After returning safely to the cabin, Ethan stretched as the warmth from the campfire relaxed his tired body.
He pulled out a yoga mat they had scavenged earlier, spread it across the floor, and lay down comfortably before opening the Regional Chat to see if anyone had discovered useful information.
"I saw monsters eating someone while I was scavenging today. Pretty sure it was another player."
"I don’t know if the weather’s warming up or something, but there are definitely a lot more monsters now."
"I spotted a tiger the size of a city bus from a distance. If you run into that thing, you’re dead."
"Monsters keep multiplying, but we have to keep scavenging if we want to survive. When is this nightmare ever going to end?"
"Just staying alive is enough for me. Back on Earth I was nobody. Maybe this place is my chance to start over."
"I gathered a lot of firewood today. Anyone willing to trade food or water?"
Reading through the messages, Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It’s only been two or three days, but most players have already adapted to this world."
"Of course... adapting and surviving are two completely different things."
His eyes shifted to the player count displayed at the top of the Regional Chat.
Compared to yesterday, dozens more names had disappeared.
Although the death toll wasn’t as high as before, players were still dying every day.
No sign suggested the number was stabilizing.
"As monsters become more numerous and aggressive, even upgraded shelters may not be enough."
"I need to get stronger—and fast."
That night Ethan once again took the second watch.
As soon as he climbed out of bed, the Daily Check-In System chimed in his mind.
[Ding! A new day has begun.]
[Today’s available rewards are:]
[1. One Common Screwdriver]
[2. One Genetically Modified Goose]
[3. One Legendary Water Dispenser]
Without even thinking, Ethan selected the final reward.
Although he and Natasha had been fairly successful scavenging over the past few days, they still lacked a reliable source of food and drinking water.
They were fine for now.
Long term, however, it was a serious weakness.
A flash of white light appeared.
When it faded, an ordinary-looking water dispenser stood before him.
Its description, however, revealed just how extraordinary it really was.
[Legendary Water Dispenser — Continuously absorbs water molecules from deep underground and purifies them. Produces up to 20 liters of clean drinking water every day.]
Ethan grabbed one of the empty mineral water bottles they had saved and filled it.
After taking a long drink, he couldn’t help sighing in satisfaction.
The water was crisp, cold, and carried a faint natural sweetness.
It tasted incredible.
As he watched, the dispenser’s water reservoir slowly refilled itself until it was full once again.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t store more than its twenty-liter daily capacity.
That meant the smartest strategy was to empty it every single day.
Otherwise, every unused day meant wasting twenty liters of fresh water.
In a wasteland where even a loaf of bread could sell for a fortune, clean drinking water was worth far more than gold.
"Natasha," Ethan said with a grin, "from now on, let’s collect as many containers as we can."
"We need to take full advantage of this thing."
"Yes, Commander."
After Natasha went to sleep, Ethan spent the rest of his watch filling bottles while keeping an eye on the surroundings.
Every so often he walked to the window, scanning the darkness for monsters—or other players.
Looking out over the endless desert, he let out a quiet sigh.
"Nothing but sand..."
"This place is terrible for farming."
"If we had decent soil, our water supply would make growing vegetables possible."
That thought prompted him to open the Universal Crafting Bench.
There was a hydroponics section.
Unfortunately, the required nutrient solution was far beyond anything he could currently obtain.
He already possessed the materials needed to build planting trays.
He had even collected plenty of vegetable and fruit seeds.
The only thing he lacked was the most important ingredient.
Fertile, uncontaminated soil.
"...Wait."
"Just because I can’t find any doesn’t mean nobody else can."
Immediately opening the Marketplace, Ethan posted a buy order requesting fertile soil.
"Now all I have to do is wait."
With another task taken care of, he resumed his watch.
The monsters’ howls grew noticeably louder throughout the night.
Using the Silent Hunter’s powerful scope, Ethan could make out countless shadows moving nearly a kilometer away.
He couldn’t help wondering whether the monsters could see his shelter as well.
The night passed without incident.
After breakfast, Ethan and Natasha once again headed toward the abandoned city.
Before leaving, however, Ethan made sure to store the Legendary Water Dispenser inside his inventory.
At this point, the dispenser was practically a gold mine.
If monsters destroyed it—or another player stole it—he’d never forgive himself.
The streets of the abandoned city were still crawling with monsters.
Although their numbers hadn’t noticeably increased, the species had changed.
The Ironfang Giant Rats and horned rabbits had disappeared.
In their place wandered gigantic wild boars.
Each one was roughly the size of a delivery van.
Their coarse black bristles looked almost like steel wire, and their tusks rivaled those of elephants.
Wild boars were omnivores.
A beast that large would have no trouble adding humans to its menu.
Ethan tossed a stone down the street.
The noise immediately attracted the attention of several nearby monsters.
While they investigated the distraction, Ethan and Natasha slipped into an unmarked storefront.
The interior was in complete disarray.
After a quick glance around, Natasha lowered her voice.
"Commander... this used to be a gun store."
"A gun store?"
"Then we’d better search it thoroughly."
Although Ethan possessed the Epic Silent Hunter and Natasha carried two pistols, their firepower was still lacking.
Against ordinary monsters, they were doing fine.
Against something much larger...
They would need heavier weapons.
He wasn’t expecting rocket launchers from a civilian gun store.
But even finding a Barrett sniper rifle or a grenade launcher would dramatically increase their combat capabilities.
Unfortunately...
Reality rarely lived up to expectations.
After searching every corner of the store, they found only a Bullet Crafting Blueprint and the materials required to make ammunition.
Not a single firearm remained.
Not even a pistol.
"Commander."
Natasha walked over and handed him a strange object.
It was a cube-shaped crystal.
Inside it floated what looked like a miniature furnace.
A System notification appeared the moment Ethan focused on it.
[Multi-Function Automatic Furnace Crystal — Use to obtain an automatic furnace. By supplying fuel and raw materials, it can smelt advanced metals.]
Ethan’s eyes lit up.
"Now this is a treasure."
It wasn’t a weapon.
It was something even more valuable for long-term development.
Even if they never found another firearm...
As long as they had the right materials, they could manufacture their own equipment.
Maybe one day...
They’d even be able to build artillery.
Carefully storing the Furnace Crystal, Ethan lowered his voice.
"Let’s head back for tod—"
Before he could finish speaking...
Something suddenly changed.
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