"The New World?"

“No way!”

“What are we doing here?”

The prisoners, who had all been awaiting their fate for the longest time, couldn’t help but express their fear and astonishment.

Zachary was equally shocked. What was the New World? Unlike the Old World which had been the home of humanity for millenniums, the New World was ruled by wild Ensouled. Powerful monsters roamed the land, fearsome predators soared through the skies, and unknown nightmares resided in the seas. There were countless beings that far surpassed human understanding. It was a place where humans were at the bottom of the food chain, where even high-ranked summoners could lose their lives in an instant.

Nobody knew how vast the New World was. It was an endless frontier. It was filled with dangers but it was also a land of opportunity. Many summoners dreamed of exploring the New World, seeking powerful new summons and precious resources to make them stronger. There was money to be had as well as power. Those who experienced fortunate encounters could return to the Old World to etch their names in the history books.

Zachary had learned about all of this in primary school. He had even dreamed of exploring the New World after attending university. He never expected to come to the New World like this, his soul wounded and without a single summon to his name. It was not much different from a death sentence.

"You all should rejoice." Captain Willis spoke again, this time with a cruel smile, "Each one of you deserves to die for your crimes but your nation has decided to give you a second chance. As adept summoners, you have a responsibility to the Republic of Adorin which has raised and taught you. Before you die, you can use your remaining life as repayment. And if you do well, you will even have a chance to live, to receive a full presidential pardon!"

There were gasps from the gathered prisoners. Everyone knew what a presidential pardon was. With it, their convictions would be reversed, their crimes would be wiped away as if they never existed. They would be able to start a new life as a new person. After facing certain death for so long, there was finally hope.

But some did not react favorably, Zachary among them. It was impossible to pardon everyone. There was no point steaming a navy ship to the middle of nowhere to give them all pardons. There had to be a catch and the captain's next words confirmed it.

“Look starboard! This place is known as Outpost Emerald.”

Everyone turned at her words. The ship was anchored some distance away from a rocky beach and black cliffs. Above the beach, a thick verdant jungle extended in all directions. Far in the distance, jagged mountains peeked above the clouds. The scenery elicited a deep sense of wonder towards the vastness of the untamed. At the same time, it also triggered the primitive instinct to stay away from the unknown.

The captain continued speaking, “This is a new region we have claimed for the republic. It is far beyond the three continents and the five seas. It took us forty days to get here and here you will stay. Your task is simple; venture into this jungle, catch Ensouled, and survive for a year. In a year, I will return. Those that are left can fight for the four pardons that are available. As for the rest… hehe, you can stay in the New World forever!”

Zachary’s throat tightened. So, this was their scheme, to use prisoners like him as expendable explorers. They wouldn’t have to pay them anything and wouldn’t shed a tear if they all died. Anger surged in his soul. His lingering headache that had somewhat subsided returned with searing intensity.

Only four spots out of thousands, it was impossible odds. But more importantly, the republic had made sure to take away all of their worldly possessions, even their summons. It would be a miracle if any of them survived the whole year.

Noises of discontent grew among the prisoners again. With so many packed tightly together, it was like a dangerous beast was awakening. The same thought came to many of them. Even if they didn’t have any summons. They far outnumbered the guards and sailors. If they could only…

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Suddenly, a large bird of prey dropped down from the sky and landed next to the captain. It was twice as tall as an average person.

“Kreee!” It let out a deafening screech.

“Ahh!” Zachary cried and clutched his ears.

The deck shook and his eyes felt as if they were about to pop out.

The beast spread its wings. They were so huge that they almost covered the width of the ship. With one flap, powerful gusts of wind swept over the deck like a cyclone, knocking many of the prisoners over. It let out another cry as if daring anyone to retaliate.

Nobody was dumb enough to do so, not against this armored eagle, one of the premier species of Ensouled raised by the republic. Its defense was akin to this ship made of steel. It could take on dozens of iron fur gorillas with ease. Squishy humans were nothing but ants in its eyes, no matter the number.

The captain patted her summoned beast and addressed the prisoners again, “Don’t act like you are already dead. The republic has provided this opportunity so naturally we will give you a fighting chance. You will each receive supplies including summoning cards. Aren’t you all adept rank summoners? Catch Ensouled. Use your skills to fight and survive. This is the only way you can hope to return to the republic! Otherwise, you can just wait to be devoured…”

The captain paused and turned towards the shore. She fixated on a spot in the distance and stared at it for a long moment.

“Go, Skybeak!” She shouted.

“Skreee!” The armored eagle let out a battle cry and took off towards the shore and some unseen threat.

“Guards!” The captain called out sharply.

“Yes, captain!” Their replies shook the morning air.

“Hand out the supplies and unload the prisoners!”

“Yes, captain!”

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the guards started shouting at the prisoners and at each other.

“Stay in line!”

“Don’t move!”

“Don’t complain about what you receive or don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

“Hurry, grab the boxes!”

The guards started walking through the ranks of prisoners. Each iron fur gorilla that followed behind carried a large wooden crate effortlessly. Each prisoner they passed by received a single leather bag and nothing else.

Zachary soon received his. His stomach dropped when he felt it, it weighed barely anything. He quickly opened the drawstrings and looked inside. There were small wrapped packages that looked like dried rations of some kind, enough to last him a few days at most. There was a small knife that seemed only capable of cutting fruit as well as a flint rod for starting fires. There was also a leather summoner's belt of a basic design, with four pockets on each side of the buckle.

Lastly, there were twenty or so rectangular objects, the summoning cards. They were small. Two of them could fit in his palm. They were made out of a secret material. It was multicolored and slightly opaque. It was cool to the touch and had a similar texture to stone.

He pulled a card out and held it up to the sun. It glittered with all kinds of colors as if it contained the mysteries of the world. He didn’t understand how it worked but each card could hold one Ensouled. After capture, the summoner could freely summon the Ensouled to fight on their behalf and then call them back into the card when not needed.

But capturing wild Ensouled wasn’t so simple. They had to be weakened sufficiently or else their rebellious souls had a chance to destroy the cards. Looking low quality of these cards provided, they would not survive beyond one or two unsuccessful captures.

“It’s not enough,” Zachary said to himself.

Taking a mere twenty summoning cards into the New World was laughable.

“Of course, it’s not enough. What did you expect, a school field trip?” Someone said.

He turned around and found a woman staring up at him, eyes filled with contempt.

He recalled her name, Heather Glenn-Bower. She was the husband killer.

“What are you looking at?” She asked gruffly.

She had striking features, a sharp chin, and dirty blonde hair. In a past life, she would have been a stunning beauty. But he wasn’t one to get nervous around attractive women. He had always been confident in his looks, even if he was covered in dirt and sweat and couldn’t remember the last time he bathed.

“What are you looking at?” He retorted.

She glared up at him, “If you don’t want those crappy cards, then just give them to me. It would be better than getting robbed later.”

He scoffed, “Better for who?”

Before she could reply, the guards around them started shouting again.

“Head to starboard!”

“Follow your line!”

“Quickly!”

The prisoners around Zachary started to move. Heather shoved him from behind. Everyone fell into disarray. Like a giant wave, they were herded towards the starboard side until the front rows were right at the edge. The ocean below was turquoise blue. Nobody knew what vicious creatures swam beneath the seemingly tranquil waves.

“Hurry up, jump!”

“Jump down and swim to shore!”

“Stop pushing!”

The guards’ shouts mixed together with the cries of the prisoners. The first batch fell into the water with loud splashes. They resurfaced and started struggling towards the rocky beach. More followed behind. Like a flock of ducks, they poured over the side and into the water without stopping

Zachary closed his eyes and exhaled as he plunged. The water was warm and clear. Training from the past came to him like instinct. He broke the surface and his legs kicked out automatically. He swept his arms forward and began to move.

There was no looking back, no time to think. The only path was straight ahead, toward the New World.