Bonnie Callahan: AHHH!! A master was right here with us all along! Pierce, please look out for me!
Wade Warren: Pierce, you're amazing! Number one on the Combat Power Leaderboard, and you've got a huge lead on second place. Your raft level is in the top ten too. Incredible!
Leo Sloan: Hey, Pierce. If you ever have anything you don't need anymore, we hope you'll consider trading with us.
Zachary Pierce: Sure.
Wade Warren: You said it. A master's cast-offs are treasures to the rest of us. @Faye Yardley, our group leader is a dark horse, too! Making it into the top thousand in combat power out of millions of people. And Bonnie is really strong, too. Her raft level is 51!
Faye Yardley: Hehe~ You're too kind. I don't even know what the rewards are yet. Mr. Warren, do you know?
Wade Warren: Not yet. They said it'll be announced at 6 AM, when the treasure chests start spawning.
Faye Yardley: Okay, thanks. I'm going to bed then. Good night, everyone.
After turning off the screen, Faye Yardley did just that, crawling back into bed, pulling the comforter over herself, and falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
She had no idea that on another Level 4 raft, Logan Langdon was staring at both leaderboards. He slammed his fist on the wooden table and clicked his tongue. 'I can't believe a single region is already crawling with so many hidden masters.'
'Good thing Zachary Pierce didn't hide his name, just like me. Otherwise, I would've assumed he was number one on the Raft Leaderboard as well.'
'Looks like I need to contact the others from my company as soon as possible. With their help, I'll be able to progress much faster.'
Seeing the messages on the regional channel, he had also taken note of Hailey Miles. He stroked the two-day-old stubble on his chin. 'Luckier than the average person, huh? Maybe I'll have someone try to make contact with her.'
Meanwhile, Zachary Pierce was gazing at the Peerless Treasure Sword beside him as if it were a peerless beauty. He was certain this was the reason his combat power had been boosted so dramatically.
'If that young lady Faye Yardley had this sword, her rank would probably shoot straight to number one, too.'
'I wonder what the rewards announced at dawn will be. If they're transferable and suitable for her, I'll give them all to her.'
Faye Yardley slept soundly until 5:30 in the morning, when the system alarm she'd set woke her.
The moment the alarm went off, Faye Yardley's eyes snapped open. She yawned and got out of bed.
After a quick wash in the bathroom, she emerged, fully energized, and sat on the living room sofa.
The fire in the fireplace was still burning. Faye Yardley thought for a moment, then stepped out of the Wooden House to feel the temperature. When she returned, she tossed two more lumps of coal into the fireplace.
'The temperature really does seem to be dropping.'
The clothes she had gotten dirty and hastily washed the previous evening were already dry.
She planned to cook the eight dumplings for breakfast. She poured the rainwater from the large iron pot into an empty wooden crate—luckily, the crate was high-quality and didn't leak a single drop.
She shoved the iron pot into the fireplace, placing it directly on the fire. 'While I wait for the treasure chests to spawn,' she thought, 'I can search for some kitchen or stove blueprints.'
'Otherwise, it's just too much of a hassle to cook anything.'
Fortunately, the trading market didn't disappoint. Items that weren't available before midnight were there now. 'Some people are just so cunning,' she mused.
She traded a Basic Iron Axe, two torches, and two bottles of mineral water for a "Basic Integrated Kitchen" blueprint.
She then discovered the prerequisites: a residence with enough space, Intermediate Wood, stones, shells, and iron blocks. 'Great, I have all of those things.'
Faye Yardley happily installed 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 very eyes.
'It really is an integrated kitchen,' she thought, impressed. 'It even comes with a small refrigerator and a dishwasher.'
Luckily, the rim of the large iron pot wasn't hot yet, so Faye Yardley could lift it with her bare hands and place it on the new stove. When she turned on the burner, an automatic range hood switched on above it.
'My quality of life is getting better and better.'
Just as Faye Yardley finished her hot dumplings, the time reached 6:00 AM sharp.
[Good morning, players. Congratulations to everyone who made it onto the leaderboards. The current rankings will last for 10 days, after which a new set of leaderboards will be posted.]
[Raft Leaderboard Rewards: 1st Place: Temporary +2 Luck Value for the ranking period; 2nd-5th Place: Temporary +2 Strength; 6th-10th Place: Temporary +1 Constitution; 11th-20th Place: 200 iron blocks; 21st-50th Place: 200 wood; 51st-100th Place: 80 stones...]
[Personal Combat Power Leaderboard Rewards: 1st Place: Temporary +5 Constitution for the ranking period; 2nd Place: Temporary +4 Constitution; ...800th-1000th Place: 50 wood.]
Faye Yardley tilted her head, confused. "An extra two points to my Luck Value? So my Luck is 11 now? Isn't that, like, off the charts?!"
She pulled the fishing rod from her backpack, dashed under the awning, and cast her line!
Whether it was because her Luck Value was now through the roof or not, she felt a bite the instant the line hit the water.
With a sharp tug, she hauled in a wooden crate.
She muttered to herself, "I should open this and see if the increased Luck Value makes the contents of treasure chests better or more plentiful."
After she opened the wooden crate: [Obtained: A Spread of Home-Style Dishes x1, Roasted Chicken x2, Peach Blossom Wine x1]
"Whoa, it really did change! It really did!"
For the next while, Faye Yardley became a relentless fishing machine.
And with her increased Strength and Constitution, she found that the high-intensity work of hauling in her catches didn't tire her out as easily as before.
BEEP BEEP BEEP~
She answered the call from Zachary Pierce, and his clear, joyful voice came through. "Yardley, I just caught a huge lobster. I'll send it over to you for lunch."
Faye Yardley didn't stand on ceremony. "Thanks, Mr. Pierce," she said directly. "By the way, if you fish up an Iron Treasure Box or a Silver Treasure Chest, you should let me open it for you. My Luck is through the roof right now!"
"Alright. If I catch one, I'll be counting on you."
After hanging up, Faye Yardley received a Red Envelope containing the lobster just a moment later.
Having drifted to the edge of the raft without realizing it, Faye Yardley was just about to happily claim her Red Envelope when something she'd hooked in the sea gave a sudden, violent tug. She lost her balance and plunged headfirst into the ocean.
After swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of seawater, Faye Yardley took the Water-Repelling Pearl from her backpack. Instantly, a one-meter-radius sphere around her became a water-free zone.
'This feels so magical,' she thought. It was as if the water itself had learned to part for her.
The small fish, shrimp, and jellyfish in the sea were also pushed away by the parting water.
"Wow, this is so cool!"
She was holding the fishing rod in one hand and the Water-Repelling Pearl in the other. After a moment of thought, she tucked the Water-Repelling Pearl into a pocket in her clothes.
The effect wasn't diminished at all, and now her hand was free.
She felt another tug on the line. Gripping the rod with both hands, Faye Yardley began to strain against it from within the sea.
Except for the strange lack of solid footing, it felt just as natural as being on land.
The struggle was actually pulling her deeper and deeper. Just as she hauled a massive, exhausted fish past her, her feet touched something solid.