Chapter 60: Battle

After some exploration, Lily Rhodes finally understood that Rugged Isle was a massive resource island. It was rich in supplies, consisting of a forest on one half and a mountain on the other.

Here, she discovered numerous traces of animal activity from both small and large creatures. Seeing the massive piles of droppings on the ground, she knew large beasts roamed the area. Though she couldn’t identify the exact species, she was certain no small animal could produce that much waste at once.

This realization made it clear that the dangers lurking on Rugged Isle far exceeded those of the previous islands she had encountered. Consequently, her movements became much more cautious. Herbivores like deer would be manageable, but large predators such as wild boars or bears would spell serious trouble. Even though her current strength was vastly superior to what it used to be, she had no desire to test her physical might against such beasts.

Lily kept a vigilant watch on her surroundings but forgot to mind her footing. The very next second, tragedy struck.

She let out a sharp hiss of pain. She fell flat on her stomach. As luck would have it, her head landed right next to a fresh pile of dung. If it hadn’t been for her quick reflexes, she would have had an intimate encounter with the mess. She hastily rolled to the side, only to smack the back of her head hard against a solid object.

Clutching her head, she felt incredibly unlucky today. Just then, the Exploration Medal on her chest suddenly flashed.

[Metal element detected. Identified as a metal block. Can be used to extract Refined Steel.]

After hearing the Exploration Medal’s Introduction, Lily picked up the object that had assaulted her head. It was a highly irregular stone, appearing pitch-black under the moonlight. Since metal blocks could be used to extract Refined Steel, it meant the supply of Refined Steel on the market would gradually increase.

"It looks like the price of Refined Steel needs to be adjusted downwards," she murmured to herself.

While lost in thought, a sudden chill shot down her spine, and cold sweat broke out across her skin. An overwhelming sense of crisis forced her body to instinctively roll to the side. A moment later, she saw a massive, nearly two-meter-tall figure pounce on the exact spot she had just occupied.

Seeing its ambush fail, the figure immediately flapped its wings to escape, but Lily obviously wasn’t going to give it that chance. Let it flee just so it could attack her again later?

Without any hesitation, she completed her roll, scrambled to her feet, and raised her hand to fire off several Poison Arrows. However, the creature’s feathers were exceptionally thick; the Poison Arrows couldn’t pierce them at all. She followed up with a Wind Blade and a Wind Arrow.

The Wind Arrow remained completely ineffective, and the Wind Blade merely sheared off a few loose feathers. Somehow, all her attacks seemed to be sapped of their force upon impact.

Seeing the beast about to take flight, Lily decided to go all out. She drew the dagger from her waist and lunged forward. Her hands gripped its feathers tightly, and she drove her dagger through the dense plumage straight into its flesh.

But she wasn’t done yet.

Using Water Manipulation, she formed liquid chains that bound the creature tightly. Then, she targeted the only area not protected by feathers—its eyes.

After more than ten grueling minutes of close-quarters combat, the hulking beast beneath her was finally worn down to death. Lily released her grip on the dagger and rolled off the carcass, completely exhausted.

Her breathing remained relatively even, but deep down, she knew she had been terrified half to death. Although she had learned various Skills, she completely forgot how to string them together efficiently in critical life-or-death moments. Just like this time—if it hadn’t been for Water Manipulation, and if she hadn’t thought to target its eyes, she likely wouldn’t have been able to keep this massive creature grounded. It was a giant owl, towering over two meters tall.

As an apex nocturnal predator, it would have easily made a meal out of her if her Talent hadn’t enhanced her five senses to be several times sharper than a normal person’s.

"Decompose."

After resting for a moment, Lily decomposed the owl’s corpse. She obtained a processed owl carcass, a small pile of soft and warm down, a bundle of long, sturdy feathers, and three eggs.

Staring at the three eggs, she debated whether to turn them into an extra meal or keep them. Although she had killed the owl, it certainly wasn’t weak. If these three eggs hatched and grew up, they could potentially become powerful helpers. However, since they were obtained directly through decomposition, could they actually be incubated?

After hesitating for a long while, she ultimately decided to store the eggs away for the time being and focus on gathering other resources first. Judging by the giant owl’s size, it was undoubtedly the nocturnal overlord of this area. Now that she had killed it, the vicinity should be a bit safer... probably.

As expected, Lily encountered no further danger. Along the way, she raided several rabbit holes, caught a few wild chickens, and collected quite a few wild eggs. If dawn hadn’t broken, she wouldn’t have wanted to leave at all. However, the Bronze Treasure Chests she carried were practically overflowing. It was time to head back, unload her cargo, and return later.

She had been gathering resources non-stop along her path, decomposing a massive swath of trees in her wake. If the Survivor outside discovered this level of deforestation, they might harbor malicious intentions against her. With that thought in mind, she retraced her steps and returned before the sun fully rose.

Back on her sailboat, just as she prepared to set sail, a System prompt suddenly popped up before her eyes.

[Upgrade item green crystal stone (1/50) detected. Upgrade conditions not met.]

Seeing this, Lily frowned. She couldn’t fathom where this green crystal stone had come from. She hadn’t seen any such stones along her entire trek.

"Forget it. I won’t worry about it now. I’ll look for it carefully once I get back," she murmured.

Once settled back inside the ship, Lily took out all her recent harvests. She stored a portion of the fruit in the inventory, set aside another portion to use as seeds for planting, and stocked up the wood.

As for those three eggs...

She hesitated briefly before placing them on the sofa for now. She would study them when she had more time.

Subsequently, she inspected every single item she brought back. Finally, embedded deep within one of the owl’s severed claws, she found a single green crystal stone. If it hadn’t been for the System prompt, and if she hadn’t searched with absolute precision, who would have ever thought a green crystal stone would be hidden there?

Lily safely stored the green crystal stone away, then glanced at Shelly’s vehicle panel. Shelly was currently a Level 10 Vehicle. To continue upgrading, only Biological Energy could be used. But a staggering ten thousand Biological Energy...

Her eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. Where the progress bar should have been at absolute zero, it now displayed one hundred and thirty-two.

She blinked hard, making sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. It really was 132.

Casting her mind back, she quickly understood exactly what had happened. This was likely Biological Energy that Shelly had accumulated by foraging on its own every day. As for why this hadn’t happened before...