Chapter 242: Saving the Oasis 14 (Finale)

Moira Lynch looked down at the white sand beneath her feet, which was distinctly different from the golden sand all around.

[The sand left behind by a dead Dune Beast is classified by the interstellar community as a metal. Though it greatly resembles sand, its essence is like that of metal.]

"Dune Beasts are so hard to kill. The sand they leave behind must be worth a lot, right?" Moira Lynch asked, full of expectation.

After all, valuable items like the Yeti Horn, the Golden Celestial Eye, and the Red Celestial Eye had nearly made her burst from a feast of riches.

[Unfortunately, the sand left by Dune Beasts is extremely cheap in the interstellar market. You can buy ten tons for fifty Gold Coins.]

"How can that be? Aren’t they really hard to kill?"

[You don’t need to kill a Dune Beast to obtain the sand from its body.]

A look of disappointment crossed Moira Lynch’s face.

However, before she left to find the next Dune Beast, Moira Lynch still gathered up all the sand on the ground.

’Waste not, want not,’ she thought.

After dealing with all the Dune Beasts, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch had harvested a total of thirteen sand dust fruits.

They each ate one on the spot.

The moment she bit into it, Moira Lynch’s face contorted in a grimace.

The sand dust fruit looked yellowish-orange and quite appetizing, but eating it was like taking a mouthful of dirt, complete with a gritty texture.

After forcing down the whole thing, Moira Lynch stuck out her tongue, a dirt-like taste filling her mouth. She quickly chugged some water to wash it down.

Hugh Finch, on the other hand, wasn’t faring any better and was also gulping down water.

Of the remaining eleven, two were set aside for Shane Rhodes and Kai York, leaving nine.

Hugh Finch took four, and the rest were Moira Lynch’s.

Moira Lynch didn’t stand on ceremony with this distribution. She accepted the five sand dust fruits without hesitation, for no other reason than that she deserved them.

She placed one of the sand dust fruits into her Pharmacy Box.

In the next second, an orange-yellow button appeared on the Pharmacy Box.

Desertification Potion: Allows the user’s body to turn into sand, rapidly healing wounds and evading fatal attacks. Best when used by an Earth Talent User.

PS: This medicine can only be taken once in a lifetime per person. A second dose will turn the body into a pile of loose sand.

Moira Lynch was very satisfied with this Desertification Potion. It had clearly inherited all the best traits of the sand dust fruit.

Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch had caused such a huge commotion that the surrounding players had long since woken up, but not a single one dared to approach and cause trouble.

Two people, both with white hair and deathly pale skin, were accompanied by a Black Wolf.

Anyone who’s watched anime knows that in anime, white hair usually signifies a ruthless, taciturn character—like so-and-so, and what’s-his-name (I won’t give any examples here).

What’s more, not only was their hair white, but their exposed skin was also white—a terrifying shade of white. A three-day-old corpse wasn’t as pale as they were.

And that Black Wolf could create an ice flower with a single swipe of its paw, instantly killing all the lantern monsters near the oasis.

With a track record like that, who would dare go looking for trouble?

Some people were also puzzled. They hadn’t seen these two around in the past couple of days.

After all, with such a striking appearance, they would have definitely left an impression if seen before.

Then it occurred to them: could these two have just emerged from the desert and found the oasis?

If that was the case, they definitely wouldn’t be able to complete their quests.

A few of the more shrewd players saw Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch take something from the monsters’ bodies. Since their own quests were almost done anyway, they thought that tomorrow, after finishing their tasks, they would proactively ask if the pair needed help. As for payment, they would ask for the items taken from the monsters.

This player felt his approach was very fair. After all, no matter how precious an item was, could it be more precious than a spot in the game?

’I’m doing it for their own good,’ he thought.

With that in mind, the man closed his eyes, preparing to rest and recuperate.

Meanwhile, on the other side, having just finished a battle, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch were a little too excited to sleep.

Moira Lynch took out her dagger, itching to test the medicinal effects of a sand dust fruit.

’If it’s this disgusting and its ability is disappointing, I’ll really spit blood,’ she fumed internally.

But after gesturing with the dagger for a while, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to cut herself.

’Forget it. Why put myself through that?’

She hadn’t been injured since the game began, so eating the sand dust fruit would just be a safeguard for now.

She forced herself to rest for an hour. After a brief morning cool, the temperature began to rise.

Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch ate breakfast, drank a bottle of stamina-recovering medicine each, and then left the oasis.

It was the last day, after all, and they had to use this time to collect more Flower Beetle Gallbladders.

"To be precise, we have seven hours left," Hugh Finch corrected.

"When we first arrived, it was noon. Given the system’s habits, the game will end at the same time."

Seven hours. It sounded long, but it really wasn’t.

Because they couldn’t be too close to the oasis, it took them an hour just to find a suitable location.

"This spot should work," Hugh Finch said, looking at a sand dune.

Moira Lynch nodded.

First, they flew into the air using their Flying Device. Then, they readied the ice rocks and set out the bait they had prepared. All that was left was to wait.

Fortunately, the Petalwing Beetles were cooperative and didn’t keep them waiting long, arriving as soon as they caught the scent.

Over the next few hours, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch made use of every single second.

On average, they could lure a wave of Petalwing Beetles every half hour, then spend another half an hour collecting the Flower Beetle Gallbladders.

After they finished collecting the Flower Beetle Gallbladders from the last wave, Moira Lynch checked the time. There was exactly one minute left.

As the final second of the countdown ended, the game system’s mechanical voice sounded in every player’s ears.

[The game has ended. Players who did not complete their tasks will lose their eligibility to play. To all players who completed their tasks, we will see you at the next game.]

As the system’s voice faded, everything went dark. When they opened their eyes again, they were back home.

In her room, Moira Lynch stretched lazily. The first thing she did was change out of her clothes and go take a shower.

The current water supply was full of insect eggs, so Moira Lynch naturally didn’t dare use the tap water.

Using a Sucking Mushroom as a showerhead, Moira Lynch had a nice, long shower.

Just as she finished blow-drying her hair, she heard a knock on the door.

She opened it to see an exhausted, lifeless Kai York.

"Don’t tell me you failed the game," Moira Lynch said.

Kai York rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? Of course not. I just overused my talent a bit, and my back is killing me."