Thanks to GreenKiTea for the Kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!
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Seeing Jian Xingyi’s confusion and anxiety, someone explained, “This pufferfish is different from ordinary sea monsters; it can easily puncture our boats; it’s a rare creature at sea.” 

Indeed, just looking at it, one could tell it was highly destructive. 

Jian Xingyi blinked. They always say luck plays a big part when going out to sea; he began to wonder if his own terrible luck was affecting everyone. 

Jian Xingyi: “H-haven’t you guys ever encountered one before?” 

“It’s not exactly like that,” the person said. “It’s just that this pufferfish only appears before a storm. But we just checked the forecast! Brother Jing Luo observed it too—there’s no storm coming today. What’s going on…” 

Huh? 

Jian Xingyi finally understood. 

The reason everyone was so anxious wasn’t because of this monster—after all, Jing Luo was here to keep watch—but because they were worried about a storm. 

Or perhaps the more frightening possibility is that the sailors misjudged the situation. If they can’t figure out what went wrong, how can anyone feel safe going out to sea in the future? 

Their exchange lasted only a minute or two. In the blink of an eye, Shanhai and Jing Luo had grabbed the ropes and slid down to the bottom, one on the left and one on the right, slicing off the spikes that were about to pierce the hull. 

The pufferfish immediately went berserk, spewing a large amount of slimy, dark green mucus from its inconspicuous mouthparts. The mucus was even emitting white smoke—it was obvious at a glance that coming into contact with it would spell serious trouble. 

But as fully-powered players, the two had no trouble pulling off this series of high-risk maneuvers. Shanhai dodged the venom, then did a backbend to draw the pufferfish’s attention. Seizing the opportunity, Jing Luo targeted the weak spot on its mouthparts, thrust his spear right in, and killed it instantly. 

The pufferfish flipped over, screeching, and died. 

Everyone on the ship breathed a sigh of relief, and the two leaders climbed back up as well.

—It would have been dangerous to stay down any longer; the sea monsters all around had likely caught the scent and were swarming in. 

Everyone immediately shot the rest of them down. Jian Xingyi took the opportunity to collect a lot of essence points. 

He took a look and saw that even his aimless clicking earlier had yielded a decent haul—about two hundred points in total, bringing his current total to 6,660 Essence Points. 

Then, there was a thunderous clap of thunder. 

A bolt of lightning struck the sea not far from the ship, illuminating the surroundings for an instant. Jing Luo furrowed his brow. 

The next moment, a system announcement cleared up everyone’s confusion. 

【To the players of 【Dawnbreaker】: Congratulations on passing all the trials. Now, everything has come to an end, and the Ark awaits your final boarding. Both the world and you will face the final test.】 

Beep… beep… 

【Dawnbreaker V3.0 loading… The sun has set. Will dawn ever break?】 

【Dawnbreaker V3.0 loaded successfully, officially launched! Remember the game’s sole rule: survive amidst escalating disasters and waves of the undead.】 

Everyone was stunned. 

This was exactly the same dialogue they’d heard the moment they’d been transported into the game, right after the anniversary fireworks ended. Except back then, it was V2.0. 

So, did that mean they had successfully survived 2.0 and entered a brand-new version? 

But according to the system, wouldn’t the survival conditions in this new version be even harsher? After all, it promised exponentially greater disasters and waves of the undead. Everyone immediately understood why they had predicted no storm tonight, yet still saw pufferfish. 

Because this is a new beginning, and from now on, every map will be relentlessly ravaged by natural disasters! This was too much information to process, and everyone was momentarily dazed. 

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, Just as I expected…!

The reason the system hasn’t announced the next challenge after the zombie tide ended isn’t because there isn’t one—it’s because they’ve been saving something big! Conditions on all the maps are already pretty rough; even the system’s “test runs”—like the rain in the jungle and the intense heat at the volcano—have made it tough for everyone to get around. If they launch 3.0, won’t things get even harder? 

But the final trial… 

In other words, if we survive this so-called “final trial,” will we be able to board the system’s “Ark” and no longer face a survival crisis? 

Is that even plausible? 

But for now, Jian Xingyi and the others have another, more immediate problem. 

“So we’re destined to face the storm?!” 

“Yes, but don’t panic!”Jing Luo said, “This isn’t our first time encountering a storm. You all know how to handle it, right? If the storm gets too severe and our ship is destroyed, it’s no big deal. This system broadcast is public across the entire server, so the guild definitely knows our situation. If the ship sinks, we’ll get into a rowboat; if we fall into the sea, we’ll pull out the driftwood from our backpacks, protect ourselves, and wait for the storm to pass so the guild can come pick us up.” 

“Got it!” 

Jian Xingyi and Shanhai opened their inventory—sure enough, Yu Shen had prepared floating logs for them. Jian Xingyi swallowed hard. 

“Don’t be afraid.” Shanhai took Jian Xingyi’s hand. “If we fall into the sea, I won’t let go of you. I can handle whatever’s in the ocean right now.”

“Mm…!” Jian Xingyi smiled. “I just think it’s pretty thrilling and new, but I’m not scared!” 

However… 

After a while, the storm arrived just as expected. 

In Version 1.0, before everyone had been trapped here, the sky was normal—there were nights and days, and you could see both dawn and the sun. But after Version 2.0, when everyone got stuck here, the sky never changed again. It went from the blood-red of Version 2.0 to the pitch-black of the Zombie Tide, and now it had returned to blood-red. 

So while you can’t tell much about the storm from the sky, it’s certainly no less intense. 

First and foremost is the roller-coaster ride: the churning waves toss the great ship violently back and forth. Jian Xingyi clings tightly to the mast, while Shanhai encircles him from behind. 

Even though Shanhai was wedged tightly between his body and the mast, he still felt dizzy and disoriented.

Jian Xingyi felt like he was going to vomit, but he held it in. 

He saw waves several feet high surging all around the ship, blocking out the sky like towering skyscrapers. Under such massive swells, the once-imposing vessel had become nothing more than a drifting speck of lily-of-the-valley, pitifully enduring the pounding of the waves and the lashing of the gale. 

Jian Xingyi felt waves crashing in from time to time; he was already soaked through, and before the seawater could dry, the biting wind made him shiver. But Jian Xingyi didn’t even have time to feel the cold—he just felt like he’d been tossed into a washing machine!!! 

The ship was tossed about until it was nearly at a 90-degree angle, and after being battered for a while, a sea monster was actually flung right into the boat! More and more sea monsters surrounded the vessel. Jian Xingyi thought to himself, Is this the welcome gift Version 3.0 has in store for them? 

Jian Xingyi’s heart sank. He already sensed how heavy the casualties would be in this update, and how grueling the fight would be. Killing sea monsters under these conditions was no easy feat, and it was easy to accidentally hit teammates—leaving everyone completely on the defensive. 

The deck was swarming with sea monsters, and many more in the water were targeting their ship—even pufferfish had joined the fray. This was a scene that even Jing Luo and the others had never encountered before; it was a trial brought about by the enhancements of Version 3.0. 

“Crack.” 

The hull began to crack, and more and more seawater poured in. 

Amid the chaos, Jian Xingyi suddenly spotted a glimmer of light in the distance. Jian Xingyi froze, thinking he was seeing things. 

Luminous spots weren’t unusual; in fact, Jian Xingyi had been collecting them all night long. But this one… it was red! That was definitely off! 

What did this different color signify? 

Jian Xingyi wanted to collect it and instinctively activated his skill. 

【Player 【Xinghe】 has successfully tagged 【Beacon Fish】!】 

Huh? No Essence Points and no harvest from the farming area—just a notification? 

What does “marked” mean?

Jian Xingyi wanted to tap it again, but the red dot moved too fast and vanished in an instant. The next moment, he was splashed in the face with seawater and had no time to think about anything else. 

Fortunately, the storm didn’t last long. 

As the storm began to subside, everyone seized the opportunity to quickly clear out all the sea monsters. With Shanhai and Jing Luo present, no one was injured. After the storm passed, their ship was… lost. 

Jing Luo said, “The hold is taking on water. This ship will sink in three hours. I’ve already notified the guild. Everyone, get ready—we’ll move to a new location as soon as their ship arrives.” 

Jian Xingyi sighed with relief. It was a good thing they’d been hanging out with the local experts; it really made things a lot easier. Otherwise, that sudden, unannounced storm last night would have been a real nightmare for just the two of them out there. 

Jing Luo shook his head as he looked at his terminal. “I’m checking the general chat. After last night’s system announcement… it seems the entire server, except for Peace Mountain and Peaceful Mountain, has collectively been hit by a natural disaster. The entire Wave Mountain is facing a massive storm, too. What we went through wasn’t even the worst—apparently, the eastern side suffered a total wipe, and people actually died. It wasn’t much better on land either; yesterday, our guild members were hit by a tsunami, and their houses were destroyed.” 

It was as if something had been loaded onto the server. 

Lava-spewing volcanoes erupted, blizzards on Snow Mountain nearly buried everything under snow, and tornadoes on Flag-Raising Mountain nearly destroyed everything…

Of course, that wasn’t the worst of it. 

Jian Xingyi frowned. “Wait… what did you say? The guild’s buildings were destroyed?” Jing Luo’s expression grew grave. “Yes, it seems the 3.0 natural disasters didn’t even spare the guild area.” The general chat was filled with cries of despair. 

【I thought the Cataclysm was only on the map. How come… even the guild base isn’t spared?? My home is flooded! I have nowhere to go! Right now, players in our area are scrambling to higher ground in search of shelter, but it’s been raining nonstop, and many have fallen ill.】 

【When the volcano erupted, our guild base was hit by meteors and fireballs and burned to the ground… Players from all over the zone are fleeing in all directions.】 

【Players on Flag-Raising Mountain are at a loss right now. Their houses were torn down by tornadoes, and now they’re out in the open, not knowing where to take cover.】 

Jian Xingyi felt both relieved that his home was on Peace Mountain—one of only two safe places left—and terrified at the same time.

If the disaster spared not even the guild base, it meant that all players would no longer have a safe house, nor any final safeguard or last resort. 

They would be left to hide in the wilderness, utterly helpless. 

Players from Lava Volcano are now flooding into Peace Mountain in droves, but what about the other regions? They have nowhere to run! Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and opened his terminal. 

【Xingxing’s Objective: Reach Peace Mountain to Open the Letter】 

Collect B rank or higher fields: 30/70 

Collect Essence Points: 6660/7500 

Raise Funds: 465 million / 500 million 

There’s still a long way to go before establishing a guild. 

If the guild is established, he’ll be able to set up trade posts across all maps. With these trade posts, players can freely move between maps, and the guild will also allow players to exchange supplies! 

Jian Xingyi explained the situation to Shanhai. 

“Hmm…” Shanhai glanced at Jian Xingyi’s terminal. “What we’re lacking right now is farmland.” 

Jian Xingyi can just make another trade with dawn coins. As long as they keep moving forward, they’ll keep earning essence points, but they’re genuinely short on farmland.

Shanhai suggested, “There are plenty of uninhabited, barren islands in the Wave Mountains. We can swing by and take a look before heading to Peaceful Mountain—maybe we’ll find a suitable plot.” 

“Alright!” 

After waiting a while, 【Beyond the Sea】 arrived with reinforcements. Everyone transferred to the new ship. 

“Hello! I heard it from my brother Jing Luo. Welcome, big shots! If you need any help, just ask!” A young girl approached the two of them, holding out her hand with a carefree smile. “I’m the Guild President of 【Beyond the Sea】, and my name is Da Qiao!” 

“Hello,” Jian Xingyi nodded. 

After greeting the two, Da Qiao immediately threw herself at Jing Luo. “Luo-gege!!”

She rubbed herself against Jing Luo with all her might, completely unashamed, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “I haven’t seen you in a day, and I’ve missed you so much I could die!!! You have no idea what our guild went through yesterday… All our houses were swept away by a tsunami…! Damn it!” 

Jian Xingyi stared in disbelief. 

Everyone seemed to take it in stride. 

Jian Xingyi turned to Shanhai and asked, “Is this the gossip you were talking about? Jing Luo and his clingy girlfriend Da Qiao? Well, that’s not really surprising! They’re just a pretty lovey-dovey couple.” 

Shanhai hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but held back. 

When everyone returned to the island and arrived at the guild base, Jian Xingyi saw another girl rush out. 

“Wow!! Sis, you were getting all lovey-dovey with Brother Jing Luo again while I was away!” The girl rushed forward to hug Jing Luo and cooed sweetly, “Brother Jing Luo, I missed you so much, too. Give me a kiss, give me a kiss…!” 

Jing Luo gave the girl a peck on the lips. 

Da Qiao protested, “I want one too! We agreed to share fairly.” 

So she planted a kiss on Jing Luo as well. 

Jian Xingyi：“？” 

Jian Xingyi turned to look at Shanhai in bewilderment. 

Shanhai: “That’s Da Qiao’s younger sister, Xiao Qiao. She’s the guild’s vice president.” 

Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and Jing Luo are the three players at full combat power in Wave Mountain. Don’t let Xiao Qiao’s petite and cute appearance fool you—she’s ranked fourth on the combat power leaderboard. Da Qiao, who looks quite tough, is seventh, and Jing Luo is tenth. 

Jian Xingyi：“……” 

Jian Xingyi: “Wow, that Jing Luo guy looks so proper and well-mannered, yet he actually…” Shanhai hesitated, as if about to say something. 

The next moment, Da Qiao grabbed Jing Luo by the collar. “I was so worried about you last night! I was really afraid you wouldn’t protect yourself in the storm. If you ask me, we should’ve tied you to us with a dog leash.” 

Xiao Qiao wrapped her arms around Jing Luo affectionately and said in a whiny voice, “Exactly, exactly. Jing Luo-ge runs around outside every day, and he has to be stared at by so many people every day. It’s so upsetting… sniffle…”

Meanwhile, Jing Luo, looking as pale as a ghost, stood there trembling. 

Jian Xingyi：“……………………. ” 

Jian Xingyi opened his mouth, “Um… does he really not need any help?” Shanhai stopped himself from speaking. 

Jian Xingyi: “Okay, I won’t ask anymore. Just stop making that face—it’s kind of scary!” Jokes aside, when the group saw the guild base, their hearts sank. 

The buildings inside the base had been reduced to rubble by the tsunami; the fields were completely ruined, with not a single crop left standing, and the fences and walls surrounding the guild were in tatters. 

Not only that, but the ground was covered in filthy puddles. 

The trees on the island were utterly ravaged, stripped bare, and many had snapped in half. 

However, since 【Beyond the Sea】 is, after all, one of the top five guilds in the entire server, they haven’t completely lost their composure. Since Wave Mountain is closest to Peaceful Mountain, they can seek refuge there, so everyone’s emotions are still relatively stable. 

But one can only imagine what a disaster it would be if this happened on other maps or to ordinary players… Now that the natural disaster has temporarily ceased, perhaps it’s giving everyone a chance to catch their breath. 

The guild members were currently resting against rocks, organizing their supplies, or searching nearby for food. Jian Xingyi and Shanhai sat down together. Jian Xingyi used the campfire to dry his clothes and shared a boxed meal with Shanhai. Da Qiao sat down in front of them. “I heard from Brother Jing Luo that you two are heading to Peaceful Mountain?” 

“Yeah, that’s right.” 

Da Qiao paused for a moment before saying, “We’re still discussing it, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, all of us will be heading to Peaceful Mountain for temporary shelter. However, we won’t be leaving just yet—we still need to go out to sea to rescue our comrades who were scattered in all directions after last night’s shipwreck. That will likely take about a day.” 

Jian Xingyi smiled. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence? You’re going to rescue people, and Shanhai and I just happen to need to borrow a boat from you to handle some business on a remote island. How about we meet up the day after tomorrow?” 

“Sure.” 

“By the way,” Jian Xingyi asked, “What exactly is a beacon fish?”

After he activated his skill on an unidentified red dot in the sea, the system told him he had marked a beacon fish, but he had no idea what it was for. 

“Huh? Beacon fish?” Da Qiao’s eyes lit up. “You caught one!?” 

“No, no, I was just curious…” 

“Oh…” Da Qiao looked slightly disappointed, but then smiled again. “Beacon fish are a real treasure! Rumor has it they can lead you to valuable things. A while back, a player accidentally caught one and put it in a huge net. He tied the net to the bow of his ship, cast it into the sea, and then sailed in the direction the fish swam. Sure enough, he ended up on a deserted island full of treasure chests!” 

“And another player copied that trick—heh—the beacon fish led him straight to a group of reefs. He killed the mermaids there and unlocked the hidden dungeon in Wave Mountain! I think that’s been documented in the Grapevine Peak guide!” 

“I see…” 

In other words, the Beacon Fish is a creature that can lead players to randomly discover great loot. 

Da Qiao said, “Sounds awesome, right? But it’s so hard to find! We estimate there are probably no more than five of them. Not only are there so few, but this fish rarely even shows itself. After all, it’s a deep-sea fish, and the only time it surfaces—giving anyone a chance to catch it—is during a storm or a tsunami. But seriously… being able to catch a fish at a time like that? You’d have to have saved the galaxy in a past life to have that kind of luck!” 

Jian Xingyi’s body jolted. 

Jian Xingyi has PTSD when it comes to luck! 

So that’s it… No wonder he saw it last night. 

Jian Xingyi immediately felt a pang of regret. What a pity… it seemed he’d just missed his chance with the Beaconfish. But since he’d already marked it remotely with his skill, he wondered if it would be of any use… 

The next day, after resting up, Jian Xingyi and Shanhai set off. 

Before leaving, they asked Jing Luo for the exact location of the isolated island. After giving them the coordinates, Jing Luo warned them repeatedly, “The reason that the island is isolated isn’t just because of its scarcity of resources—the biggest reason is the danger. You must be careful.” 

The boat Jian Xingyi and Shanhai were using wasn’t as big as the one Jing Luo and his group had used before. With Shanhai on the left and Jian Xingyi on the right, they fought off the swarms of sharks that kept closing in. 

The closer they got to the isolated island, the clearer the surrounding water became, and the more marine life… appeared.

Jian Xingyi watched as the dorsal fins of the sharks floating nearby grew denser and denser, and swallowed hard. “Shuixi, um… is it okay to keep going?” 

Just as Shanhai was about to answer, Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet. 

“Hey!! Hey, hey!!” 

A red dot!! 

The red dot has appeared again!! 

“Shuixi!!!” Jian Xingyi shouted, “Beacon fish!!” 

Shanhai froze. “Where?” 

“Ahhh, never mind! Just head in the direction I’m pointing!” 

“Okay.” 

Jian Xingyi’s heart raced, his whole face flushed with excitement. 

So this is what the marker does? Even though I can’t actually catch it, that fish has come back, and I can keep seeing it! As a player, he had neither combat power nor luck, but his guaranteed reward would always be by his side! 

After sailing for a while, following the faint red dot in the distance, Shanhai looked around and drew his gun, staying on guard. 

The boat was heading into increasingly remote waters. There weren’t any sharks here, and the surroundings were completely silent—even the waves weren’t that rough, but… it was a bit too calm. 

This stillness actually made things feel off. Usually, situations like this were similar to the underground river at Flag-Raising Mountain—it meant there was something big lurking nearby. Jian Xingyi also felt a chill run down his spine. 

Suddenly, a vast forest appeared before their eyes. 

That’s right—a forest had suddenly sprung up in the middle of the ocean. Tree trunks rose from the water’s surface, looking like an oasis in the desert: an island with no solid ground beneath it. It was eerie, yet beautiful. 

It seemed the seabed wasn’t just sand. 

The beacon fish was gone, which meant they had reached their destination.

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard. “Under the trees… There are lots of glowing dots on the seabed.” Perhaps there were plenty of resources down there, but that meant he and Shanhai would have to dive into waters of unknown depth. Shanhai asked, “Are you going down?” 

Jian Xingyi: “Is that okay?” 

Shanhai pondered for a moment. “Let’s go.” 

Resources are precious, and both of them have their own trump cards. If any danger arises, we’ll figure out how to deal with it then. 

“Splash!” 

The two of them actually jumped into the water. 

You can buy diving gear at the mall, though it’s a bit pricey. 

Shanhai held Jian Xingyi’s hand as they slowly descended, growing increasingly astonished. The tree trunk extended deeper than they’d imagined; no matter how far they went, they couldn’t see the end. Until… 

“……!” 

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened. 

A structure appeared before them. 

It had a domed roof; its purpose was unclear, but they could vaguely guess it might be a white structure sunk to the ocean floor. The building was surrounded by trees, their trunks extending all the way to the surface. 

The structure looked ancient, covered in seaweed, with silt piled up inside, serving as a home for many schools of fish. 

The two entered the structure to investigate. 

But perhaps because it was such an ancient ruin, nothing remained inside. Wait a minute…! 

Jian Xingyi discovered a memory bubble in a corner.

That might just hold the answer to everything about this structure.