Chapter 62: Surging Waves Hidden Beneath the Surface

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Surging Waves Hidden Beneath the Surface

Rowan Rhodes had already perfectly nested the Sled and the raft together, and even connected it to the raft’s power system. Now, she only needed to start the Engine to let the raft travel freely across the ice.

The Seagull Family also noticed the changes to the raft. They flew back and forth over the Sled that housed the raft, clearly curious about this freshly minted behemoth.

"This is a Sled. It can travel on the snow," Rowan explained by way of Introduction. As she spoke, she stepped over to the Engine and activated it.

The moment it started, the entire raft shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bowstring. Seeing that the raft could travel on the ice, the Seagulls immediately let out a chorus of happy SQUAWKS. They knew that the raft had to keep moving forward to reach the next island and acquire more resources to grow stronger. Since they were following Rowan, their Natures dictated they hope for her to thrive. Seeing their happy demeanor, the corners of Rowan’s mouth curled up unconsciously.

Under the extreme cold weather, the arrival of marine life had time limits. The first wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp had just ended, and the second wave wouldn’t arrive so quickly. Of course, if she sailed directly out of the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp’s range, she could avoid their attacks altogether. But she needed the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp, so her Nature prevented her from sailing out.

Rowan directly adjusted the raft’s Speed. At the same time, she stood before the Steering Wheel to change its direction. While remaining within the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp’s range for now, she planned to use this opportunity to see exactly how vast her current sea area was. She wanted to figure out what was really going on with this sea area. Normally, it was impossible to encounter other players’ rafts, yet they would coincidentally meet at the islands, which made her extremely curious about how this sea area was formed. Now, she was taking advantage of this chance to explore. After all, most players were currently staying put, so exploring a bit wouldn’t affect her overall Speed.

With that decided, the trajectory of Rowan’s raft took a sharp 90-degree turn.

The Seagull Family noticed the moment she changed direction. They flew back to her side, wondering why she had altered their course instead of continuing straight ahead.

"I want to see how large this sea area is, and if there are any boundaries," Rowan said, a glimmer of light flashing through her eyes. After all, to survive longer, one had to deeply understand the Sea Survival Game. She didn’t have the opportunity in her previous life, but now that she had some capability, her Nature compelled her to explore more. Otherwise, it would be a huge waste of this chance!

Listening to her, the Seagulls looked confused, wondering if this ocean actually had boundaries and if it wasn’t all just sea. Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Rowan didn’t elaborate further.

As they sailed, she periodically left markers on certain patches of ice. Rowan continued forward with singular focus, only occasionally glancing at the World Channel and the Sea Survival Shop. She kept going until the Seagulls noticed Frost Phosphorus Shrimp chasing under the raft again. Rowan had also estimated that the time was just about right and was preparing to stop. The Seagulls’ senses were simply sharper than Rowan’s mental clock.

After coming to a halt, Rowan began her second wave of harvesting. Unlike last time, when she stored the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp in her Storage Box, she chose to list them in the Sea Survival Shop this time.

When the Sea Survival Shop was at Level 0, the cap for each item was 99. Upon upgrading to Level 1, it increased to 999. For many regular players, this was more than enough. But for Rowan, it was far from sufficient.

The second wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp attacks directly yielded enough to fill three item slots. And the moment these three listings appeared in the Sea Survival Shop, they instantly grabbed the attention of countless players.

District 122.

"The second wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp has arrived. I’ve been using shrimp traps for most of the day and only caught a little over a hundred. How can someone have over 999?? This gap is way too huge!"

"Did you guys notice? These three stacks of 999 Frost Phosphorus Shrimp basically appeared at the exact same time. Do they belong to the same player?"

"Impossible! That’s nearly three thousand Frost Phosphorus Shrimp! What kind of raft could withstand an attack like that?!"

"Could it be Rowan Rhodes? The number one player on the server."

"Uh... If it’s her, I actually think it’s possible."

"The problem is, there shouldn’t be that many Frost Phosphorus Shrimp in the second wave, right? I want to catch more, but there aren’t any left."

"Same here."

"Maybe it’s just a coincidence, and three different players uploaded their Frost Phosphorus Shrimp one after another?"

"That’s possible too!"

"Regardless, all I can say is, if it’s the same player, this big shot is insane! If it’s three players, they are also incredibly badass!"

"The gap between people is truly massive!"

"Yeah! I’m on the verge of death, but look at these big shots! They’re living out there in luxury."

"This gap is only getting wider. Looking at it just fills you with envy, jealousy, and hatred!"

"If only I could get this many resources too."

"Who wouldn’t want that?"

"..."

It wasn’t just District 122; other districts had also sparked similar discussions. Countless players had long since noticed the "privileges" enjoyed by the big shots through their own district’s trading halls. After the Sea Survival Shop was unlocked, they witnessed even more "privileges."

Alongside their envy, a deep greed began to well up in their hearts. In some districts where order had long since collapsed, people were constantly scheming to find opportunities to plunder. Even in districts where order still prevailed, a dark seed had been planted in the hearts of many players.

During this discussion on the District 122 World Channel, Celia Lynch, Zelda Parrish, Skye Schuyler, Owen Caldwell, Faye Sinclair, and the others did not speak up. At first, they simply felt no need to join the chatter. But as the conversation progressed, every single one of them grew increasingly vigilant.

Because of the Skills they possessed, they had accumulated a massive amount of "wealth" over these past few days. Their raft levels were constantly rising, and so were their rankings. They didn’t know the situation in other districts, but they could sense that many "unfamiliar faces" had started speaking up on the District 122 World Channel. Their responses harbored ulterior motives.

This made them realize that the peace in District 122—the so-called mutual assistance—was only superficial. When their own survival was on the line, nothing mattered more than their own interests. Therefore, desperate people would seize any and all opportunities... to pillage. Players like them, who possessed abundant resources but had unknown combat capabilities, were easy targets for plunder.

This tension wasn’t caused by the three sudden "goods" appearing in the shop. Rather, it was a byproduct of the widening power gap between players as the Sea Survival Game progressed. No player was willing to be permanently left behind, watching others live in luxury while they themselves hovered on the brink of death.

As these individuals calculated their next moves on their respective rafts, only one thought remained in their minds. They had to work hard to arm their rafts.