Bonnie Callahan: Ahhh!! So a top player was right here with us! Pierce, please look out for me!
Wade Warren: Pierce, you're amazing! Number one on the combat power leaderboard, and you're way ahead of second place. You're also in the top ten on the raft level leaderboard. So badass!
Leo Sloan: Hello, sir. I hope you'll consider trading us some of your unwanted, obsolete items in the future.
Zachary Pierce: Okay.
Wade Warren: Exactly! What a top player discards is still a treasure to us. @Faye Yardley, our group leader is hiding her strength too! Out of a million people, you managed to squeeze into the top thousand in combat power. Bonnie is also really strong, her raft level is actually 51.
Faye Yardley: Hehe~ You're too kind. I don't even know what the rewards are yet. Do you know, Mr. Warren?
Wade Warren: Not yet. They said the announcement will be at 6 AM, when the treasure chests start spawning.
Faye Yardley: Okay, thanks. I'm going to sleep then. Goodnight, everyone.
After closing the screen, Faye Yardley really did go back to bed, pull the quilt over herself, and fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
She had no idea that on another Level 4 raft, Logan Langdon had seen both leaderboards and slammed his fist on the wooden table, then clicked his tongue. 'I can't believe even a single region is full of hidden masters.'
Fortunately, Zachary Pierce hadn't used an anonymous name, just like him. Otherwise, he would have definitely assumed the number one spot on the raft leaderboard was also his.
It seemed he needed to contact the others from his company sooner. With their help, he could advance faster and higher.
Seeing the messages in the regional channel, he naturally took notice of Hailey Miles as well. He rubbed the stubble that had grown on his chin over the past two days. 'Her luck is better than the average person's? Maybe I can have someone try to make contact with her first.'
Meanwhile, Zachary Pierce gazed at the Peerless Treasure Sword beside him as if it were a peerless beauty. He was certain this sword was the reason his combat power had been boosted so drastically.
'If I gave this sword to that kid, her rank would probably jump straight to number one.'
'I wonder what the rewards announced at dawn will be. If they're transferable and suitable for her, then I'll give them all to her.'
Faye Yardley slept soundly until 5:30 in the morning, when she was woken up by the system alarm she had set.
The moment the alarm went off, Faye Yardley's eyes snapped open. She got up, yawning.
After rushing into the bathroom to quickly wash up, she came out to the living room sofa, full of energy.
The fire in the fireplace was still burning. Faye Yardley thought for a moment, then stepped out of the Wooden House to feel the current temperature before coming back inside and tossing two more lumps of coal into the fire.
'The temperature really does seem to be dropping.'
Overnight, the clothes she had dirtied and hastily washed the previous evening had all been dried by the fire.
She planned to cook the eight dumplings for breakfast. Faye Yardley poured the rainwater from the large iron pot into an empty wooden crate; thankfully, the crate was of high quality and didn't leak at all.
She stuck the iron pot into the fireplace, placing it directly on the flames. Faye Yardley figured that while waiting for the treasure chests to spawn, she could search for some kind of kitchen blueprint or stove diagram.
'Otherwise, it's just too difficult to cook anything.'
Fortunately, the trading market didn't disappoint. What wasn't available before midnight was there now. 'Some people are just so shrewd.'
She managed to trade a Basic Iron Axe, two torches, and two bottles of mineral water for a "Basic Integrated Kitchen" blueprint.
Then she discovered the prerequisite for the integrated kitchen was a residence with enough space. The materials required were Intermediate Wood, stone blocks, shells, and iron blocks. 'Great, I have all of those.'
Faye Yardley happily placed the kitchen against the wall to the right of the entrance. After moving the small square table and wooden chair, an L-shaped open kitchen appeared before her eyes in an instant.
'It really is "integrated." It even comes with a small refrigerator and a dishwasher.'
Luckily, the rim of the large iron pot wasn't hot yet. Faye Yardley lifted it out with her hands and placed it on the stove, turned on the flame, and an automatic range hood even started up.
'My quality of life is really getting better and better.'
Just as Faye Yardley finished her hot dumplings, the time reached 6:00 AM sharp.
[Good morning, players. Congratulations to all players who made it onto the leaderboards. The current leaderboards will remain for 10 days, after which a new set will be released.]
[Raft Leaderboard Rank 1: Temporary +2 Luck Value for the duration of the ranking period; Ranks 2-5: Temporary +2 Strength; Ranks 6-10: Temporary +1 Constitution; Ranks 11-20: +200 iron blocks; Ranks 21-50: +200 wood; Ranks 51-100: +80 stones...]
[Personal Combat Power Leaderboard Rank 1: Temporary +5 Constitution for the duration of the ranking period; Rank 2: Temporary +4 Constitution; ... Ranks 800-1000: +50 wood.]
Faye Yardley tilted her head, not quite understanding. "An extra 2 points of Luck Value... doesn't that make my Luck 11? Isn't that, like, off the charts?!"
She took her fishing rod out of her inventory, ran under the canopy, and cast her line!
Whether it was because her Luck Value had really broken the maximum limit, she didn't know, but she felt a tug on the line the moment it hit the water.
She gave it a sharp pull, and up came a wooden chest.
She muttered to herself, "Maybe I should open it and see if the contents of treasure chests get better or more plentiful with increased Luck Value."
Opening the wooden chest revealed: [Obtained: A lavish home-cooked meal x1, Roasted Chicken x2, Peach Blossom Wine x1]
"Whoa, it really, really did change!"
For the next while, Faye Yardley transformed into a relentless fishing machine.
Moreover, the increase in her Constitution and Strength meant that she didn't get tired as easily as before, even when pulling hard on the rod.
BEEP BEEP BEEP~
She answered the call from Zachary Pierce, and his clear, joyful voice came through. "Yardley, I just caught a huge lobster in the sea. I'll send it over for your lunch."
Faye Yardley didn't stand on ceremony. "Thanks, Mr. Pierce. In that case, Mr. Pierce, if you fish up any Iron Treasure Boxes or Silver Treasure Chests, I can open them for you if you trust me. My luck is through the roof right now!"
"Okay. If I catch any, I'll leave it to you."
After hanging up, it wasn't long before Faye Yardley received the lobster Gift.
Having unknowingly drifted to the edge of her raft, Faye was just about to happily claim the Gift when the thing she'd hooked in the sea pulled her off balance, and she tumbled headfirst into the water.
After swallowing two mouthfuls of seawater, Faye Yardley took the Water-Repelling Pearl from her inventory. Instantly, a one-meter area around her became a waterless space.
The sensation was truly magical; it was as if the water had automatically learned to avoid her.
The small fish, shrimp, and jellyfish in the sea also moved away from her along with the water.
"Wow, how interesting!"
She was holding the fishing rod in one hand and clutching the Water-Repelling Pearl in the other. After a moment's thought, she put the Water-Repelling Pearl into her pocket.
The effect wasn't diminished at all, but it freed up her hand.
The line on her fishing rod pulled taut again. Faye Yardley gripped it with both hands and began to exert her strength in the sea.
Other than the strange feeling of not having solid footing, it was as natural as being on land.
As she struggled with the line, she found herself being pulled deeper. Just as an exhausted, large fish was tugged past, her foot touched something solid.