The only way to level up was to hunt the island's wildlife and grind out those precious experience points. This island wasn't exactly teeming with life, but it had its fair share of critters. The problem was, most of them were a pain in the ass to deal with.

  Even the ants weren't pushovers.

  The clams were probably the easiest targets, but those suckers hid in the sand, and digging them out was a chore. Plus, there weren't enough of them to make a real dent in his experience bar.

  No experience, no levels. No levels, no power.

  So, clam digging was off the table.

  Hank Fowler racked his brain for a better solution and finally hit upon a target that seemed promising: the swarm of locusts in the thatch field.

  Those things were numerous. Wiping them all out might even be enough to bump him up to level 3.

  Before, he hadn't had a way to deal with the locusts. But now, he'd cooked up a deliciously devious plan that would annihilate the whole swarm.

  "Just you wait until tomorrow," Hank Fowler muttered, a cruel smile playing on his lips. He lay down on his makeshift bed of thatch.

  He'd planned to go back to sleep, but the whole black wolf situation had chased away any lingering drowsiness. Instead, he opened up the area chat channel.

  Wally Cox: Anyone up?

  Stan Strong: I was asleep, but some damn wolf howl woke me up. I looked out, and holy shit, there was a wolf right outside my fence! Its eyes were glowing green like some kind of hellfire. Nearly pissed myself.

  Lou Yang: So your place got a visit from a black wolf too? I thought I was just unlucky.

  Sue Lynn: I had one here too, but it didn't attack. Just hung around for a bit and then left.

  Charles Strong: Where the hell did these wolves come from? I scouted the whole island earlier, and there was nothing!

  Jeff Johnson: Where they came from isn't the main issue. We've got a bigger problem on our hands.

  Wally Cox: What's that?

  Jeff Johnson: Like a wise sage, he began his analysis: These wolves didn't just appear for no reason. It's a warning.

  Lee Lightman: Can you be a bit clearer?

  Jeff Johnson: Simply put, at first, these wolves won't attack. But give it a few days, and they'll be coming for us.

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  Kana Momonogi: I'm scared. What should we do?

  Jeff Johnson: Either fortify your shelters or get stronger.

  Eddie Drumpf: But at this stage, we can barely feed ourselves, let alone build proper shelters or train!

  Jeff Johnson: Then you're screwed. Might as well wait for death.

  Charles Strong: It's just a guess. Maybe the wolves won't attack. Don't go spreading panic.

  Jeff Johnson: If you knew about my talent, you wouldn't be so skeptical.

  Charles Strong: What's your talent?

  Jeff Johnson: My talent is Premonition. It's a passive skill that triggers whenever I sense danger. And it just triggered. The source? That black wolf.

  Wally Cox: So we're all in danger?

  Stan Strong: We're done for! There's no way we can fight off wild beasts. Might as well give up now!

  Peter Young: Isn't your talent turning into a gorilla? What are you afraid of? Just fight it!

  Stan Strong: I'm a coward, okay? The sight of that wolf made my legs shake. There's no way I can fight it!

  Eddie Drumpf: You're useless! What a waste of a good talent. If I had that power, I'd have skinned that wolf already!

  Stan Strong: Yeah, keep talking tough. It's a giant black wolf, not a house cat!

  Eddie Drumpf: Stop making excuses for your cowardice.

  Stan Strong: ....

  .....

  Hank Fowler silently closed the chat.

  The situation was clear.

  Every island had been visited by a black wolf. And soon, those wolves would attack.

  They were running out of time.

  It was either be eaten by the wolves or kill them. There was no middle ground.

  Hank Fowler took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and opened the trading hall to browse. After about half an hour, he started feeling sleepy and lay down to rest.

  Time slipped away silently. The sun slowly crept over the eastern horizon, chasing away the darkness. It bathed the world in golden light, bringing hope and warmth to all living things.

  Sunlight spilled into the shelter, like a gentle hand caressing every corner. The shelter seemed to come alive, filled with new energy.

  "Boss, sun's up! Time to take a leak!" The entrenching tool suddenly shouted, its voice echoing in the morning stillness.

  Hank Fowler yawned, his eyes still heavy with sleep. He slowly opened them and stretched, feeling his body awaken.

  Just then, a ray of warm sunlight shone through the window, landing squarely on his handsome face.

  Hank Fowler blinked and slowly got up, heading out of The Hut.

  He pushed open the door and was greeted by brilliant sunshine and fresh air. The sunlight felt amazing on his skin.

  Hank Fowler took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. It felt like all his fatigue and worries melted away. He stood there for a moment, then looked up at the distant sun with a smile. "Morning, Boss Sun!"

  This time, Sun didn't respond.

  "Playing hard to get, huh?" Hank Fowler muttered. He walked over to a corner and unzipped his pants.

  It was his morning ritual - time to drain the main vein.

  Just as Hank Fowler grabbed his little buddy and prepared to unleash, he heard a voice.

  "Human, stop!"

  Hank Fowler zipped up and looked around. He saw a small, tender sprout, about four inches tall, poking out of the soil in his garden. The voice was coming from the little sprout.

  "You grew fast," Hank Fowler said, surprised.

  He'd only planted the seed yesterday afternoon. Had it really sprouted and grown so much overnight?

  It was incredible!

  Hank Fowler looked at it closely and asked, "What do you want?"

  The Seedling: "Didn't I tell you yesterday? Your pee is the best fertilizer! How could you just waste it like that? Come on, aim for my face! I'm ready!"

  Hank Fowler's mouth twitched. He grabbed his little buddy again and aimed it at the seedling.

  Suddenly, a stream of liquid gold rained down from above, drenching the little sprout.

  "This pee's got a kick to it! Human, are you a little dehydrated? No problem, I like it!" The Seedling said cheerfully.