Chapter 64: Only Remember First Place

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Only Remember First Place

The third wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp was far fiercer than the second. The combat ability of a Frost Phosphorus Shrimp swarm far exceeded that of a single shrimp; in fact, the more their numbers grew, the more formidable their battle prowess became. As a result, the attack Rowan Rhodes’s raft was currently weathering was far from simple.

Loud screeches of friction and heavy collisions echoed as the attacks struck metal. The entire underside of the raft was besieged by sharp ice spikes. Exploiting the raft’s insufficient Durability, several thick ice spikes drove straight into the Metal Raft, continuously widening the breaches they created.

The ice spikes even assaulted the Sled nested beneath the raft. Worse yet, the Sled’s very structure facilitated their assault. In no time, it was coated in a dense layer of ice. The sheer weight of the ice began dragging the Sled down, clearly intent on pulling both the Sled and the raft beneath the water.

Rowan was already acutely aware of the ferocity of this wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp. Her eyes remained glued to the control panel, monitoring the situation. The moment the Durability showed any sign of dropping, she immediately initiated repairs while continuing to rapidly harvest the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp.

Most importantly, the sky had now turned completely pitch-black. After brewing all day, the temperature had plummeted to minus 17 degrees. This freezing cold constantly assaulted the players’ bodies. As Rowan harvested the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp with the shrimp traps, she could feel the chilling air lingering around her. Fortunately, she was fully geared up from head to toe; otherwise, prolonged exposure to such an environment would cause her Life Value to drop continuously.

Even the Seagulls couldn’t bear it and retreated to the relatively warm shelter beneath the raft, watching Rowan’s every move through the glass.

Throughout this process, Rowan rapidly burned through a massive amount of Metal Ingots, shrimp traps, cold-resistant gloves, and warming foods. But to her, it was all worth it. After all, if she missed out on this wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp, it would be nearly impossible to encounter such a massive swarm again. The Frost Phosphorus Shrimp were the greatest crisis of the extreme cold disaster, but conversely, they were also the greatest opportunity.

Rowan continued to silently harvest them, swiftly listing them in the Sea Survival Shop.

The first batch of 999.

The second batch of 999.

The third batch of 999.

...

Another massive wave of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp was listed, the quantity even greater than before. Many players who were fighting tooth and nail for their own harvests could only express one sentiment:

They were numb!

Truly numb!

The last time, they had thought the three batches of 999 Frost Phosphorus Shrimp might or might not have belonged to the same person. But after the third wave arrived in rapid succession, they became certain of one thing: these staggering quantities of Frost Phosphorus Shrimp really were from the exact same person.

Countless players focused their eyes on the leaderboard.

Rank 1 across the entire server: Rowan Rhodes.

Aside from her, there could be no one else!

Many players had also figured out the attack patterns of the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp. Since most players were currently engaged in harvesting them, they understood better than anyone that catching such an absurd amount required not just a high raft level, but also the personal ability to swallow such a massive haul. It was exactly because of their own firsthand experiences that they locked onto Rowan as the sole suspect, realizing just how insanely badass she truly was.

Even though players across all sectors were currently busy fending off the swarms, they couldn’t help but be lured out of the woodwork to chat.

"Damn, it’s definitely Rowan Rhodes, no doubt about it."

"How on earth did she do it?"

"Added up, her harvest for just this one day has to be over ten thousand, right?"

"God! That’s too awesome."

"I’m so curious about what Rowan’s raft looks like. You have to realize that the higher the Level, the fiercer the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp’s attacks. Just how advanced does her raft have to be to withstand so many of them?!"

"Yeah, even though I’m greedy for the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp, I couldn’t hold out. I already used the Sled to drag my raft and run away. There’s a whole swarm of them chasing right behind me! Don’t ask me how I know, you all get it."

"Not gonna lie though, the Frost Phosphorus Shrimp look absolutely gorgeous at night!"

"Agreed! The ice layer is so thick, yet their light can still shine right through."

"The Frost Phosphorus Shrimp are great and all, but not everyone can stomach them."

"Ever since the new era of the game started, Rowan has been leagues ahead, constantly creating miracles. Just how does she do it?!"

"I hope I get the chance to see what she actually looks like in person someday."

"WAAAH, I just want to cling to her coattails!"

"..."

***

"This Rowan Rhodes is way too rich!"

"Why is everyone so sure it’s her?"

"I’m ranked fifth on the leaderboard; do you think I don’t know what it’s like when a raft encounters Frost Phosphorus Shrimp?! Even though she’s only Level 7, her raft’s construction is definitely stronger than Level 7. She just hasn’t upgraded its Level yet."

"Then when the time comes... HEH HEH."

"Being able to plunder other people’s rafts is just a guess on our part. Even if it’s true, the number one on the leaderboard isn’t someone to be trifled with! Shouldn’t we hold off until later?"

"No, it has to be sooner. If we wait too long, she’ll become even stronger, and then she really will be impossible to mess with."

"I wonder when it will happen. I’m really itching to try."

"HAHAHA, I feel like it’ll be soon."

"..."

***

"I wonder which sector this Rowan Rhodes is in. It would be great if we could win her over."

"She’s first place. Can she even be won over?"

"Maybe she got all her stuff by plundering others?!"

"Impossible! She’s been far ahead of the pack this entire time. All the resources in everyone else’s hands combined probably don’t even add up to what she has."

"Why does it have to be her?"

"Because she’s first place. She’s the prime example."

"What if I was first place?"

"If you were first place, there would be people like us trying to win you over too."

"..."

***

The world channels across all sectors were flooded with discussions about Rowan. Some wanted to ride her coattails, some were green with envy, some wanted to plunder her, and some wanted to recruit her...

This meant that the name Rowan Rhodes had once again left a profound mark in the hearts of countless players.