Chapter 8: A Deserted Island with Nothing (2)
TL: Hanguk
“Huh.”
The first thing I saw when I approached the safe zone was a huge crystal floating in the air, a waypoint.
This structure, resembling a building from a famous strategy simulation game and was imbued with a faint blue light, so that when the sun shone on the crystal, it created a shimmering, purple sea around it.
A fascinating and captivating sight.
It felt like facing a well-crafted giant gem.
I absentmindedly approached the waypoint and touched it.
[The Wolgwang Island waypoint has been saved.]
[You cannot move to other waypoints since there are no other saved waypoints besides Wolgwang Island.]
Then, with the guide text, light sprang up from the waypoint.
The blue light that stretched out like a laser was intense as if to pierce the sky.
Once a waypoint is saved, it continuously emits light, but it is said that the light is not visible to those who have not saved the waypoint.
Just as it was not visible to me until now.
"If I use this pillar of light as a landmark, I won’t get lost wherever I go."
Wolgwang Island only has this waypoint.
No, rather, isn’t it a miracle that there's a waypoint on this deserted island at all?
Even in a metropolis like Seoul, there are only four.
‘What good is a waypoint if I can't use it?’
A waypoint is a device that allows for teleportation to a chosen location.
However, since you can only teleport to the waypoint that you have visited and activated, it was nothing more than a pie in the sky for me right now.
But then, a positive thought occurred to me.
"If I manage to escape Wolgwang Island, won’t this island become a land that only I can come and go to? I bet no one else will be able to activate and use this waypoint on a deserted island."
My own secret place.
It doesn't sound too bad.
Of course, it's only possible if I succeed in escaping.
I shrugged my shoulders with a chuckle and took my eyes off the entrancing waypoint.
'That's the safe zone, right?'
A place not far from the waypoint.
A place where buildings with a medieval European vibe caught my eye.
The style was medieval, but the buildings were not worn; they all looked magnificent.
[You have entered the Safe Zone. The Safe Zone can be used without restriction for 30 minutes a day, and 1 coin is consumed every 10 minutes thereafter.]
[If you use paid facilities, the usage fee for the Safe Zone will not be charged twice.]
[In the Safe Zone, fatigue is quickly relieved, and injuries, status abnormalities, and consumed magic power recover quickly.]
The fact that only 30 minutes a day were free seemed rather stingy, but the additional feature descriptions made it seem worth the price.
- Swish.
I looked at my hand when I felt a tickling sensation, and I noticed that the scrape I got from fighting the orc had healed.
I couldn't determine the exact extent, but at this rate, most minor injuries would heal within 30 minutes, right?
It was not difficult to understand that the safe zone will become an essential element for survival activities in the future.
‘Isn't this too big for a deserted island?’
I read that safe zones differ slightly in size.
The facilities inside also vary slightly, and even the products sold in the shops vary.
However, there are three facilities that are always included.
And they are
[Restroom]
[Bathhouse]
[Hotel]
The restroom is exactly what it sounds like.
There is no usage fee, and it is freely open to anyone using the safe zone.
The toilets are all dry, you have to sort out the toilet paper yourself, and there's no sink.
It means that only a place to defecate and urinate is provided.
‘If you want to wash, go to the bathhouse? They sure divided the roles clearly.’
The bathhouse costs money.
It costs 5 coins for every 10 minutes.
[Upon entry, clothing is automatically removed, and you will automatically wear your cleaned original clothing upon exit.]
Bathhouse = water.
I thought that I might be able to solve the drinking water problem by using the bathhouse well, but...
[Bathwater cannot be taken out.]
I had known since the toilets were dry, the system wasn't that generous.
There was a strong will not to provide benefits beyond the specified use.
'So petty.'
But I guess I should be satisfied that there is a way to quench thirst in the worst-case scenario.
Just because you can't take bath water out doesn't mean it's a problem to drink it inside, right?
If they don't sell water in the shop, I'll have to quench my thirst this way.
"As for the hotel..."
The hotel is said to offer a standard room with a bathroom and toilet attached.
However, you can only stay in the hotel for 8 hours, and it costs a whopping 100 coins.
No matter how I look at it, this facility isn't made for ordinary people.
Coins can only be obtained by killing monsters, and 100 coins mean you have to kill ten orcs to get that amount.
'Is this some kind of VIP service?'
I can afford it with the money I have now, but I don't think there's any need to make unnecessary expenditures.
Don't I have a safety tent?
"I've looked at the three basic facilities."
Now it's time to check what the remaining three facilities are.
[Shop]
[Workshop]
[Shrine]
The much-anticipated shop has appeared.
This is also the main reason why I visited the safe zone, and depending on what they sell, the survival difficulty could drastically decrease.
So, I entered the shop with anticipation.
Inside, it was like a mart with various products on display.
And when I saw the displayed products...
[Building Materials]
[Kitchenware]
[Musical Instruments]
"Damn it."
I couldn't help but swear.
Because there was no sign of food.
'But you never know. Maybe there's water somewhere.
So I looked at various products here and there, but unfortunately, I didn't see any water.
'They sell water bottles in the kitchen corner but there's no water?'
Is my drinking water going to be bathwater now?
I sighed and looked at the products.
"Uh..."
Then I had an idea that I could make a distillation device to convert seawater into fresh water.
'With building materials from the construction corner, I can build a furnace, and if I boil seawater with a pot from the kitchen corner, somehow the water issue will be solved.'
I thought it would be easy, but I must not forget the thrill of survival on Wolgwang Island.
With a disappointed expression, I left the shop and went to the workshop.
The workshop was a place where you could make equipment using materials obtained through hunting and gathering.
[Creating Orc Leather Armor Top]
-Materials: 5 pieces of orc leather, 5 bundles of thread
--Orc Leather: Collected through hunting Orcs
--Thread: Collected by hunting spider-type monsters, wool gathering
Thanks to that, I discovered something.
That there is a gathering function.
I should look around carefully from now on.
You never know where there will be gathering items.
So I've looked over five of the six facilities within the safe zone.
Now the only remaining facility is the shrine.
"Really."
If the buildings up to now were of the typical medieval European style, the shrine was a building that reminded one of ancient Greece.
I hadn't heard about the shrine even from my father, so I entered without expecting much.
"Welcome, warrior."
"Aah!"
Then, a woman dressed in a white robe greeted me with a warm smile.
Since I never thought I'd hear another person's voice in Wolgwang Island, I was startled.
"Who, who are you?"
Soon after composing myself, I asked the unknown figure about her identity.
"I am the administrator of this shrine. My name is Willia."
"······."
But it still made no sense.
Even after her introduction, I couldn't shake off the feeling of 'What is she?'.
'Come to think of it...'
The messages that popped up when the strange phenomenon occurred passed through my mind.
[Waypoints have been created everywhere.]
[Safe zones have been created everywhere.]
[Special terrains have been created everywhere.]
[Special resources have been created everywhere.]
[Monsters and NPCs have been created everywhere.]
I remembered the word NPC mentioned alongside the topic of monsters.
"Are you an NPC?"
Asking an NPC 'Are you an NPC?' in a virtual reality game might be rude, but this is reality.
I dismissed unnecessary consideration.
She just smiled in response to my blunt question and answered.
"If that means a person who has come down to this land with a mission from the gods, then yes."
An NPC...
No matter how I look at her, Willia only looks like another human being.
Everything I've experienced so far was a transcendental phenomenon beyond common sense, but an NPC felt completely different.
Perhaps because it's an entity that I can face and talk to, this situation felt even more bizarre.
"What are you doing here?"
"I am here to assist you, warrior."
"What kind of assistance?"
"I heal severely wounded people, give blessings that can help in battles, and sometimes convey the voice of the gods."
A virtuous smile and a beautiful face.
But in that appearance, I felt a faint anger and hostility.
The reason is simple.
I suspected that they were involved in the current incident that has befallen the world.
"Calm down."
Could she read my negative emotions?
Willia reached out to me, and soon a warm energy wrapped around me, and my anger subsided.
"Do you even control emotions?"
When I was astonished, she withdrew her hand, saying it was a misunderstanding.
"I just helped you to relax."
Willia kept speaking with a nice expression.
"You must be very confused. It's natural to be angry."
Even moments ago, I wanted to respond to her smile with a punch to the face, but...
After calming down, I thought it was better to obtain clues to resolve this situation than vent my anger.
“Are you talking about clues to solve this situation?”
"Yes."
In response to my question, she answered with a lively tone that matched her appearance.
“I'm afraid I can't answer that question because our intimacy is low.”
"What's that..."
What the hell is she talking about?
Intimacy?
Could it be like a game where intimacy work is needed?
"However, there is one piece of advice I can give you at this stage."
"What is it?"
Perhaps seeing my bewildered expression, she suddenly spoke with a serious expression.
"Get stronger."
“What?”
"If you keep getting stronger, you'll naturally get the answers you want."
And then Willia casually crossed her arms in front of me.
I felt a refreshing scent and warmth, no different from a human.
What's going on? Is she flirting with me?
Her appearance is close to my ideal type...
“You are doing very well now, Mr. Seo Baek-ho."
For a moment, I even imagined whether NPCs could marry humans and have children before snapping back to reality.
“Does that mean I stand out more than others?”
"You can interpret it as you wish."
Regardless of whether Willia is human or not, she seems to be very skilled at handling people.
My resentment has somehow numbed.
"Well... It's fortunate to have a companion on this deserted island."
"I would appreciate if you think so."
If Tom Hanks had Wilson, then I have Willia.
I shrugged my shoulders and asked about the function of the shrine.
As a result, I learned that I could get a 'heal' skill at the level of a advance healing potion for a relatively cheap price of 30 coins, and a 'bless' skill that increases all stats by 20% for 20 coins.
The Bless skill lasts for an hour and can be received up to three times a day.
"Not bad."
“Right?”
"But earlier you said you were relaying the words of the gods, does that mean you give quests?”
"It could be a quest, or it could be something else."
When she stammers, I understand that it's because of a lack of intimacy.
Having learned about the function of the shrine, I finally asked about intimacy.
"So, what changes when intimacy increases?"
"Well, a lot changes."
"For example?"
“We can do many things together.”
"???!!!!"
A lightning bolt strikes in my mind full of questions.
In response, she smiled and said.
"It means you can hire me as a companion."
*****
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