Complete Blueprint
Rangga continued making his way across the rocky island with slow, careful steps.
This time, he wasn't wandering around aimlessly. His eyes constantly scanned every gap between the boulders, searching for lone Mechanical Procolophons.
Whenever he spotted two or three gathered together, he immediately turned away.
"...No... I'm not ready to fight a group."
Instead, he searched for another target. A few minutes later, he found a lone Procolophon digging into the rocks by itself.
Rangga immediately crouched behind a large boulder. He waited until the creature turned around, exposing the underside of its neck.
"...Now."
Whoosh!
The arrow flew.
Thunk!
The Mechanical Procolophon collapsed before it even had a chance to approach him.
"Nice."
Not every attempt went that smoothly, however. The next time—
Whoosh!
The arrow merely grazed the creature's side.
SKRRRIIIK!
The Procolophon instantly turned and charged straight at him.
"Damn it!"
Rangga quickly sprinted between the rocks.
When the distance became too short for another shot, he immediately dropped his bow and grabbed his stone spear. The creature lunged and Rangga sidestepped.
As the Mechanical Procolophon rushed past him, Rangga thrust his spear into the exposed underside of its neck.
Crack!
The mechanical dinosaur instantly lost all power and collapsed.
"Whew... That was close."
Battle after battle continued. Sometimes a single arrow was enough. Other times, he had to run around the rock formations while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike with his spear.
Little by little, Rangga's movements became more polished. He learned how to maintain his distance. He learned to read the direction of an enemy's attack.
Most importantly, he learned patience. He no longer attacked recklessly, choosing instead to wait for the perfect opening.
After who knew how many battles, Rangga's breathing grew heavy.
Sweat soaked his entire body. Several arrows had already been lost, either embedded deep in the rocks or shattered after hitting their targets.
Another Mechanical Procolophon collapsed before him as his stone spear pierced the vulnerable spot beneath its neck.
Its metallic body began glowing. This time, besides an Alloy Plate and Synthetic Fiber, another thick sheet of paper fell onto the rocks.
Rangga's eyes immediately widened.
"A blueprint!"
He hurried over and picked it up.
Composite Alloy Bow Blueprint (3/3)
Status: Complete
Rangga let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally..."
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"I've got the whole thing."
Without another thought, he stored the blueprint inside the boat.
Boat Inventory: 88 / 100
He then sat down on a nearby rock to catch his breath.
"Damn... I didn't even get a chance to mine any stone... I'm exhausted."
A few moments later, Rangga looked up at the sky. The sun had already begun sinking toward the western horizon.
"...Huh?"
He slapped his forehead.
"Oh crap... I still haven't collected today's shipment!"
He immediately jumped to his feet and looked around frantically.
"What the hell can I even send...?"
His eyes swept across the rocky island until they stopped on several clumps of sea pandanus.
Nestled among the leaves hung clusters of bright red fruit. The golden screen appeared immediately.
Sea Pandanus Fruit
Description: The fruit of the sea pandanus plant, rich in carbohydrates and vitamins. When properly processed, it can serve as an alternative food source with considerable nutritional value.
Weakness: Its outer shell is hard and fibrous, requiring processing before consumption.
A crooked grin appeared on Rangga's face.
"...If I send these... they won't get mad at me, right?"
He walked over and began picking the ripe fruit. Each one dissolved into light as he placed it into the boat's inventory.
Boat Inventory: 91 / 100
...
Boat Inventory: 94 / 100
...
Boat Inventory: 98 / 100
Rangga continued searching the island for more fruit-bearing sea pandanus plants.
Before long—
Boat Inventory: 100 / 100
The blue screen immediately changed. Boat Inventory Full Unable to store additional items.
Rangga let out a long sigh.
"Alright... Time to head back."
He glanced toward the beach where his boat was docked before beginning the walk back, determined to leave the island before its remaining time ran out.
Back on Earth, Rangga's livestream had suddenly become one of the most-watched broadcasts in the world.
Not because of the strange red fruit he was collecting but because of the way he fought the mechanical creatures.
The comments scrolled so quickly they were almost impossible to read.
"He killed another one!"
"How many is that now?"
"Why does he make it look so easy?"
"Are those monsters actually weak, or is he just that good?"
"He's actually hunting them now!"
Many viewers began opening other Pioneer streams for comparison.
Most Pioneers still chose to avoid the mechanical creatures. Others only dared to observe them from a distance.
Meanwhile, Rangga had already killed several of the same monsters.
Inside the Garuda Nation's Presidential Palace, the atmosphere was equally lively.
President Prabu watched recordings of Rangga's battles.
"What does our analysis say?"
A paleontology researcher stood and displayed several images.
"Mr. President... We've compared the mechanical creatures with fossil records found on Earth."
He pointed to the first image.
"The small creature encountered on the tropical island closely matches the characteristics of Compsognathus."
The display changed.
"The creature Rangga encountered on the rocky island matches the known features of Procolophon."
A third image appeared.
"And according to footage from a Pioneer exploring a swamp island, another small mechanical animal resembles Morganucodon."
Several people exchanged glances and President Prabu frowned.
"So... These creatures really are prehistoric animals?"
The researcher nodded.
"At least their anatomy and biological characteristics closely match species that once lived on Earth."
"The difference is... In that world, they are no longer biological organisms... They're machines."
Silence settled over the room.
Everyone turned their attention back to the screens showing Rangga walking toward the beach with his equipment.
No one there could explain it.
Why had an ordinary young man with no military background become one of the most successful Pioneers at fighting mechanical dinosaurs?
Across the world, government buildings remained brightly lit as night approached.
Presidents. Scientists. Military analysts. Paleontologists. All gathered around screens replaying Pioneer footage.
In the Bald Eagle Nation, recordings of Rangga's battles played repeatedly.
"Zoom in on this frame... Replay it from the beginning."
An analyst froze the video the instant Rangga's arrow struck the Mechanical Procolophon's neck.
"He isn't attacking randomly."
"Every shot targets nearly the exact same location."
The general leading the meeting slowly nodded.
"Make a note of it."
"That area is most likely a weak point."
None of them knew the real reason.
They were simply drawing conclusions from the patterns visible in the footage.
In the Sakura Nation, attention centered on the blueprint Rangga had obtained.
"Zoom in on the item he picked up."
"It looks like a blueprint."
An engineering professor nodded thoughtfully.
"If our hypothesis is correct... advanced equipment can't be crafted using materials alone."
"They also require blueprints."
Engineers painstakingly recreated every visible line from the livestream.
Most of the writing remained too blurry to decipher.
In the Snow Bear Nation, military analysts focused on Rangga's combat style.
"He always maintains distance."
"When the enemy gets close, he immediately switches to his spear."
"He never insists on using the bow."
One combat instructor added,
"His weapon transitions are efficient."
"And he's already learning how to use the terrain to his advantage."
Meanwhile, in countries all over the world, the same recordings were being studied from different perspectives.
Some calculated the running speed of the Mechanical Procolophon.
Others estimated the strength of its claws based on the gouges left in solid rock.
Still others tried to understand the drop system after several Pioneers began obtaining crafting materials and blueprints.
Little by little, the entire world came to realize one undeniable truth.
Every action taken by the Pioneers was no longer merely a struggle for survival.
It had become invaluable information. Information that could shape humanity's strategy for the days yet to come.