Apocalypse Descends: I Win Effortlessly by Turning Trash into Treasure

The trio’s departure caught the attention of a few others, but they didn’t make any moves or follow. As Dealer Players, they had their own pace.

As they traveled, Perry Yates walked in the middle, with Evan Fuller in front and Amber Sheridan in the back.

This formation would allow them to react immediately if attacked, and Perry could quickly envelop herself and the others in War God Armor.

However, the path was exceptionally quiet, and they encountered no danger.

Just then, a series of faint, high-pitched cries suddenly broke the silence. The trio immediately stopped in their tracks, listening intently.

”That sounds like baby crocodiles.”

Perry Yates said after listening for a moment.

”Are you sure?” Evan Fuller turned and asked seriously.

Perry Yates nodded. ”I’m sure. I was watching a nature documentary once, and the newly hatched crocodiles sounded just like this.”

”What do the calls mean, then?” Amber Sheridan asked curiously.

Hearing this, Perry Yates thought for a moment. ”I think they’re calling for their mother to carry them out of the nest.”

The implication of her words hit all three of them at once. They scrambled off the ground and up into the branches of a nearby tree.

The baby crocodile cries continued, growing from a solo into a full-blown chorus. It meant that nearly all the hatchlings in the nest had emerged from their eggs.

As the cries continued unabated, Perry Yates placed a hand on the tree trunk and quickly pinpointed the nest’s location.

Furthermore, she detected several other nests; the area was practically a natural crocodile incubator.

Before Perry Yates could relay this information to the other two, a massive SPLASH erupted from the nearby lake, followed by heavy, thudding footsteps.

As the footsteps drew nearer, a massive, dark green creature came into view, its body swaying from side to side as it walked.

This crocodile was even larger than the one the three of them had hunted before.

Perry’s gaze landed on its tail, which swung lazily from side to side with each step. ’What a meaty tail,’ she whispered.

The mother crocodile went straight to her nest. Using her short claws, she scraped away the insulating layer of dead branches and rotting leaves, revealing the tiny crocodiles that had already hatched.

These hatchlings were nearly half the size of a full-grown crocodile from Cerulea.

And yet here, they were merely newborns.

The mother gently scooped the hatchlings into her mouth. She didn’t swallow them, merely held them there before turning and heading back toward the lake.

Seeing this, there was no way the trio would let it get away. This was the prey they had been waiting for.

With a thought, Perry Yates cast War God Armor on herself, Evan Fuller, and Amber Sheridan. Then, countless vines erupted from the earth, blocking the mother crocodile’s path. She left the rest to the other two.

Given the toughness of the crocodile’s hide, Perry could only act after Evan Fuller and Amber Sheridan managed to pierce its armor.

With their last battle as practice, the two were far more proficient, targeting the crocodile’s most vulnerable areas.

However, this crocodile wasn’t just larger than the previous one; its hide was also significantly thicker. It took them a full half-hour to finally open a gash in its side.

Seeing the opening, Perry stopped holding back. Countless petals, infused with Sun Power, converged in her hands before shooting toward the wound.

Another half-hour passed before they finally wore the crocodile down and killed it.

The trio didn’t stop until the crocodile had drawn its very last breath.

Perry leaned against a tree trunk, gasping for air. She pulled some food from her Space Backpack and began to eat.

The battle had nearly exhausted her energy reserves, and she desperately needed to refuel. Evan Fuller and Amber Sheridan followed suit.

They had fought the crocodile for longer, so their energy consumption was even greater.

They devoured their food, feeling their energy returning at a tangible rate.

Normally, they’d have to rely on their bodies’ slow, natural recovery. They had cards with healing potions, but those were incredibly rare. Even they had very few and were reluctant to use them.

Besides, the potions weren’t even as effective as this food.

Once they had mostly recovered, the trio began to process the crocodile’s carcass.

The crocodile was so enormous that they worried they wouldn’t have the time—or space—to deal with it later. They decided to process it now, while they could.

They divided the labor clearly: one person skinned the beast, another butchered it, and Perry was in charge of using Ascension on the separated cuts of meat.

Once again, Perry only took the tail meat, leaving the organs behind. They didn’t finish processing the entire crocodile until the afternoon, by which time the air was thick with the coppery smell of blood.

Before they left, Perry visited the remaining nests, digging up the unhatched eggs and taking them with her.

Even after they left the area, the stench of blood clung to them. There was water nearby, but they wouldn’t dare jump in for a bath.

For Perry, however, getting water was a simple matter.

But even after washing the blood off their bodies, the smell remained. Perry sniffed at herself and frowned. Then, an idea seemed to strike her, and a card glowing with purple light appeared in her hand.

A moment later, the purple card vanished, replaced by an unmarked spray bottle.

Perry took the bottle and sprayed herself down liberally. As the mist settled on her, the thick, bloody odor vanished completely.

Perry took a sniff, and after confirming the smell of blood was gone, she nodded in satisfaction. She then tossed the cleansing spray to Amber Sheridan, who was watching her eagerly.

Amber Sheridan caught the spray but didn’t use it on himself. Instead, he handed it to Evan Fuller.

Seeing this, Perry thought to herself, ’What a suck-up.’

”So, are you two really childhood friends?” Perry asked. ”Because you seem more like a lord and his courtier.”

”We’re both,” Amber Sheridan admitted with surprising candor, lifting his chin proudly. ”Master Ford is my meal ticket.”

Perry: ...

’Hah. Whatever makes you happy.’