Renee Kane opened the message.
Whirlwind: "Bro, do you have any hemostatic bandages and anti-inflammatory pills? If you have any heatstroke medicine, I could use some of that too."
Brute Force: "What do you think I am, a wishing well?"
[Whirlwind has initiated a trade request: Precise Shooting Skill Card x1.]
Renee Kane, who had just been thinking, 'I lost money on that last heatstroke medicine deal. I have to fleece him this time,' was shamefully tempted after seeing the item up for trade.
For Whirlwind to desperately trade away a Skill Card that could boost his own combat power instead of keeping it for himself could only mean one thing: his life was in danger.
That being the case, Renee Kane would wake up at two in the morning just to slap herself if she didn't raise the price.
She replied with two very concise words: "That's it?"
Whirlwind: "..."
He was so frantic he even sent a voice message: "Bro, this is the most valuable thing I have. I can tell you're not short on supplies, and this should be really useful for you.
"If I die, it'll be gone with me! Besides, just name your price. Even if I don't have it, I can write you an IOU!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Renee Kane's eyes: Whirlwind's voice, though weak, sounded like that of a young girl.
But it was perfectly normal to choose a gender-ambiguous name for self-protection.
Renee Kane thought for a moment. "I can give you one roll of hemostatic bandages, one pack of anti-inflammatory pills, plus a dose of heatstroke medicine. You give me the Skill Card, and write an IOU for 10 Manufacturing Platform Fragments."
The moment she sent her message, the IOU and the trade request arrived together.
An IOU in the game was more like a contract. The debtor had to put up a certain amount of their Life Value as collateral. If they failed to pay it back within the specified time, double the collateral Life Value would be deducted, and half of the deducted amount would be given to the creditor.
Perhaps feeling that a little more debt wouldn't hurt, Whirlwind sent another message: "Bro, can I get a bottle of Electrolyte Water on credit too?"
Renee Kane looked at the IOU—80 Life Value as collateral, to be paid back within one month—and clicked confirm. Then she placed all the supplies into the halo, adding two extra bottles of water for her.
Whirlwind immediately replied: "Thanks, bro!"
Renee Kane didn't correct her, instead studying the Skill Card.
The Skill Cards she'd obtained so far could be roughly divided into three categories: one type for skills that weren't very scientific and felt more game-like; a second for Skill Cards with special effects; and the final type for realistic skills like this one, which could be mastered through practice.
It was hard to say which type was better. After all, the only real distinction was between what was useful now and what was not.
Clearly, precise shooting was the skill Renee Kane wanted most right now.
[Precise Shooting (D Level): Within a 50-meter range, hit rate for all ranged weapons is 100%. Between 50 and 100 meters, the hit rate progressively decreases (the specific rate of decrease is based on the player's own accuracy, but will not fall below the player's base hit rate).]
Renee Kane habitually clicked on the "D Level" indicator.
[Upgrade Materials: Ghost Falcon Eye (0/5), Blast Mouse Meat (0/5). Upon upgrading, range is doubled.]
'It has the same upgrade materials as my Eagle Eye skill. Is it because they're both related to vision?'
She hadn't encountered Phantom Falcons or Boom-Rats in her past life, however, nor had she heard anyone talk about them.
Perhaps no one had opened a box containing those creatures yet, or perhaps they were too deadly to appear in the earlier stages.
After getting everything in order, Renee Kane took a deep breath and stepped out of her climate-controlled safe house.
The moment she opened the door, a suffocating heat wave washed over her. Renee, who had been perfectly dry a second before, was instantly drenched in sweat.
It was just past nine in the morning, and the game panel displayed the temperature: 44 degrees.
This was inside the mountain; Renee didn't dare to imagine how high the temperature must be on the sun-scorched ground outside.
By now, everyone had figured out that hiding in the caves was the safest bet. It was still brutally hot, but if you dug a little deeper, it was at least cooler than being outside.
The chat hall was filled with similar discussions. Given the outdoor temperature and sunlight, you probably wouldn't last half an hour even in standard sun-protective gear. It was better to just stay put in the caves and dig for stone. As for the lava zone, anyone who wanted to go was welcome to it.
Without the right gear, a rash trip to the lava zone would likely result in dehydration in under twenty minutes.
After letting her body adjust to the temperature, Renee Kane moved aside the rock blocking her cave entrance and walked toward the lava pool.
Only she knew that after 6:00 PM today, even "safely hiding in a cave" would become a luxury.
Renee Kane replenished her electrolytes while dabbing an ice pack on her neck and the crooks of her elbows, sighing as she watched the noticeably more active lava.
If she had the choice, she too would have preferred to stay tucked away in the relatively cooler rock layer, just chipping at stones.
But the boxes in the lava pool were superior in both quantity and quality to those in the rock layer. After all, the vast, uncertain expanse of rock was much larger than the contained pool.
Renee Kane quickened her salvaging pace. She had other tasks to attend to today and could only spend half the day here at most.
As she salvaged, she thought about how to deal with Spinning Top.
After fishing up a Wooden Box for the fourth time and pulling a piece of sour meat from inside, Renee Kane sighed. 'Suddenly I feel a bit reluctant to deal with Spinning Top. What should I do?'
But that was just a fleeting thought.
Renee Kane had no desire to leave a powerful potential enemy alive, especially one who hadn't even noticed her yet.
Accepting that her luck for the day was terrible, Renee Kane decided to fish for a little while longer. She'd get one last box, then head back to prepare for her work tonight.
And yet, the surprise came precisely when she least expected it.
Her hand felt a sudden weight, and Renee Kane instinctively lifted the net.
Then, she saw a gleam of golden light slowly emerge from the lava.
Renee Kane: !!!
Seeing the long-awaited Golden Treasure Box, Renee Kane was so moved she could have cried.
After stowing the treasure box, she returned to her cave, completely satisfied, her clothes so soaked with sweat she could have probably wrung out a bag of salt.
Renee Kane held a gun in one hand and used a medium-length iron rod to pry open the Golden Treasure Box with the other.
Her luck held. No dangerous creature emerged. Instead, a prop card lay quietly inside.
Renee Kane picked up the prop card. When she saw what it was, her eyes lit up!
[Prop: Teleportation (Single Use): Pay 1000 Life Value to teleport to a targeted player's side. You may choose to return to your initial coordinates within half an hour (requires knowing the target's real name and coordinates).]
A round trip... This prop was practically made for assassination!
'So all my luck for the entire morning was spent on this one prop card?'
Renee Kane was extremely satisfied.
She sincerely hoped that before she went after Spinning Top tomorrow, he would manage to open a few more prop or Skill Cards.
After all, an unlucky emperor of luck like him was a rare find, and it would be a shame to miss out.
In high spirits, Renee Kane blocked the cave entrance with the rock again, then mixed a batch of cement and sand to seal all the cracks. Only then did she retreat into her safe house to quietly await the first volcanic eruption.