Morning.
Noah frowned, waking as sunlight streamed through the window, shining directly onto his weary face.
"Um…" His back ached as if it had been broken in half.
He turned toward the mysterious girl clinging tightly to his arm, her eyes still closed in sleep. Seeing that flawless body that had become one with his the previous night, he felt as though he had just unlocked some monumental achievement.
But then, Noah pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed inwardly: I don't even know her name, and yet…
He let out another sigh and glanced at the girl again.
The morning light illuminated her, making her appear even more radiant and dazzling.
Moreover, she now carried a subtle air of mature womanhood.
"Um…" The girl slowly opened her eyes, her sparkling gaze meeting his with a playful smile.
And then—
Ot! Ot! Ot!
Noah's stomach growled loudly, making him flush in embarrassment. "Sorry, I… I haven't eaten since yesterday, so…"
"Pff! Hahaha…" The girl chuckled lightly. "There's plenty of food on the island. I'll take you to find some."
Noah nodded, then suddenly realized something and quickly asked: "I… I still don't know your name."
She looked at him, leaned close, kissed his forehead, and said: "Walina. You can call me Walina."
"I… I'm Noah."
…
Now, Walina wore a white dress from the wardrobe, while he wore shorts and a T-shirt.
She walked ahead, eyes searching for something, while Noah followed behind, his gaze fixed only on her.
At this moment, Walina looked like a fairy, every step she took impossibly light and graceful.
"Hm?!" Noah suddenly noticed something about her feet. "Her feet… aren't dirty?"
Yes—though she stepped into puddles left by the rain, her feet remained perfectly clean.
Noah glanced down at his own feet, caked with mud and dried leaves.
He couldn't understand, but considering how mysterious her very appearance was, he decided not to dwell on it.
"Noah, look at these fruits." Walina pointed to red-and-yellow speckled fruits hanging from a tall tree.
Noah's eyes widened, and he quickly said: "I heard those are poisonous. You can't eat them."
Walina tilted her head at him, eyes full of puzzlement. Then she reached out, wrapping her hand around the nearest 'apple.'
"Walina, wait—!" Noah cried nervously.
But Walina only smiled sweetly and plucked the fruit.
In that instant, the speckled red apple transformed into a golden apple.
Yes—the entire fruit turned golden before his eyes, leaving Noah stunned.
Walina didn't explain. Instead, she held the golden fruit out to him.
Noah took it into his hand, glancing at Walina. She gazed back at him, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Eat it?" Noah asked.
Walina nodded.
He drew in a deep breath, opened his mouth, and—
Crack!
A bite of apple filled his mouth with refreshing sweetness.
At the same time, he felt… just a little, but undeniably, his stamina had recovered—and even increased.
If his stamina had been at 10, then that bite raised it to 10.01.
Noah stared at the apple in shock, recalling the warnings he'd seen in the chat.
"This… isn't poisonous?"
Walina smiled and nodded, then explained: "If you pick it properly, it's delicious. But if you pick it the wrong way, it becomes toxic."
She then walked to another apple, her movements deliberately slow so Noah could observe.
She placed both hands on the fruit, then gently twisted it clockwise several times before plucking it.
Instantly, the apple turned golden.
"If you pick it straight away, it stays red—and you can't eat it."
Hearing this, Noah's eyes sparkled. "So amazing? What is this fruit? What does it do?"
Walina tilted her head, her eyes full of puzzlement. "I… don't know. I only know it can be eaten."
"Ah!" Noah frowned, glancing at her, then back at the strange 'apple.'
Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly pulled up the System interface, selecting the 'OmniTrade' function.
"System, scan this fruit."
[Ding! Scanning image… Scan complete.]
Immediately, in the marketplace of his 'OmniTrade' function, an image of the golden fruit appeared.
After thinking for a moment, Noah drew on the bits of knowledge he still remembered from Earth and began typing.
…
Name: Strange Apple
Description: Slightly increases stamina. Extremely delicious taste.
Quantity: ???
Price: Send private message for details.
…
It was only a short description with an image. Noah wasn't sure if it would succeed, but at least this method wouldn't fail outright.
He turned to Walina and softly asked: "Do you know of any other fruits that can be eaten?"
Walina tilted her head, then shook it. "There are a few others, but… they're not here."
Hearing that, Noah sighed. Still, even having this strange apple was enough to fill his stomach.
"Are you looking for something?" Walina asked curiously, blinking her crystalline eyes.
Noah took a deep breath, then said: "Do you know anything valuable?"
"Valuable?" Walina looked puzzled again.
"Ah! I mean… pearls, or maybe coral…" Noah chuckled.
Walina gave a small nod. "There are many—inside the sea. But right now, I can't fetch them for you."
Noah's lips parted as though to ask something, but in the end, he chose silence.
Everyone had their own secrets. For now, he felt this was enough—or maybe… he was just being stupid.
Walina smiled. "Wait a little while longer. I'll get them for you, alright?"
Her gentle voice melted his heart. Of course, he agreed.
…
Elsewhere on the ocean.
A small boat drifted across the waves. Inside the cramped cabin, barely large enough for one person to live, a man sighed, his face full of frustration.
"Damn it! What's the point of giving me a fire-controlling superpower in a world made entirely of water?"
"Ah! I'm thirsty… hungry too… If only I could find an island right now…"
He muttered, curling his hand into the shape of a telescope and pressing it to his eye.
"An island… Huh?!" His eyes widened in shock. Ahead, he spotted a fairly large island, covered in lush greenery.
"An island! Hahahaha… perfect!" he shouted in delight.
"Wait!" He rubbed his chin, frowning, muttering to himself: "Most Survivors in this world either have ships or islands. That means someone must already be living there."
His brows furrowed, hesitation flashing across his face. But then he gritted his teeth. "Damn it! If I don't land, I'll die anyway. In that case… I'll take the risk."
…
On the island, Noah sat on a large rock by the shore, fishing rod in hand as he waited for some unlucky fish.
Walina sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder, her eyes half-closed as though dozing.
From having nothing, Noah now had everything.
He had a fully furnished house. He had a temporary but stable source of food and water.
Noah breathed deeply, savoring the breeze and the scent of the ocean, his heart at ease.
'No need to work, no overtime, no managers to appease… Aw! What a comfortable life.'
'I even have a beautiful woman by my side. Fresh air, clean food… maybe being brought to this world isn't so bad after all.
Even without the internet, which is boring…'
Glancing at the bustling Regional and World Chat windows, Noah thought to himself: 'Maybe it's not so boring after all…'
He opened the 'OmniTrade' function again. Still, no messages had come regarding his strange apple listing.
But he wasn't impatient. Only a few hours had passed, and with countless users in 'OmniTrade,' it was normal that no one had noticed him yet.
"Hm?! A Survivor?"