Chapter 88: Star Grass

The previous island had been nowhere near as vast or fertile as this one. Still, Lily Rhodes had managed to find green crystal stones there to upgrade her sailboat, along with Dog Head Gold to push the vessel to Level 4. Although she had not gathered quite enough of the gold, her most crucial discoveries were the blueprints for a large planter and a final Water Stone. Those stones had provided a steady stream of energy, ultimately fusing into the Water Spirit Pearl.

Rugged Isle paled in comparison to the boundless riches of this new territory. The treasures hidden here could very well be even more precious than a limitless supply of Water Stones.

Driven by that thought, Lily picked up her pace. Wielding an oversized, razor-sharp sickle, she swiftly cleared away the dense brush blocking her path.

Her eagle-like gaze swept over the surrounding flora. The moment she spotted a useful plant, she paused just long enough to transfer it into her small planter.

Night fell quickly. Lily took off her golden glasses and swapped them for her Protective Goggles, granting her the Night Vision Ability. Her travel speed immediately increased. Without the golden glasses, she could no longer identify the plant life around her, so she simply abandoned the effort and focused entirely on the journey ahead.

As darkness blanketed the island, the resident beasts began to awaken.

For these fierce predators, the night was their true battlefield.

Lily navigated her surroundings with extreme caution, carefully evading the waking monsters. Thanks to the stealth properties of her Soft armor, she would remain completely undetected as long as she did not expose herself.

Concealed within a patch of dense, towering grass, Lily peered through the gaps in the leaves. Less than ten meters away, lightning flashed, illuminating two massive tigers locked in a vicious brawl. Unlike ordinary tigers, these beasts possessed terrifyingly long fangs. Their upper canines were so pronounced that even a grazing strike could tear a gash deep enough to expose bone.

While the two behemoths tore into each other, a third tiger watched quietly from a short distance away.

This spectator was noticeably smaller than the combatants. Its fangs were shorter, and its overall build was far more delicate.

It did not take long for Lily to figure out exactly what was going on.

To sum it up in one sentence: it was all over a female.

Naturally, the tiger enjoying the show was the female, while the two brawling males were fiercely competing for mating rights. The only problem was...

"Fight all you want, but stop bringing the brawl over here!"

Lily’s pupils trembled as the two fighting tigers inadvertently shifted closer and closer to her hiding spot.

She was relying entirely on the Soft armor’s cloaking effect to stay hidden. In a head-on clash, she had absolutely no confidence in escaping a three-tiger ambush—not even with her Black Gold Bone Knife in hand.

Waiting for death to come knocking was not an option. With the beasts closing in, she had to make a desperate move.

The two male tigers were already covered in bloody lacerations from their brutal struggle.

Suffering for the sake of bruised egos seemed to be a universal male flaw, one that apparently extended to tigers. Despite their grievous injuries, neither male was willing to back down. They were hellbent on fighting to the bitter end.

Lily shifted her gaze toward the female watching from afar. She wondered if the males would follow suit if the female suddenly left.

Since she lacked the power to eliminate the threat, her only option was to make the threat leave on its own.

Acting purely on instinct, Lily raised her Arm Crossbow, loaded a poisoned bolt, and took aim at the female tiger.

Eager to get a better view of the bloody spectacle, the female had taken two steps forward, fully exposing herself to Lily’s line of sight. The Arm Crossbow fired with a faint click, the sound entirely masked by the deafening roars of the fighting males.

With a sharp SWISH, the poisoned bolt pierced the air and sank deep into the female tiger’s flank.

The relaxed spectator suddenly let out an agonizing shriek.

Shielded by the Soft armor, Lily remained completely invisible. The female tiger only knew she had been attacked. As the potent venom surged through her veins, she felt her strength rapidly draining away.

Stripped of her leisurely mood, the wounded beast spun around and fled into the darkness.

The sudden departure abruptly halted the deathmatch between the two males.

From her close vantage point, Lily clearly witnessed the drastic shift in their expressions. The bloodthirsty, unrelenting fury in their eyes dissolved into utter bewilderment.

A moment later, the first male tiger snapped out of its daze and sprinted after the retreating female. Seeing his rival take off, the second male let out an indignant roar and immediately gave chase.

Once all three beasts had disappeared into the night, Lily finally let out a massive sigh of relief and crawled out of the brush.

"They are finally gone. My legs are completely asleep from crouching so long."

Grumbling to herself, she resumed her trek toward the heart of the island.

The deeper she ventured, the larger and more ferocious the wildlife became. Some of the creatures even displayed distinct prehistoric traits, much like the oversized canines of those three tigers.

After several grueling hours of hiking, she finally reached the island’s central zone.

A faint, medicinal fragrance drifted through the air. The further in she walked, the stronger the herbal scent became.

Lily knew she had stumbled upon something truly extraordinary. However, treasures of this caliber were almost always protected by a Guardian Beast.

Recalling the terrifying prehistoric creatures she had passed along the way, a heavy dread began to beat like a drum in her chest.

"Take it slow. If things look bad, I will retreat immediately. No treasure is worth my life."

Steeling her resolve, Lily slowed her pace to a crawl and crept cautiously forward.

Just then, a faint glimmer of light caught her eye.

"Fireflies? No, it is the grass. The grass is glowing."

Lily stared in wide-eyed wonder. A sprawling meadow stretched out before her. Aside from being slightly taller than normal, it was the most generic-looking grass she had ever seen. Every single blade was completely identical, as if someone had copied and pasted them across the earth.

Reaching out, she carefully pinched off a single leaf and immediately darted back into the safety of the shadows. She removed her Protective Goggles, slipped her golden glasses back on, and stared at the specimen. A holographic text box materialized before her eyes:

[Star Grass: Emits a faint glow at night. The Star Grass itself possesses no special properties, but the dew it condenses yields unexpected effects.]

Swapping her glasses for the goggles once more, Lily gazed out across the glowing sea of Star Grass. Sure enough, a thin, shimmering layer of dewdrops was already beginning to form across the illuminated leaves.