Upgrade Preparation
Inside the conference room of the Garuda Nation's Presidential Palace, everyone's attention was fixed on the screens displaying the Pioneer chat.
Message after message poured in without end.
Some people were asking questions. Some were panicking. Some were desperately begging for help. Others were arguing with one another
President Prabu let out a quiet sigh.
"It's still chaotic."
General Suryo nodded.
"Yes, sir... They still haven't learned to work together. Everyone is focused only on their own situation."
The President continued watching the screen for a few more moments.
Amid the flood of messages, only one person kept trying to guide the conversation.
Major Deri.
Despite being ignored repeatedly—and even challenged by other Pioneers—he continued encouraging everyone to stay calm and share information.
After a moment, President Prabu spoke.
"In that case... When the seven-day messaging feature becomes available... tell every Garuda Pioneer to cooperate."
General Suryo immediately nodded.
"Yes, sir... And I'd like to make one more recommendation."
The President turned toward him.
"Appoint Major Deri as the coordinator of the Garuda Pioneers... He has leadership experience."
"At the very least, there should be one person responsible for gathering information and organizing reports from everyone."
President Prabu considered the proposal for a moment before nodding.
"Agreed... Include that in our first message. Hopefully they'll be willing to work together."
General Suryo saluted.
"Yes, Mr. President."
On the screens, the Pioneer chat continued scrolling endlessly.
None of them knew that back on Earth, their government had already begun planning how one hundred people scattered across another world could survive as a single team.
Not long afterward, Rangga's boat arrived once again at the tropical island.
The moment he stepped ashore, he picked up his stone axe.
"This time... Wood comes first."
Without wasting a second, Rangga began chopping down the trees near the beach.
Thack!
Thack!
Craaack!
One tree after another fell and transformed into materials that were immediately transferred into the boat's inventory.
The rhythmic sound of his axe echoed through the forest.
Until—
Crack!
The handle snapped once again and Rangga merely glanced at the broken axe.
"..."
This time, he didn't even curse. Almost as if he had gotten used to it, Rangga casually tossed the broken tool aside before opening his inventory.
Boat Inventory: 42 / 100
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He nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad."
His gaze shifted toward the dense tropical forest farther inland.
Everything he had harvested so far had been near the shoreline. The interior was still filled with towering trees.
"Water... Stone... And food. Those come first."
He slung the Composite Alloy Bow over his shoulder, checked that his quiver was still full, then gripped his stone spear and stone pickaxe.
Taking one deep breath, Rangga stepped into the forest once again, fully prepared for whatever might be waiting inside.
Only a few minutes later, he came to an abrupt stop.
Behind a patch of bushes, a lone Mechanical Compsognathus wandered back and forth.
The creature hadn't noticed him. A faint smile appeared on Rangga's face.
"...Perfect... It's alone."
He slowly raised his Composite Alloy Bow. Before drawing the string, the familiar golden screen appeared once again.
Mechanical Compsognathus
Description: A small mechanical dinosaur roughly the size of a house cat. Usually lives in groups and is generally non-aggressive unless threatened.
Weakness: The optical sensor located on its head is extremely fragile.
Drops:
Mechanical Radar
Synthetic Fiber
Rangga carefully reread every line.
"...The head."
He then remembered the boat upgrade requirements.
"Mechanical Radar... That's what I need to upgrade the boat."
Rangga quietly exhaled. He slowly drew the Composite Alloy Bow to its full draw.
This time, his hands were far steadier than they had been only a few days ago.
The tip of the alloy arrow settled directly on the Mechanical Compsognathus's head.
"...Don't miss."
Whoosh!
The alloy arrow sliced through the air.
Thunk!
It struck the creature squarely in the head. The Mechanical Compsognathus didn't even have time to make a sound before collapsing.
A few seconds later, its metallic body glowed before dissolving into light.
Two items remained. One Mechanical Radar. One roll of Synthetic Fiber.
Rangga smiled with satisfaction.
"There we go... This is exactly what I needed."
He retrieved the alloy arrow still lodged in the creature's head before collecting the drops.
Everything dissolved into light as it entered the boat's inventory.
Boat Inventory: 44 / 100
Rangga gave a small nod before looking deeper into the forest.
He continued walking through the tropical forest, far calmer than before. This time, he had only one objective.
Mechanical Radars.
Several times he encountered lone Mechanical Compsognathuses wandering through the undergrowth.
Whenever an opportunity presented itself, Rangga immediately raised his bow.
Whoosh!
The alloy arrow flew.
Thunk!
Another Compy collapsed. This one dropped only Synthetic Fiber.
"...Not yet."
Rangga retrieved his arrow and continued searching. Before long, another Mechanical Compsognathus appeared near a cluster of bushes.
He aimed once again.
Whoosh!
The arrow struck perfectly through the head.
The mechanical creature glowed.
This time, a Mechanical Radar finally dropped.
"Yes... That's everything."
Rangga immediately stored it.
Boat Inventory: 46 / 100
With the materials needed to upgrade his boat finally secured, he shifted his attention toward finding food.
Not far from the river, a wild boar was busy rooting through the ground. Rangga lowered his body. Once he was close enough, he released a single arrow.
Whoosh!
The arrow buried itself in the boar's body. The animal managed to run only a few steps before collapsing.
Moments later, its body dissolved into light. Several cuts of meat and a piece of hide remained behind. Rangga quickly stored them.
Boat Inventory: 48 / 100
Feeling thirsty, he filled all three of his empty bottles with water from the river.
"There... Water's taken care of."
After taking a short break, Rangga headed toward the large rock deposit he had discovered during his first visit. Without hesitation, he swung his pickaxe.
Clang!
Clang!
Crack!
Rock after rock shattered into collectible materials that steadily filled the boat's inventory. The sound of mining echoed through the forest.
Until—
Crack!
His stone pickaxe snapped in half and Rangga sighed as he looked at the broken handle.
"...I seriously need better tools."
He tossed the broken pickaxe aside before opening his inventory.
Boat Inventory: 86 / 100
Closing the window again, he looked around the riverbank.
"Wood's done... Stone's done... I've got food... Now I just need plant fiber."
Along the riverbank, thick patches of tall grass grew everywhere.
Rangga immediately walked over. The moment he pulled up the first clump, the golden screen appeared.
Grass Stalk
Description: Wild grass with strong, flexible fibers. Once processed, it can be used to make rope, woven materials, and various simple construction supplies.
Weakness: Easily pulled out by hand.
"There we go... This is what I was looking for."
Rangga began pulling up the grass one clump after another. Once he had gathered a large amount and stored it inside the boat, the inventory display changed.
Boat Inventory: 87 / 100
Rangga paused.
"Huh?"
He counted the pile of grass he had just collected.
"...Ten stalks... and it only takes one inventory slot?"
His eyes immediately lit up.
"So it stacks... Nice."
Without wasting another moment, Rangga started pulling up every patch of tall grass growing along the riverbank.
One clump after another disappeared into the boat's inventory. The capacity slowly climbed.
Boat Inventory: 90 / 100
...
Boat Inventory: 94 / 100
...
Boat Inventory: 98 / 100
Rangga continued until almost every patch of tall grass along the river had been harvested.
Before long—
Boat Inventory: 100 / 100
The blue screen appeared once again.
Boat Inventory Full
Unable to store additional items.
Rangga wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Perfect."
He glanced at the sun, now beginning to sink toward the western horizon.
"Time to head home."
With his boat's storage completely full of today's harvest, Rangga began making his way back toward the beach, where his small boat waited patiently for him.