The morning after the First Storm felt completely different.
The ocean was no longer peaceful.
Monsters occasionally appeared beneath the waves.
The game panel now displayed levels, experience, rankings, and titles.
Humanity had officially entered the next stage of survival.
Lin Chen stood on the deck of his raft while examining his updated profile.
Profile
Name: Lin Chen
Level: 2
Experience: 40/100
Strength: 15
Agility: 12
Constitution: 16
Spirit: 14
Luck: 18
Lifespan: 78 Years
"So killing monsters gives experience..."
That much had become obvious.
If players wanted to become stronger, they would need to hunt.
The weak would continue collecting resources.
The strong would begin fighting.
A new era was beginning.
...
Several hours later.
Lin Chen continued gathering materials with his Advanced Fishing Net.
The upgraded net pulled in multiple objects simultaneously.
Wood.
Plastic.
Rope.
Barrels.
Wooden Chests.
His inventory grew larger and larger.
Then something unusual happened.
A blue notification appeared.
Private Message
Su Yao
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): I found it.
Lin Chen immediately became interested.
"Lin Chen" (Explain.): The Gold Chest?
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Not exactly.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): I found the creature connected to it.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): My Talent senses treasure auras.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): The aura is attached to a medium-level monster.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Kill the monster and the Gold Chest should appear.
Lin Chen's eyes lit up.
His previous guess had been correct.
Gold Chests weren't floating randomly.
They were guarded by stronger monsters.
"Lin Chen" (Explain.): Any details?
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Level 15.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Much stronger than ordinary monsters.
After sending the information, Su Yao disconnected.
Lin Chen looked toward the horizon.
Level 15.
Dangerous.
But not impossible.
Especially with the Epic Thunder Spear.
...
The hunt began.
For the next few hours, Lin Chen searched the ocean.
His large raft drifted through unfamiliar waters.
Several mutated sharks attacked.
All of them died beneath the Thunder Spear.
Experience +10
Experience +10
Experience +10
Eventually—
A strange shadow appeared beneath the water.
It was enormous.
Far larger than any shark.
Lin Chen immediately became alert.
The ocean suddenly churned.
A giant creature erupted from the depths.
BOOOOOOM!!
Water exploded into the air.
The monster resembled a giant sea crocodile.
Dark-green scales covered its body.
Its jaws were filled with rows of sharp teeth.
Sea Devourer
Level 15
Rank: Medium Monster
"So it's you."
The creature roared.
Its tail smashed against the water.
Massive waves rushed toward the raft.
Lin Chen gripped the Thunder Spear.
Lightning began dancing across the blade.
The battle started instantly.
...
The Sea Devourer was much stronger than ordinary monsters.
Its scales possessed excellent defense.
Its strength was terrifying.
Several attacks nearly destroyed sections of Lin Chen's raft.
Fortunately, his attributes were far superior to those of ordinary players.
Boom!
Crash!
Roar!
The battle continued.
After nearly thirty minutes, the monster's body became covered in wounds.
Blood dyed the surrounding ocean red.
The Sea Devourer suddenly charged.
Its giant jaws attempted to swallow Lin Chen whole.
This time, he didn't dodge.
Instead—
CRACK!!
The Thunder Spear exploded with lightning.
A massive bolt struck the monster's head.
The spear pierced directly through its skull.
Critical Hit!
The Sea Devourer froze.
Its body trembled.
Then it slowly collapsed into the ocean.
Dead.
Medium Monster Defeated
Experience +200
Level Up!
Golden light surrounded Lin Chen.
His level rose.
Level 3 Reached
Before he could celebrate—
The monster's corpse suddenly began glowing.
A brilliant golden light emerged from within.
Lin Chen's eyes widened.
The light grew brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Then—
A magnificent treasure chest appeared above the corpse.
Gold.
Pure gold.
Covered in mysterious runes.
Gold Treasure Chest
Lin Chen's breathing accelerated.
The first Gold Chest.
The first one he had ever seen.
According to current knowledge, no player had publicly discovered one.
This was likely among the greatest treasures in the region.
Without hesitation, he opened it.
Golden light exploded across the ocean.
Gold Treasure Chest Opened
Obtained:
• Energy Crystal ×100
• Advanced Talent Fruit ×1
• Special Blueprint ×1
• Rare Equipment Chest ×1
Then—
The familiar golden light appeared.
10,000× System Activated
Everything transformed.
Energy Crystal ×1,000,000
Advanced Talent Fruit ×10,000
Special Blueprint → Legendary Sea Fortress Blueprint
Rare Equipment Chest → Legendary Equipment Chest
Lin Chen froze.
Legendary.
A Legendary item.
This was the highest-grade reward he had ever obtained.
His heart pounded wildly.
He immediately examined the blueprint.
Legendary Sea Fortress Blueprint
Requirements:
100,000 Wood
50,000 Steel
20,000 Rope
1,000 Energy Crystals
Effect:
Creates a movable sea fortress.
Defense greatly increased.
Can resist large storms.
Can install future modules.
Lin Chen inhaled sharply.
This wasn't a raft anymore.
This was a fortress.
A floating base.
A true stronghold.
His eyes then moved toward the Talent Fruit.
Advanced Talent Fruit
Can permanently strengthen a Talent.
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
The 10,000× System was already terrifying.
What would happen if it became stronger?
He decided not to use it immediately.
Some things required careful planning.
...
Meanwhile, Regional Chat remained busy.
[Player 721]: Did anyone level up?
[Player 418]: I'm Level 2 now.
[Player 581]: Monsters are getting stronger.
[Player 913]: I almost died fighting one.
Nobody knew what had happened.
Nobody knew a Gold Chest had appeared.
Nobody knew someone had obtained a Legendary Blueprint.
The game's privacy rules protected everything.
Only Lin Chen knew.
And he intended to keep it that way.
...
As the sun began setting, another private message arrived.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Did you find it?
Lin Chen smiled.
Several seconds passed.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Gold Chest?
Even through text, he could almost imagine her shock.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): Then my Talent was right.
"Lin Chen" (Explain.): It was.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): This is only the beginning.
"Su Yao" (Diamond.): I can already sense something even better.
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Lin Chen" (Explain.): Better than Gold?
A long pause followed.
Then her reply arrived.
Lin Chen stared at the message.
His heartbeat quickened.
Gold wasn't the end.
Above it existed Diamond Chests.
And perhaps beyond that...
Mythic Chests.
The ocean suddenly seemed much larger.
Much more mysterious.
And much more dangerous.