Chapter 11: Almost Died

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Almost Died

By the thirtieth turn, Seraphina Sinclair’s arm was so sore and swollen it was almost numb. She tugged at the corner of her mouth, her expression blank as she continued to crank.

She didn’t really believe in that whole "no pain, no gain" philosophy. The only reason she was working so hard was her eagerness to try out the composter.

...

[Sunshine +25]

[Sunshine +25]

[Current Sunflower Hunger Level 0/100]

[Your Sunflower needs to rest.]

Seraphina’s arm dropped before the notification sound even faded.

Exhausted.

So damn tired.

’This is no life for a human being.’

Seraphina swore under her breath. Then she remembered the complaints about food on the regional channel, and a shiver ran down her spine. Suddenly, she was full of motivation again.

But in a place like this, caution was paramount.

She rubbed her arm to loosen the muscles, her gaze fixed on the churning fog outside. As her mind went blank, she suddenly received several private messages.

[Tired_to_Death]: Don’t you have a mouth? Couldn’t you say something if you weren’t trading? I held the item for you all night, and now I can’t sell it. You have to compensate me for my losses.

[Tired_to_Death]: Did you see my message? If it weren’t for you, my charcoal would have sold long ago! Now, you’re going to compensate me!

[Tired_to_Death]: Answer me, don’t pretend you can’t see this! Your avatar is still lit up. If you’re not dead, then talk!

Seraphina stared at the private message window that had popped up, her brow furrowed.

That player named "Tired_to_Death" was actually still stewing over last night’s failed trade, and was even trying to pin the blame on her and demand compensation?

Huh?

’I’ve seen plenty of King Yamas in my past life; a little imp like this is actually a bit of a novelty.’

Seraphina took a deep breath. Suddenly, her arm wasn’t sore, her elbow didn’t ache, and her fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out a line of text.

[Blacktiger Ford]: What does your charcoal not selling have to do with me? You set an outrageous price and then blame others for not buying?

This was the last shred of decency she had.

If the person on the other end continued to pester her unreasonably, Seraphina wouldn’t mind teaching this ill-mannered punk a lesson on behalf of society.

[Tired_to_Death]: Don’t give me that useless crap. I know it’s because of you that my charcoal didn’t sell! You have to compensate me! I’m not asking for much, just five bottles of mineral water and two bags of compressed biscuits. Give them to me, and we’ll call it even. If you don’t, I swear this isn’t over between us.

Seeing the other party’s blatant attempt at extortion, Seraphina’s gaze turned completely cold.

She flexed her fingers and tapped out a murderous reply on the virtual keyboard:

[Blacktiger Ford]: Oh, so you’ve gone from broke to straight-up robbing people? Is your moldy piece of charcoal gold-plated or studded with diamonds? Five bottles of water and two bags of biscuits? Did a Rotting Corpse eat your brain? That price is enough to buy coffins for your whole family! Keep your charcoal and use it for your own cremation. Oh, and don’t bother buying an urn—I can carve one for you on the spot out of your dad’s skull.

Seraphina waited calmly for a moment. She would never back down from a verbal fight like this.

Especially not with someone who was clearly unhinged. People like that tended to bully the weak and fear the strong; the longer you ignored them, the more arrogant they became.

Sure enough, just as Seraphina expected, the other person didn’t dare say another word.

Outside the window, the black fog continued to churn, occasionally illuminated by flashes of eerie light. Seraphina rubbed her sore arm again, her gaze falling on the composter in the corner.

The sunshine had been collected. It was time to test the device’s effectiveness.

"Time to move the cabin first. Hopefully I’ll run into a few more monsters today,"

she muttered to herself, infusing 100 points of sunshine into the Bronze Door Card.

[Your cabin has begun to move]

[Duration: 1 hour]

The familiar sound of machinery whirred to life, and the wooden cabin began to tremble slightly.

Seraphina moved the Sunflower and her important supplies onto the bed. She stood to the side, gripping her military knife, waiting vigilantly for the first surge of black fog.

The thick black fog arrived right on schedule.

Seraphina held her breath, listening intently within the fog. There was no sign of a monster, only the faint whisper of the mist’s flow.

When the black fog receded, an F-level Supply Box was left on the floor.

[Acquired: wood x10, Stone x5]

"Basic materials again..."

Seraphina sighed and stored the supplies.

’It seems F-level Supply Boxes only give out this kind of junk.’

She was a little disappointed. After waiting another twenty minutes, a second wave of black fog rolled in. Just then, the Sunflower’s childish voice suddenly echoed in Seraphina’s mind, "Something tasty is here."

Seraphina couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. ’This Sunflower is the best early warning system!’

She immediately tensed up, holding her military knife horizontally across her chest. A CLICK-CLACK sound echoed from the darkness, like some kind of arthropod crawling.

Seraphina quietly swallowed. ’That sound... is it a centipede again?’

Amidst the swirling black fog, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow lunging up from the ground!

Relying on her excellent reflexes, Seraphina instantly sidestepped the attack, simultaneously swinging her military knife down.

PFFT! The military knife sank into some sort of soft tissue, and a liquid splattered onto the floor.

There was no corrosive sizzling sound.

’It’s not a centipede!’

Seraphina’s guard shot up. Just then, the black fog began to recede.

Seraphina got a clear look at her attacker.

It was a giant beetle, its carapace covered in mold spots. Two of its six legs were already mangled.

’Insight!’ she recited mentally.

[Rotting Beetle (F-level)]

[Description: A mutated insect with a mold-covered carapace. At least two of its six legs are mangled. Although it makes a grating CLICK-CLACK sound when it moves, its decaying mandibles can still easily crush bone when it pounces on its prey!]

[Weakness: The festering soft tissue on its abdomen can be pierced with a single stab! Its highly decayed carapace is flammable! (Newbie Tip: Don’t be fooled by its slow appearance)]

Seraphina reacted with lightning speed. Her eyes scanned over the two key pieces of information, "Weakness" and "abdomen," and she immediately seized the moment the beetle turned.

The military knife plunged precisely into its abdomen!

Seraphina gave it a vicious twist. The beetle let out a piercing shriek, struggled for a few moments, and then dissolved into a pool of slime.

’Where’s the Supply Box?’

Just as Seraphina was wondering, a sudden chill ran down her spine. Her pupils contracted, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Before she could even turn around, she heard a familiar "GURGLE" from behind!

The unique, wet, gurgling gasp of a Rotting Corpse.

"Sh—"

She didn’t even have time to get the second syllable out. Her body reacted faster than her brain, sending her into a sideways roll toward the corner of the room.

CRACK!

The Rotting Corpse’s decayed claws scraped past her shoulder blade, leaving three deep gashes in the wooden floor.

Only then did Seraphina get a clear look. This Rotting Corpse was even more mangled than the one from the novice trial. A few strands of rotting flesh clung to its exposed spine, and it made a grating CREAK sound as it moved.

"A sneak attack? You fight dirty."

Seraphina took a shallow breath. She had been too quick to assume. She had foolishly believed there would only be one monster!

That single oversight had almost gotten her killed!