use the forest to block the wind and rain.

Both options were dangerous.

If she went into the forest, the combination of a typhoon and a thunderstorm would drastically increase her chances of dying.

But if she kept searching...

’On an island covered in nothing but loose rock, is there really anywhere to hide from a typhoon?’

There was no time to hesitate. She looked back toward the forest.

[Do you wish to select the forest as the location for your shelter?]

Shi Zhile felt as if she could hear a tempting whisper in the prompt.

"No!"

She clenched her fists and ran away from it.

’I’ll take the gamble. What if there’s a better place out there? Even if I find nothing, ten minutes should be enough time to get back here.’

Now she truly didn’t dare to stop. Fortunately, there is always a way out.

About two hundred meters from the edge of the forest, Shi Zhile discovered a small, rocky hill, partially hidden by two trees.

The rocky hill was about two meters high, three meters long, and five meters wide, composed of many large boulders and smaller, broken stones.

If she cleared away the loose stones on top and rearranged the boulders at the base, she could create an excellent windbreak.

She got right to work, first collecting all the loose stones into her backpack.

[Stone x99, Stone x99.]

That took up two full slots right away.

When she tried to interact with the boulders, an item description popped up next to them.

[Boulder: A natural rock formation connected to the entire island. Immovable.

(I may look small, but don’t be fooled; you can’t move me an inch! Stop trying. I’m part of the island’s very foundation, making me the best windbreak around. Don’t even think about moving me—my mom said I’m not allowed to run off. But maybe... you could try remodeling me?)]

Shi Zhile’s eyes lit up. ’If the rock hill can be remodeled, does that mean I can carve out a cave?’

She rejected the idea as soon as it appeared. Never mind how long it would take to chisel out a cave; she simply didn’t have the physical strength to complete such a task.

’It would be great if remodeling didn’t require manual labor, but instead just consumed some Physical Strength and an appropriate amount of time.’

’Deducting Physical Strength based on the difficulty of the task would be fair to all players.’

[DING! Player feedback received. Adjusting Physical Strength value for Player 138138.]

[Current Physical Strength: 100/100 {Physical Strength is consumed by walking (1 Physical Strength/5 minutes) and working (TBD), and is restored by resting and sleeping (1 Physical Strength/minute).}]

[This stat is in a seven-day trial phase.]

Shi Zhile: "...?"

’It can do that? This is a little too user-friendly, isn’t it?’

She suddenly recalled the first time she had heard this voice.

’It can understand emotions, it knows how to tempt players... does this mean it’s a personal system that each player has?’

’Of course, it could also be part of the game itself.’

’An emotional system... could there be a real person behind it?’

She decided not to test that theory for now. ’Maybe if I provoke it during a crisis, I’ll get an unexpected reward.’

Her gaze returned to the boulders.

[Boulder: A natural shelter. You lack the necessary chiseling tools and cannot remodel it at this time.]

This was the second time a "shelter" had been mentioned. Clearly, they were extremely important.

The terrain here was level and not far from the shore, but high enough that it wouldn’t flood at high tide. With the protection of the boulders that were part of the island’s foundation, she wouldn’t have to fear the coming typhoon.

The most important thing now was to build an enclosure, something that would at least keep her from being blown away by the gales.

She took the stones out of her backpack and, on the south side of the boulders, used the large, squarish blocks to enclose an empty space to serve as a windbreak.

Without any cement to hold them in place, and fearing that loose stones might fall and injure her, she didn’t build the walls too high. Using her backpack’s ability to easily place objects, she built three stone walls, each nearly as tall as she was.

As soon as the walls were finished, a notification appeared.