World Demands
The next morning, Rangga woke up feeling more energized than ever.
As soon as he stepped out of the house, his eyes immediately fell on his neatly arranged equipment.
Two Copper Axes. Two Copper Pickaxes. A Copper Knife. The Composite Alloy Bow. His quiver. And the Composite Alloy Spear that now accompanied him wherever he went.
Rangga equipped each piece one by one. He even gave one of the Copper Axes a few practice swings.
A smile spread across his face.
"Today's the day... let's see what you guys can do."
His objective was already clear.
Gather more Hardwood and search for the remaining materials needed to upgrade his ship.
Not long afterward, Rangga headed toward the dock.
He climbed aboard his Level 2 Boat and immediately opened the exploration menu. A blue screen appeared before him.
Select Exploration Destination
Tropical Island ⭐ A tropical island rich in basic resources. Time Remaining: 20 hours
Desert Island ⭐⭐ A vast desert with extreme temperatures and unique mineral resources. Time Remaining: 18 hours
Stone Island ⭐⭐ A rocky island filled with steep cliffs, caves, and richer mineral deposits. Time Remaining: 18 hours
Rangga read through each option. His gaze stopped on the one-star Tropical Island. He immediately shook his head.
"Hardwood only shows up on the two-star one..."
Then his eyes shifted to the Desert Island.
"A desert? It's probably nothing but sand... finding trees there would be a pain."
He let out a long sigh before looking at the final option.
The two-star Stone Island.
Rangga rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... this one's probably the safest bet."
"I can look for more copper ore... maybe even find some iron."
Without another moment's hesitation, he selected it.
His Level 2 Boat vibrated gently.
The familiar sound of its propulsion mechanism echoed once more.
Slowly, the boat departed from the dock, cutting across the sea toward the two-star Stone Island—a place he had never explored before.
At the same time on Earth, the conference room inside Garuda Nation's Presidential Palace was once again filled with senior government officials.
The main screen displayed the latest report on Garuda's Pioneers.
General Suryo stood at the front of the room.
"Mr. President... As of this morning, we have seventy-nine Pioneers remaining."
Silence immediately filled the room. President Prabu let out a quiet sigh.
"So... we've lost three more."
General Suryo nodded.
"Two were killed while exploring two-star islands."
"And one is believed to have died from dehydration."
President Prabu closed his eyes briefly before looking at the next report.
"How is resource distribution?"
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A minister stood up.
"All supplies sent by the Pioneers have begun to be utilized, Mr. President."
"The meat and fruit have been incorporated into our national food security program."
"The copper ore is currently being studied by our national research institute."
President Prabu nodded slowly.
"Continue."
Before the meeting could proceed further, the conference room doors suddenly opened.
A staff member hurried inside carrying a tablet.
"Mr. President!"
"We've just received a live broadcast from Bald Eagle Nation!"
"Their President is holding a press conference."
President Prabu raised his head.
"Put it on."
Moments later, the main screen switched.
The President of Bald Eagle Nation stood behind a podium before dozens of international journalists.
The atmosphere was serious. He began speaking.
"Over the past several days..."
"Garuda Nation's Pioneers have demonstrated progress far beyond that of every other nation."
"We respect their achievements."
"However... We believe that information related to humanity's survival must never be monopolized by a single country."
The Garuda conference room fell silent. The Bald Eagle President continued.
"Therefore... We officially request that the Government of Garuda Nation disclose all information regarding the development of their Pioneers."
"If this request receives no response... We will submit a formal proposal to the World Council regarding transparency of information and consider appropriate diplomatic and economic measures."
The broadcast ended.
Garuda's conference room remained silent for several seconds.
General Suryo exchanged glances with the ministers. Several officials slowly shook their heads. President Prabu pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Information?"
His voice carried both disbelief and confusion. The Minister of Foreign Affairs sighed.
"They think we're hiding something."
General Suryo smiled bitterly.
"When in reality... We can't even contact our own Pioneers whenever we want."
"We only get one message every seven days... And somehow they believe we're giving them daily instructions."
Several people couldn't help laughing quietly at the irony. President Prabu slowly shook his head.
"They're asking for information... that even we ourselves don't possess."
He looked at the screen, which had returned to showing the Pioneer livestreams.
"If we knew everything... we would've told all of our Pioneers from Day One."
Silence settled over the room once more and everyone understood the truth.
The outside world believed Garuda Nation was hiding some tremendous secret.
When in reality, they were just as clueless as everyone else.
The only difference was that their Pioneers—especially Rangga—were advancing more quickly because of their own decisions and discoveries.
Ironically, those accusations had now become a diplomatic problem for Garuda itself.
During the voyage toward the two-star Stone Island, Rangga opened the Regional Chat again.
The moment the blue window appeared, he immediately noticed how different the atmosphere had become.
Gone were the endless insults and arguments.
Now, most of the conversation consisted of Pioneers exchanging survival information.
Andre (Garuda Nation): Anyone know where to find clay?
Siska (Garuda Nation): I found mine on Swamp Island.
Fajar (Garuda Nation): Plenty along the swamp edges.
A new question soon appeared.
Raka (Garuda Nation): Which should I upgrade first? My island or my boat? I'm short on resources.
Deri (Garuda Nation): In my opinion, prioritize according to your own needs.
Andre (Garuda Nation): I'm upgrading my island first. It unlocks lots of new buildings.
Fajar (Garuda Nation): Boat first for me. More exploration options.
The discussion continued.
Siska (Garuda Nation): My island looks like a junkyard.
Andre (Garuda Nation): Same here.
Raka (Garuda Nation): I tripped over a pile of stones earlier.
Fajar (Garuda Nation): LOL, me too.
Rangga chuckled.
"Good thing I built a warehouse."
Without realizing it, his fingers began typing.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): Morning, everyone.
Only seconds after the message appeared, the chat exploded.
Andre (Garuda Nation): MORNING, RANGGA!
Siska (Garuda Nation): Where are you heading today?
Fajar (Garuda Nation): Any new discoveries?
Raka (Garuda Nation): Think we can ever meet? Could we end up on the same island?
Dita (Garuda Nation): I've been wondering that too.
Rangga smiled as he read through the messages.
Before he could answer, however...
A familiar name appeared once again.
Broto (Garuda Nation): Hah.
Broto (Garuda Nation): He doesn't know anything either.
Broto (Garuda Nation): He's lucky just staying alive.
The smile on Rangga's face slowly disappeared.
He stared at the screen for several seconds before the corner of his mouth curled upward again.
His fingers began moving.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): Oh?
Rangga (Garuda Nation): Looks like another self-proclaimed expert.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): All talk, though.
The chat instantly fell silent.
Then...
Broto (Garuda Nation): WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!
Broto (Garuda Nation): YOU'VE GOT SOME NERVE!
Rangga calmly replied.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): If you're really that good...
Rangga (Garuda Nation): Your friend wouldn't have died.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): Anyway.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): I'm heading to Stone Island.
Rangga (Garuda Nation): Let's see what killed your friend there.
It was like pouring gasoline onto a fire.
Broto (Garuda Nation): YOU...
Broto (Garuda Nation): YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT STUFF?!
Broto (Garuda Nation): I HOPE YOU DIE THERE!
The other Pioneers quickly jumped in.
Andre (Garuda Nation): LOL.
Fajar (Garuda Nation): Chill, Bro.
Siska (Garuda Nation): Stop fighting already.
Several others even sent the system's laughing emotes.
Rangga chuckled softly.
"So easy to provoke."
Without sending another message, he closed the chat window.
Then he leaned against the side of the boat.
The sea breeze gently brushed against his face as his Level 2 Boat continued slicing through the waves, steadily approaching the mysterious two-star Stone Island waiting on the horizon.