The pillar of light rose like a column propping up the entire sky.
But then, a shockwave blasted out, pushing the sea upward and forming a colossal tsunami.
Seeing the towering wave, Noah panicked and muttered: "Oy! Oy! You've got to be kidding me. A tsunami? System, can this place withstand a tsunami?"
[Ding! Please rest assured, Master. This location is still under Newbie Protection and will not be affected in any way.]
Hearing that, Noah stood frozen, trying to peer into the distance, but the tsunami had already grown so tall it blocked his view.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The wave struck, but it seemed as though a protective dome encircled the island, preventing the water from breaking through.
Water… so much water… everywhere, nothing but water.
Noah felt as though he were standing inside an aquarium dome, the world outside completely submerged.
He could even see strange marine creatures swept along by the tsunami.
Suddenly, he shivered and looked upward.
"Aggh! That's…" Noah wanted to say something, but instantly fell silent.
Above him, seawater covered the entire island, yet within it he could see a pair of gigantic eyes staring straight at him.
Yes—those eyes weren't looking at the island but directly at him.
Noah felt that each eye was many times larger than his entire island, yet they locked onto him with pinpoint accuracy, like a giant discovering a tiny ant.
The terrifying pressure crushed down on his back, making it hard to breathe, nearly forcing him to his knees.
Luckily, the gaze didn't linger for long. After a brief moment, it vanished back into the vast ocean.
The seawater quickly receded, and Noah once again saw the pillar of light in the distance.
But now, the monsters were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a massive glowing magic circle spread across the sky, covering an immense area.
From within that circle, countless black fumes surged out, forming a thick fog that obscured everything from sight.
WHOOMM!!
A sound like a whale's cry echoed across the ocean. It carried pain and sorrow, as though the creature was grievously wounded.
The tremors gradually faded, and the sea returned to calm—leaving only a vast expanse shrouded in fog, concealing something dreadful.
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta!
"Rain?" Noah was surprised. Just minutes ago, the sky had been clear, and now it was pouring.
He hurried into the forest to find shelter. After all, in this world there were no hospitals or medicine; catching a cold could mean death.
The island wasn't large. On the outside was the beach, then a small forest wrapping around a rocky mountain.
The stone mountain rose like a column, about twenty meters tall, covered only in rock and a few vines, with nothing else atop it.
Luckily, at the base of the mountain was a large cave. Noah slowly entered, holding a big leaf he'd been using as an umbrella.
"Ah! Freshwater?" Noah's eyes lit up at the sight of a pool of water inside.
He crouched down, inspecting it carefully: "The water looks clear… but maybe it's stagnant."
He remembered reading that pools untouched by humans or animals for long periods became stagnant, breeding bacteria and microorganisms harmful to humans.
You didn't even need to drink it—just touching it could cause skin irritation.
After thinking for a while, Noah decided not to risk drinking from it. Even if it looked clean, he couldn't take the chance.
Instead, he fashioned a small cup from leaves, branches, and a vine, and placed it outside to collect rainwater.
As he waited, he collapsed onto the ground with a long sigh: "The ocean… is terrifying."
He had known this world was dangerous, but witnessing a monster battle right from the start made him doubt whether he could survive here at all.
Noah opened the chat window to see if anyone else knew what had just happened.
But surprisingly, no one mentioned it. Instead, everyone was busy figuring out how to barter and trade resources.
Noah frowned. The event had been brief, but it had covered an area at least hundreds of miles wide.
"If no one else saw it, or if only a few did… that proves this world is unimaginably vast."
He immediately switched to the Regional Chat.
[Regional Chat]: This channel includes the 10,000 people closest to you. Each person may send up to 5 messages per day here.
Noah selected 'Accept,' and instantly, another chat window appeared before him.
[Did you guys see what just happened?]
[Of course we did—terrifying.]
[Damn it! My ship almost capsized from the tsunami.]
[Don't worry. We have a 5-day Newbie Protection period, so there won't be any trouble.]
[Good news: 5 days of Newbie Protection. Bad news: After 5 days, we'll have to face those horrifying monsters.]
[Oy! How's that fair? We're just newbies—we don't even have any combat power. How are we supposed to survive?]
[Maybe it's not that bad.]
[Did any of you see what was inside that pillar of light just now?]
[No! It was too far away.]
[I thought I saw some kind of fragment, but then the tsunami got too high and I couldn't see anything anymore.]
[Three terrifying monsters fighting over a fragment—whatever it was, it had to be a priceless Relic. If I had that Relic, I would… hehehe…]
[Alright, enough daydreaming. First, we need to focus on survival. Luckily, I'm on an island, so food isn't a big worry. It's just… the fruits here are weird. I don't know if they're edible.]
[You can eat a fruit that's red with yellow speckles. I just ate one—delicious.]
[Damn it! You tricked me. I just ate that fruit, and it made my mouth burn.]
[Hahaha… idiot. You actually believed me?]
Noah glanced at the chat window, feeling heavy-hearted. Even before the external dangers arrived, the dangers created by the Survivors themselves had already begun.
Fortunately, he hadn't followed their advice. If he had eaten a poisonous fruit, he would surely have died.
Even if he didn't die, the toxins would have tormented him to death.
After thinking for a moment, Noah decided to send a message in the Regional Chat.
[There's a chili-like fruit you can eat.]
It was a simple message. Then Noah sat quietly and waited.
[Damn it! Are you stupid? That thing is not edible at all.]
[Yeah, I can't find anything like that either. On the other hand, I found a spiky fruit like durian, but it's actually pretty sweet inside—like an apple. You can eat that safely.]
Noah glanced at the chat and smirked: "Bingo! Hehehe…"
If you offered the correct opinion, people would ignore it; but if you said something wrong or stupid, they'd curse you—and also provide the correct answer.
He had learned this trick whenever he wanted to find things out on the internet. Instead of searching and answering properly, just answer incorrectly and act smug, then wait for someone knowledgeable to give the right answer.
Noah quietly memorized the appearance of that fruit, then continued reading the chat messages.
[I also found a kind of edible fruit, but it's hard to open. It's like a coconut, except it has black spots on it.]
[Thank goodness for the rain—we can drink rainwater.]
[Everyone be careful. You can't drink stagnant pools. They're full of bacteria our bodies' antibodies won't recognize.]
[Ah! There are fish on the beach. The tsunami washed them ashore—go pick them up.]
[That's right, there are lots of fish on the beach. I don't know if they're edible, but at least we can stock up.]
"Fish?!" Noah was overjoyed when he heard that. He hurriedly took off his shirt—he didn't want his only shirt to get wet, or he'd have nothing to keep him warm.
Wearing only a pair of shorts and holding a long branch in his hand, Noah rushed toward the beach.
Suddenly, he saw something glowing white on the shore. He jolted and hid behind a tree.
"That's…" Noah frowned, trying to get a better look—and was even more shocked: "A girl?"