Chapter 87: Almost Swallowed

After confirming the situation on the island, Lily Rhodes closed her eyes and began to listen for any activity. She wanted to know if anyone had arrived before her.

The good news was that no one had landed ahead of her; no Portencian Survivor had set foot on this island yet.

The bad news was that the island had already been discovered. Barring any surprises, the person who found it was Zachary Locke. He had already gathered a group of people and was preparing to launch a large-scale exploration.

After pinpointing their location, Lily had Shelly detour to the opposite side of the island. She planned to make her landing there.

Once suited up in her gear, Lily had Shelly bring her to the water’s surface. She took out her sailboat and steered closer to the shore. Zachary and his group were likely waiting for nightfall to begin their expedition. She could use this window to her advantage and get a head start.

Upon stepping onto the island, Lily closed her eyes once more. A moment later, she slowly opened them.

The island felt incredibly noisy to her, as though a multitude of people were speaking all at once. Unlike the islands she had explored previously, she knew she had to be extra, extraordinarily cautious here.

This time, she didn’t just casually stroll inland like she usually did. Instead, she advanced with the utmost care. Her objective was simple: the medicinal herbs native to the island. To that end, she had prepared an ample supply of small planter boxes.

"Based on past experience, the closer to the center of the island, the more good stuff there is," Lily murmured.

She moved through the tall grass, measuring every step. Yet even with such caution, her movements startled some of the creatures hidden in the brush.

Sensing her approach, several wild pheasants suddenly fluttered out of the grass. Their plumage was brilliantly colored, and they were significantly larger than the domestic chickens she raised.

Seeing this, Lily raised the Arm Crossbow on her wrist. SWISH SWISH SWISH! She fired several arrows, striking the pheasants with deadly precision and killing them instantly.

She picked up the birds and stored them in her Bronze Treasure Chest. After inspecting the patch of grass they had flushed from, she predictably found a nest of wild eggs.

After collecting the eggs, Lily continued her trek. It didn’t take long for her to realize something was amiss.

When she first landed, the vegetation hadn’t been entirely familiar, but she at least recognized most of it. Now, as she ventured deeper, she didn’t seem to recognize a single plant. She couldn’t even spot the coconut trees that were a staple on every other island. Aside from those pheasants, there weren’t even any wild fruits. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a sea of green.

"Good thing I came prepared."

Lily took off her Protective Goggles, and her previously clear vision instantly darkened. The dense canopy overhead blocked out the sun, allowing only a few stray beams to pierce through the gaps and dapple the ground.

She then pulled a pair of rimless glasses from her pocket and put them on. The moment she wore them, annotations appeared over everything in her line of sight. It felt like taking an exam and suddenly having the cheat sheet magically pop up right in front of her. In a word: awesome!

Before she could even finish marveling at the feature, her gaze swept over a layer of green moss on the ground. Her pupils suddenly constricted.

She had noticed this moss the moment she set foot on the island but hadn’t paid it any mind. After all, who would care about something as ubiquitous as moss? Yet now...

[Scorched Grass Moss: Crushing and applying externally can inhibit wound inflammation. Can be used to treat abrasions, minor injuries, and similar wounds. Cannot stop bleeding; ineffective for deep wounds.

Side Effects: Not for internal consumption. Accidental ingestion causes toxic symptoms such as nausea and dizziness. Excessive external application causes dry, peeling skin and leaves scars. Recommended to be processed into a potion before use.]

After reading the description, Lily stood stunned for a long time. She already knew the island held a massive amount of medicinal herbs, but she never expected this common moss to be one of them.

Instead of bringing out a planter box, she used her dagger to cut a slit into the carpet-like moss. Slipping her fingers into the gap, she gave a forceful heave and ripped up a massive chunk of moss along with the topsoil. She rolled it up like a rug and stuffed it into her Bronze Treasure Chest.

Over the next hour, her progress slowed to a crawl. She had to stop every few steps to transplant newly discovered medicinal herbs into her planter boxes.

"This island is a literal treasure island," Lily remarked, straightening her back.

But her amazement didn’t last long. The hairs on her arms suddenly stood on end, and a chill ran down her spine. She felt like she was being eyed by a predator. In the quiet air, the sound of scales scraping against tree bark echoed, accompanied by a foul, fishy stench.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Lily closed her eyes. The Black Gold Bone Knife materialized in her hand. Thanks to the Four Catties Move Thousand Pounds item, she could now wield the heavy blade with ease.

Right at that moment, her eyes snapped open, and she viciously slashed the Black Gold Bone Knife backward in a sweeping horizontal arc.

SLASH!

It was the sound of a sharp blade cleaving through scales and flesh.

The sheer force of her strike caused Lily to stumble back two steps and fall to the ground. Less than half a meter away from her, a gigantic python writhed and struggled violently. Its maw had been sliced open horizontally by the Black Gold Bone Knife, its head nearly split entirely in two.

After catching her breath, Lily approached the python and unleashed a few Wind Arrows and Wind Blades. However, these attacks hit the serpent like mere tickles, completely failing to pierce its defenses.

She finally understood why Zachary had invited her to explore with him after discovering this island. After all, against a beast like this, even someone with integrated Skills couldn’t guarantee they’d survive its jaws.

"Good thing I kept the Black Gold Bone Knife on me. Otherwise..."

That snake had clearly intended to swallow her whole. Given its massive size, gulping down someone as small as her would have been no problem at all.

The thought of nearly ending up in a snake’s belly sent a shiver down her spine. Raising the Black Gold Bone Knife, she swiftly and cleanly chopped the still-twitching giant python into several segments.

A green Crystal Core dropped out of the python’s body.

Lily picked it up and gasped in surprise. "This is actually a Level 2 Crystal Core."

The Energy contained within a Level 2 Crystal Core was a full ten times greater than that of a Level 1 Crystal Core. The beasts on this island were definitely not to be trifled with.

Speaking of which, if someone told her there was nothing fishy going on here—on an island that could sustain so many ferocious beasts and nurture such an abundance of medicinal plants—she’d never believe it.