128. The Four-Star Island

Rangga finally stood in the middle of the group, his smile growing wider.

“So...” He deliberately let the sentence hang. “I called all of you here because I want to show you something.”

Andre narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t tell me you found some new technology again.”

“Nope.”

Rangga raised his hand.

“I can upgrade the island now.”

The atmosphere immediately changed.

“Huh?”

“Your island?”

“Four stars?”

Rangga nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Four stars.”

Several people immediately started complaining.

“Damn...”

“That fast?”

“I just upgraded my Production Bench.”

Fajar, standing not far from Andre, snorted.

“Showing off again, Bang.”

Rangga laughed instead.

“That’s why I invited you guys. So you could see it.”

Andre immediately chimed in.

“You’re just flexing, Bang.”

“So what?”

Fajar himself had already managed to upgrade his Production Bench and had even crafted Guardian Armor. He also already had a Hijack Device. Andre wasn't far behind either; his Production Bench had been upgraded, he had new armor, and he could make a Hijack Device himself.

However, upgrading an island to the next level was still a different achievement altogether.

Deri simply smiled at Rangga's antics.

“All right. Just show us.”

Rangga nodded, then opened his system interface and selected his island status.

The island information appeared before him.

Private Island

Level 3

At the bottom was the option he had been waiting for.

Upgrade Island → Level 4

Rangga checked once more to make sure all the required materials were available.

200 Hardwood

200 Stone

100 Quartz

50 Steel Beam

“Everything's here.”

He pressed the upgrade button. In an instant, white light enveloped the entire island.

“Whoa!”

“It's starting!”

The ground beneath their feet trembled lightly.

It wasn't like a powerful earthquake shaking everything violently. Instead, it felt as though the entire island was undergoing a transformation from within. The surface of the land slowly expanded. Several sections along the edges moved outward, increasing the amount of usable territory.

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The light grew brighter, then—

Ting!

Everything stopped, and Rangga opened his eyes. The island had been upgraded to Level 4.

The difference wasn't immediately dramatic. No massive buildings suddenly appeared, nor did the environment undergo any drastic changes. However, the island's area had increased significantly.

The houses that had previously been close together now had more space between them.

Fajar looked around.

“It's pretty big.”

Andre nodded.

“Way bigger than before.”

Rangga nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

Siska looked at Rangga.

“That's it?”

“What, you wanted my island to turn into a city?”

“I thought a castle would appear.”

“Build one yourself.”

Several people laughed, but Rangga then walked toward the dock.

“Now look at the ship.”

“Huh? The ship too?”

Andre immediately followed.

“You're upgrading the ship too?”

“Yep.”

Rangga's ship was still at the dock. He opened its status and displayed the required materials.

Level 4 Ship

100 Natural Rubber

100 Refined Resin

30 Reinforced Hull Plate

10 Mechanical Gyroscope

10 Stabilizer Module

10 Heat Regulator

“That's quite a lot,” Deri said.

Rangga nodded.

“I've already collected everything.”

He pressed the upgrade button.

Light appeared again.

The ship began to tremble. Its hull slowly changed shape. The bottom became wider and sturdier, while the upper structure underwent changes as well. Several new structures appeared along the sides of the ship.

Once the light disappeared, the ship no longer looked like the Pioneer ship it had been before.

It was larger.

The hull looked much sturdier, and its design was far more refined. The upper deck had a much more spacious area, with a shape resembling a luxury yacht.

Andre let out a low whistle.

“Whoa...”

Fajar stepped closer.

“What kind of ship is this? A yacht?”

Rangga smiled proudly.

“Pretty cool, right?”

Siska immediately answered.

“Not bad.”

“Not bad?”

“Don't get cocky.”

“You're jealous.”

“Who's jealous?”

The others laughed again, but once their amazement at Rangga's new ship had subsided, curiosity began to take over.

Andre stared at the ship.

“So now we can access new islands, right?”

Rangga nodded.

“Yeah.”

“A four-star island?”

“Should be.”

Everyone immediately turned their attention back to Rangga.

“Open it, Bang.”

“Let's see the four-star island.”

“We've never seen one before.”

Rangga entered the ship's navigation system. He opened the destination screen.

Several island options appeared as usual.

One-Star Island. Two-Star Island. Three-Star Island. Then there was one new option.

★ ★ ★ ★

Four-Star Island

“Here it is.”

Several Pioneers immediately moved closer, but Rangga didn't press the option right away. Instead, his eyes became fixed on the information beneath it.

Remaining Time: 28 days 13 hours 45 minutes

Rangga frowned.

“...Huh?”

Andre looked as well.

“What?”

Rangga pointed at the number.

“Look at the time.”

Andre fell silent, and Fajar moved closer too.

“Twenty-eight days?”

Siska immediately frowned.

“Isn't it usually a day at most?”

“It can sometimes be more than a day,” Andre said. “But never this long.”

Several Pioneers began talking among themselves.

“Why is it so long?”

“Could something be wrong?”

“Are four-star islands really that different?”

“If it's just the difficulty level, why would it take almost a month?”

Rangga continued staring at the screen. He didn't like that number because something about it didn't make sense.

Deri finally spoke.

“Sir Rangga.”

Rangga turned toward him.

“The only way to find out what's there is to go.”

Deri pointed at the time displayed on the screen.

“In that case, go tomorrow.”

Rangga fell silent.

“Tomorrow?”

Deri nodded.

“Take a look at the situation. If it turns out to be too dangerous, don't force yourself. You can come straight back.”

Rangga scratched his head.

“I don't know if I can do it, Major.”

He looked back at the screen.

“If I'm alone, I honestly don't have the guts. Especially since this is really strange. Nearly a month. That's suspicious.”

Siska, standing beside him, immediately interrupted.

“Then just wait for me.”

Rangga turned toward her.

“You?”

“Yeah.”

Rangga immediately shook his head.

“Ah, you're still going to have to wait a while.”

Siska frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“You can't go there yet.”

He pointed at the time display.

“Look. There's still twenty-eight days left. You have to wait.”

Siska snorted, and Deri then said,

“How about this, Sir. Go there tomorrow. You don't need to force yourself to search for anything.”

He looked at Rangga seriously.

“If it's dangerous, leave immediately.”

Rangga fell silent, and Deri continued,

“Your equipment is also much better now.”

Rangga looked at the armor he was wearing, then at his bow and equipment.

He then looked at the ship's screen once more.

★ ★ ★ ★

Remaining Time: 28 days 13 hours 45 minutes

Rangga thought for a moment.

If it was only to check the island's condition, perhaps he could do it. He didn't have to fight, didn't have to search for resources, and didn't have to play the hero. He just needed to go there, take a look, and return if the situation was unfavorable.

Rangga finally gave a small nod.

“Yeah, I guess you're right.”

He smiled faintly.

“Looks like I can do it.”

Siska immediately turned toward him.

“Really?”

Rangga continued staring at the ship's interface.

“I'll give it a try tomorrow.”

Then he sighed.

“But if anything weird happens, I'm running away immediately.”

Deri smiled.

“That is the right decision.”