“Great, now we can finally leave this cursed place, hahaha!”
“There are actually two Hidden Quests, that’s terrifying…”
“Is this damn place really a beginner’s island?”
At that moment, all the Survivors received the notification at the same time, just like An Ling. Everyone was absolutely certain that they could truly leave in two minutes.
“So that’s how it is—Individual and Team.” An Ling murmured, realizing that completing the Individual Hidden Quest allowed her to leave the island immediately, while the Team Hidden Quest would let everyone leave together.
Of course, the difficulty of the two wasn’t even on the same level.
Chen Rui glanced at the figure in the first-floor hall and hurriedly ran downstairs. “Sis, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” An Ling looked down at the Pendant on her chest—the remaining time had disappeared, which meant it was now the fifth day. She idly spun the Pendant between her fingers.
[You have gained the Blessed Pendant’s boost: Luck is on your side. There’s no doubt about it, right now you are the Luck Emperor!]
[Remaining time: 23 hours 59 minutes 47 seconds]
So, it had just passed midnight, but today’s blessing had changed, which meant her good luck was about to arrive.
An Ling smiled, walked to the side, and picked up her backpack from the floor. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the ticking seconds in front of them.
The manor’s main doors suddenly swung open, letting in an eerie mist that began to invade. Everything around them started to rot—wallpaper peeled away, revealing yellowed stains with blood, piles of bones filled the corners, and even the feast on the long table instantly transformed into writhing maggots, making everyone sick to their stomachs.
Yes, this was the manor’s true appearance, just like the fifth-floor storage room and the rooftop.
An Ling had planned to use the fifth day to gather another batch of supplies, but that chance was gone. These foods needed a full day to be stowed in her backpack.
Given the current state, anything she grabbed would probably rot right in her hands.
The other Survivors looked panicked, but as the Timer ticked down, a great courage rose within them.
“Until we meet again.” An Ling smiled sweetly at Chen Rui, making him a little bashful.
“Un… Until we meet again…” Chen Rui stammered back.
[Timer: 3…2…1…]
The world spun wildly. An Ling felt as if she had crashed headlong into the earth.
In the next instant, she sat up abruptly from a wooden bed. The iron stove beside her still glowed dimly. In front of her were her desk, chair, and Storage Chest, and even her backpack was exactly where she’d left it before entering the island.
“I’m back!” An Ling opened the wooden door. The salty air of the sea filled her nostrils, and for a moment, she even felt nostalgic for her little island.
Suddenly, the Glowing Ring on her finger projected a light screen, lines of information appearing on it.
[Island Name: Beginner’s Island]
[Clear Time: 5 days]
[Clear Rating: S]
[Rewards: Profession Card *1, Points *100]
[Extra Rewards: Defeating the Master grants Points *20; Defeating the Auditor grants Points *10; Defeating the Puppet grants Points *5.]
[Next Island Timer: 6 days 23 hours 57 minutes]
An Ling’s expression soured. What did this mean? She’d have to enter the next island in seven days?
She closed the light screen and tried out the other functions. Everything had returned to normal, but An Ling didn’t have time to care about that right now.
In her hand was a Golden Card she’d never seen before. The back read “Profession Card,” and the front displayed a sword.
“Tool Card, Construction Card, Upgrade Card, and now a Profession Card.”
A Golden Card—no doubt, it was something extraordinary. From what An Ling could guess, it might even grant her special powers.
Maybe something like a Fishing Master or Sea Angler King.
The all-purpose Glowing Ring immediately scanned the card and popped up a prompt.
[Unique Hidden Profession Card: Swordmaster. Use this card to change your profession to Swordmaster, gaining unique and extraordinary powers.]
[Note: Unique refers to this profession being unique, not that there is only one Hidden Profession.]
[Superpowers are divided into six tiers: Soldier, Knight, Elephant, Chariot, Queen, King; with five grades: Blue, Purple, Gold, White, Black (from lowest to highest).]
“Superpower?” An Ling was overjoyed. She knew this kind of thing inside out—images of Superpowered battles in Night City flashed through her mind. She never expected her wish to come true one day.
Since it was a Hidden Profession, An Ling immediately chose to use it. After opening the light screen again, she saw that her profession info was no longer blank.
[Your current level: Blue Soldier]
But did she feel any special change? This was her first time experiencing this, so she couldn’t quite put it into words.
She only sensed a formless energy within her, as if it was now part of her body and could be controlled at will.
An Ling tried using this power. The next second, a piece of wood floated in front of her, and with a flick, it shot out of the island at high speed.
Wood -1
She understood—her Superpower was something like manipulating objects with qi. No wonder it was called Swordmaster. But now she wondered, “Where’s my sword?!”
No matter how she tried, no sword appeared. She gave up for now, chalking it up to her low level.
The ability wasn’t useless, but it did feel a little underwhelming.
At least she could use it to fish up supplies at close range…
That was the only use An Ling could think of for now.
Sitting on the simple wooden bed, although it wasn’t as warm or comfortable as the manor’s double bed, it brought her an inexplicable peace of mind.
Opening her backpack, she was relieved to see all her supplies still there. The only thing that made her happy was the Sea Eagle Meat she’d collected from the fridge—it hadn’t spoiled, so at least she could make a pot of hot meat soup.
There were still 7 Stone Cards in her backpack. After using them all, her island nearly doubled in size, expanding from 8 square meters to 15 square meters.
Now, her little cabin felt rather cramped.
She organized the rest of her supplies one by one. This five-day island run had brought her several cards, but most importantly—food.
Her total harvest: Bamboo *50, Bamboo Shoot *4, Coconut *9, Wood *12, Antler Bow, Sea Eagle Meat *8, Feather *30, Sandwich *3, Assorted Fruit Can *9, Beef Can *9, Braised Chicken Leg *9, Cookie *9, Toast *9
With so much food, she wouldn’t have to worry about starving for quite a while.
But after experiencing this Beginner’s Island, An Ling finally understood what the system meant by “Survival.”
She didn’t really need to worry about starving to death. What mattered was whether she could make it through all those supernatural events alive.
“Sleep first. At least there are seven days of survival left.”
An Ling shook away the mess of thoughts in her head, quickly washed up, and fell into a deep sleep.