Alex explained: "Simply put, when you're on an island, you gain all the benefits that the island provides.
But if you step onto another Survivor's boat, all your benefits disappear. You may even suffer negative effects tied to the boat owner.
Of course, the reverse can also happen.
Those are just the first two rules people have discovered. There may be many more."
Noah was genuinely surprised at humanity's adaptability. In just a single day, they had already uncovered the rules of this world.
'As expected, geniuses exist everywhere—just not me.' Noah sighed inwardly.
Although people adapting quickly was a good thing, there was also a downside for him… the fact that Survivors had to kill each other to earn exp.
He sighed softly. "Good! That's very useful information. I can give you some fruit and water. But these fruits restore and boost stamina—you'll have to trade me something for them."
"Ah!" Alex was startled. Though he had doubts, he had no other choice.
Even if Noah's fruits didn't have such an effect, Alex still needed food.
After thinking for a while, Alex pulled a blueprint from his bag. "I've got a construction blueprint. Since I'm a boat-user, I can't use it.
It's a Lumber Blueprint—lets you plant and harvest wood."
Noah was intrigued. He smiled. "Good! Then I'll trade you 10 apples and some water."
In truth, his 'Storage Space' could hold even formless things like water.
He had already gathered a large supply of drinking water and stored it inside. After all, a 5x5x5 meter space was more than enough.
"Water?!" Alex frowned. He still had a little rainwater from yesterday, but not much—barely enough for three days if he rationed carefully.
He took a deep breath and said: "15 apples and 10 liters of water."
Noah waved a hand. "I'll give you 10 apples, 5 liters of water, and 3 fish."
"Fish?!" Alex was surprised, but seeing Noah's fishing rod, he knew it must also be a System item.
He hesitated, his gaze drifting toward the beautiful woman hiding behind Noah. His heart trembled violently.
Walina, meanwhile, was staring back at him curiously.
Alex exhaled and gritted his teeth. "Fine!"
Noah smiled. "Bring your boat closer, I'll send the goods over.
Also—do you have something to hold water?"
Alex nodded. "I've got two wooden barrels on the boat, enough to hold a good amount."
He turned back, maneuvering the boat closer to the rock.
Sitting atop the rock, Noah waited until the boat drifted into his 'Storage Space' range. Then he flicked his hand.
Whoosh!
Alex gaped as apples, fish, and a barrel filled with water suddenly appeared on his boat.
His eyes went wide with disbelief as he stared at Noah.
Noah only smiled. "Now, give me the blueprint."
"Ah! Alright…" Alex tossed the blueprint toward Noah—but before it landed, it vanished midair.
Alex was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth. Relief washed over him that he hadn't acted arrogant earlier.
'Damn it! Way too dangerous… it's like he has space-controlling powers.'
'Thank goodness I was cautious. If I'd acted cocky, then…'
A chill ran down Alex's spine. He realized that relying on his Rank A fire-controlling ability wouldn't have helped if he'd tried to stand against Noah.
'Spatial ability…' Alex thought grimly. 'Definitely stronger than mine by far.'
He forced a smile. "Thanks. Want to be friends?"
"Friends?" Noah frowned.
"That's right," Alex explained. "Once we become friends through the System, we can chat privately without limits, and we can join private group chats.
In a world without internet, joining these groups helps you keep up with what's happening around you."
Hearing that, Noah nodded. "Good! I agree."
They added each other through the System. Alex even invited him into a private group called 'Finding O.P.'
Noah: "…"
Seeing the name, he knew exactly which anime Alex meant, and gave him a sidelong glance.
Alex scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh. "Hehehe… well, since this is Ocean World, it's not much different from O.P. I named it that just to give myself some motivation."
After speaking, he quickly sent a message into the group: [Everyone, let's welcome our new member. He's a super Boss.]
[A super Boss? Really?]
[What's so special about him?]
[Does he have some kind of overpowered ability?]
Noah saw the messages pop up but didn't know what to say, so he simply wrote a short reply.
[Hello everyone, I'm Noah.]
[Hello Noah, do you have a Ship or an Island?]
[Island.]
[Ah! Is there anything edible on your island?]
[What ability do you have?]
Noah frowned at the flood of questions.
In the end, he only sent one message: [Can't say. But if you have anything of value, you can trade with me for food and water.]
[Ah! So cold?]
[Tsk! Who do you think you are?]
Seeing the growing dissatisfaction, Alex quickly sent another message to explain.
[Hahaha… Noah has a lot of resources. If anyone has construction blueprints or anything good, you can trade with him for supplies. He has apples, fish, and drinking water.]
[Wow! You have apples? I don't have construction blueprints, but I do have a bag of seeds. Want to trade? I'm a boat-user, so I can't farm.]
The mention of seeds immediately caught Noah's attention.
However…
[Don't trade with him. Trade with me instead. I'll give you two barrels of water and a ship upgrade blueprint.]
[Wow! A ship upgrade blueprint? Where are you?]
[Hahaha… private chat me.]
[Good!]
Seeing this, Noah lost interest. Seeds were valuable, but not so much that he needed to beg for them.
He had the 'OmniTrade.' With time, he believed he could grow stronger.
Even if he couldn't rise to the very top, he wouldn't lag too far behind.
Alex gave an awkward smile, not expecting things to play out this way.
"Sorry, I…"
Noah cut him off calmly. "No need to apologize. If you have anything interesting, you can trade with me."
Alex thought for a moment, then pulled out a scale as large as a palm, radiating a mysterious black glow.
"This… I found this drifting at sea. Do you want it?"
In truth, Alex believed it was the scale of some terrifying monster.
As he had read in novels, scales of powerful beasts often carried immense value.
But he knew he couldn't harness its worth. Worse, keeping it might even bring him danger.
Better to trade it for supplies and build goodwill with a Survivor who clearly had huge potential.
Noah took one look and had the same thought—it seemed to be the scale of a sea monster.
"Hm?!" Suddenly, Noah felt Walina's hand gripping his back tightly, as though she were suppressing her emotions.
He turned and saw her eyes fixed on the scale, filled with unease.
Noah immediately understood something. He raised his hand.
Whoosh!
Instantly, five apples, two fish, and a barrel of water appeared on Alex's boat.
"Will this do?" Noah asked.
"Enough! More than enough!" Alex replied, grinning with satisfaction. He then tossed the scale toward Noah.
Just like before, the scale vanished midair, neatly absorbed into Noah's 'Storage Space.'
"Thank you," Alex said with a smile. "If I find anything else interesting or valuable, I'll bring it to trade with you."
Noah smiled back. "I'll look forward to our next deal."