Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 10: Serene Ranch Conclusion

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Serene Ranch Conclusion

In the end, Moira Lynch had collected five frail little calves, twelve sickly lambs, and five foals that couldn’t even stand. She hadn’t found any piglets, but she wasn’t disappointed.

The robot showed no surprise as it watched the animals vanish one by one. In fact, it seemed completely accustomed to it.

After her lunch break, Moira Lynch returned to her post. She was in such a good mood that she couldn’t help but start humming a tune.

Not far away, another player who was also shearing wool heard the singing and couldn’t resist glancing at Moira Lynch. He was about to say something when his companion cut him off.

In this game, you could only see another player’s face after you had formally acknowledged each other.

"Are you crazy? That’s the girl who was smiling while picking up cow dung on the first day."

Upon hearing this, the first player’s face immediately showed a trace of lingering fear.

By now, every player in the game knew there was a psycho girl among them who would occasionally let out an eerie, terrifying laugh.

"I thought she’d been eliminated already."

"Who knows? Maybe it’s just fool’s luck."

Meanwhile, as Moira Lynch sheared the sheep, she sent her consciousness into her System Space to check on the little ones.

They were still listless, but they seemed to be in slightly better shape than before.

Moira Lynch figured it was probably due to the change in environment.

No matter how clean she had made the previous building, its environment couldn’t compare to her System Space.

’Whether they survive now depends on their will to live. I really hope they don’t let me down.’

As the sky began to dim, Moira Lynch sensed it was almost time and picked up her pace. The moment she finished shearing the last sheep, her vision went black. The next second, she found herself in a blue space composed of data.

[Welcome, player Moira Lynch, to the System Space. Due to your outstanding completion of the tasks issued by the ranch owner, the ranch owner is very satisfied and hereby grants you the title of "Excellent Employee." In light of your exceptional contributions to the ranch, the ranch owner is willing to offer you a considerable additional reward.]

Hearing the System’s words, Moira Lynch’s eyes lit up. "A reward? What kind of reward?"

[Based on the player’s strong demand, the System has automatically converted it into an interstellar language Learning Machine.]

The next second, a blue Light Screen, about the size of a tablet but only a single, thin layer, appeared in Moira Lynch’s hands.

This...

All in all, Moira Lynch was quite satisfied with this reward. The feeling of talking past the robot in the game had been truly awful.

’I hope the interstellar language isn’t too difficult to learn.’

[As players have successfully passed the first game, the game will now help players awaken their talents before the next game begins. Those who fail to awaken a talent will be disqualified.]

After delivering its final message, the System vanished. Moira Lynch found herself back in her own room, no longer in the data space.

She picked up her phone to check the time and was shocked to find that while she had spent three days in the game, only five minutes had passed in reality.

However, she recalled the System’s final words. ’So, just clearing the game isn’t enough. You also have to awaken a talent. Failing to awaken still gets you disqualified.’

While the game could be won through skill, awakening a talent was purely a matter of luck. There was no telling if she would be successful.

A wave of worry washed over Moira Lynch. ’What if I can’t awaken a talent?’

Just then, her two Maine Coon cats padded over and nuzzled against her.

Feeling the soft fur of the cats, much of Moira Lynch’s anxiety faded away. ’Even if I can’t awaken a talent, I’ll definitely be able to survive the apocalypse.’

She then began to inspect her rewards from the game. In addition to the Learning Machine, there were three silver-colored metal coins.

She called them metal coins rather than silver coins because their weight felt wrong.

The Learning Machine was an additional bonus; these three metal coins must be her payment for the three days she spent in the game.

Moira Lynch put her things away, taking special care with the Learning Machine. She had to keep that safe.

After working nonstop for nearly three sleepless days in the game, all she wanted now was a good night’s sleep. Everything else could wait until morning.

She changed out of her tracksuit and into a comfortable set of pajamas. The moment her head hit the pillow, Moira Lynch was out like a light.

She slept soundly, oblivious to the fact that the outside world had been thrown into chaos.

Not everyone had been pulled into the game. Those who had watched their loved ones vanish before their very eyes immediately called the police.

For a while, the police stations’ phone lines were ringing off the hook. To make matters worse, many soldiers and police officers had also been pulled into the game, causing a severe shortage of personnel.

Fortunately, all the missing people returned after just five minutes, but the incident quickly caught the attention of the higher-ups.

The next day, Moira Lynch slept until noon. She rubbed her eyes and sat in bed for another five minutes before finally deciding to get up.

The moment her feet touched the floor, Moira Lynch staggered and collapsed to her knees.

’What’s going on?’

Moira Lynch remained sprawled blankly on the floor, her reactions sluggish.

She reached up to feel her forehead. Unsure, she pulled out a temperature gun to check: 38.9 degrees.

In a world where daytime temperatures now exceeded fifty degrees Celsius, she had somehow managed to catch a fever.

But Moira Lynch quickly realized something was wrong. She was perfectly healthy; how could she get sick for no reason? She even kept her air conditioner set to a steady twenty-six or twenty-seven degrees.

A flash of inspiration cut through her sluggish thoughts. ’Could this be a sign of my talent awakening?’

’She remembered reading in novels that the main character always gets a fever before awakening their superpower. Could this be the same trope?’

’If that’s the case, should I take fever reducers or not? What if it interferes with the awakening?’

After a moment of thought, Moira Lynch decided against taking any medicine for now. ’It’s just a 38.9-degree fever,’ she thought. ’I can handle it.’

She staggered downstairs. She had planned to start studying the interstellar language today, but it looked like that would have to be postponed.

Today’s packages had already been delivered, and Moira Lynch signed for them as usual.

"I see you get so many packages every day. What are you buying?" the security guard who handled deliveries asked curiously.

Moira Lynch smiled and replied politely, "Well, I just moved in and the house was empty. These are all just daily necessities."

"Oh, I see. You should get back inside before you overheat. This weather is getting hotter every day." The guard mistook the flush on Moira Lynch’s face from her fever for a sunburn.

Moira Lynch piled all the packages in a corner. The fever had not only made her break out in a sweat, but also left her body aching and weak. Just managing to stay on her feet to sign for the deliveries had been her limit. Unpacking would have to wait until she felt better.