The two of them walked one after the other toward the back of the beach.
On Calvin's arm, there was a clear bite mark.
Charlotte followed closely behind him, gently rubbing the mark with her hand.
"Charlotte, you were definitely a dog in your past life. That bite hurt like hell," Calvin said with a shaky voice.
"Ahem, I swear it wasn't payback for you not catching me. I just accidentally used too much force," Charlotte said nonchalantly, completely unbothered.
Given Calvin's wandering hands earlier, she figured a little bite was justified.
"You better not be lying," Calvin said, flicking her forehead.
"Ouch!" she yelped, rubbing her head.
Ignoring the pouting loli, Calvin kept his eyes alert as they moved farther from the beach.
So far, there was no sign of the so-called guide.
It was supposed to prevent them from getting lost.
Then, suddenly, a red, semi-transparent arrow appeared in Calvin's vision.
It wasn't too conspicuous and didn't block his view, pointing directly toward the direction they had come from.
Calvin and Charlotte exchanged a glance.
"Calvin, could that be the guide?" Charlotte asked.
"Probably. If my guess is right," he nodded.
"That's a relief then like a built-in compass. No need to worry about getting lost!" she said cheerfully.
Ten minutes later,
they reached the edge of the beach near the inland area.
What caught their eyes were several coconut trees.
"Looks like the climate on this floating island is pretty much the same as Sea Island back on Earth," Calvin muttered.
Sea Island was located at the southernmost tip of City C, known for its pleasant climate and tourism.
Calvin had originally planned to invite Charlotte there during the holidays,
but several accidents occurred both on the island and in the coastal city , so he scrapped the plan.
Not that it mattered anymore. They couldn't go even if they wanted to. Everyone had already teleported into another world.
Calvin pulled out a wooden axe and walked to the base of a coconut tree.
If they could chop down a few, they'd get both wood and coconuts.
Wood could be synthesized into planks to expand their territory.
Coconuts provided both flesh and juice perfect for eating and drinking.
As he approached the tree, a message appeared:
[Coconut Tree: Can collect wood. Requirement: Axe.]
[Wooden Axe Equipped. Gathering Efficiency: One piece of wood every ten minutes.]
Seeing the message,
both of them fell into silence.
In five hours, even with two people gathering, they could only collect 60 pieces of wood. That's just six cubes.
This is way too slow, isn't it?
After five hours, they would definitely need food. Water wasn't a problem thanks to the water condenser.
But food? If they relied solely on cloud fishing, it would be too unstable.
Although Calvin still had a lot of raw meat, eating it would cause diarrhea and stomach pain.
Yet expanding the platform was essential.
Sixteen square meters was far too small.
It needed to be at least one or two hundred square meters, right? Calvin thought to himself.
Left with no choice, Calvin handed the wooden axe to Charlotte.
"Charlotte, you chop trees. I'll go check out the oasis to see if there's anything else."
Charlotte hesitated, looking anxiously at Calvin.
Her conflicted and uncertain expression was irresistibly cute.
Being thrown into this bizarre cube survival world out of nowhere, there was no way Charlotte wasn't scared.
But she had traveled with a familiar and trustworthy friend, Calvin.
That's why she hadn't broken down during this time. Calvin had always been by her side.
Even though Calvin could be annoyingly cheeky and a bit of a flirt, which was kind of a turn-off, it didn't stop Charlotte from relying on him.
"Calvin... I'm a little scared to be alone…"
Charlotte spoke in a soft, timid voice.
All her former pride and stubbornness were gone.
Calvin patted her head.
"Be good. Just listen."
Charlotte wasn't some unreasonable, delicate flower.
They only had one wooden axe.
One person gathering cubes, the other searching for food that was the most logical arrangement.
But if Charlotte were the one looking for food, Calvin honestly wouldn't feel at ease.
She was so petite. What if she got taken?
They'd already checked the beach; it was probably safe.
"Calvin, you have to come back, okay? Please… just be careful, don't… don't get hurt…"
Charlotte's voice was pleading. No, it was downright begging.
"I got it, I got it. You nag like a little complaining woman. If you don't collect at least 25 pieces of wood in five hours, you're done."
With that, Calvin tugged at her soft, collagen-filled cheeks.
Surprisingly, Charlotte didn't object.
She closed her eyes,
as if enjoying Calvin's teasing.
Maybe she was hoping he'd keep it up so he'd stay with her longer.
Unfortunately, after a few seconds of cheek-pinching, Calvin left.
Blushing, Charlotte opened her eyes and stared seriously at his back.
"You dummy… You better come back!"
Then she pinched her own cheeks,
as if trying to feel the lingering warmth of his fingers.
"Stupid jerk… always bullying my face…"
Once Calvin's figure had completely disappeared, Charlotte sniffled and finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She sat down and cried for a few minutes.
She might often seem cheerful and bratty, but she was only a college freshman.
Barely six or seven years older than an elementary schooler.
After crying for a bit,
Charlotte wiped her tears, eyes filled with determination.
She grabbed the wooden axe Calvin gave her and started chopping trees one swing at a time.
…
Meanwhile, Calvin had already made it into a forest.
He had no idea Charlotte was squatting on the ground behind him, bawling her eyes out.
Even if he did, he wouldn't say much, just try to comfort her.
This wasn't just the end of the world for him and Charlotte. It was the end of the world for all humanity.
They could only rely on themselves now.
"Charlotte, I hope you understand. If I could, I'd stay by your side."
For the past three days, without the chatter of a lively little girl next to him, Calvin had felt strangely unsettled.
Then suddenly,
he spotted several blueberry bushes among the low shrubs.
Clusters of blue and purple berries hung on top of them.
"Blueberries!"
Calvin blinked.
He wasn't mistaken.
Blueberries typically grow on low shrubs,
ranging from a few dozen centimeters to over a meter tall.
They thrive in acidic soil, with plenty of sunlight and adequate moisture.
Clearly, this island with a climate similar to Sea Island was a perfect environment.
Blueberries not only helped with hunger but also provided hydration and essential vitamins.
Thinking of this, Calvin began picking them by hand.
[Acquired Blueberries ×1]
Fortunately, no tools were needed to gather blueberries.
Naturally why would you need tools when you could just use your hands?
He ended up picking over sixty of them.
After eating a dozen, Calvin placed the rest into his inventory.
Then he moved on, looking for more useful things.
But just then, something stirred at his feet.
Looking down, Calvin saw a small green snake, tongue flicking, staring at him with deadly intent.