Chapter 16: Chapter 16: The Warped Jungle 16
Watching Perry Yates’s practiced movements, Clarence grew suspicious again. Those fluid motions didn’t look like someone playing the game for the first time.
But the player ID on her arm couldn’t be wrong.
How could Clarence know that Perry Yates had been preparing to enter the survival game ever since it first appeared?
She might not have known as much as a seasoned player, but she definitely knew a lot.
However, actually entering the game was still different from just running simulations in her mind or reading other players’ text-based accounts.
While the Swamp Monster was digesting its food, the two of them began to pick the Blueberry Fruit, then tossed the stripped branches into the Swamp Monster’s body.
When they had first met yesterday, Perry Yates had noticed the backpack Clarence carried was likely a spatial item.
Looking at it now, she saw she hadn’t guessed wrong.
After quickly harvesting all the Blueberry Fruit in the area, they saw it was still early and decided to check out some other places.
After all, she had spotted quite a few interesting things from her high vantage point yesterday.
But just then, she suddenly felt the blades of wild grass at her feet lightly brush against the fabric of her pants.
This was the arrangement Perry Yates had with these plants: if anything approached, they would rustle against her clothes as a warning.
So, the moment she sensed the plants’ movement, Perry Yates didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Clarence, who was still lost in his delight, and scrambled up a tree.
Their current position was some distance from the shelter, but thankfully not too far.
Five minutes later, the two of them made it back safely.
Only then did Clarence dare to speak. "That scared me to death! What happened?"
Perry Yates shook her head. "I’m not sure yet, but the plants warned me. Something must have been approaching."
Hearing this, Clarence nodded. As it stood, neither of them had combat-oriented abilities. Whether they were facing an animal or another player, a direct confrontation was not a good idea.
Meanwhile, a few minutes after they left, a group of players in assorted gear arrived at the area they had just vacated.
Seeing the completely picked Blueberry Fruit bushes and the dead Swamp Monster, one of them said resentfully, "Looks like we were too late."
Just then, another person who had been examining the Swamp Monster, the mud, and the footprints spoke up. "It couldn’t have died long ago. The person who did it can’t be far. If we hurry, we might be able to catch them."
"From the footprints, it looks like two people. Based on the size, probably a woman and a child. A mother and son?"
"A mother and son entering the game together... I don’t know if that’s lucky or unlucky."
Just as the group decided to go meet this "mother and son" and "borrow" some Blueberry Fruit, they realized something. They could only find the footprints leading to the area, not the ones leading away.
It was as if the two of them had vanished into thin air.
"Look here. These two footprints are clearly deeper than the others. Looks like they pushed off forcefully. Based on the direction of the force, it was forward. Let’s widen the search area and look again."
From a distance, perched in the tree, Perry Yates watched the people huddle together, muttering about something she couldn’t hear. Before long, they started searching all over, though she didn’t know what they were looking for.
’With these people around, it looks like we can’t go out today.’
Glancing at Clarence, who was hugging his backpack and grinning foolishly, Perry Yates looked away. Even if she couldn’t go out, she wasn’t going to be idle.
Feeling the abundant energy within her, she thought, ’Well, since I have nothing better to do, I might as well use this time to perform Ascension on all the wild fruits in the Space Backpack.’
No sooner said than done.
Under the cover of her weed cloak, Perry Yates began to take out the wild fruits from her Space Backpack one by one and perform Ascension on all of them.
This went on until the afternoon.
"Giselle, don’t you think the sky looks especially different today?" Clarence asked, looking up through a gap in the shelter.
Perry Yates had naturally sensed this as well. After all, she could absorb energy from sunlight, making her extremely sensitive to changes in the sun.
"It’s probably going to rain soon," Perry Yates said, looking at the sky.
At some point, the once bright and sunny sky had become overcast with dark clouds.
If they were on the ground, they might not have noticed so quickly, since most of the sunlight was already blocked by the dense canopy.
But since Perry Yates and Clarence were in a tree, they had a very clear view.
"If it rains, should we move to a different shelter?" Clarence asked.
If it only rained, that would be fine. But if there was thunder, they would definitely have to find a new shelter.
"Let’s wait and see," Perry Yates said.
If it did start to pour, their current shelter might not be able to withstand the deluge.
...
CRACK!!!
That night, a sudden streak of purple lightning tore across the sky. It let out a deafening crash, bathing everything in a ghastly white light.
By the time Perry Yates and Clarence were jolted from their sleep, a torrential downpour was already falling, hammering down on the shelter above their heads.
Fortunately, when they had modified the shelter, they had focused on reinforcing the roof.
But no matter how much they reinforced it, it was still just branches and vines. It might hold for a little while, but not for long.
"Giselle, what do we do now?"
Clarence, his face pale, came to Perry Yates’s side and asked cautiously.
"First..."
Before Perry Yates could finish, another terrifying peal of thunder ripped through the sky.
"We’re too high up. We’ll easily attract lightning. Let’s get out of here first."
Before they left, Perry Yates took one last look at the shelter, then led Clarence away without a backward glance.
With the canopy acting as a buffer, the rain below was noticeably lighter than it was up high.
Moreover, because of the rain, most creatures were busy seeking cover, which actually made the jungle safer.
The two of them held their weed cloaks over their heads and found a dense thicket to shelter from the rain.
Initially, they thought the storm, which had come on so strong, would last a long time. But unexpectedly, toward the latter half of the night, the rain gradually subsided, eventually turning into a light drizzle.
The ferocious downpour from earlier now seemed like a mere illusion.
However, the two of them didn’t let their guard down because of it.
In the darkness, the already eerie jungle became even more bizarre after being washed by the heavy rain.
From the distance came a cacophony of sounds: the roars of wild beasts, the clash of fierce battles, and the screams of players.
’It seems we’re not the only two people around here.’
Feeling Clarence huddle closer, Perry Yates scanned her surroundings vigilantly, her entire body entering a state of combat readiness.
Relying on her superhuman vision, she accurately determined the direction and led Clarence back to their previous shelter once more.
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