The Trials: End of the World

 Immediately, a black, snake-like shape shot out, lunging at his face. Logan reflexively shoved his [Duvet] forward to block it, then swung his stone axe with all his strength. The axe met the creature with a loud clang.

"Gah!" he yelped, stumbling back. His eyes widened at the sight of a meter-and-a-half-long serpent with gleaming blue-green scales. Blood dripped from the fresh wound he'd just inflicted.

A system prompt flashed:

[Frost Serpent (Rank E)]

[Status: Near Death]

[Note: Highly venomous body and fangs. Though only E-rank, it can threaten C-rank monsters. Killing it yields delicious snake meat that boosts constitution and an antidote for E-rank toxins.]

Logan realized the serpent wasn't attacking again. Its scales were badly damaged, its eyes dull. It must have been critically injured before getting sealed in the crate. However, the venom from its body had already corroded a large hole through his [Duvet]. Furious and alarmed, he tossed the bedding aside.

"Damn it! That was my only spare cover," he muttered through clenched teeth. He then lifted his axe high and slammed it down onto the serpent's neck again.

Blood splashed. The creature convulsed but still clung to life.

"Unbelievable," Logan whispered in awe. "It's practically dead on arrival, yet it's this tough?"

His stone axe was visibly ruined, its metal edge corroded by the serpent's venom. With no other option, he grabbed a fist-sized rock and smashed the serpent's head repeatedly until the system beeped:

[Congratulations! The Frost Serpent (Rank E) has been slain. Decompose? (Yes – No)]

He selected [Yes], and the spoil list popped up:

[Obtained F-rank Snake Meat x15 (500g per portion), F-rank Detox Essence Blood x1 (150ml), F-rank Regular Snake Blood x3 (150ml each), F-rank Fangs x2]

Logan scanned the iron crate's interior. Most items were contaminated by venom: half-corroded bread slices, two empty water bottles, and a soggy scrap of paper—probably a blueprint now ruined by water damage. It wasn't a complete loss, but far from the ideal haul he'd hoped for.

"At least I'm alive, and I have some snake meat," he told himself, breathing hard. The serpent's antidote might be useful later if he faced more poisonous creatures. "This is just the first crate. I still have another one to open."

He shot a wary glance at the unopened iron box, trying to muster his courage. Although fear whispered for him to stop, he knew survival demanded boldness.

"Guess I'd better not stop now," Logan said, tightening his grip on the remains of his axe handle. The day was far from over—if the next box was friendly or hostile, he had to find out.

After prying open the first iron chest and dealing with the venomous Frost Serpent, Logan Lane found several items inside. According to the system's readout, he received:

[Floating Stone x4]

[Bronze Key x4]

[Diamond Block x6]

[Hemp Rope x2]

He couldn't help wondering if the previous crate had lost more than half of its contents because the Frost Serpent had damaged it from the inside.

Logan then checked the second iron chest, which thankfully did not contain a living creature. Its contents turned out to be even better:

[500ml Mineral Water x10]

[Bread x32]

[Flour x3 (1000g per serving)]

[Watermelon x1]

[Floating Stone x2]

[Crafting Recipe for Grade C "Breeze Sword" x1]

[Refined Iron x2]

[Grade B Soil x1]

[Pepper Seed x1]

[Rank D Bow Crafting Recipe x1]

He also dismantled the now-empty crate that had contained the Frost Serpent and obtained [Iron Block x12]. By then, he was starving, so he consumed 2 pieces of bread and drank 1 bottle of water. "All that physical labor is exhausting," he muttered. After his quick meal, he moved every item into the thatched house for safekeeping. The day was still young, and he intended to keep fishing for more treasure chests.

By 12:00 PM, following the guidance of his odd "vision" ability, Logan used his remaining net casts for the day. As expected, he managed to pull in three crates. When he opened them, a flurry of system prompts confirmed what he'd gained:

[Lighter x1]

[Floating Stone x6]

[Lifebuoy x1]

[Kids' Cotton Clothes x1]

[Liquor x2]

[Saltpeter x3]

[Glass x2]

[1000g Beef x5]

[50ml Class F Drinking Water x1]

He glanced up at the sky, estimating there were about ninety minutes before the predicted arrival of an F-rank turtle at around 1:30 PM. The thought of harvesting high-grade turtle meat tempted him—if he could pierce the creature's tough shell.

Logan pulled out the [Grade C "Breeze Sword" Crafting Recipe] and the [Rank D Bow Crafting Recipe] to see what it would take to forge them. One look at the material requirements made him scowl.

To craft the Grade C "Breeze Sword," he needed:

[Refined Iron x120], [Breeze Stone x1], [Vajra Source Marrow x1], [Enchantment Stone x1], and [Beast Blood (matching rank) x1].

For the Rank D Bow, he needed:

[Refined Iron x25], [Enchantment Stone x1], [D-rank Beast Tendon x1], [Feather x10], and [Basic Beast Blood x1 (any rank)].

He counted only [Refined Iron x7] in total, including what he'd just salvaged from dismantling. Though the Frost Serpent had given him some beast blood, he still lacked items like a Breeze Stone, Vajra Source Marrow, and an Enchantment Stone.

"These blueprints share some materials, but I'm missing almost everything," he said with a frustrated sigh. His only hope was to post some trades and see if other survivors would swap for what he needed.

Logan walked up to the stone pillar and opened the Regional Survivors Chat. He noticed that all messages from the previous day were gone—likely an automatic system purge. He shrugged; there were more important things to worry about, like building a weapon strong enough to kill a turtle.