Chapter 5: Surprisingly Good (2)
TL: Hanguk
The drone took off, and the video was displayed on the screen attached to the controller.
The drone boasted satisfying image quality, worth the price paid.
"Let's start by looking at the whole view of the island."
To get a general idea of the shape of the island, I kept increasing the altitude of the drone.
I wanted to record what terrain is where and what kind of monsters there are, to create my own map.
"Why isn't the whole view captured yet?"
But something was strange.
Despite the drone going quite high, the whole landscape of the island wasn't captured in a single screen.
"Wolgwang Island, 727,272 square meters, coastline (circumference) 4.5km."
I muttered the data of Wolgwang Island.
The reason is...
"It looks several times bigger, though?"
The view of the island was significantly larger than I expected.
Come to think of it, I had felt that the size of the island seemed larger than I thought when I was filming for YouTube.
"No way."
While pondering the bizarre situation, I suddenly remembered the information my father had told me.
Strange terrain is appearing everywhere. Suddenly, mountains sprout up where there were roads, lakes appear in the middle of school sports fields. Among these bizarre terrains, there are even structures like buildings and statues.
Strange terrains.
Indeed, that was a thing.
"Does that mean strange terrain has appeared on Wolgwang Island?"
Nothing else could explain the current situation.
I wasn't sure whether the enlarged island was good or bad, but for now, I sketched the shape of the island in my notepad.
Originally, Wolgwang Island is a round island modestly containing a mountain, a forest, and a sandy beach.
But the transformed Wolgwang Island shown in the video had two mountain peaks, three forests, and three sandy beaches, forming an elliptical island.
Furthermore, the presence of a lake and a small forest beyond the mountains made it appear even larger.
"I would have been in big trouble without the drone."
Thanks to the drone, I was able to quickly assess the island's condition and easily draw a map.
If I had to wander around and figure out the terrain on my own, I would have panicked.
"There are three Grand Dire Wolves in this area. One is moving between the village entrance and the dock, and the other two are only active within the village."
I noted each monster's movement path on the map for survival.
As a result of the investigation, I discovered nine other types of monsters in addition to the Grand Dire Wolf, and these monsters were distributed in 17 different locations.
Among them were humanoid monsters reminiscent of goblins or orcs, which threw stones at the drone, nearly causing a crash.
"The monsters have defined their activity areas, it's like watching a hunting ground in a game."
In some hunting grounds, two types of monsters appear at the same time, and there were areas where their territories overlap.
'About 30% of the entire island is occupied by monsters. That means I can carry out normal activities without any hindrance if I avoid those 30%.'
Thanks to this, I should be able to safely gather seafood and pick fruits.
It seems I don't have to worry about food problems for now.
"But the problem is... There's more to worry about than just the monsters. Is this also a strange terrain?"
Among the things I discovered with the drone, not everything was monster-related.
About 200 meters away from the container where I was hiding was the abandoned village.
To the north of that abandoned village stood an artificial facility.
The most eye-catching thing was a massive crystal.
'It looks like a Pylon¹ from Starcraft.'
A diamond-shaped giant crystal was floating in the air, emitting a blue light.
Moreover, not far from the crystal, six European-style buildings that clearly do not belong to Wolgwang Island aroused my curiosity.
I risked getting closer to verify what it was by lowering the altitude of the drone...
Nothing happened.
It seemed like an essential facility, but its mysterious nature made me hesitant.
Once the island's exploration with the drone was over, I would have to inquire through the internet or my father.
"That should be enough for the map-making."
I couldn't say that the map I had just created was perfect.
There were quite a few places where the view was not clear even when lowering the drone's altitude because of the dense trees.
But I just have to avoid such places.
"Huh?"
Just then, a notification popped up that the drone's battery was almost depleted.
So I gave the return command.
"What's that?"
Something unexpected was caught on the returning drone.
"It looks like the trap I set?"
A capture trap made of abandoned nets that I set up when I went up the mountain for filming.
I discovered that something was caught in it.
"Could this be?"
An strange creature was caught in it.
***
-Rustle.
I moved cautiously, keeping my guard up.
The place I'm walking right now is in the mountains.
Although it's not in the middle of a monster's territory, it's not far from where a monster resembling an orc is located.
I originally planned to scrutinize the videos stored on the drone and refine the map, but my thoughts changed when I found something caught in the trap.
If what's caught in the trap is what I'm thinking, I have to catch it.
-Kiiaaaaak!
"Oh, I think it's really that?"
The strange phenomenon currently striking Earth resembles a game system.
So I cautiously climbed the mountain, thinking 'maybe'...
No matter how I look at it, it seems my assumption is correct.
"So you were the one making the deer's crying sound."
A small humanoid monster.
Its appearance resembles a goblin, and its skin gleams gold.
"To see a Golden Goblin in reality."
That's right.
What was caught in the trap I set was none other than a golden goblin.
It's a kind of bonus monster that appears in various games.
Although it's very fast, if you catch it, it gives a lot of rewards.
That's the Golden Goblin.
'Of course, the real golden goblin might be different from what we know.'
But that's something I can find out after I kill it.
I raised my Wolf Sword.
The Golden Goblin shrank back at the sight of my sword.
Despite its pitiful appearance, I felt no sympathy.
Rather, I was filled with anticipation at the thought that this creature might improve my survival conditions.
"Die."
-Thud!
My sharp Wolf Sword pierced the Golden Goblin's neck.
The creature thrashed around in agony.
If it had been my first time killing something with a sword, I might have been taken aback, but I remained unfazed, having already done this three times.
I put more strength into my hand and twisted the sword.
-Crack!
[You have defeated the Golden Goblin and acquired 500 experience points.]
[You have gained 2,500 experience points for defeating the Golden Goblin for the first time.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[All 'injuries' and 'status abnormalities' are completely healed as your level increases.]
Indeed, the golden goblin!
As it dropped a large amount of experience points, messages of level up popped up one after another.
My original level was 6, but with a single stab at the trapped creature, I jumped to level 12.
As a result, I also got 6 additional stat points.
I could not help but laugh at the situation.
"Haha..."
But the real deal starts now.
After all, the Golden Goblin's pockets are known to be as generous as its skin color.
[Rewards for defeating the Golden Goblin will be given.]
- You have acquired 1,520 coins.
- You have acquired 3 Intermediate Healing Potions.
- You have acquired a Ring of Recovery.
- You have acquired a Magic Robe.
- You have acquired a Safety Tent.
- You have acquired the skillbook 'Magic Bullet'.
[Rewards for defeating the Golden Goblin for the first time will be given.]
- You have acquired the skillbook 'Leap'.
- You have acquired a Talisman of Luck.
"What is all this?"
Items that I could guess what they are just by their names.
The eight lines of reward messages naturally brought a smile to my face, and clenched my fist in excitement.
While Wolgwang Island is an deserted island cut off from the outside, it feels like a blessed island for some reason.
***
Seo Baek-ho's father, Colonel Seo In-ho, was continuously writing something on his smartphone.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
A close subordinate named 'Lieutenant Choi' approached and asked, and Colonel Seo In-ho shrugged his shoulders and replied.
"I'm sending some information about the disaster to my son."
"Huh? Isn't Baek-ho in Gyeongpodae?"
"He got isolated while wandering around filming YouTube videos."
"Oh no, of all times..."
"But it seems like he's physically alright."
"That's fortunate."
"It's just that he's on a deserted island."
"······ Isn't that really serious?"
"It is serious."
Even though I kept writing messages as if nothing was wrong, I thought it wasn't something to worry about, but...
This is not an ordinary problem.
Lieutenant Choi took a sneak peek at what information Colonel Seo In-ho was writing on his smartphone screen.
[Waypoints]
-Giant crystals that have appeared all around the world.
-If you pay a certain amount of coins, they allow you to teleport to other waypoints.
-However, teleportation is only possible to waypoints that the user has visited.
[Safe Zones]
-An area that's truly safe where monsters do not appear.
-If you rest in a safe zone, your injuries heal quickly, and even a short rest can relieve fatigue.
-Also, shops that buy and sell items are located in safe zones, and the items for sale vary slightly by zone.
-Safe zones are usually formed around waypoints, and you have to pay a fee in coins to use them.
[Firearm Control]
-If you kill monsters with firearms (guns, bombs, etc.), they do not give experience points, items, or coins.
-You can only get rewards by killing monsters with cold weapons.
Colonel Seo In-ho had written quite a lot of information, much of which you wouldn't know unless you paid attention and gathered information.
Therefore, Lieutenant Choi could not help but express concern.
Even if it's trivial, sharing information without permission could cause problems later on.
"Can you share him all this?"
"Why? Going to report me?"
"No, not that. I'm just worried it might cause problems for your promotion later on."
Then I won't get promoted. It doesn't matter."
Colonel Seo In-ho is a military man on an elite course.
If he doesn't cause any troubles, he's expected to earn his star without issue.
With him talking like this, Lieutenant Choi couldn't help but chuckle.
What does a star mean to an officer?
While others would put on all sorts of crap to get even a single star, he talks like it's nothing...
He was a boss who could only be admired.
"Come to think of it, can't we use the safe zone to treat your wife?"
"If I take my injured wife out of Gyeryong base, that will be quite safe, won't it?
"Um... That's true."
He also learned about the method of using leveling up for treatment outside the safe zone, but for his injured wife, they were just pie in the sky.
Bringing up Colonel Seo In-ho's injured wife only to get nothing in return, Lieutenant Choe quickly changed the subject.
"I have some new information too."
"Really?"
Lieutenant Choe thought he had successfully changed the subject, as Colonel Seo In-ho seemed interested, and shared a story he had heard.
"Do you know what a elixir is?"
"Elixir? The one from the martial arts novel?"
"That's right. I heard someone dug up herbs classified as items in the mountains. And there was an option to increase the stats on those herbs."
"Oh, it's definitely a new story. If it's true, we have to call it a real elixir."
Colonel Seo In-ho showed interest in Lieutenant Colonel Choi's story and added the content to his message.
*****
TL Notes:
1) https://starcraft.fandom.com/wiki/Pylon
*****
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