Saltpeter Deposit
Rangga continued his journey across the endless stretch of sand. This time, every step was much slower.
He gripped the Composite Alloy Spear firmly with both hands. His eyes never stopped moving, scanning every corner of the desert.
Less than a few minutes later, another cloud of dust appeared on his right. Rangga immediately came to a stop.
"There you are... Number two."
He lowered his stance and pointed his spear forward. The dust cloud drew closer.
Larger and closer still. Soon, the silhouette of another Mechanical Vespersaurus became visible through the swirling sand.
Rangga took a slow breath.
"Here it comes..."
He didn't move, he simply waited.
Ten meters. Eight meters. Five meters. Suddenly—
SKRIIEEEK!
The Vespersaurus leaped high into the air. Its clawed leg shot straight forward, ready to tear through Rangga's body.
"Got you!"
Rangga had already anticipated the attack. He shifted half a step out of the kick's path.
At the same time, he swung his spear toward the Vespersaurus's supporting leg. But—
Whoosh!
His swing was slightly off. Instead of striking the leg joint he was aiming for, the spear slammed into the creature's side.
Thunk!
The spear tip struck the mechanical body with a heavy impact. The force of its own leap sent the Vespersaurus flying sideways.
Its body rolled several times across the sand before finally coming to a stop.
Rangga clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tch... Damn it... I was aiming for the leg..."
The Mechanical Vespersaurus rolled across the sand several more times. But only briefly. It quickly got back to its feet and its head turned toward Rangga. Then—
Kriiiik... Kit... Kit... Kriiik...
A sharp, eerie mechanical noise echoed from inside its body, like gears grinding against one another.
Rangga tightened his grip on his spear.
"Come on... Get over here."
Without warning, the Vespersaurus charged again and sand exploded behind its feet. Its speed was just as incredible as before.
A moment later, it leaped again. Both claws stretched toward him. But this time, Rangga had already figured out its attack pattern.
The instant the Vespersaurus was directly in front of him, Rangga swung his spear upward in a rising diagonal arc.
DRAAK!
The spear struck the supporting leg joint perfectly. The leg buckled immediately, and the Vespersaurus lost its balance midair.
Thud!
Its body crashed into the sand and tumbled several meters.
"Now's my chance!"
Rangga sprinted forward before it could recover. He raised his spear high overhead and drove it straight into the joint at the back of its neck.
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KRAAK!
The Vespersaurus's entire body froze. A few seconds later, its mechanical frame dissolved into particles of light.
Only two items remained on the sand. A Thermal Core and Reinforced Synthetic Fiber.
Rangga picked them both up.
"Hmm... No blueprint."
He stored the materials in his boat's inventory.
"So it doesn't always drop one."
Gripping his spear once more, Rangga lifted his gaze toward the distant grove of trees.
His journey was still far from over. He was beginning to realize there wasn't just one or two Vespersauruses roaming this desert.
Rangga resumed walking. His spear remained held in front of him. His eyes watched every drifting cloud of dust.
It wasn't long before another Vespersaurus appeared. It launched the same flying kick but now Rangga knew the pattern by heart.
He sidestepped.
Thud!
His spear smashed into the supporting leg joint and The Vespersaurus lost its balance.
Before it could stand, Rangga finished it with a single thrust through the neck. The creature dissolved into light.
Once again, only a Thermal Core and Reinforced Synthetic Fiber dropped.
"Aw... No blueprint again."
Several minutes later, yet another Vespersaurus emerged from a cloud of dust.
The battle ended even faster this time.
Rangga already knew exactly when to dodge. When to strike the leg and when to pierce its neck.
The creature turned into light but still no blueprint. Rangga stored the loot and let out a long sigh.
"Huff..."
He wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Damn... I'm thirsty as hell."
The desert heat was becoming unbearable. The dry air made his throat feel like it was on fire. The sand reflected the blazing sunlight from every direction.
"It's already hot... And it's all sand... And these things keep attacking me."
Rangga looked to his right. Nothing. Then he looked left. His steps suddenly stopped.
"Huh?"
In the distance, several green plants stood alone in the middle of the desert. They were tall and covered in spines.
"Cacti?"
Rangga's eyes lit up.
"I think... they have water."
Without another thought, he changed direction and headed toward the cluster of cacti on the left side of the desert.
Rangga quickened his pace. The closer he got, the wider his smile became.
As soon as he stood before them, another golden screen appeared.
Cactus
Description: A desert plant capable of storing water inside its stem. Its fruit is edible, while the stem can serve as an emergency water source during desert exploration.
Weakness: Can be harvested using a knife.
"Nice! It really has water."
Rangga immediately pulled out his Copper Knife.
Carefully, he removed the spines from one side of the cactus before stabbing the tip of the knife into the stem.
Hiss...
Clear water slowly seeped from the small hole and Rangga immediately pressed his mouth against it.
"Glug... Glug... Glug..."
The water tasted a little bland, with a faint plant-like flavor. But it was cool enough to wash away his thirst.
"Haa... So refreshing."
He wiped his mouth and smiled in relief.
"Good thing this exists."
Otherwise, crossing the desert like this would have drained him dry.
Just as he was about to continue walking, something behind the cacti caught his eye.
Not far away was a shallow crater. At the bottom lay a pale white mineral deposit.
"Hm?"
Rangga frowned.
"What's that now?"
He walked closer. As soon as he got within range, another golden screen appeared.
Saltpeter Deposit
Description: A natural saltpeter deposit formed in extremely dry desert regions. An essential material for various chemical processes and for crafting explosive weapons and equipment.
Weakness: Can be mined using a pickaxe.
Rangga read the description from beginning to end.
"...Saltpeter?"
He scratched his head.
"What the heck is that? I've never even heard the name before."
Even though he had no idea what it was used for, the past few days had taught him one thing.
Almost every material he discovered eventually became useful.
Rangga shrugged.
"Whatever... I'm sure it'll come in handy. Even if I have no clue what it's for."
He switched his knife for his Copper Pickaxe and began mining the white deposit.
Clang!
Clang!
Unlike the Copper Veins, the Saltpeter Deposit was much more fragile.
His Copper Pickaxe easily broke it into chunks, which immediately transformed into materials and entered his boat's inventory.
Rangga continued mining at a relaxed pace, occasionally glancing around the desert.
He didn't want another Vespersaurus showing up while he was busy mining. He kept swinging his pickaxe.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The Saltpeter Deposit was far softer than a Copper Vein. It didn't take long before the entire deposit had been mined.
The white chunks dissolved into light and flew into his boat's inventory. Rangga briefly opened his inventory.
Boat Inventory: 48/150
"Hmm... Forty-eight slots... Not bad."
He nodded in satisfaction. Even though he still didn't know what Saltpeter was for, he'd collected quite a lot of it.
After finishing, his throat became dry again.
"Damn... I'm thirsty again..."
Rangga walked back to the cactus he'd harvested earlier. Using his knife, he widened the hole in the cactus stem a little.
Clear water began dripping out once more.
"Glug... Glug... Glug..."
He drank until his thirst was completely gone.
"Haa... So refreshing."
He wiped his mouth before looking into the distance. The grove of trees that had been his destination all along still stood in the middle of the vast sea of sand.
"Still a long way to go."
Rangga let out a quiet sigh. He gripped the Composite Alloy Spear tightly once again.
His eyes swept across the surrounding desert, making sure no clouds of dust were approaching.
Only after confirming it was safe did he continue onward.
Slowly but always alert. Toward the only patch of green in the endless sea of sand.