On the windswept island, Meng Hao accessed the crafting interface.
By consuming the appropriate materials, he could forge many rudimentary items directly from the crafting menu.
After a brief search, he located the schematic for a wooden basin.
[Wooden Basin: Decayed-grade item. Requires 1 unit of wood. Proceed with crafting?]
"Craft it."
[Craft successful. Wood -1. Congratulations, you've obtained: Wooden Basin.]
The basin bore the natural grain of raw timber—its appearance was pleasing, resembling a fine artisan piece fit for a rustic boutique.
Placing it before him, Meng Hao retrieved 400ml of freshwater from his storage ring and carefully poured it in.
Then, with almost ceremonial solemnity, he washed his hands.
Yes—after all that effort, he had crafted a basin solely to wash his hands.
If others discovered he used precious freshwater for such a trivial task, they might very well beat him to death.
An unforgivable waste of resources.
Around the world, countless survivors struggled daily with thirst—yet here he was, cleansing his palms like a pampered noble.
But Meng Hao didn't care. In his mind, the poor luck he'd experienced earlier—pulling nothing but trash iron ore from a chest—was clearly a consequence of unwashed hands.
Clean now, he turned back to his treasure.
[Sandalwood Chest discovered. Open it?]
"Open it!"
His shout rang across the island, startling even the nearby goblin guardian.
The chest creaked open—inside lay a blueprint.
[Raft Blueprint: Decayed-grade item. A sturdy raft suitable for calm-sea voyages to nearby unknown islands. Requires 100 wood and 50 rope.]
[Ding! God-Tier Luck activated. 100x reward available.]
Options:
100 Raft Blueprints
1 Sailboat Blueprint
Meng Hao blinked.
"Wait, I can sail to other islands in this game?"
Glancing at the drifting platform, he saw that the directional arrow had turned gray.
Each island could only drift three times per day. After that, it remained immobile.
To continue gathering resources beyond that limit—he'd need a vessel.
According to the game's mechanics, each cardinal direction around the base could harbor a new island.
With a proper boat, he could explore them all.
Looking up, he noticed the sun already tilting westward—darkness would fall in just a few hours.
Even with his incredible pace, it had taken nearly an entire day to explore three islands.
Most players would struggle to reach even one or two in the same timeframe.
This "three-drift limit" might not seem restrictive now—but Meng Hao could foresee its future constraints.
Soon, his island's power would grow. Exploration would become faster. He might burn through all three drifts by noon.
And then what? Sit idle?
Clearly, building a seaworthy vessel was essential.
Rafts? Not worth the risk. One rogue wave and he'd be shark bait—his hard-earned progress washed away.
After some thought, he selected:
Option 2: Sailboat Blueprint
[Sailboat: Black Iron-grade item. A reinforced wooden vessel equipped with twin oars. Resilient against minor storms. Essential for offshore exploration. Requires: 2000 wood, 100 iron ore, 20 copper ore, 70 rope, 80 rubber.]
Reading the requirements, Meng Hao frowned.
Wood, iron, and copper were manageable. But rope and rubber? He had none.
He vaguely remembered that building the wooden house also needed rope.
How was rope obtained?
Curious, he searched the crafting menu again.
[Rope: Decayed-grade item. Requires: 10 Plant Fibers.]
"Plant fibers?"
Brows knitting, his handsome face reflected faint confusion.
"Could it be…?"
He yanked a blade of grass from the ground.
[Plant fiber detected. Decompose?]
"No way!"
Meng Hao gasped.
So this was what they meant by treasures lying beneath your feet.
"Decompose!"
[Plant Fiber +1]
[Ding! God-Tier Luck activated. Plant Fiber +100]
Brilliant.
The rope conundrum—instantly solved.
"Now... rubber?"
More searching yielded:
[Rubber: Decayed-grade item. Extractable from rubber trees or rubbergrass plants.]
Meng Hao turned toward the coconut grove, deep in thought.
It seemed he'd need to find a rubber-producing plant before he could proceed. No rush—his island still had much to develop.
"One last chest. Let's hope it's something truly useful."
He murmured a prayer, retrieved the final chest, and opened it.
Inside was an outer garment—not unlike his school uniform, save for a hood.
[Windbreaker: Decayed-grade item. A garment designed to shield the wearer from sea winds. Helps endure the long nights.]
[Ding! God-Tier Luck activated. 100x reward available.]
Options:
100 Windbreakers
1 Vagabond Cloak
He'd recently changed outfits, and didn't care much for windbreakers—especially since he planned to build a proper shelter soon.
But a Vagabond Cloak?
Intriguing.
Post-enhancement items had never disappointed him.
"Option 2."
[Vagabond Cloak: Silver-grade item. Crafted from enchanted materials, this cloak repels all magical effects cast upon it. It protects against the elements and wards off sorcery.]
"Silver-grade!"
Meng Hao's eyes lit up, energy surging through his body.
He hadn't seen a silver-grade item in ages.
To date, he'd only acquired two: the legendary 98K sniper rifle and the Super Redhawk revolver.
Both had proved devastating.
Now, with the cloak added to his arsenal, he felt the thrill of fortune once more.
But one line gave him pause—"repels magic."
Could it be?
Was there… magic in this world?