Chương 64: Escape The Island

"Build a boat? How are we going to do that?" Maya asked, seeming utterly bewildered and perplexed. I was suddenly deep in thought; was that why Cayman had told us to get supplies and pack? Was it to build a boat in order to get off this island?

"We literally have no materials," Maya continued.

"There's one lonely palm tree here, but that's not going to get us very far."

"Didn't I tell you to pack supplies? I bet you all packed some hammers and nails, because I have the rest of the materials needed to build the boat. What kind of supplies do you all have?" We all reached into our inventories and took out our bags, allowing Cayman to rummage wildly through them all like a wolf. Some of the stuff was useful, whilst others weren't what Cayman thought we would pack.

"There are some hammers and nails in here, which is a good sign. Ben, why the hell is your bag full of pickaxes and sweets?"

"The pickaxes are for us to mine mana crystals, and the sweets are for when we get hungry. And since there's eight of us on this expedition, I felt like packing enough for all of us." Cayman, however, sighed.

"Apart from the few nuts and bolts that you've probably stolen from your parents' car, what do you need all of this stuff for? These are ordinary pickaxes! They won't be able to mine mana crystals! Haven't I told you this before? You need special pickaxes imbued with mana in order to mine mana crystals! Oh, how you never learn!" Cayman continued to reprimand Ben, prompting Theo and Maya to chuckle and giggle. However, Cayman wasn't finding the situation funny.

"Honestly, get a grip. What's the point of packing all of this unnecessary stuff? It's like going to see a concert while wearing a backpack full of groceries! What is the point?" Ben hung his head, looking ready to prostrate himself in front of Cayman. Once Cayman let out a deep sigh, he continued talking, but with less enthusiasm in his voice.

"I have a plan for how we're going to build a boat, but don't start calling me an architect because I have no experience in this field. This is a template I stole from someone back when I was still on Planet Zero, actually." Theo burst into wild, maniacal laughter, making Cayman bury his face in his hands.

"However, this plan should work. I'm going to need all of you to work together for this one, since I want us to be done by sunset, and the sun isn't that far away from descending into the horizon."

"What kind of boat are we building?" Maya asked inquisitively.

"We're building one of those small rowing boats, right? That shouldn't take a lot of time. We can definitely get it done by sunset." However, Cayman was unamused, indicating that Maya had gotten it all wrong.

"Do you really think one of those small rowing boats is enough to fit eight of us? We might be sleeping on the boat as well since it might be a long journey. Do you really think we're going to be building one of those considering the number of people we have? Use your brain for once."

"Huh?????????????????" Maya's jaw dropped to a level where it was ready to fall off and land on the ground. Her sudden bewilderment was brazen. Cayman ignored Maya's exaggerated reaction and reached for something in his inventory. What he pulled out was a sheet of paper wrapped up like a scroll. Cayman unfolded the sheet of paper with ease and set it down on the ground. He picked up some pebbles and placed them on top of the paper so that it wouldn't blow away.

"That's the plan," he said, staring at the contents of the paper.

"That's what we're going to build." Maya looked like she was about to faint and froth at the mouth. And she definitely had the right to; what we were building wasn't one of those simple rowing boats. Anyone who guessed that would have gotten it totally wrong. Instead, what we would be building was a full-blown pirate ship. What the sheet of paper portrayed was how to build a ship that was akin to a pirate ship.

All of the measurements on the sheet of paper were precise, with neat labels indicating where materials should go. It also had details about where the mast and the sails should go for efficient steering action. It was basically a blueprint that wasn't printed on blue paper.

"You're telling us to build this before sunset, are you?" Ben asked with a trace of hostility in his voice.

"We are inexperienced builders who have just dropped out of school. We have no practical skills at all, and now you're telling us to build this thing from scratch?!?!?!??" Cayman nodded subtly, and that was all Ben needed to scrunch up his face in anger.

"You know how to build ladders from scratch, and you helped build our home base back on Planet 501, so how hard can it be to build a pirate ship? Plus, you have seven other helping hands here with you. You have no reason to be this angry." Despite Cayman's reassuring words, Ben looked poised to wrestle Cayman to the ground and tear him up to shreds. We had to build a boat. Not just any ordinary boat, but a pirate ship. Was this what being a Hopper truly entailed?

Was it even possible to list out all the skills required to become a Hopper at this point?

"We didn't bring any materials to build a boat," Theo said solemnly.

"We only brought screws, nails and hammers, not the wood. If you're telling us to chop down that palm tree and use the wood from that, it's not worth it. It won't provide enough wood to build a behemoth like that." However, it was clear that Cayman had already realised this flaw, since he was one of the most meticulous and thorough people in this universe. He would never forget to bring materials, especially after being on this planet once before.

And he didn't, because soon, he was reaching into his inventory again and pulling out something that I couldn't recognise. Soon, however, I could instantly discern what it was. Clunk! Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk!

"What the…" The De Souza twins' mouths were agape. Maya's face had lost all of its colour, and that was saying something since she had extremely tanned skin. What had fallen from Cayman's inventory was a pile of neatly-cut wood. Or, to be more precise, they were wooden planks ready to be melded together to form a colossal ship.

"You…" Daniel's words trailed off. He couldn't contain all of his shock inside that tiny brain of his; it was physically impossible. Instead, he let some of it loose, prompting his jaw to drop.

"You… managed to fit that much wood into your inventory?"

"You've unlocked so many new inventory spaces already when levelling up to the advanced level, so of course. You should have at least forty inventory spaces yourself, so how can it be impossible for me to carry that many wooden planks?"

"Still…" Again, Daniel couldn't finish his sentence; this overwhelming amount of wooden planks was astounding to see, especially on a desert island with just a palm tree as a source of wood.

"Here's the plan. You're all going to help out, since we only have a few hours at most until the sun sets. Don't shirk your responsibilities now, especially you, Ben, Maya and Devon. If you do, that means others have to do more work and we might not be able to meet the deadline. Everybody plays a part in this, it's a team matter. Do you understand?" We all nodded. Even Devon nodded, albeit subtly.

"OK. The first thing we have to build is the hull. That's basically the underside of the ship. Follow the instructions and start building." That was exactly what we did. Despite Devon still being an incompetent little brat, he picked up a wooden plank and laid it down on the sand. He then grabbed the one that Ben had picked up, took out a few of the nails from one of the bags and started hammering the planks into place. So far, things were going well.

The most prominent noise on the island was the sound of hammers forcing two boards of wood to join together. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. And even the most ignorant, petulant ones, like Ben and Devon, were doing their part. In fact, it appeared as though Devon was doing the brunt of the work, since sweat was already trickling down his face. Soon, the shape of the hull was discernible; we were finally seeing the fruits of our hard work.

And there was still some time until dusk. However, there was just one problem: the pile of wood that Cayman had taken out of his inventory was diminishing, and it was diminishing fast. Before, the planks that had formed a heap on this miniscule desert island were enough to create a beaver's dam, but now, the best it could make was a bird's nest that could only accommodate baby birds.

"Cayman!" Ben shouted.

"We're running out of wood! And the sun is about to set!"

"Shut up!" Cayman bellowed back, dropping his hammer on the sand and reaching into his inventory.

"I have more. Do you really think this island can fit all of the wooden planks I brought? We're building a ship that needs to hold eight people, so of course I have more."

"OK."

"I know this might be a menial job, but just deal with it. It'll pay off in the long run. Just listen to me, because I'm the expert here." When the hull was around half-finished, Cayman dropped another bomb of wooden planks on the island. Some of the planks tumbled towards the edge of the island, causing Ellie to hastily run and grab them before the sea could transport them to who knows where.

"Continue," Cayman said sharply. The sound of hammers digging into nails prevailed. However-"Don't tell me you're doing all of this manually," Cayman muttered in a cynical tone when he saw what we were doing.

"Don't tell me you aren't using any skills to help you. Don't tell me that you're this dumb." At that, Theo and Daniel looked up, averting their gazes from the hull. They wore blank looks. Cayman face-palmed.

"Can you use your brains for once? We don't have all day! I don't want to be dealing with snails who take ten years just to build the underside of a boat!" Theo and Daniel looked utterly defeated. I dropped my hammer and thought about which skill I could use to help me. And that was when I realised something. The pack of sugar that Devon had given us the other day. It was like the memory of skill creation had seamlessly escaped from my brain, never to be seen again. [Skill, 'Speed (advanced)', has been activated.] Hit hit hit hit hit!!!!!!!!!!!

"Woah," I muttered to myself.

"Did I just do that?"

"That's more like it," Cayman said when he heard the change in noise, easing the level of resentment in his voice.

"That's why Devon gave you a sugar rush."

"Oh," Ben said, his voice full of renewed realisation.

"My memory loss is crazy. I must be going senile."

"Shut up and get back to work!" Maya cried.

"Here I am, working my ass off by doing this, and you're just there, causing trouble and not working! Don't get too complacent! Complacency is your enemy here! It's basically The Leak!" At the mention of The Leak, Ben sighed and frowned, turning back to where the hull was. Soon, his hammering also contributed to the incessant noise that lingered around the desert island. It was tantamount to an immense collection of woodpeckers all pecking the same tree trunk at once. Hit hit hit hit hit! Hit hit hit hit hit!!!!!

"Thank God, it's mostly done," Theo said, wiping off beads of sweat after around half an hour of hammering. After all, it was impossible to deduce the correct time on this planet. However, we ascertained that the sun was getting closer to the horizon. That meant we had to speed up.

"Hey Devon, are we running out of wood?" Theo asked Devon.

"Not yet. There's still some left."

"Good. Make yourself useful and pass some here then."

"Oh fuck you! Not you too! Don't end up like Cayman!" Ben and Maya laughed heartily at Devon's unfortunate suffering.

"Hey Cayman, have we got any more planks left?" Devon asked once he passed the remaining planks to Theo.

"We seem to be running short again."

"Unfortunately not," Cayman replied bluntly.

"What?"

"Did you not hear me the first time? I said, we're out of wood! Use your damn ears, bastard!"

"What?" It was Theo's turn to rant. He had done the majority of the work since everyone, including me, trusted him after he built such a sturdy ladder on his solo mission.

"Are you serious? You brought along a scant amount of wood, and now you're asking for more? Is this acceptable in any way? What are we going to do now, sail across the open sea with half a hull? We're gonna sink and die before you know it!" All of the colour drained from Cayman's face, leaving a deathly pallor and skin that frightened me. He soon realised his fatal mistake.

All of the wood that he had brought, all of the planks that he had taken out of his inventory so effortlessly, all of that, was not even enough to finish the hull of the boat.

"Oops," Cayman muttered, unconsciously letting out this word.

"My bad. Looks like I thoroughly underestimated how many planks it would take to build this thing."

"Fuck you!" Ben hollered.

"We've been listening to you from the outset, and now you're saying that you're out of wood already? I would rather listen to Devon than you since he's actually done a good chunk of the work!" Cayman hung his head. He rarely made mistakes, but this was a dire one, something that he didn't anticipate.

"This is an even worse mistake than when Cayman underestimated human life on Planet 500," Devon whispered to himself."

"Shut your trap!" Cayman boomed, looking poised to throw Devon into the sea and forcefully drown him.

"At first, I didn't anticipate there being eight people on this mission! Let me think about how the hell we can get out of this nasty predicament!"

"Um." It was Maya who timidly raised her hand, trying to divert all the attention towards her. Her uneasy look didn't suit the crown on her head, which exuded an aura of confidence.

"Is there a skill that allows us to generate wood using magic? After all, aren't skills just a form of magic?"

"Are you deranged as well?" Cayman shouted.

"On Planet Zero, it is forbidden to call skills 'magic'! If you keep calling it that, I might actually consider sending you to The Leak, where they call everything magic!" When The Leak was mentioned, Maya hung her head so low to the point where her crown looked ready to fall off. Theo and Ben, on the other hand, had different views.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Ben said, contemplating Maya's seemingly outlandish suggestion.

"We can use a skill to create the planks that we need."

"Well, we have learned skill creation quite recently, so the memory of it is still fresh in our brains," Theo mumbled.

"Devon, pass me one of the remaining wooden planks."

"OK, but what do you need it for?" Reluctantly, Devon passed one of the planks to Ben, who picked up the plank, and suddenly, it disappeared. Just like that. The plank was gone.

"No way that's gonna work," Cayman murmured, smirking.

"You're trying to use skill creation to create a skill that can generate more wood? Mate, I can just go back and grab some more."

"Just trust the process. Besides, we don't have long until sunset. Devon, hand me one of those colourless orbs you gave me the other day." Hastily, Devon reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the unrefined skill orbs and placed it in Ben's hand. That also disappeared alongside the wooden plank.

"This is futile," Cayman said, continuing to pester Ben.

"I might as well go back and get some more planks." I couldn't believe what Ben was doing. Ellie and I just stared blankly while he created his concoction, not knowing what to say. Ben was undoubtedly the most ambitious person in our group, but I didn't know he had something like this in his arsenal.

"I've created something," Ben said after a while, taking out a brown skill orb and placing it in his cupped hands. We then surrounded him to get a glimpse of what he had created.

"That just looks like shit," Cayman said, still unconvinced.

"I wouldn't want to eat that."

"The information about this skill says that it gives you infinite wood, but I don't know what that means."

"Eat it then!" Maya shouted.

"We're getting impatient. There's not that much time until sunset!" In response to Maya's cries, Ben threw the brown skill orb into his mouth, and soon, he could hear the incessant cries of the others asking Ben to try out his new skill.

"Prove Cayman wrong!" Theo shouted.

"Prove to me that Cayman has nothing but slop for brains!" Devon hollered.

"Can you shut up about my brain?" Eventually, Ben stretched out his right hand, seeming poised to unleash his new skill. However, nothing came out.

"See, it's futile," Cayman said at the underwhelming performance.

"I'm heading off now… what the hell?" Soon, he wasn't the only bewildered person on this island; everyone else, including me, had strange looks on our faces as we stared at Ben. All of a sudden, a tree bark was jutting out of Ben's right hand, seemingly forming an ugly extension of his arm. Ben's arm felt heavy, and if he didn't move it soon, he might end up falling forward.

"Um… help?"

"Chainsaw!" Theo hollered.

"Has anybody got a chainsaw?"

"I think I have a regular saw somewhere," Devon said, reaching into his inventory.

"Oh wait, I have a few."

"Give it here then! Ben looks like he's about to fall forward like a dead tree!"

"Hurry! I'm gonna get splinters if you dawdle!!!"

"Don't fucking rush me, tree boy!" Devon cried.

"Give it some time! Not everything comes instantly!!" Soon, each of us had a saw ready to cut off the wooden part of Ben's arm. Ben winced in pain for a while, but soon, the large bark of wood was on the floor, ready to be turned into planks.

"Holy shit," Ben wheezed.

"I thought I was gonna end up with a wooden arm there for a second. That was probably the biggest shock of my life." Theo and Maya both gave Ben a pat on the back as if to commend him for his dedication.

"Split the forces into two!" Cayman shouted all of a sudden.

"Me, Ellie, Daniel and Theo will continue building the ship! The rest of you, continue chopping wood from Ben's arm!"

"Understood!" And that was what happened for the next hour or so. Ben continued magically spawning tree trunks out of nowhere, which Maya, Devon and I cut whilst activating our new speed skill, whilst Cayman, Ellie, Daniel and Theo hastily finished building the hull and moved on to building the deck. Soon, the ship was looking more like a ship and less like a large slice of bread.

And eventually, with all the hard work and effort, we finished the laborious task of building the pirate ship, which was finally ready for its maiden voyage.

"Holy shit," Theo said, panting and sprawled on the ground.

"We did it. And there's still a trace of daylight."

"Yeah, all thanks to Ben's obnoxious skill," Devon replied.

"Come on. We don't have any time to waste." Hurriedly, we all climbed onto the ship, ready to test it for the first time. It was a relief that it didn't sink with just us on it. And soon, we were ready to set sail, leaving the desert island for good.

"I don't ever want to see that island ever again," Maya whispered to herself.

"That island is a place for sad people." I sighed, knowing that the first leg of our journey was finally complete. With this ship, we could finally progress through the missions with ease. And soon, even the system acknowledged our extremely tedious, menial work. [You have completed Mission 1/3: escape the island.]