Max spent the next two days gathering resources from the ocean to upgrade the ship before the seven-day protection period ended. He also aimed to collect additional supplies to prepare for any emergencies that might arise once the system protection was over.
Perhaps the region was influenced by others who had upgraded their rafts to ships, leading to fewer people selling wood in the trade channel. This made it harder to buy wood, as many were focused on upgrading their rafts, creating challenges for Max to gather the necessary resources. It ended up taking two days for Max to collect the required wood.
As soon as the ship was upgraded, Max discovered that further upgrades required an alchemy array to be imprinted onto the ship. While upgrades could still be done without the alchemy array, as the ship's level increased, the arrays would become harder to draw.
This made it impossible to create the initial arrays, as each upgrade integrated them into the ship while simultaneously making room for new ones.
Max had no clue how to draw the alchemy array or where to find an alchemist capable of doing it in the vast ocean. So, he decided to wait until the protection period ended to begin his search for an alchemist.
By the evening of the seventh day, with his ship now upgraded, Max joined the regional chat channel, silently observing the conversations and soaking up both information and entertainment.
As the sun set, more people came online, and the fun discussions came to a halt when someone asked if anyone knew what would happen once the system protection ended.
Soon a heavy discussion started in the regional chat discussing on how they will face various challenges from different weathers to monster sieges.
Max started to take notice of every precaution that were stated in the regional chat for different types of emergencies.
First Max has fixed all of his items firmly using adhesives as they wouldn't tumble on the ship and make the ship lose balance while sailing.
Next, Max checked the freshwater resources available on the ship, knowing that in the event of a heat disaster, he would need enough water to survive dehydration.
He oiled the crossbows on the ship, preparing them for battle in case ocean monsters ambushed him right after the system protection period ended for the entire region. Since he was already out of the protection period, only a few monsters had attacked him so far, possibly due to the system's arrangement.
Max checked the wood supply in his inventory, considering how to keep warm during a cold disaster by using the fireplace with the wood he had available.
He then folded the sails of the ships, thinking that if a wind disaster struck, he wouldn't want the sails to tear from the excessive strain while sailing.
Soon at last, he checked the food he had gathered from the bread tree and the monster he hunted after it attacked the ship. He realized he had enough provisions to sustain himself for nearly three months, even if he were to embark on a long journey across the ocean.
As Max was double-checking the ship to ensure he hadn't missed any instructions, the sudden announcement of the system's global broadcast startled him.
"Congratulations on surviving the seven days by the ship captains in the ocean survival quest."
"Now from tomorrow morning it will be the end of the novice protection period for everyone in the world who has become a ship captain."
"Disasters will frequently occur and extreme sessions will be occurred frequently on the ocean."
"Monsters which were mainly suppressed into the depth of the ocean are now slowly released, which will hunt passing ship when you enter their territories."
"The number of treasure chests in the region will grow based on the regional ranking, and from now on, you can also gather resources to upgrade your ships by defeating monsters and trading their parts with the island owners."
"Island locations will be provided to those who has upgrade their rafts at least once and the first to reach an island will be given an extraordinary realm introduction book as the prize."
"Ship captains have the choice to either surrender to the island owners upon arrival or join the exploration guild to maintain their independence and take on tasks to gather resources."
"Those who surrender will forfeit their rights to the ship, as it will become the property of the island owners, and only the island owners can upgrade the ships."
"The first natural disaster will be a wind disaster that intensifies with each passing day. Captains can strive to reach the island master's within a month and assist them in defending the island from monster attacks starting the following month."
The regional safe point is an island ruled by the island master. If the monsters are not defeated, the island will be destroyed, and ship captains will lose their safe haven to rest and gather resources.
Max read the system announcement multiple times to avoid forgetting it and quickly grasped the important point: he must reach the island, now governed by the island master, and help them survive the first trial. Otherwise, he would be left to wander the ocean with no nearby islands to dock or rest.
Now he can collect the treasure chests easily since the monsters in the wild are no longer guarding them, as the system has lifted their restriction on free movement. However, he must stay alert for potential attacks from stray monsters when he's not paying attention.
Max felt that the opportunity to upgrade his ship lay on the island governed by the island masters. His instincts urged him to reach the island as quickly as possible to stay relevant and ahead in the race.
After briefly discussing the system upgrade with Sophia and the regional members, Max ate his dinner, took a bath to relieve his fatigue, and went back to his bedroom to sleep soundly. He wants to wake up early tomorrow to witness firsthand how the disaster will begin once the system removes its protection.