While Everyone Panicked, I Upgraded My Raft

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The Seagull Family Helps Out Greatly Again

[Obtained Snowstrider Bear Fur x1]

[Obtained Snowstrider Bear Fur x1, Linen x10]

[...]

Rowan Rhodes looked at the resources she had acquired, the corners of her mouth curling up into a faint smile.

Snowstrider Bear fur was a far superior material compared to Rough Insect Skin and wool. A single piece could be used to craft multiple pieces of cold-resistant Equipment: cold-resistant suits, gloves, hats, and shoes.

These four types of Equipment not only provided excellent insulation but also offered a protective Effect without any durability limitations. As long as they weren’t torn to shreds, the Equipment could be kept forever.

These were the true treasures of the extreme cold disaster. They were just incredibly difficult to obtain.

However, if people knew that such treasures existed, they would undoubtedly grind these Snowstrider Bears to death just to ensure they could live comfortably for the next day. Rowan thought the exact same thing.

By now, several Snowstrider Bears that had successfully pulled themselves back up were getting to their feet, forming a perimeter to surround the raft. Some of the faster ones had even reached the front, clearly intending to intercept Rowan’s raft. After all, only by stopping it could they inflict damage on the raft and devour her.

This was an instinct carved into their very genes by the Sea Survival Game. The marine creatures born from the natural disaster and the players were locked in a relentless fight to the death.

At this moment, the raft was constantly moving forward. The pursuing Snowstrider Bears were burning through their physical Strength, and the more exhausted they became, the easier they would be to deal with.

Taking advantage of a brief gap in the onslaught, Rowan ducked back inside the raft to adjust the Engine’s Speed. She then prepared to rush right back out without stopping to deal with the rest of the beasts.

”SQUAWK...”

Just then, Seabird One stepped directly into Rowan’s path. She glanced at the bird, slightly puzzled.

The next moment, Father Gull and Mother Gull each took position by an Engine, placing their claws firmly on the switches that controlled the Engine’s Speed. As for Seabird Two and Seabird Three, they were even more direct. They perched themselves right on top of the Steering Wheel, indicating that they could control the direction.

Seeing this, Rowan immediately understood their intentions. They wanted to help her.

The temperature outside was simply too freezing, and their feathers could no longer fend off the bitter cold. Had it been warmer, they would have already been out there fighting alongside her. However, they had noticed how incredibly busy she was. While they couldn’t assist her on the deck, they could certainly handle things on the inside. They had been observing Rowan’s every move and had already learned how to operate the Engine and Steering Wheel from watching her.

”Alright, I’ll leave it to you guys then,” Rowan said, looking affectionately at the thoughtful Seagulls. She confidently entrusted the task to them.

Ever since the Seagull Family had joined her team, they had always been eager to help, executing every task to sheer perfection. She trusted them completely.

With that settled, Rowan stepped back out the door, while Seabird One waited by the entrance, ready for her orders.

Rowan drew her Bow and Arrow, firing at the Snowstrider Bears while simultaneously shouting commands to Seabird One. Of course, her overarching strategy remained to simply ram forward recklessly, as shooting arrows required an immense amount of concentration. Sometimes, in order to guarantee a kill on a Snowstrider Bear, she had no choice but to abandon some of the raft’s defenses.

To her utter surprise, however, after she issued a few simple commands, Seabird One entirely figured it out on its own. It began directing evasive maneuvers to protect the raft from the Snowstrider Bears’ impacts without any further instruction.

It was extremely helpful that Rowan had installed glass windows on all four sides of the cabin, allowing Seabird One to quickly assess the situation outside. The bird flew rapidly around the interior of the raft, observing the chaos and barking out directions. Under Seabird One’s command, the Seagull Family flawlessly executed their respective duties, managing the raft’s forward progress with methodical precision.

With the Seagull Family pulling their weight so effectively, Rowan stopped worrying about the navigation altogether and focused entirely on dealing with the Snowstrider Bears.

As time passed, the number of Snowstrider Bears swarming the raft dwindled. Eventually, the few remaining beasts were left far behind in the raft’s wake.

This meant they had successfully cleared the territory of the first wave of the Snowstrider Bear pack.

Rowan went straight back inside the raft.

Seeing Seabird One and the rest of the crew, she couldn’t suppress the wide grin spreading across her face. ”You guys did amazing!”

They had truly given her a massive, delightful surprise. This meant that in any future emergencies, she already had a reliable crew to helm the raft. Although the system was only semi-automated right now, it would be even more convenient in the future when things became fully automated, allowing the raft’s navigation to be controlled directly from the cabin panel.

Hearing Rowan’s praise, the Seagull Family excitedly flocked to her, puffing out their chests and holding their heads high, radiating indescribable pride.

”Let’s go! We’re going to celebrate,” Rowan announced. Her method of showing gratitude was incredibly straightforward: sharing a delicious meal together.

A moment later, a massive spread of food was laid out in front of Rowan. She even brought out several different types of beverages. All of these items had been obtained from wooden chests. Because the drop rate was extremely low, she didn’t have many of them in her inventory—every portion eaten was one less for the future.

To Rowan, however, it was entirely worth it. Good things were meant to be shared.

Staring at the mouth-watering feast, the Seagull Family immediately buried their heads in their food and began to gorge themselves. Seabird One in particular ate ravenously; its energy consumption just now had been quite intense.

As Rowan ate to recover her state, she finally had the peace of mind to check the situation in the District 122 world channel.

[District 122: (97128 / 100000)]

Rowan paused as she stared at the total player count in the world channel.

The Snowstrider Bear attack had only just begun, yet over two hundred people had already died, and the number was still dropping continuously. It wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, and as time marched on, the casualty rate would only accelerate. This was completely unavoidable.

”Holy crap, these Snowstrider Bears are way too tough to deal with!”

”Given their sheer size, my raft looks like a pile of scrap metal in front of them.”

”Boohoo, my raft is about to be smashed to pieces.”

”Pick up a weapon and fight back!”

”How am I supposed to fight?! I got slapped once, and my Life Value instantly bottomed out. Right now, I’m just hiding inside my raft, shivering in terror.”

”It even knows how to track where I am! It just keeps chasing me, I’m completely done for.”

”They actually have a layer of ice covering their bodies. My weapons can’t even scratch them, their health bars haven’t moved an inch.”

”This is incredibly tough. Thank goodness there’s only one, otherwise I’d be dead.”

”Ah, only one? Why the hell did I run into several of them?”

”It comes down to the difference in your raft level. Also, those who stayed put in their original spots generally only encounter one or two. But if you keep moving forward, you’ll run into an entire pack.”

”Holy crap! Talk about differential treatment! If I had known, I wouldn’t have run.”

”Well, those who stayed behind are generally the weaker players. If they ran into an entire pack, they wouldn’t even need to fight, they’d just be instantly dead!”

”I used to feel bad that I was falling behind other rafts, but now I think staying put is actually a pretty solid choice.”

”Celia Lynch: Use the Flaming Fire Bow and Arrow, it can actually damage the Snowstrider Bears.”

”I’ve been using it for a while now. I knew the items from the Sea Survival Shop would definitely come in handy.”

”@Zelda Parrish, you were the one selling the Flaming Fire Bow and Arrow earlier, right! Do you have any more? Hurry up and list them on the shelves!”

”@Zelda Parrish, save me!”

”@Zelda Parrish, can I ask how you make the Flaming Fire Bow and Arrow? The more people who know how to make it, the more Strength we have as a whole!”

”Zelda Parrish: You just take a Simple Bow and Arrow, combine it with a Hot Stone, and process it in a Furnace to craft the Flaming Fire Bow and Arrow. It doesn’t require any special Skill! However, your raft needs to be Level 6 or higher to accommodate a Furnace as Equipment.”

”Holy crap, Level 6, that’s way too difficult!”

”It’s not that hard, actually! I’ve already seen quite a few players hit Level 7.”

”I actually have enough resources to upgrade, but I’m terrified that leveling up will just attract even more Snowstrider Bears.”

”Boohoo, you big bosses need to step it up! All of our lives are resting on your shoulders.”

”...”

Rowan watched the players rapidly share solutions and exchange information in the chat, pausing for a brief moment.

She then began listing her newest batch of Flaming Fire Bow and Arrow into the District 122 trading hall. As soon as they went up, they were snatched clean in a matter of seconds.

For the ensuing period of time, Rowan continued to tirelessly produce and trade. As long as she had the time, she listed as many as she could physically craft.

She kept this up until the Snowstrider Bears launched their next assault.