Three days had passed since Lin Chen obtained the first Gold Treasure Chest.
The Island Survival Game was becoming more dangerous with every sunrise.
Monsters appeared more frequently.
Powerful players were leveling up.
Teams were being formed.
And hidden dangers lurked beneath the endless ocean.
Standing on the deck of his Legendary Sea Fortress, Lin Chen looked toward the distant horizon.
The fortress moved steadily across the sea.
Compared to ordinary rafts, it was like comparing a fishing boat to a warship.
No other player knew about it.
The game protected player privacy.
Unless Lin Chen revealed it himself, nobody would ever know.
He opened his profile.
Profile
Name: Lin Chen
Level: 3
Experience: 240/500
Strength: 25
Agility: 20
Constitution: 30
Spirit: 20
Luck: 18
Lifespan: 78 Years
His current strength was already terrifying.
Yet he still felt insufficient.
After witnessing the Ocean Tyrant several days ago, he understood something.
There were monsters in this world capable of killing him instantly.
He needed to grow stronger.
Much stronger.
Suddenly a notification appeared.
Team Chat
[Su Yao] : Good morning.
[Lin Chen] : Found something?
[Su Yao] : Yes.
[Lin Chen] : Diamond clue?
[Su Yao] : Maybe.
Lin Chen immediately became interested.
Su Yao possessed the Legendary Talent, Treasure Goddess.
If anyone could find a Diamond Chest, it would be her.
A few seconds later another message arrived.
[Su Yao] : My Talent upgraded.
[Lin Chen] : What changed?
[Su Yao] : I can sense Diamond Chest clues now.
[Lin Chen] : Any location?
[Su Yao] : Not exactly.
[Su Yao] : But I found the first clue.
Lin Chen sat up straight.
The first clue.
A blue screen appeared.
Diamond Chest Clue #1
Location Type: Hidden Island
Status: Undiscovered
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.
An island.
The first island discovered since humanity entered the game.
Until now everyone had been surrounded by nothing but ocean.
This information alone was valuable.
[Lin Chen] : Can you sense its direction?
[Su Yao] : Yes.
[Su Yao] : Northeast.
[Lin Chen] : Distance?
[Su Yao] : Very far.
[Su Yao] : At least several hundred kilometers.
Lin Chen frowned.
The ocean was far larger than anyone imagined.
Finding a hidden island wouldn't be easy.
Still, this was the first real lead toward a Diamond Chest.
He wasn't about to ignore it.
...
Several hours later.
The Sea Fortress continued moving northeast.
Along the way, Lin Chen collected resources and hunted monsters.
A mutated shark attacked.
One strike from the Thunder Spear killed it.
A giant octopus appeared.
Two strikes ended the battle.
The gap between Lin Chen and ordinary monsters was becoming larger.
After killing another monster, something unexpected dropped.
Monster Core
Lin Chen picked it up.
This was the third Monster Core he had obtained.
Opening the description, he carefully examined it.
Monster Core
Contains condensed monster energy.
Can be used for crafting.
Crafting.
That word caught his attention.
Opening the crafting menu, he noticed a completely new section.
Core Crafting
Available Recipes:
Energy Generator
Core Cannon
Core Shield
Core Radar
His eyes widened.
Especially when he saw the Core Radar.
Core Radar
Uses Monster Cores as energy.
Can detect nearby islands.
Can detect powerful monsters.
Can detect unusual treasure fluctuations.
"This is useful."
Lin Chen immediately decided to craft one.
With his resources, the requirements were trivial.
Several minutes later, a strange metallic device appeared on the fortress.
The moment it activated—
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
A small map appeared.
Lin Chen smiled.
The Core Radar would significantly improve exploration.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the region...
A different group was growing rapidly.
Sea Wolf Alliance.
The first hostile organization.
Their leader, Zhao Feng, sat inside an enlarged raft surrounded by dozens of players.
The organization had already surpassed one hundred members.
Unlike normal teams, their purpose wasn't cooperation.
Their purpose was domination.
[Zhao Feng] : Resource collection report.
One member stepped forward.
[Wang Jie] : We gained 2,300 wood today.
[Wang Jie] : Food supplies are stable.
[Zhao Feng] : Good.
Another member spoke.
[Liu Kang] : More survivors want to join.
Zhao Feng nodded.
Then his expression became cold.
[Zhao Feng] : What about those who refused?
The surrounding members became silent.
Finally someone answered.
[Chen Bo] : Most ignored our invitations.
[Chen Bo] : Some openly rejected us.
A dangerous smile appeared on Zhao Feng's face.
[Zhao Feng] : Remember their names.
[Zhao Feng] : The ocean is getting smaller every day.
[Zhao Feng] : Eventually we'll find them.
The atmosphere became heavy.
Everyone understood his meaning.
The Sea Wolf Alliance wasn't planning to remain friendly forever.
...
Back on the Sea Fortress.
The Core Radar suddenly reacted.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Lin Chen immediately looked toward the screen.
A flashing signal appeared.
Unknown Object Detected
Distance: 143 KM
His eyes sharpened.
An unknown object.
It could be anything.
A treasure.
A monster.
Or perhaps...
An island.
Immediately, a Team Chat message arrived.
[Su Yao] : Did your radar react?
Lin Chen was surprised.
[Lin Chen] : You sensed it too?
[Su Yao] : Yes.
[Su Yao] : My Talent is reacting strongly.
[Lin Chen] : What do you think it is?
Several seconds passed.
Then her answer arrived.
[Su Yao] : An island.
Lin Chen stood up instantly.
His heartbeat accelerated.
The first island.
After days of endless ocean, they had finally found land.
[Lin Chen] : Are you sure?
[Su Yao] : Ninety percent.
[Su Yao] : And there's more.
[Lin Chen] : What?
[Su Yao] : Something powerful is guarding it.
Lin Chen wasn't surprised.
Nothing valuable in this game came without danger.
Especially something connected to a Diamond Chest.
...
As evening arrived, the radar signal became stronger.
The distance dropped.
120 kilometers.
100 kilometers.
80 kilometers.
The hidden island was getting closer.
Lin Chen stood at the front of the fortress.
The sea breeze brushed against his face.
A smile slowly appeared.
The game was evolving.
The ocean was revealing its secrets.
Hidden islands.
Diamond clues.
Monster Core technology.
Hostile organizations.
Everything was becoming more exciting.
And more dangerous.
Far away, beyond the horizon, an unknown island waited silently.
Neither Lin Chen nor Su Yao knew what they would find there.
But both had the same feeling.
The moment they stepped onto that island...