Others try to survive on an island, I try to survive on a raft?

Chapter 21: The Hairless Monkey Obtains the [Guiding Star Torch]

Su Jin felt a chill run down his spine, thinking that he had been discovered to have offended the emperor, and his first instinct was to run away.

But the next moment, he seemed to realize that the crab claw wasn't coming at him, but rather swinging towards his feet.

Soon, he saw that the pile of star-studded seashells had been swept away.

The large crystal crab glanced in its direction, but then turned its back to him, eating its snacks.

Su Jin breathed a sigh of relief, then, taking advantage of the dust kicked up by the monster, he pried the Starlight Coral away with a forceful movement and quickly moved away.

His tense nerves only relaxed after he left the monster's territory.

He kicked the water backward sharply, using the recoil to quickly surface. Only after contact with the air did he dare to gasp for breath.

He practically scrambled onto the small fishing boat, carefully placing the nearly two-meter-tall star coral flat on the deck.

He then collapsed to the floor, as if all his strength had left him, and leaned against the cool cabin wall.

At this moment, Su Jin's heart was pounding so hard that he could hear it himself.

This was not fear, but a kind of excitement after extreme tension, mixed with unbelievable ecstasy, constantly washing over his limbs.

"Hahaha……"

A low chuckle escaped his throat, initially somewhat suppressed, then growing louder and louder, finally turning into a hearty, unrestrained laugh.

Recalling that scene, the mountain-sized crystal crab claws brushed past him. At that moment, he was like a thief, no, a daring and desperate fugitive, secretly tearing a piece of the Book of Life and Death from the King of Hell's desk.

The intense fear that welled up at that moment was quickly overwhelmed by an even stronger sense of accomplishment.

"That was so exciting! Absolutely thrilling!"

The thrill of dancing on the edge of a knife is a hundred times more intense than the mundane act of collecting.

The lingering fear had transformed into a thoroughly exhilarating feeling that filled his entire body.

"The territory of a giant sea monster, tsk tsk..."

Su Jin wiped the seawater off his face, his smile carrying a hint of wildness.

"Fortune and honor are found in danger; the ancients were right!"

His previous caution was correct, but the occasional desperate act brought such rich rewards.

The quality of this Starlight Coral far surpasses that of the scattered pieces he had seen on the periphery before. The radiance at its core is almost tangible, making it an absolute top-grade material that is at least ten years old.

Finally, we've gathered all the materials for the [Guiding Star Torch]. It wasn't easy.

Without delay, Su Jin immediately planned to upgrade the Guiding Star Torch.

He forcibly opened the largest star-studded clam shell, scooped out all the clam meat, leaving only the shell.

He then put both the Starry Shell and the Starry Coral into the system.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, only a gentle white light flashed by, and the material disappeared.

The next moment, a strange structure appeared out of thin air at the bow of Su Jin's small fishing boat and was firmly fixed to the hull.

This is the [Guiding Star Torch].

Its base and main trunk are the main body of that star coral, but its shape has been refined, and its height has been reduced to about 1.2 meters, making it more upright and solid.

The top of the star coral is cleverly shaped into a curved structure that lifts upwards, resembling a lamp.

And the largest star-studded seashell is now embedded in this lamp.

Its stalks will become thinner and longer, becoming the wick of a guiding star.

In addition, due to the characteristics of seashells, they can close to achieve the effect of rain and wind protection, and some parts of the seashell can even be breathable, which does not affect combustion.

In addition, the transparent nature of the Starry Shell means that even when it is closed, the light it emits will not be affected, and may even be amplified.

These rays of light will completely envelop the ship's hull through the starlight coral, and then spread outwards.

The thought that this magical building could dispel the fog and even ward off sea monsters made Su Jin feel a surge of excitement.

This means that his activity range will no longer be limited to the sea area in front of him, and it also means that he will have more control over his survival!

This joy weighed heavily on his heart, yet it also made him feel light and airy, almost as if he were floating.

All the fatigue and mental tension from diving were washed away by a tremendous sense of satisfaction at this moment.

At that moment, a distinct protest came from his stomach, indicating that he had burned too much energy doing aerobic exercise early in the morning.

"Let's go back."

He'd been at sea for almost an hour, so the fish soup that the young cook was preparing should be ready by now.

He rowed the wooden oars, and the small boat cut through the emerald waters, heading towards the distant forest island.

Before long, the familiar island came into view, but even before the scenery arrived, a rich and fresh aroma wafted over.

This aroma is different from the rich fish soup I smelled yesterday; it has no fishy smell at all, and is purely the ultimate umami flavor brought out by the high temperature of the mushrooms.

The base note of the Dragon's Marrow Mushroom is its unique, deep aroma, but it also seems to be mixed with the aromas of several other fungi, creating a rich and layered flavor that makes your mouth water just by smelling it.

That makes sense, after all, he was the one who said he wanted to go out to sea to catch some seafood, but it has taken so long, and it's not just mushrooms.

As soon as the boat docked and was moored, Li Yuanyuan trotted over from the fire to greet her. Seeing that Su Jin was safe and sound, she breathed a small sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"Brother Su, you're finally back! I thought..."

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze was immediately drawn to the strangely shaped "Guiding Star Torch" at the stern of the ship.

"Huh? What, what is this?"

Her eyes widened in curiosity and surprise, and she instinctively took two steps closer, trying to get a better look at the building that resembled a constellation of stars.

"Is this coral? It's so beautiful... and it even glows on its own? Brother Su, where did you find such an amazing treasure?"

Su Jin was bending down to unload some seafood he had caught onto the boat. Hearing this, he didn't even look up, simply replying in a flat tone:

"Oh, this? I just grabbed it from the nest of that giant crystal crab we encountered last night."

"Huh?!" Li Yuanyuan gasped instantly, her voice rising an octave, her face filled with disbelief.

"That...that monster! Why did you go and provoke it?!"

She witnessed the terrifying crab last night; it could cut down a tree with a single pincer movement, and she's still shaken by it.

And Su Jin actually brought back such an extraordinary item right under the nose of that monster!

"It's just that the materials we needed happened to be there."

Su Jin finally straightened up, shook the seawater off his hands, looked at the star torch, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

"I was lucky; it was eating and didn't have time to pay attention to me."

Li Yuanyuan stared blankly at his understated profile, then at the guiding star torch that could almost be displayed as an art piece, and was speechless for a moment.

My perception of this savior was once again refreshed.

This isn't just brave, it's downright... incredibly audacious!

And it worked!

After the initial shock, I felt a deeper sense of admiration, along with a lingering sense of relief.

Suddenly, she stepped forward and hugged Su Jin tightly from behind.