Chapter 74: Entering the Island at Midnight

Chapter 74: Entering the Island at Midnight

So he really teleported here… How extravagant…

Alger’s spirit tightened, then quickly relaxed, though the wariness and vigilance in his heart did not lessen in the slightest.

Seeing Gehrman Sparrow again, he discovered that although the other man’s traits had not changed much compared with before, the indescribable aura of a powerhouse in his every gesture had grown deeper and more terrifying.

As expected of the mad adventurer who could incite a demigod-level battle and escape successfully…

Alger’s small amount of pride from having just become a Sequence 5 abruptly melted away in that moment.

Holding his lantern, he slowly walked over, looked at Gehrman Sparrow, and deliberately said, “The traces you left here may not disappear for hundreds or even thousands of years.”

He was confirming whether the mountain’s collapse was related to the other party.

Klein gazed at the changed terrain for a moment, released his right hand from pressing on the top hat, and gave a refined smile.

“The greatest contribution here belongs to Sea King.”

Hiss. He truly created a demigod-level battle that could have destroyed Bayam, making Sea King directly attack this place… And under such circumstances, he survived and even “took away” Admiral of Blood. This is almost unimaginable—impossible to believe!

Alger began to suspect that Gehrman Sparrow possessed a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, an item equivalent to the demigod level!

He did not reveal his shock or astonishment, nor did he dare probe any further. Instead, he asked, “Do you plan to go to that primitive island now?”

“Of course,” Klein answered calmly.

It was deep night now, precisely the time when Dawn Dantes was sleeping and no one would disturb him. Once daylight arrived, he would have no choice but to appear.

Of course, to guard against accidents such as fire, Klein had also summoned the Magic Mirror, Arrodes, to constantly watch over the mirror illusion on his side and respond when necessary.

If the Evernight Church’s “dream therapy” for the wealthy gentleman had not already ended, I would definitely have had to postpone this operation…

Klein could not help sighing inwardly.

Alger examined himself, discovered that he could not obtain any more mystical items in a short time, and took out a black-iron-colored ring with thorn-like protrusions, putting it on the thumb of his left hand.

Enduring a throbbing headache, he gave a slight nod.

“Happy cooperation.”

Then he saw Gehrman Sparrow walk over expressionlessly and reach toward his shoulder.

In that instant, Alger’s first reaction was that the other party was attacking him. Instinctively, he wanted to dodge sideways. But he immediately remembered his earlier guess, and amid a rapid flash of thoughts, he forcefully restrained his subconscious movement, allowing the mad adventurer’s hand to land on his left shoulder.

Immediately afterward, he noticed Gehrman Sparrow’s left hand become transparent, as if it were carrying a reflection of the spirit world. Then the blackness before his eyes deepened, the red moon grew brighter, and all kinds of colors became distinct yet layered over one another.

Countless nearly invisible figures retreated “backward.” With Gehrman Sparrow’s help, Alger rapidly traversed the spirit world.

Creeping Hunger… Teleportation… So that is it…

No sooner had that thought surfaced than he saw his body falling straight down. The rich colors around him receded, and everything returned to normal.

A beach… reefs… trees… This is an uninhabited island…

Alger looked around and was just about to speak when the phenomenon of thickening colors and clear overlapping layers appeared once more.

This time, when they left the spirit world, they were in midair. Below them was the deep-blue sea, waves rising and falling.

Although Alger had never cooperated with Gehrman Sparrow in actual combat, his rich experience allowed him to tacitly create a swirling gust of wind at once, making both of them float instead of falling.

Thus, Travel activated smoothly once more. Alger’s and Gehrman Sparrow’s figures swiftly faded, turning transparent and incorporeal.

When the scene around them returned again, the two had arrived at the edge of a giant island. In midair, fog had accumulated thickly. The crimson moonlight could only penetrate a little, and not only did it fail to dispel the darkness of the forest and peaks, it instead covered them with a faintly sinister, bloodstained quality.

“This is it.” Alger looked around and spoke.

On the surface, Klein seemed careless, but in truth he was exceptionally cautious as he observed the environment. He discovered that the place was extraordinarily quiet. There were no bird cries, no wolf howls, not even the sound of insects. It gave off a feeling of deathly stillness.

As if guessing what he felt, Alger raised his lantern, illuminating the overgrown natural path ahead, where many animal footprints remained, and said, “If you come here during the day, this place is quite lively. You can even see certain birdlike creatures that exist only in myths and legends flying through the air above the forest.

“But at night, the ‘power’ ruling this place seems to change. Many extraordinary species hide themselves away, waiting for daybreak.”

Mr. Hanged Man has been here more than once—and at least once during the day and once at night…

Klein silently nodded and said nothing more.

After thinking for two seconds, Alger pointed ahead.

“We will enter the black forest along this path, always moving forward until we reach those ancient ruins whose precise era is unknown.

“Along the way, we will hunt whatever extraordinary creatures we encounter and are capable of dealing with. If one of us kills something alone, the corresponding materials belong entirely to the killer. If we cooperate to complete the kill, you will hold the harvest. Once we leave this place, we will divide it through alternating selections. The order and number of priority selections will be adjusted according to our specific contributions.”

He did not rush into action, first explaining the route and distribution plan in order to prevent disagreements and conflicts during the exploration.

Having me hold the spoils from cooperative kills… Mr. Hanged Man is quite sincere…

Klein lifted his right hand, pressed down on his half-top silk hat, and said with a low laugh, “No problem.”

Alger secretly breathed out in relief and continued, “Our main purpose this time is to explore those ancient ruins. Any gains along the way are incidental. Once the exploration ends, it would be best for us to leave directly and not go to other areas or take other routes.

“As for afterward, whenever you wish to come, whichever area you want to visit, that is your own affair.”

Alger emphasized this because he feared Gehrman Sparrow might become greedy. Beyonders were not perpetual-motion machines; they certainly grew tired. After completing one round of exploration, they would inevitably be close to their limits. If they still forced themselves to hunt extraordinary creatures in other areas, the roles of hunter and prey might directly reverse.

Even if the mad adventurer was very powerful and unafraid of such danger, a long-term depletion of spirituality could also induce signs of losing control.

You think I wasn’t thinking the same thing? I’m also worried you might be too greedy, wanting more gains and blindly pushing deeper…

Klein gave a low laugh.

“I am a polite person.”

“Polite?” Alger did not quite understand what Gehrman Sparrow intended to express.

The corners of Klein’s mouth lifted slightly, and in the darkness his expression carried a faintly eerie quality.

“When visiting someone else’s home for the first time, staying too long is impolite.”

…This fellow’s way of thinking and behavioral logic are completely different from a normal person’s. As expected of a mad adventurer…

Alger froze briefly, then lifted his lantern and stepped forward through the dim crimson light and wavering shadows.

“Let’s set out.”

Klein’s hands naturally hung at his sides, and he walked beside Alger as though they were on an outing.

The two quickly entered the black forest, where almost no moonlight could penetrate. They saw that the trees here were thick and tall, with lush branches and leaves. Even the smallest among them could not be encircled by one person’s arms.

Their shared feature was that their bark had an obvious scale-like texture, tightly connected piece by piece, as though it might come alive and wriggle at any moment.

Like a variant of dragon-pattern trees? Snake-scale trees?

Klein withdrew his gaze and paid attention to the seemingly ordinary weeds by his feet.

Neither he nor Alger spoke. They maintained an abnormal silence, neither feeling compelled to say something just because the surroundings were too quiet and someone was at their side, nor trying to dispel any awkwardness.

As they walked, the lantern light showed the trees ahead suddenly growing sparse.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dull impact sounds came from that area. As Alger and Gehrman drew closer, the noises became clearer and more obvious.

When the two entered the sparse area, the lantern light finally shone forward, revealing one hunched or crawling figure after another.

Among these figures were humans, baboons, goats, and tigers. Some held stones, others used their claws and teeth, constantly shaping the piled trees and rocks as if they were constructing a palace.

Without the cover of dense branches and leaves, the faint crimson moonlight that pierced through the accumulated fog fell upon those figures, coating their surfaces in a light blood-red hue.

Humans?

Klein’s eyes focused. The fingers of his left hand immediately spread open, while Alger slowed his pace, readying his vocal cords so they could vibrate at any moment.

Suddenly, those figures seemed to sense something. They simultaneously stopped what they were doing and turned in perfect unison to look at the two intruders.

Some had pale faces, some had withered fur, some had ulcerated bodies. Not a single one looked alive.

Corpses… An extraordinary creature is driving corpses to construct a palace for itself?

Klein’s gaze passed over them and looked farther away. He saw a pitch-black cave slanting into the depths of the earth. The weeds around it had fallen flat, and several white feathers stained with pale-yellow oil lay scattered nearby.

Feathers… corpses…

Klein immediately thought of the byproduct of the Numinous Episcopate’s artificial Death project, and of the aura infection that had caused feathers to grow on his body.

The “lord” of this area will not be weak…

He calmly made that judgment.

At that moment, Alger, having observed carefully for a while, hesitated for two seconds before suggesting, “I have not seen a similar situation before and do not know the level of this extraordinary creature. Why don’t we circle around it and choose a target we are more confident about?”

His intuition told him that something extremely dangerous was hidden inside that pitch-black underground cave.

I was waiting for you to say that!

Maintaining Gehrman Sparrow’s persona, Klein soundlessly exhaled, then gave a heh.

“Would that be lacking in courtesy?”

The moment his voice fell, the ground suddenly trembled, as if some creature beneath them had turned over.