Chapter 12: Undercurrents Among the Players

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Undercurrents Among the Players

While Rowan Rhodes explored diligently, she had no idea that the news of her landing had caused quite a stir across the various districts. After all, the beginner’s protection period had just ended. Everyone was still preoccupied with the leaderboards and the harsh reality of how they were going to survive.

Yet, what about Rowan? She had already set foot on an island, giving everyone the impression that she was always leaps and bounds ahead. Countless eyes fixated on the name "Rowan Rhodes" sitting comfortably at the number one spot.

They all wondered how she was managing to play so well. Driven by urgency, players everywhere quickly began analyzing the situation. Since someone had already reached an island, they might not be able to claim first place, but they certainly couldn’t afford to fall too far behind!

Meanwhile, in District 122, there were also players thinking about Rowan.

"This Rowan Rhodes is just too amazing!" Celia Lynch said as she worked hard to snag the wooden crates appearing around her with a Hook Claw.

Her sea area’s Level was A-level, so the drop rate for wooden crates was very high. Originally, she had assumed everyone had the same setup, leading her to believe the beginner’s period was quite easy. However, after a few "well-intentioned" remarks she made in the chat, she gradually realized that every player’s sea conditions were entirely different.

She could only try her best not to bring it up again, afraid of causing panic. This was because she didn’t believe the Sea Survival Game had good intentions. It had abruptly dragged them from a stable environment into a strange realm where they had to face life and death. The players were nothing more than ants to it. Therefore, she hoped that through kind guidance, she could unite more players to survive together. In a way, this was her form of "resistance" against the Sea Survival Game.

But as soon as the beginner’s period ended, the system announcement explicitly highlighted the difference in sea area Levels, making the game’s intention to incite mutual slaughter among players glaringly obvious.

Did the players know this? They most likely did. But compared to dealing with the colossal entity that was the Sea Survival Game, they were more concerned with figuring out how to survive. For the more selfish ones, mere survival wasn’t enough; they wanted to plunder others’ resources to guarantee their own lives.

Celia hadn’t fully snapped back to reality until she saw a specific message: "Celia Lynch, if you don’t help us, don’t blame us for robbing you later." At that time, not a single person in the world channel stood up for her—not even the people she had previously helped.

However, waking up to reality didn’t mean she had to abandon her kindness. She just understood one simple truth: the world had changed, and she had to work hard to become stronger! Only by doing so could she survive and have a voice. Therefore, even though it was already late at night, she continued to work tirelessly.

Beyond that, there was another reason for her diligence.

While browsing the trading hall, she had noticed several requests buying mineral water, yet the resources offered in exchange were pitifully low. Food and water were hard currency; no one would trade them away without a substantial offer. She took note of this anomaly. Combined with the system panel’s warning about rising temperatures and preventing heatstroke, she became extra vigilant.

If there was going to be a heatwave tomorrow, the depletion rates of Fullness Value and Thirst Value would definitely double. Thus, she needed to take advantage of the currently cooler temperatures to salvage more wooden crates and hoard more mineral water.

Before officially starting her preparations, she had posted a reminder message in the world channel. Since someone was trying to subtly warn others through the trading hall, she decided to just directly alert the rest of the players. She only sought to have a clear conscience. As for how many people actually listened, that was their own business.

Afterward, she focused entirely on salvaging crates. She never expected such news to suddenly pop up.

Rowan Rhodes, the number one player on the leaderboard, was once again the first to land on an island. Subconsciously, Celia glanced at her own Map. There wasn’t even a shadow of an island on it.

A trace of envy for Rowan bloomed in her heart, accompanied by a bit of contemplation. Could the Speed of a Level 4 Raft really be that much faster?

Celia guessed that there had to be other tricks involved. However, rather than delving into it right now, she decided to put it on hold. If there was going to be high temperatures tomorrow, water was far more important. She needed to stock up on enough resources first.

"God, this Rowan Rhodes is too amazing."

"First place again!"

"The question is, how did she find an island so fast? It’s not on my Map!"

"I wonder if she’s from our District 122. If she is, that’d be great. She could share some of her experience with us."

"We’re all in the same world. Why are some people just so ridiculously overpowered?"

"Rowan is first in the entire server; her methods won’t be easy to replicate. We’re better off following the rhythm of a big shot like Celia Lynch and hurrying to stockpile some water."

"True that. Big shot Celia is a genuinely good person."

"..."

Watching the world channel fill with praise for Rowan and Celia, Harold Thompson scoffed lightly and typed a message into the chat.

"Harold Thompson: If Celia is truly that good, she should share the resources she salvages to help more people survive instead of hoarding them. And as for this Rowan, what ’first in the entire server’? She was the first to land on an island and is moving so fast. If she’s in our district, she’ll hoard all the resources, and we’ll be the ones dying later."

After sending it, Harold watched a few people echo his sentiments, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously. He just couldn’t stand seeing others being put on a pedestal. In the real world, he had had enough of it!

In contrast, he actually liked the Sea Survival Game because here, might made right. He figured that as long as he was strong enough, he could dictate his own fate and the lives of many others—and he loved that feeling.

His focus subconsciously shifted to the Map. There were indeed no islands visible right now. In the early stages of the game, the Level gap between rafts couldn’t possibly be that vast. That meant she had to have used some Equipment to increase her raft’s Speed.

Having sorted that out, Harold took his current resources and tossed them into the Workbench one by one. Eventually, he managed to discover the blueprints for a wind vane and a sail.

Determine the direction and increase the raft’s Speed. These were exactly what he needed! If he couldn’t be first in the entire server, he would strive to be first in the district.

Simon Quinn also noticed the consecutive messages from Celia and Harold. In his heart, he agreed with Harold’s words.

This game was a competition. If someone took a little more, other players would get a little less. This was especially true for him since he had terrible luck. His Hook Claw barely caught any wooden crates, leaving him in dire need of food and water.

The worse his situation became, the more anxious he grew. He knew very well that as time passed, his raft would only fall further behind. He might end up dying from a lack of resources or from having his raft destroyed by an attack.

Therefore, his desire to plunder other players’ sea areas was completely genuine. He wanted to live! And he wanted to live well.

Since the game was so unfair as to assign him to such a barren sea area, he had no choice but to fight and rob others himself.

Celia Lynch... was the first target he had chosen for himself. But if he didn’t run into Celia, robbing any other player with a decent raft first wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

He felt that the islands would present an opportunity. After some careful analysis, Simon also discovered the existence of the wind vane and sail in the Workbench.

Then, he set sail.

Meanwhile, entirely oblivious to the undercurrents surging among the players, Rowan Rhodes was exploring Pyralia with great relish.