"I’ve got clean, fertile soil. What are you offering in exchange?"
Reading the private message from the Marketplace, Ethan Carter rubbed his chin before replying.
"Send me the item’s description first."
A moment later, the seller responded.
[Purified Soil — Rich, purified soil suitable for growing crops. Slightly accelerates crop growth with no negative side effects.]
"So it’s purified soil..."
"That means they have some way of cleansing contaminated earth."
"Judging from the description, though, they don’t seem interested in trading the purification method."
"That’s fine."
"As long as I can get enough soil. I’ve never grown crops before anyway, so I’ll need time to experiment."
With that in mind, Ethan replied,
"I’ll trade you one piece of wolf meat."
He also attached the item’s description.
"You’ve already managed to hunt monsters?" the other player replied in surprise.
A second message quickly followed.
"I don’t need food."
"How about clean drinking water?"
Ethan wasn’t surprised.
If this player had a way to produce purified soil, they might already be farming and supplying their own food.
Water, however, was another matter entirely.
Just as he expected, the reply came almost instantly.
"I do need water. How much can you offer?"
"That depends on how much soil you’re willing to trade."
"Two hundred pounds of soil. Name your price."
"I’ll give you ten bottles of drinking water. Three hundred milliliters each."
He attached the water’s description as well.
"I want the ten bottles... and one piece of wolf meat."
"Deal."
Ethan wasn’t interested in wasting time haggling.
His supplies were plentiful enough, and the price was perfectly acceptable.
The trade completed successfully.
Afterward, he sent another message.
"Let’s add each other as friends. I’ll probably need more soil later. We can trade other things too."
"Sounds good."
After becoming friends, Ethan discovered the player’s name was Lena Frost.
She was also female.
Unfortunately, the friend system only revealed a person’s real name and biological sex.
It didn’t display their appearance.
Ending the conversation, Ethan removed the two hundred pounds of soil from his inventory and combined it with the other required materials.
A Planter Box soon appeared.
It measured roughly six feet long and a foot and a half wide.
Although it was crafted from plastic, wood, and other basic materials, its smooth white finish looked almost ceramic.
It provided excellent airflow while remaining surprisingly durable.
After placing it in one corner of the cabin, Ethan planted the seeds he’d gathered during previous scavenging trips.
Potatoes.
Sweet potatoes.
Tomatoes.
Eggplants.
Peppers.
Any one of them would greatly improve their meals once harvested.
After watering the planter with a bottle of clean water, Ethan focused on it.
Detailed crop information immediately appeared.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes required a longer growing period.
The tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers would all mature in just seven days.
Although he couldn’t harvest them immediately, that was already incredibly fast compared to farming back on Earth.
After finishing the planter, Ethan returned to the Marketplace.
He posted two buy orders.
One requested additional Purified Soil.
The other offered rewards for anyone willing to trade a Soil Purification Method.
Even though he had established an initial partnership with Lena Frost, Ethan had no intention of depending entirely on someone else for such an important resource.
Roughly six miles from Ethan’s cabin stood another upgraded wooden shelter.
It belonged to Lena Frost.
She stood around five foot seven with a graceful, athletic figure.
Her delicate features were every bit as beautiful as those of a famous movie star.
Looking at the ten bottles of water and the wolf meat she had just received, caution filled her eyes.
If possible, she wanted to avoid interacting with other players altogether.
She understood better than anyone that her appearance had been an advantage back on Earth.
In this wasteland...
It could easily become a liability.
Unfortunately, today’s scavenging trip had yielded very little.
Her potatoes and other crops still needed several more days before they could be harvested.
She had no choice but to trade.
The wolf meat Ethan had provided both impressed her—and set off alarm bells.
"It took every bit of planning and luck I had just to trap a rabbit."
"But Ethan is already hunting wolves."
"If I ever ran into him..."
"My chances of winning would be practically zero."
"And if he’s that strong..."
"There are probably other players just as dangerous."
"I have to get stronger."
"I refuse to become prey."
"Looks like tomorrow I’ll have to risk going deeper into the abandoned city."
With that decision made, Lena picked up a heavy machete along with several throwing knives and carefully began maintaining them.
Back inside his shelter, Ethan climbed off the bed covered with the Blood-Eyed Black Wolf’s pelt and stretched comfortably.
"No wonder this came from a Tier 1 monster."
"It’s more comfortable than the expensive mattresses I used back on Earth."
Just then, the Daily Check-In System chimed inside his mind.
[Ding! A new day has begun.]
[Today’s available rewards are:]
[1. One Common Bathroom]
[2. One Common Pistol]
[3. One Saber-Toothed Tiger Companion]
The bathroom had no practical use right now.
The pistol was only Common-rank and wouldn’t improve his combat ability by much.
The saber-toothed tiger, however...
Ethan couldn’t help thinking it over.
"I just got a monster core yesterday..."
"And today the system offers me a beast companion."
"This Daily Check-In System is surprisingly smart."
"Too bad it isn’t another companion like Natasha."
"Otherwise I’d gain another subordinate and become even stronger."
"Oh well."
"Compared to the other two rewards..."
"The tiger is easily the best choice."
"I choose the Saber-Toothed Tiger."
As soon as he made his decision, a massive silhouette slowly materialized inside the cabin.
Moments later, a saber-toothed tiger nearly ten feet long stood before him.
"Holy..."
"Good thing I upgraded the cabin."
"Otherwise you never would’ve fit in here."
The tiger radiated an overwhelming aura of ferocity.
It felt even more intimidating than the Blood-Eyed Black Wolf.
Perhaps because it had been confined for so long, the moment it fully materialized, it threw back its head and released an earth-shaking roar.
"Quiet!"
Ethan shouted, covering his ears.
Although his voice was completely drowned out by the roar...
The tiger immediately shut its mouth.
Its fierce aura also softened considerably.
Then, to Ethan’s surprise...
The enormous beast plopped down onto the floor and looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
It was actually trying to look cute.
Chuckling, Ethan reached out and rubbed the tiger’s head.
"If you want to roar, don’t do it inside the house. Got it?"
The tiger let out several soft, muffled grumbles, as if it understood every word.
"You’re pretty obedient."
"I’ll give you a name."
"From now on..."
"Your name is Brutus."
The saber-toothed tiger looked delighted.
It almost let out another triumphant roar before remembering Ethan’s warning.
Instead, it quickly clamped its mouth shut and nodded enthusiastically.
Just as Ethan laughed at the tiger’s antics...
A completely unfamiliar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
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