When Logan Lane woke up the next morning, he made a startling discovery: the evergreen tree he had cut down the day before had somehow regrown overnight. Even more surprising was a new sapling standing beside it, about as tall as a person. Yet the night before, around midnight, he was sure he hadn't seen any saplings at all.
"Is this place playing tricks on my mind again?" Logan muttered, rubbing his eyes. He felt an odd sense of confusion, but quickly recalled the strange visions he'd had. Could they be related? He shook his head, trying to focus on the tangible details around him.
"I swear I looked right here last night. No sign of this sapling then… unless I somehow saw what hadn't happened yet," he said softly. The idea was bizarre, but everything about this world seemed to defy normal logic.
Deciding he needed answers, Logan walked to the edge of his island and fixed his gaze on the pitch-black sea. He stood completely still, barely blinking, letting his thoughts hone in on one spot.
After half an hour, the usual dark haze over the water started to thin. Gradually, the ocean took on a deep blue color, almost transparent. Surprised, Logan watched rows of text and images appear in his mind, each labeled with a time stamp:
9:36:23 AM
[At 50 meters from shore and 12 meters below the surface, a Mutant Juvenile Shark (3 meters long) will pass by. Edible if caught, and its flesh is quite tender.]
9:52:17 AM
[At 13 meters away, 5 meters under the surface, two iron-supply treasure chests will float up from the seabed. They are Level 2 crates with plentiful materials, but could also contain hidden dangers.]
11:42:48 AM
[At 15 meters away, three wooden treasure chests will appear on the surface. They'd be obvious if not for the black fog.]
1:34:37 PM
[At 2 meters from shore, an F-rank turtle will come to bask in the sun because of your island's expansion. Though slow, it has impressive defense. Killing it yields F-rank turtle meat that boosts constitution.]
3:12:54 PM
[At 14 meters away, 3 meters deep, hundreds of wooden treasure chests will appear—today's "material outbreak." But your fishing net can only hold a maximum of two crates each cast.]
5:18:14 PM
[A B-rank sea serpent will swim by your island. Remain silent, or it'll kill you instantly—even in the protection period.]
7:18:39 PM
[As night falls, many sea creatures will gather near your island. They won't attack yet due to the novice protection, but once that's over, you'll be in danger.]
11:11:45 PM
[A huge feeding frenzy will occur nearby. Powerful creatures will slaughter and devour each other. If you can seize a corpse, it could feed you for a month—if only you had a way to preserve it!]
This list kept updating until it reached 4:59:59 AM the following morning. By the time the images faded, Logan felt drained, as if he'd been running a marathon just by standing still.
He guessed it was roughly 7:00 AM now, given the sun's position. "That was… intense," he whispered, his heart still racing. "If this is really true, I could plan my day around these events."
Logan took a deep breath. If the "predictions" were accurate, there would be a surge of treasure chests at 3:12:54 PM. It might be impossible to claim them all, but snagging even a handful could secure his survival for days. He recalled how, on the district chat, people complained they could only get one crate per day—and sometimes found it empty.
"Relying on scamming everyone can't last forever," Logan thought, remembering how he'd tricked other survivors earlier. "The real treasure must be these supply crates."
Feeling a twinge of excitement, he ate a quick meal of [Frozen Meat Bun (80g)] and drank one [Purified Water (500ml)]. The cold bun made his stomach cramp a little, but he pushed through. By around 9:00 AM, he readied his fishing net. According to the vision, two iron crates would float by at 9:52:17 AM. The Mutant Juvenile Shark was not part of the plan—wrestling with a three-meter predator sounded like a one-way trip to the ocean floor.
"I'm not suicidal," he muttered. "Even if I caught it, who's to say I'd make it out alive?"
By 10:00 AM, Logan began pulling in his net. His pulse quickened. If the prediction was correct, he'd snag two iron supply boxes. Sure enough, the net felt heavier than usual. He hauled it ashore, and there they were—two iron crates caught in the mesh.
"Oh, man," he whispered, both thrilled and uneasy. The vision was real. He dragged the crates to the center of the island, clutching his battered stone axe.
"There could be anything inside," he reminded himself. "Supplies… or a monster waiting to kill me."
Taking a deep breath, he pried open the first iron crate.