Video game I Can Turn Waste Into Treasure novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Such Good Boys

Andrea stared into the dark, cavernous throat, and her heart skipped a beat.

‘One wrong move and my head is coming off,’ she worried silently.

But as she looked at the shark’s wide, trusting eyes, she realized he likely saw her as nothing more than a helpful, grandmotherly figure.

She took a steadying breath. No more stalling.

She grabbed the pliers and clamped them onto a decayed tooth. She gave it a violent, determined twist.

It didn’t budge.

Andrea felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her.

“Don’t worry, Grandma,” the shark offered, his voice surprisingly gentle. “I can handle the pain. Don’t be afraid to use some real muscle.”

Andrea felt a prickle of shame at his kindness. ‘Well, now I just feel bad,’ she thought while rummaging through the crate to hide her face.

Bubba leaned over and held out a small glass bottle. “Are you looking for the numbing juice, Grandma?”

She took the vial and gave a stiff nod.

In truth, she couldn’t read a single word on the label and had no idea what was actually inside.

She searched the kit for a syringe but found nothing.

‘Maybe it’s a topical soak,’ she wondered, feeling out of her depth. ‘Whatever. I’ll just have to wing it.’

She poured the liquid onto the shark’s gums and waited.

Within minutes, the shark’s eyes went dull and glassy. The anesthesia had clearly kicked in.

She picked up a hammer and a chisel and began the grim work.

Metal scraped against bone in a rhythmic, messy sequence.

Thirty minutes later, drenched in sweat, Andrea finally yanked the first tooth free.

“Yes! Success!” she cried out, unable to hide her relief.

The other sharks in line bobbed their heads in a strange show of solidarity.

With the first one out of the way, the rest of the procedures went much faster.

By four in the afternoon, she had successfully pulled a stubborn wisdom tooth from the final shark.

The day’s work was officially done. She had managed to collect twenty shark teeth.

‘Twenty down, thirty to go. I might actually survive this,’ she told herself, feeling a spark of hope.

Earlier in the day, Bubba and the sharks had been surprisingly insistent about her taking a break to eat.

‘They really are such good boys,’ she mused.

As the sharks swam off and Bubba began packing the tools, Andrea quietly tucked some of the used cotton into her bag to turn in for her secondary task.

[Quest item submitted. Current progress: 1/30.]

It appeared the system wouldn’t let her cheat by submitting the same type of trash more than once.

“Grandma, here is the money from today. Keep it safe,” Bubba said.

His voice was soft and sweet as he handed her the pouch containing ten gold coins.

Andrea pulled one out to examine it. It was plain gold, completely devoid of any markings.

She moved to drop it into her inventory, then hesitated.

She pulled out a second coin and reached over to ruffle Bubba’s hair. “You were a huge help today, kid. Take this and go buy yourself some treats.”

To her absolute shock, Bubba stared at the coin in his hand, and his large, round eyes immediately brimmed with tears.

Andrea felt a sudden wave of panic. ‘Oh no, what did I do?’ she thought, her mind racing for an exit strategy. ‘Someone help me.

‘I am the absolute worst with crying kids.’

While she was still fumbling to find her words, Bubba grabbed the toolbox and leaped into the surf.

“I’ll be back for you in the morning, Granny,” he called out.

The ten-foot shark vanished beneath the waves in a heartbeat, leaving Andrea standing alone in the biting wind.

She hugged her arms, feeling a chill. ‘Did I give him too much, or was it not enough?’

With a heavy sigh, she turned her attention to the crates.

She had managed to fish up two more over the last few hours.

Prying them open, she found two bowls of canned soup, five soft dinner rolls, and five units each of wood and plastic.

She’d only had a piece of corn bread for lunch, so seeing more food was a relief. At least tomorrow’s meals were sorted.

She still hadn’t looked closely at the rewards she’d earned earlier that morning.

Navigating the system interface, she clicked “Bind Crafting Station.”

A new [Crafting Station] button appeared on the glowing screen, offering two simple functions: Crafting and Salvaging.

Crafting required blueprints she didn’t have yet, but she did have three empty crates.

She selected the salvage option and watched as they broke down into fifteen planks and fifteen iron nails.

Next, she pulled out a Basic Attribute Card and clicked use.

A wave of warmth surged through her body, a sensation so pleasant she couldn’t help but stretch her limbs with a satisfied groan.

She then pulled up her personal status panel.

[Player: Andrea Rowland

[Age: 23

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