While Everyone Panicked, I Upgraded My Raft

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Getting a Pet

Pyralia was just a small island. It wasn’t very large in area, and the beach, along with the coastal palm trees and Coconut trees, took up nearly half of it.

As for the other half, it was a small hill. In her past life, when Rowan Rhodes arrived at Pyralia, the entire island was barren. She had had no choice but to collect sand and Stones.

But things were different now. After climbing up a bit, Rowan saw lush woods and grassy areas. The moment she saw the grass, she immediately went forward to begin her harvest. Her Pet Egg and pasture both needed it!

[Congratulations to the player! Through the Collection of grass, you have obtained Grassland x5, Pasture Seeds x3.] [C-level Collection Skill triggered.]

Rowan collected them piece by piece. Whenever her Fullness Value and Thirst Value dropped, she would eat some cake and drink mineral water to replenish herself before continuing.

After gathering thirty units of Grassland, Rowan stopped her Collection and began searching elsewhere. As for Stones, she only dug up a few as a token gesture to keep as spares. After all, the value of Stones wasn’t high, so there was no need for her to spend too much time on them. Gathering other resources could be traded for even more Stones anyway.

In her past life, that was exactly what she had done. Without other resources, she had dug Stones, relying on sheer quantity to exchange for what she needed. Sometimes, this was the only way for bottom-tier players to survive.

When this thought surfaced in her mind, Rowan couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. She truly was different now. And the change was for the better.

With a smile on her lips, Rowan continued to climb. Soon, she spotted another dense patch of grass. She took her tools and rummaged through it. When she parted the foliage, she was surprised to find a large, round Watermelon resting inside.

[Congratulations to the player! Through the Collection of the Watermelon, you have obtained Watermelon x1, Watermelon Seeds x1.]

After picking five or six in a row and confirming there were no more, Rowan reluctantly changed locations. Watermelons were a cooling type of fruit, having a certain Effect in reducing body temperature and preventing heatstroke. If placed in the trading hall, they would be sold by the slice. Especially during periods of extreme heat, demand far exceeded supply.

With these successive harvests, Rowan’s desire to explore grew stronger. However, after searching another round, she didn’t see any more fruit. Still, she remained patient, searching inch by inch until her search led her to the cliff face.

At first glance, she didn’t pay much attention, but in the next instant, she noticed a slight protrusion on the rock.

Metal Ingots???

Rowan was sure she hadn’t seen it wrong. One must know, Metal Ingots were considered a basic raw material for later raft construction. She hadn’t expected to find any on Pyralia. Without a second thought, Rowan took out her iron shovel and started digging.

[Obtained: Metal Ingots x1]

[Obtained: Metal Ingots x1]

[...]

Originally, she had thought the only heat-resistant resources were Palm Leaves, Coconut water, and Watermelons. She never expected Metal Ingots to be hidden here as well.

Although Metal Ingots would only play a significant role in the later stages of building her raft, she knew they could be used as a substitute for aluminum foil to make heat insulation materials. In other words, she could craft awnings, sun umbrellas, and Heat-resistant Suits to withstand the extreme weather. With this Equipment, she wouldn’t have to fear the scorching heat anymore. She could even use this heat-resistant Equipment to trade for other resources.

Rowan didn’t jump down from the cliff face until she was absolutely certain there were no more Metal Ingots left to extract. At this point, she was completely sure there were no other resources to be found on Pyralia. After all, it was only a small island; yielding this much was already a pleasant surprise.

But she didn’t plan on leaving just yet. She set her sights on the trees. Chopping trees could yield a large amount of Wooden Boards, which was far more efficient than fishing them out of the sea one by one. Rowan took her Iron Axe and began felling them, one by one.

[Congratulations to the player! Through felling ordinary trees, you have obtained Wooden Boards x50, saplings x5.] [C-level Collection Skill triggered.]

[...]

Just as Rowan was fully engrossed in the massive harvest from her logging and unable to pull herself away, she suddenly sensed something flying at her from behind. She subconsciously raised her Iron Axe to block it. When the projectile collided with the blade, the impact forced her to take a step back.

At this moment, Rowan finally saw clearly that her attacker was actually a white Seagull. It was still holding an offensive posture, evidently calculating the best angle for its next strike.

Watching it, Rowan raised an eyebrow. Seagulls were considered marine creatures. They would periodically spawn above a player’s raft to steal food; if stopped, they would attack. Relying on their advantage of flight, they had become the bitterly detested ”flies” in the eyes of players.

Of course, Seagulls also had their benefits. They could locate the positions of islands, acting as navigators on the open sea. Once players discovered this, many began attempting to capture them, and quite a few succeeded. Later on, these birds proved immensely helpful in providing early warnings and leading the way.

Now that she had encountered one, if there was a chance, she absolutely had to secure it!

Without hesitation, Rowan pulled a piece of cake out of her backpack. Why did Seagulls board players’ rafts in the first place? Wasn’t it just for a bite to eat? The moment the sweet-smelling cake was revealed, the Seagull, originally poised to attack, was instantly captivated.

Watching its reaction, Rowan took several steps back.

SWOOSH.

The Seagull swooped down, devoured the small cake on the ground, and landed not far away, staring intently at her. Thinking of her F-level Skill, Nature, Rowan chose to activate it.

[Want!]

Rowan was speechless. She tossed out another small cake. This time, the Seagull remained motionless for a long while.

[Back!]

Rowan took several steps back. Then, in the blink of an eye, the small cake vanished again.

[Want!] After the Seagull steadied itself, it squawked at her again, its tone seemingly a bit more urgent.

Having confirmed that her food ”attack” was effective, Rowan produced another small cake and placed it in the palm of her hand. ”Do you want to follow me? I’ll give you delicious food every day.”

This time, Rowan did not retreat. The Seagull’s willingness to approach her represented its approval to a certain extent. Only a pet of her own was worth raising! If it wasn’t her pet, then it was... an opponent.

The Seagull clearly understood her words. Its small eyes darted between Rowan and the little cake. Finally, with a flap of its wings, it flew toward her. Its claws were extended and exceptionally sharp. If it scratched her, it could deduct a significant chunk of her Life Value.

Rowan’s instinct was to dodge, but she forced herself to stand still. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If she failed, she would only lose some Life Value. But if she succeeded, she would gain an ”eye on the sea.” It was worth the gamble.

Fortunately, her gamble paid off. The Seagull landed steadily on her arm. Rowan felt her arm sink under its weight; she tilted slightly, almost dropping the cake.

The Seagull snapped the cake into its beak and hopped up onto her shoulder.

[Weak.]

Rowan fell silent again. She wondered if she had just been mocked by a Seagull.

But... she really did need to start physically training her body. The stat enhancements only changed the raw data; to truly turn those numbers into bodily instinct, she had to put in the work. After all, she now had plenty of food and water, so she could easily afford the physical toll of exercising.

[Player has obtained Pet: Seagull.]

At this moment, a notification appeared on her panel. Evidently, the Seagull had defaulted to being her pet.

”I’m going to continue chopping trees! Do as you please,” Rowan said, handing the bird a steamed bun.

The Seagull took it and swallowed it in a few bites, a hint of confusion flashing in its small eyes. It didn’t seem as delicious as the previous treat. But... this human sure had a lot of food!

Subsequently, the Seagull took to the sky, its gaze scanning the surroundings to scout for and eliminate any potential dangers for Rowan. As for Rowan, she made a trip back to her raft to unload her heavy backpack before returning to the island to claim the rest of the timber.

Meanwhile, after using their wind vanes and sails to increase their rafts’ Speed for a period of time, players like Harold Thompson and Simon Quinn finally spotted the trace of Pyralia on their Maps. One by one, they adjusted their courses and headed straight for the island.