Noah frowned as he saw a small boat slowly approaching the island.
"System, can other Survivors enter my island?" he asked inwardly.
[Ding! At present, you are still under Newbie Protection. Therefore, no one may set foot on your island without your permission.]
Noah nodded slightly. In that case, he didn't need to worry too much.
If the other party came with goodwill, he could talk. If they came with ill intent, all he had to do was ignore them.
As the boat drew closer, the young man aboard brightened at the sight of dense trees on the island. But when he noticed two figures sitting on the island, he froze.
"What! There are two people on the island?" He thought for a moment, then decided to message a group chat he had created.
This group consisted of several people from his region and others he had spoken with elsewhere.
The goal was to gather information and exchange resources when possible.
He began typing a message.
[Could there be two or more people sharing one ship or island?]
Moments later, replies popped up.
[Hm?! Is that possible?]
[In reality, I haven't seen any such case.]
[Same here. Haven't seen that happen.]
[If that were possible, rights of usage and ownership of the System would become messy. I doubt that would happen.]
The young man studied the chat, then glanced back at the island.
There really were two people sitting on a large rock near the shore.
'Could it be…' He immediately sent another message in a private group.
[Could it be that some Survivor has a summoning ability?]
[That can't be ruled out. After all, with 100 million Survivors, it's only natural some would have strange skills or talents.]
[Summoning? Wow! If someone could summon a beautiful woman, that'd be amazing.]
[I think I saw a Survivor with a summoning ability. He bragged about it yesterday on the World Chat.]
[Ah! I saw it too. He said he summoned a giant starfish—supposedly Rank C—that could dive and help him catch fish.]
[Damn it! Others are already adapting while we're still struggling just to fill our stomachs.]
[Luckily it rained yesterday, so we had water to drink. Otherwise, the sun would've roasted me alive today.]
The young man frowned at that, then glanced back at the island before sending another message.
[So… which is more dangerous: a summoned monster, or a summoned creature in human form?]
[Of course a monster. What's so dangerous about a human?]
[Are you stupid? Human-shaped monsters are far more dangerous.]
[Heh?! What do you mean?]
[It's simple. Humanity went through a long evolutionary process to achieve our current bodies and intelligence. Our hands can grasp tools, we can perform complex tasks.
Our minds have also developed immensely, which is why we're able to survive in harsh nature.
You could say we are close to perfection. So… if other creatures sought perfection, what form would they mimic? The human form.
That means monsters in human form could already possess human-level intelligence. Very dangerous.]
[Wow! Brother, who are you? Why do you explain things so deeply?]
[Me? Hahaha… I study history and the formation of civilizations.]
[Wow! A genius…]
After reading the explanation, the young man grew more uneasy.
'If what he says is true, then the Survivor on that island isn't simple at all.'
'But… this is the closest island. Finding another would mean traveling a long distance.'
He hesitated for a long time, then clenched his teeth. "I'll try once. I still have Newbie Protection—if there's danger, I can escape."
He no longer believed his Rank A fire-controlling ability could make him the world's overlord.
Yesterday he had thought himself the protagonist, dreaming of becoming Pirate King.
But after witnessing those monsters' battles and other Survivors boasting of their feats, he realized… he was no protagonist here.
He steered his small boat closer to the island. When he was less than ten meters from shore, he dropped anchor to keep the boat from drifting.
He walked to the bow of the boat, gazing at the two figures sitting on the rock. Suddenly, all the words he had prepared vanished, replaced by an expression of sheer disbelief.
On the rock sat a young man with delicate yet masculine features, holding a fishing rod.
But what truly caught his eye was the woman beside him—she was far too beautiful.
Her platinum hair fluttered in the wind, and though she wore only a simple white dress, it made her even more alluring and radiant.
She looked as though she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale, ensnaring his mind completely.
Never before had he seen anyone so breathtaking—so beautiful that it felt like a dream.
Sensing someone staring at her, Walina immediately hid behind Noah, resting her face against his broad back.
"Ah!" The young man snapped back to his senses when he saw Walina retreat.
He drew a deep breath, thought for a moment, then leapt from the boat.
The water only reached his knees.
The rock lay right at the edge of the protective barrier, so the young man easily walked up close.
"I'm Alex. First time meeting," Alex said softly, with full respect and courtesy.
Hearing this, Noah replied, "Noah. First time meeting. You're a Survivor?"
Alex nodded. "That's right. I own a boat. You're already aware of the disadvantages Survivors with boats face, aren't you?"
Noah nodded, then pulled an apple from his 'Storage Space,' smiling. "I have food. But… do you have anything that might interest me?"
"Ah! That's… an apple?" Alex's eyes flickered with sudden greed at the sight of the golden fruit.
"Yes. But… are you really short on food?" Noah frowned. "You could fish, couldn't you?"
"Ack! That… it seems you haven't been checking the chat much, have you?"
At Alex's words, Noah nodded. After all, he had spent all of yesterday 'occupied' with Walina, and hadn't bothered to observe the chat for updates.
'Looks like I've missed a lot,' Noah thought to himself.
Alex explained, "Everyone has discovered that this world runs on certain rules."
"First, every tool or structure must come from the System. Otherwise, it won't work."
"You mean…" Noah frowned.
Alex nodded. "Exactly. For example, your fishing rod—that was given by the System, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then it works properly, and may even come with beneficial effects. But if someone tries to craft their own fishing rod—no matter how well-made—it won't catch a single fish."
"What?!" Noah exclaimed in shock.
Alex continued, "The same applies to construction blueprints. You could sleep in a cave or build a little hut from leaves, but they won't last. After a few hours, they'll collapse—except for natural caves."
Noah hadn't known this, since at first he had taken shelter in a natural cave, and then, by luck, was able to construct his 'Basic House' for free.
Alex went on, "The second rule is the boundary between islands and boats."
"To be precise, if someone who owns an island wants to set sail, they must rely on someone who owns a boat. But when they do, the Survivor with the island loses his rights."