MorganBlossom:
"I'm only fifteen, big boss. Please give me back my duvet—keep the Azure Essence Bead if you want, but I really need that blanket. I shouldn't have pretended to be from another country. Please, I'm begging you…"
[ Attached Image ]
Logan paused, noticing the attached photo. It showed a surprisingly pretty young girl. More importantly, she seemed to have a camera, something not many people had. This marked her as a genuinely lucky survivor. She also had items like a duvet and Azure Essence Beads—far more luxurious than anything Logan had discovered on his own.
He shrugged. "No way am I returning that duvet," he said under his breath. "It might get cold, and I'll need it. But maybe I shouldn't offend her too much, given how lucky she seems."
Logan composed a short response:
DemonSlayer:
"I'm sorry, but I already used your duvet. I can't give it back. I'll give you something else, just for you."
He promptly listed the pink lingerie set in the trading system, targeting it specifically to MorganBlossom so nobody else could purchase it first.
Satisfied, he logged out of the chat and examined the day's loot. He'd managed to gather enough straw to build his thatched house, plus 151 planks in total. He got only one Azure Essence Bead but picked up three lower-grade Amber Essence Beads. Additionally, he had:
[ Suspended Stone: 79 ]
[ Stone: 41 ]
[ Iron: 2 ]
[ Stone Axe Crafting Recipe: 1 ]
[ Gloves: 1 ]
Amid these items was also an "unspeakable book." Logan flipped through it briefly, recognizing it was the kind of reading material that could amuse someone who was bored out of their mind—but it might make you fall asleep if you read too much.
"Well, I can worry about that later," Logan said softly. Right now, his focus was on improving his living conditions. With a steady hand, he took 19 Floating Stones from his newly acquired stash and merged them into the island's stone pillar.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Logan felt as if he stood on the back of a massive turtle. He clung tightly to the pillar while objects around him tilted and slid. The entire island shifted, suggesting the place wasn't just a chunk of rock but something far stranger.
Logan's heart pounded. Despite the discomfort of the quaking ground, a sense of excitement filled him. If he could manipulate the island's size or shape, maybe he could secure more space for storing supplies. One thing was certain: in this lawless survival game, every advantage mattered.
The island's transformation lasted about five minutes, during which it expanded from 49 square meters to 672 square meters. As the land shifted under his feet, Logan Lane sensed a strange change in the island's energy, though he couldn't precisely describe what felt different. One thing was certain: his world had just become bigger.
When the trembling finally stopped, Logan walked around the enlarged shoreline, marveling at how the once tiny patch of rock now provided ample space. He wondered if this was how a god might feel, reshaping land at will.
"Well," he said to himself, "more room means more possibilities—if I can survive long enough to use it."
After scouting a good spot, Logan opened the blueprint for his thatched house. A glowing system prompt appeared before him:
[Thatched House Building]
[Required Materials: 300/300 Grass, 41/32 Stone, 151/12 Planks]
[Build? (Yes – No)]
He tapped [Yes]. Instantly, a small thatched house—two and a half meters high and three meters wide—materialized in front of him. Stones ringed its base, giving it a bit of support.
Logan stared at his new home with a sense of accomplishment. Sure, most of the materials had come from tricking other survivors, but in a dangerous world, he saw that as a necessary evil.
[Construction of thatched house complete. House upgrade function unlocked.]
[A simple thatched house can protect you from the elements but offers very little defense. The next level—Cabin—requires Wood x520 and Iron x30. (Note: If you own a Cabin Blueprint, material needs will be reduced.)]
He sighed, realizing how challenging it would be to collect over five hundred units of wood and thirty pieces of iron. "One step at a time," he murmured. "At least I have a roof over my head now."
Still, two major worries pressed on him:
Fishing Net: He only had six days left before his semi-automatic fishing net disintegrated. Without it, he would lose the main way to gather supplies from the Arcane Ice Sea. By that time, the novice protection period would also end, making the ocean even more treacherous.
Weapons: He had no real offensive power. If he ran into a formidable sea creature—or worse, hostile survivors—he could only rely on basic tools like a stone axe.