Novice Period Ends

The countdown ticked slowly.

5...4...3...2...1...

Ripples spread across the sea surface.

"RUMBLE!!!"

The ground shook violently for an instant. She instinctively spread her arms to steady herself.

The next second, the massive island connected perfectly with the walkway Ji Xinghe had planned earlier, locking tightly into place.

The Wooden Fence she had set up earlier held the Orchard Island firmly in place.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle." Master brought its home back? Sob, Master is so good to it...

So touched, boohoo.

Watching Xiao Sha preen and pose, Xiao Xi swung a Vine at it.

"Sha..." The branch's swaying gradually slowed.

Ji Xinghe observed the interaction between her two pets and silently nodded. As long as they got along, she could rest easy.

She opened the Wooden Fence and led both pets over to check things out.

After all, there were still Deformed Monsters on Orchard Island. She wouldn't feel at ease without a look.

Crossing the short walkway, she pushed open the Wooden Fence and stepped onto the massive island.

At the entrance was the Mist Heart Orchard she had just explored earlier. Remembering this, she quickly replanted the Mist Heart Fruit trees she had dug up before.

This time, there was no sign of any Deformed Monsters.

Even the gray mist felt a little thinner to her.

Half an hour later, she walked back satisfied. No Deformed Monsters suddenly popping up along the way—that was enough.

As long as they didn't burst out of nowhere, it was fine.

Back at the Shelter, Ji Xinghe opened the island interface.

"Player 001's Level 2 Island"

"Area: 134 + 200,000 square meters"

"Prosperity: 140 + 1000 (greenery capped)"

"Daily Output: 2 Wow Coins (claimable once per day)"

"Upgrade Conditions: Prosperity reaches 500, 500 Wow Coins, island area expanded to 500 square meters, and all upgrades successful."

She claimed today's output.

Wow Coins +2.

Now she had a total of 1,147 Wow Coins in her backpack. To upgrade the island, she just needed to strengthen the soil to 500 square meters.

Ji Xinghe glanced at the Storage Box. There were already 129 units of Foundation Stone inside.

She still needed 237 Foundation Stones to strengthen the island to 500 square meters.

Thinking of this, she quickly opened the treasure chests she had obtained from today's monster hunting.

[One-click open Raw Wood Treasure Chest ×6, Bronze Treasure Chest ×2.]

[Obtained basic materials: Wood ×26, Stone ×20, Fine Iron ×6, Thatch ×18, Fishing Line ×3, Foundation Stone ×2, Soil ×5, Hanging Noodles (500g) ×6, Want Want Biscuits (bag) ×1]

[Special materials: Nutrient Solution ×1, Strength Potion ×1, Shield Bracelet ×1]

She stored the materials and food in the Storage Box.

Then she took out the Strength Potion and Shield Bracelet to examine them.

"Strength Potion: After consumption, Strength is doubled to 300% for five minutes."

"Side Effect: After the Strength effect ends, all attributes are reduced by 50% for 12 hours."

Ji Xinghe's eyes lit up. "Strength Potion? Isn't this a trump card?"

With her current Strength value of 31.6, tripling it would be 94.8. Two wooden arrows could deal 249.6 HP.

Most Level 3 monsters had HP under 200.

That meant she could one-shot Level 3 monsters now, right?

She carefully stored the Strength Potion in her backpack. For now, she wouldn't use it unless she had to. A percentage-boosting potion would still be useful even in the later stages.

Having obtained a strategic resource, Ji Xinghe was delighted.

She patted the cheerful Vine beside her and continued reading the details of the Shield Bracelet.

The Vine happily gazed at the big tree outside the window: "Sha, Master's Shelter depends on you for protection now."

The branch swayed gently: "Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

Don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong.

"Shield Bracelet (Blue): Defense-type equipment"

"Effect: Spirit Defense +5. When taking damage, a shield will automatically trigger. Shield value equals three times health."

Seeing this, Ji Xinghe quickly equipped the bracelet.

With the cloak's shield added in, she now had two shields as a Survivalist player... hehe.

She dismantled all the empty chests in front of her, then went to check the Crafting Table. The Wooden Fence still needed over an hour to finish.

She might as well wash up and eat first.

She wasn't planning to run tonight—after all, this was the last night of the newbie period. She wanted to rest early and recharge for tomorrow's "Guard the Island" mission.

An hour later, Ji Xinghe set up the Wooden Fence, then curled up in bed.

In the chat channel.

Little Fist Wangzai: "Hehe, snagged the big shot's Wooden Fence (image)."

Lingling (Disciple of Direction of Light): "You actually believed that? They're just milking you. Naive."

Monster Killer: "If you don't believe it, don't grab it."

On another island, South Brother of Erlong Lake stared at his friend messages, his eyes full of envy.

Why did she get system-wide announcements every time? Why wasn't she put on video by NPCs? Why did she have hot items like Wooden Fences? Why did she have so many supplies? He couldn't accept it!

His finger paused over the screen, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and accepted the trade request Ji Xinghe had sent.

He wasn't like those fools upstairs—after all, system missions couldn't be faked. It was obvious there'd be danger after the newbie period ended...

Player 12345: "So, tomorrow the newbie protection ends. I'm so nervous."

Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "What's there to be afraid of? Live if you can, die if you can't."

Player 12345: "That's true, but I really don't want to die."

As she read on, Ji Xinghe's eyelids slowly drooped shut.

Soft, steady breathing filled the air. Xiao Xi's Vine crept closer and gently brushed against her cheek.

Seeing that Ji Xinghe didn't stir, it laid its vine across her chest, feeling the rise and fall of her heartbeat, and drifted off to sleep as well.