Chapter 178: Desert Island Survival 2
Fortunately, she’d had the foresight to prepare, using her Universal Gloves to replicate a number of tools.
They were all relatively simple, but more than enough for her needs.
Moira Lynch looked around and decided to explore her surroundings first. She needed to find a spot to park the RV so she could rest at night.
Then, she would see if there were any other food sources on the island.
The game was scheduled to last for thirty days, and she couldn’t survive on fish alone for the entire time.
’Besides protein, the human body also needs vitamins and dietary fiber. Otherwise, I’ll get constipated.’
It wasn’t long before Moira Lynch, walking along the river, discovered animal tracks.
Judging by the size and depth of the tracks, the creature had to be quite large.
Moreover, they were hoof prints, not claw marks.
[Analysis complete. There is a 90% probability these prints were left by an herbivore.]
There were many more such tracks in the area—some fresh, and others much older.
This meant the spot was a regular watering hole for these animals. If she waited here, she could simply lie in ambush.
With any luck, she’d be able to harvest a large supply of meat.
At this thought, Moira Lynch excitedly hopped in place. ’Talk about a lucky start! This is it!’
Moira Lynch left a trace of her spiritual power to keep an eye on the area while she continued to survey her surroundings.
As she walked, she used her Universal Gloves to form a back-basket and collected all the edible gray mushrooms she found, which were apparently called "Delicious Mushrooms."
’I wonder if there are any pheasants around here,’ she thought. ’With all these mushrooms, I’m really craving some chicken and mushroom stew.’
Just then, her spiritual power detected something moving in the tall grass not far ahead.
Moira Lynch subconsciously slowed her pace, cautiously approaching the source of the sound.
At the same time, the Thousand Feather Bow materialized in her hand, an arrow already nocked and ready to fly.
As if sensing the approaching danger, a black shadow suddenly shot out from the grass.
It must have thought its surprise attack would catch Moira Lynch off guard, but it had no idea her spiritual power had locked onto it moments before.
A white arrow flew out, piercing clean through the prey’s neck. The creature fell heavily to the ground.
Moira Lynch walked over to inspect her kill. ’Speak of the devil,’ she thought. It was a chicken with black feathers.
Other than its black feathers and slightly larger size, the bird was practically identical to the chickens on Caelus.
’Judging by its size, it’s probably a hen. I wonder if there’s a nest nearby.’
[Black-Feathered Pheasant: Flesh is firm and delicious. Diet consists of wild fruits and insects. Possesses an extremely aggressive temperament and grows very slowly. Its fierce disposition makes it impossible to domesticate.]
The Black-Feathered Pheasant wasn’t dead yet; it was still flapping its wings frantically.
Seeing Moira Lynch approach, it began to struggle even harder, attempting to attack her.
Moira Lynch conjured a shovel and put it out of its misery with a single, swift blow.
After storing the chicken in the RV, Moira Lynch pressed on.
Based on her observations, the island’s current season was somewhere between autumn and winter, leaning more toward winter.
She came to this conclusion because nearly all the plants she had seen along her path were withered.
That wouldn’t be the case if it were spring or summer.
After wandering the area for about half an hour, Moira Lynch found tracks from large animals in several different locations.
There were prints from both herbivores and carnivores.
The nearby water source was likely why these animals frequented the area to drink and hunt.
This was not good news for Moira Lynch.
For safety’s sake, she needed to find a secure location as soon as possible.
Additionally, Moira Lynch realized this deserted island was massive. Despite walking for so long and even extending her Spiritual Body to its maximum range, she hadn’t found any trace of other players.
After another ten minutes or so, Moira Lynch found a pine forest. The conditions here were much better than what she’d seen before; at the very least, there were green plants.
Moreover, she could sense numerous signs of life in the vicinity.
A red squirrel leaped between the pine trees, and not far off, another pheasant was foraging for food.
Unlike the black one from before, however, this pheasant had greenish-blue feathers and was much more striking. It had a large comb on its head, a sharp gaze, and a magnificent air about it as it strutted with its chest puffed out.
Through Patience, Moira Lynch learned it was the same species as the Black-Feathered Pheasant, just a different color and gender.
The green-feathered pheasant noticed Moira Lynch’s presence, but it showed no signs of fleeing or hiding.
Instead, it stared her down, spread its wings, and assumed a combative posture.
Seeing this, Moira Lynch decisively drew her bow.
WHOOSH!
An arrow pierced straight through the green-feathered pheasant’s throat.
With another pheasant secured, Moira Lynch decided to spare the squirrel in the tree.
After storing the pheasant in the RV as she had the last, Moira Lynch resumed her search of the area.
She glanced up at the sky. It had been overcast since the game began, and she figured the weather was about to change.
The falling temperature didn’t affect her much, but if it kept dropping, finding food would become significantly more difficult.
To avoid starving later because the weather made foraging impossible, Moira Lynch decided to stockpile as much food as she could now.
Then there was the matter of shelter.
Moira Lynch spotted a mountain in the distance and decided to head that way to have a look.
After all, a higher vantage point would let her see farther. Best case, she’d find a suitable place for a base. If not, she could at least get a better lay of the land.
Moira Lynch searched the entire pine forest but couldn’t find another pheasant.
She wasn’t disappointed, though, because she gathered plenty of pine cones and Pine-Hazel Mushrooms, a type of fungi similar to matsutake, with each one as thick as her arm.
Furthermore, under Patience’s guidance, Moira Lynch also discovered black truffles the size of her head and some edible roots buried deep underground.
Moira Lynch was thrilled to find these roots, as they would likely be her primary source of dietary fiber for some time.
As Moira Lynch headed toward the mountain, she continued to gather all sorts of edible items along the way.
[Black Fire Stone: A stone that, once ignited, can burn for an extended period. It will not be extinguished even when submerged in water and produces no harmful gases during combustion.]
’Isn’t this just a super-powered, non-toxic version of coal? I can burn it without a care in the world, no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning.’
Moira Lynch looked at the black stone at her feet, bent down, and picked it up. She would have to test its amazing properties later.
She looked up and saw that the entire mountain was covered in Black Fire Stones of all sizes.