Advancement Mission

Stepping onto the treadmill, a white light flashed, scanning Ji Xinghe from head to toe.

Then, the display in front of her lit up:

"Current matched speed: 37.5 km/h"

"Current duration: 00:41:10 (Duration reaches two hours, 1 point of Agility can be claimed)"

She pressed the start button.

The treadmill belt slowly picked up speed, and Ji Xinghe followed its rhythm, her steps much steadier than last time.

Thump, thump, thump...

The steady sound of her running filled the room.

Her breathing matched the pace of her steps, neither rushed nor slow.

Survival World, Day 2, 21:39:01.

Weather: Clear, Temperature: 29°C.

Ji Xinghe stopped the treadmill and looked at the display: "Current duration: 2:00:30 (Duration reaches two hours, 1 point of Agility can be claimed)."

She tapped to claim it.

The next moment, the Agility stat on her personal panel ticked up by one.

Stepping off the treadmill, she wiped the sweat from her neck with a towel.

She walked out of the Shelter, collected all the purified water by the door into her backpack, and swapped in empty buckets.

Glancing at the two resting nearby, she smiled but didn't disturb them.

They'd had a long day too.

Putting the clean water in the bathroom, Ji Xinghe washed off all the grime.

Clean and fresh, she lay down on the soft, large bed and opened the system panel.

She collected the day's island output.

Her mind automatically conjured the clinking sound of coins—Wow Coins +2.

Then she tapped the [Quests] tab.

[Novice Quest 9: Survive for three days in the Survival World

(Incomplete) Quest Completion Reward: Experience Points +1, Wow Coins +1]

[Advanced Quest 1: Explore outside once (Completed) Quest Completion Reward: Experience Points +2, Wow Coins +2, Raw Wood Treasure Chest +1]

The advanced quest was already done. She claimed the rewards, and a new quest popped up.

[Advanced Quest 2: Successfully complete the "Guard the Island" quest. (Incomplete)

Quest Completion Reward: Experience Points +2, Wow Coins +2, Raw Wood Treasure Chest +1]

The Wow Coins and treasure chest automatically went into her backpack.

But Ji Xinghe's attention was fixed on "Guard the Island."

She remembered this was the first major milestone players faced after the novice period ended.

At that point, the Protective Shield would vanish, and Sea Beasts from the ocean would swarm in.

As survivors, they needed to hold out for thirty minutes in "Guard the Island." During that time, any Sea Beasts they hunted would be converted into points based on their level. A Limited-Time Points Shop would be available during the event, where they could use Hunting Points to buy supplies.

In short, this was one of the two best chances for ordinary people to get high-tier resources after the novice period ended.

But, everything has two sides.

To get high-tier resources, you had to step out of the Shelter and hunt Sea Beasts.

If your strength wasn't enough, the Sea Beasts would tear you apart piece by piece and swallow you whole.

Survivors too timid to leave the Shelter needed to stockpile enough repair materials.

If they lacked both courage and resources, when the Shelter collapsed, they'd become the Sea Beasts' food too.

Only those with enough guts and strength, or the lucky ones, could benefit from this event.

Ji Xinghe remembered that after this event in her past life, the population in her area had dropped by a full fifth!

That sudden loss made her realize just how brutal island survival really was.

No laws—everything was decided by strength.

Here, it was a paradise for the strong and a hell for the weak.

In her past life, she barely managed to succeed, and only because she got lucky.

None of the monsters exceeded level three. Back then, relying on the basic materials hoarded in her backpack, she repaired and fought at the same time.

Thankfully, it was only thirty minutes. If it had been two minutes longer, she wouldn't have held out.

The supplies in her backpack were completely depleted. Fortunately, the limited-time shop let her replenish a bit, enough to keep her going.

Thinking back to the miserable state of her previous life, Ji Xinghe screenshotted the advancement mission, then opened the [Chat Channel].

Ignoring the rapidly scrolling new messages, she typed directly...

Player 001: "There's only one day left in the newbie period. Everyone ready for the survival road ahead?

I just triggered the 'Guard the Island' mission. Screenshot jpg, take a look. I'm guessing that after the newbie period ends, there'll be monster attacks.

Use this last day to stock up on weapons and basic materials. Some of you probably already know—when we're inside our shelters, monsters can't hit us, and our shelters can be repaired."

She posted the mission screenshot for two reasons. First, she didn't want too many people dying in the zone—after all, more players meant an advantage in the zone-merging competition.

Second, it was about the materials on the trading platform. With all that stone, once the islands merged tomorrow, she could go haul it.

She wasn't short on basic materials for now. Helping everyone as much as she could was also helping herself.

Ji Xinghe turned her head and suddenly spotted the wooden fence beside her shelter. A faint smile tugged at her lips.

Player 001: "Image, Fence Blueprint. If anyone needs it, I can sell the fences too. One fence only costs 2 units of raw materials and 1 unit of wood as processing fee.

Oh, and I just listed some basic resources—4 units for just 1 Wow Coin.

If you need any, buy directly."

With that, Ji Xinghe stopped sending messages. Her post was long enough to hog the screen for a full second.