44. Swamp Rice
Rangga continued swinging his copper axe.
Thack!
Thack!
Thack!
The Swamp Cypress wood was much tougher than ordinary trees. Even so, with his copper axe, Rangga was still able to chop it down without much difficulty.
A few moments later...
Craaack...
The massive tree slowly leaned over, followed by a loud crash.
Bruuuk!
The Cypress trunk collapsed into the muddy swamp. Two pieces of Hardwood appeared beside the fallen tree.
Rangga immediately walked over with a smile, but the moment he saw the quantity...
"Aw... That's it? Only two..."
He picked up the two logs of Hardwood and stored them in his boat inventory before looking around.
Throughout the vast swamp, many more Cypress trees still stood tall. Rangga shrugged casually.
"Well... There are plenty of them. I'll just chop down more."
Without hesitation, he slung his copper axe over his shoulder and walked toward the next Cypress tree. Not long after...
Thack!
Thack!
Thack!
The sound of the axe echoed across the swamp once again as Rangga began gathering the Hardwood he desperately needed to develop his island.
The copper axe struck another Swamp Cypress and before long...
Craaack...
The second tree fell.
Bruuuk!
Two more pieces of Hardwood appeared on the muddy ground and Rangga walked over and shook his head.
"Yeah... Two more."
He bent down to store the wood in his inventory. But behind the fallen trunk, something caught his eye.
A cluster of greenish-yellow plants. They weren't very large, only about two meters tall. Heavy grain heads drooped from the tips of their stalks.
"Huh?"
Rangga froze and a golden screen appeared.
Swamp Rice
Description: A cereal crop that grows in shallow swampy wetlands with calm water. Produces rice grains that can be processed into rice, a staple food rich in energy.
Weakness: Can be harvested using a knife.
Rangga's eyes widened. He quickly stored the two pieces of Hardwood into his inventory. Then he practically ran toward the plants.
"Holy crap... Rice..."
Standing before them, he looked closely at the grain heads. The longer he looked, the more certain he became.
"It's really... Rice..."
Without realizing it, he hugged the rice plants, his face overflowing with joy.
"Finally... I can eat rice here. Oh man... I've missed rice so much..."
For days, he had survived on nothing but meat, fruit, and simple stews.
Just seeing rice was enough to make him emotional. He gently brushed the grain heads with his hand.
"I never thought... This would be the thing I'd miss the most."
Not wanting to waste any time, Rangga immediately took out his copper knife.
Carefully, he harvested every stalk of rice. One by one, he cut them down.
The rice grains transformed into materials and were automatically stored inside his boat inventory.
After harvesting the entire patch, Rangga continued staring at the empty spot where the rice had grown.
The smile never left his face.
"Today... Was totally worth it."
Even discovering Hardwood hadn't made him as happy as finding the staple food he had longed for. Rangga resumed swinging his copper axe.
Thack!
Thack!
Thack!
One Swamp Cypress after another crashed into the muddy ground. Each tree yielded another two pieces of Hardwood.
Although the amount wasn't as much as he had hoped, Rangga was still satisfied.
What mattered was that he had finally found another source of Hardwood besides the Tropical Island.
Third tree. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Eighth. The sound of his axe continued echoing throughout the swamp.
Until finally...
Crack!
His copper axe developed a fracture, then—
Snap!
The axe head broke off and fell into the mud and Rangga merely glanced at it.
"Not bad... Way more durable than the stone axe."
He tossed aside the broken handle and took out a spare copper axe from his inventory.
"Let's keep going."
Now he wasn't just looking for Cypress trees. Whenever he spotted Swamp Yarrow, he immediately stopped, pulled out his knife, and harvested every flower.
"Medicine... Gotta take it."
Whenever he encountered a Mechanical Simosuchus, his bow came up immediately.
Whoosh!
The first arrow struck its optical sensor. If it somehow survived—
Whoosh!
A second arrow followed. Only then would Rangga collect the Preservation Module, Reinforced Synthetic Hide, and any Armor Blueprint it dropped.
But every time he spotted a patch of Swamp Rice, his expression completely changed.
"Whoa! More rice!"
He immediately jogged over. He didn't care what he had been doing before.
Every stalk of rice was harvested without leaving a single one behind, as though he were afraid someone else might steal it first.
At one point, Rangga had just discovered a patch of Swamp Yarrow.
Before he could harvest it, however, a Simosuchus wandered over first.
The creature began nibbling on the flowers and Rangga's eyes went wide.
"Hey! That's my medicine!"
Whoosh!
An arrow shot out immediately and The Simosuchus let out a panicked squeal before dissolving into light.
Rangga hurried over to the flowers.
"That was close... Almost ate them."
Another time, Rangga was searching for more Cypress trees.
Suddenly, he spotted a Simosuchus standing in the middle of a rice patch. The creature calmly began munching on the rice stalks.
Rangga's eyes nearly popped out.
"HEY! MY RICE!!"
He instantly drew his bow.
Whoosh!
The arrow struck the Simosuchus in the head and The creature didn't even have time to flee before turning into particles of light.
Rangga hurried over to the rice patch, patting his chest in relief.
"Good thing there's still plenty left... You almost finished it."
Even while chopping trees...
Thack!
Thack!
Thack!
Rangga suddenly stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another Simosuchus walking toward a patch of rice.
The creature had already opened its mouth and Rangga immediately dropped his axe.
"Hey! Don't you dare!"
His bow was drawn in a flash.
Whoosh!
The arrow pierced the Simosuchus's optical sensor abd The creature collapsed before it could bite even a single grain.
Rangga sighed in relief.
"That was close..."
He pointed at the rice patch.
"That's mine."
Only after making sure his rice was safe did he pick up his axe and continue chopping trees as though nothing had happened.
By late afternoon, Rangga had completely figured out the rhythm of the Swamp Island.
Cut down Cypress trees. Harvest Swamp Yarrow. Dig up Clay. Rescue every patch of Swamp Rice he found. And whenever he saw a Simosuchus approaching those plants.
The poor creature always became the first target of Rangga's arrows.
Before he knew it, time had slipped away. Rangga continued exploring the swamp.
Cutting down Swamp Cypress. Harvesting Swamp Yarrow. Collecting every patch of Swamp Rice he came across.
Occasionally killing Mechanical Simosuchus wandering near the plants. Finally, he opened his boat inventory.
Boat Inventory: 150/150
"Full."
Rangga nodded in satisfaction. Inside were neatly organized rewards from the day's expedition.
Hardwood. Swamp Yarrow. Swamp Rice. Clay. Preservation Modules. Reinforced Synthetic Hide. Even several Armor Blueprints dropped by the Simosuchus.
Yet Rangga's eyes weren't on the blueprints at all. Instead, they rested on the rows of rice icons filling several inventory slots.
A broad grin spread across his face.
"Damn... I'm definitely coming back here once I run out of rice."
He chuckled to himself.
To him, finding rice today had been far more exciting than discovering another blueprint.
Feeling lighthearted, Rangga began making his way back toward the beach.
The return trip felt much more relaxing. Occasionally, he spotted Simosuchus wandering in the distance.
This time, he simply waved at them.
"I'm heading home now."
The creatures continued peacefully munching on swamp vegetation without paying him any attention.
Before long, the shoreline came into view. His boat was still waiting where he had left it.
Rangga walked over and before boarding, however, he first headed to the water's edge.
He crouched down and washed the mud off his hands, face, and entire body.
The seawater gradually rinsed away the brown swamp mud covering his armor and clothes.
"Haa... Much better."
Once he felt clean enough, he climbed aboard his boat and pressed the Return button.
The boat slowly sailed away from Swamp Island. Rangga sat at the bow, leaning comfortably against it. A small smile never left his face.
His thoughts were already focused on one thing.
"Tonight... Rice... With meat."
He imagined a steaming bowl of freshly cooked rice served with boiled meat—a meal that had existed only in his imagination until now.
His stomach immediately growled again.
"Hehehe... Hurry up and get home already."
For the first time since arriving in the Pioneer World, Rangga genuinely couldn't wait to return home—not because he was tired...
But because he could finally eat rice again.