Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging

Because of this announcement, the players who were still on their way suddenly started to speed up.

Now that someone had beaten them to it, they couldn’t afford to be too slow.

If they finished the quest quickly, they might even be able to use the remaining time to trigger other new hidden quests.

But what these people were thinking had nothing to do with Moira Lynch right now.

It was worth noting that Moira Lynch didn’t need to return the way she came, as the Dindalons’ territory was in a different direction.

Moira Lynch breathed a sigh of relief at this news. After all, she hadn’t forgotten about Qianren on the path she’d taken earlier.

She had already decided that if she had to return the way she came, she was prepared to take a detour. As long as she was quick on her feet, she would still make it in time.

She departed on a Lilypad Tortoise as before.

On her way out, Moira Lynch ran into several Dindalons of different colors.

Though they looked like Dindalons, Moira Lynch could tell at a glance that they weren’t real. They were disguised players, and the necklaces around their necks were the giveaway.

Those people had clearly noticed Moira Lynch’s presence as well.

They were headed in, while Moira Lynch was headed out. Even the slowest among them would realize she had already completed the quest.

And as far as they knew, only one person had completed the quest: SoySauceDrunkard.

Only a little over ten minutes had passed since the system announcement, so the person in front of them had to be SoySauceDrunkard.

It was possible they had the wrong person, of course, but they didn’t believe anyone else could have completed the quest in just ten-odd minutes.

Besides, they hadn’t seen anyone else on the path.

At this thought, one of them made the first move.

He bent his legs, then launched himself into the air, leaping toward Moira Lynch.

Because of the disguise, his actions made it look to Moira Lynch like a fluffy little creature was pouncing at her.

Moira Lynch, however, wasn’t charmed by the sight. The form was fake, but the malice in his eyes was unmistakable.

"SoySauceDrunkard, I’ve finally caught you!"

He yelled as he descended, and seeing this, the others jumped in as well.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately activating one of her Talent Abilities: Space Teleportation.

Fortunately, she had already set a marker by the pond’s edge the first time she rode the Lilypad Tortoise.

As Moira Lynch’s Talent Ability activated, her figure vanished in the blink of an eye.

The players disguised as Dindalons lunged, finding nothing but air.

Several chubby Dindalons landed on the same Lilypad Tortoise simultaneously. One can only imagine the weight.

Unsurprisingly, the Lilypad Tortoise capsized, dumping the players into the pond.

As the sensation of drowning and suffocation set in, the players began to struggle frantically.

In their frantic struggles, they accidentally broke the pendants hanging around their necks.

With the pendants gone, the disguise effect vanished. Now back in their original forms, the players quickly overcame the feeling of suffocation. However, their continued struggles destroyed a great deal of the Cheese Water Grass growing below and churned the water until it became murky.

Once the players got a clear look at their surroundings, a terrible premonition instantly surfaced in their minds.

And indeed, in the next second, the system’s cold voice rang in their ears.

[Players ExtraPatty, MorningZest, and Sevens, for breaking the rules of the game by polluting the pond and damaging the underwater Cheese Water Grass, you have made the Dada Ducks very angry. Furthermore, your recklessness has caused the quest to fail, and the Dindalons are also extremely disappointed in you. Therefore, this system hereby announces that players ExtraPatty, MorningZest, and Sevens have failed the game and your eligibility to participate has been revoked. Friendly reminder: After this game, failed players will no longer be teleported back to Caelus. You will be left here forever. Of course, if you can manage to leave through your own efforts, the system will not stop you.]

If losing their eligibility to play had merely made the players look dismayed, hearing the system’s "friendly reminder" plunged that dismay instantly into terror.

’We can’t be teleported back to Caelus... we’ll be trapped here forever.’

They might have been able to accept this in previous games, but this was Aquaria.

It was already fraught with danger during the day; the night was another story entirely.

The memory of that one terrifying night they had already spent on Aquaria was still vivid.

So far, only their experience in Mocha Forest could compare.

But even that was nowhere near as perilous as this.

The players floated in the water, their faces masks of despair. They were completely oblivious to a dark shadow quietly approaching them from nearby.

Meanwhile, Moira Lynch had been teleported directly to the shore of the pond.

She scanned her surroundings first. Once she confirmed no one was around, she casually removed the pendant and reverted to her original form.

A glance at the pendant showed two hours of transformation time remaining.

’I’ll hang on to it for now. Never know when it might come in handy.’

With that thought, Moira Lynch put the pendant away and followed the arrow on her hand toward the Dindalons’ territory.

Upon reaching a forest, Moira Lynch stared in surprise at the solid ground before her.

Everything she had seen so far was water or marsh. This was the first time she’d had the feeling of solid earth under her feet.

’This feels great.’

Although there were still traces of marshland visible, it was an immense improvement. At least there was solid ground.

As she walked, Moira Lynch spotted something that looked like a white steamed bun growing on the trunk of a tree.

She went over for a closer look and saw it wasn’t small at all—it was about the size of her face.

She reached out and touched it. It was soft, feeling just like a freshly steamed bun that had gone cold.

"Patience."

[Understood]

[Steambun Mushroom: A mushroom found in rainforests, so named for its resemblance to a steamed bun. It can be eaten raw or steamed. It is flavorless but extremely filling, possesses some nutritional value, and is easy to cultivate due to its rapid growth and reproduction. Note: The Steambun Mushroom is classified as an invasive species on other planets. Anyone found carrying or intentionally spreading its spores will be subject to severe punishment and massive fines.]

Moira Lynch automatically ignored the final sentence and began picking the Steambun Mushroom.