Chapter 31: The Night Attack

Seeing Kevin's unease, Logan said casually, "Kevin Lake, you're on night watch tonight. Simple enough, just keep your eyes open. Don't pry where you shouldn't, and don't touch what isn't yours. Also, from now on, call me 'Island Master Logan' or simply 'Island Master.' Understood?"

Kevin bowed. "Yes, Island Master Logan. I'll keep watch. Rest well, Master."

He moved to stand guard near the thatched hut's small wooden door, while Logan, soaking for an hour, emerged to change clothes. Then he sat cross-legged to meditate. Kevin Lake looked on, marveling at how violently Logan had forced himself to advance. He could only imagine what might happen next—what foes, what nightmares—awaited them in this endless night of thunder and rain.

Seeing Logan Lane meditating with his eyes closed, Kevin Lake shifted his body and continued weaving leaves into clothing. If he had no clothes by tomorrow, who knew how it might affect the island owner's impression of him.

Kevin was well aware that even though he was called a "subordinate," he was effectively a slave. Other than freedom of thought, he couldn't betray Logan in any word or deed—Logan could kill him with a single thought. Kevin planned to watch the island owner's behavior carefully. If Logan turned out to be cruel, he wouldn't risk bringing his wife here. She was very beautiful, and if Logan laid hands on her, there'd be no resistance possible.

Logan, for his part, was too deep in meditation to wonder about Kevin's thoughts. Had he known, he'd probably smack Kevin for the suspicion—Logan wasn't that type of person. If he'd truly wanted, he could have forced Kevin Lake and Anna Young or Rena Dane to share rooms differently. Currently, those two beauties were his slaves, fully unable to resist. He could have them in the same bed if he wished, but he simply didn't.

Outside, the wind and rain battered the world. Inside the cramped thatched hut, Kevin occasionally frowned over how best to weave his leafy garment. Otherwise, only the uneven crackle of flames from the makeshift stone fire trough broke the silence, along with the occasional drip of water from the two purifiers.

Logan's breathing was steady. Though his eyes were closed, he wasn't asleep. Over the past two days, he'd discovered something exciting: his foresight ability could be improved. Each time he consumed rank-grade food, some leftover energy remained unabsorbed—perhaps due to limited talent. Through meditation, Logan could gradually convert this residual energy into mental power, which boosted his ability's range, duration, and number of daily uses.

Progress was slow, but for each day of meditating, he might extend the ability's usage by an hour or gain one extra use every 24 hours. He had exhausted himself by predicting a full seven days' worth of events, leaving him with a five-day cooldown. But he kept meditating to optimize what he could.

In his mental space—a "sea of consciousness"—there now hovered a radiant sun disc. Instead of straight beams, its light curved inward to a single point, like a black hole absorbing everything. In that concentrated point, an embryonic silhouette of Logan's mind gradually absorbed the light.

Suddenly, at about 2:00 AM, an earsplitting noise echoed across the island. Even the thunder, wind, and rain were drowned out by it. Logan felt a faint tremor underfoot and slowly opened his eyes. A brief flicker of brilliance crossed his pupils before vanishing. Kevin Lake, staring out at the pitch-black sky, looked tense; the sound and vibration reminded him of sea beasts.

Indeed, Kevin's current predicament stemmed from sea beasts destroying his and his wife's gathered materials during the novice protection period. Those monsters hadn't attacked them directly—due to the rules—but had ruined all their resources. If the disturbance outside was even bigger, that might mean a stronger sea beast had arrived on Logan's island.

Over in Cabin #3, Rena Dane and Anna Young had finally managed to fashion minimal leafy coverings. Their meager stamina, combined with the stress of a strange environment, had left them drowsy near a small fire. They woke with a start at the deafening blast, staring in fear at the dark, rain-lashed world beyond the doorway.

Logan Lane stood up, and Kevin Lake's eyes followed him. The subordinate bowed slightly. "Island Master…outside—"