Whether it was ten, twenty, or thirty minutes, they would still be able to arrive at the rendezvous point and commit to the ambush. The longship drifted forward, carried by the natural wind.

‘The hidden objective could be anything, whether it’s saving the High King’s daughter or exploring this weird feeling.’

The island of Ireland’s Eye came into view. He breathed in and out, tasting the air. ‘That’s right, there’s a sizable bird population on the island. Without human interference, it’s bound to be even more sizable. And if the Heavenly Games are anything like real games, the more monsters that protect an area, the higher the chance that they are protecting something important.’

From modern day Howth on modern day boats, Ireland’s Eye was a fifteen minute ride. On a longship powered by Noor…

“Hang on, everyone!”

“Breath of Eolus!”

…it lasted less than five minutes.

Without expert knowledge on the island’s composition, it would have been a boring, old and empty island. They wouldn’t know or care about the variety of wildlife—of the puffins, the peregrine falcons, and the gray seals.

Except when they arrived and docked at the island, the coast was stained with blood and littered with corpses. A foul stench permeated the island and overpowered the sea breeze. Even so…

“I don't…want to go there.”

“Lala…?” Noor looked at her friend, then winced and held her head. “Unh!”

Something was happening to them as a result of this island’s presence. Why? “Are you guys alright?”

He received groans. Following that, silence. The crew was freezing in place one-by-one.

Except him.

“Noor, can I touch your forehead real quick?”

“Huh? What? Sure, whatever.” Her reply was dismissive. Did she even hear him?

He formed a small smile and gestured at her to listen. “Random fun fact: this island was called Inis Ereann, or Éire's island. Nowadays, locals call it Inis Mac Neasáin, or in English it means—”

“Please, shut up!”

At her outburst, he immediately touched her forehead. Noor jerked away from his touch while Kazi went into a thinking pose. “Stimulation of information hurts you,” Kazi noted. “This island is affecting our brains, making it empty.”

Noor clicked her tongue, her eyes losing its colour. “What are you yammering about out now?”

He directed a hand at everyone else. From the mages to the shieldswoman of the Sapphire Order, Carla, everyone was beginning to collapse from their statue-like state.

“What…? What’s happening to them!?” Her friend Lala nearly fell over. Noor ran to catch her. “Hey, Lala! What’s wrong!? Wake up!”

“Why aren’t we affected?” Kazi hummed to himself. “Our levels, maybe?”

Noor laid Lala down to rest. She didn't care about anyone besides her. “Does it matter!? Let’s get whatever is inside and leave!” On top of that, Noor’s ambition wasn’t deterred. Good, because he wasn’t about to leave either. “You feel that? There’s someone else here. A bunch of someones, actually. I bet they’re aiming for the hidden objective. I’m not going to let them take what’s mine.”

Kazi hadn’t sensed whoever she was sensing, though he didn’t need to. The dead seals and birds were sufficient evidence.

“Equip.”

Slipping into his left hand was Arboreal Guardian’s Spectre—giving him two points of strength and thirty-three points of magical might. In his right was a brand new sword. The pride of the Turkish blacksmith, Husnü’s Stormedge.

[ Weapon Name: Husnü’s Stormedge

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Rank: A

Attack: 120

Magical Might: 50

The pride of a local blacksmith who has pushed the boundaries of human and nature. Increases lightning-based attacks by 50%. ]

Due to equipping the Mage Class, the stats screen didn’t display his actual attack output. It resonated only with magical tools like wands, staffs, and sceptres, not swords or spears. By simple calculation, it was simple to find the attack power of his sword. He had sixty-five strength, gained up to an additional seventy points in strength due to Flow of Mana Lv. 7, and with the attack increase of a hundred and twenty, his total attack shot up to two-hundred and fifty-five.

That wasn’t including any lightning-based skills.

The grip of Husnü’s Stormedge was wrapped in high-quality, richly dyed leather, his fingers finding themselves perfectly in place as if he had been wielding this for as long as he did the Touch of Thunder. The pommel was a masterpiece on its own, fashioned in the shape of a stylized thundercloud with wisps of lightning emanating from its center.

Moving up to the blade, Stormedge was sleek and slightly curved, a design reminiscent of traditional Turkish scimitars. The steel of the blade was treated to give it a lightened hue, with a shimmering, almost iridescent quality when caught in the right light. Along the spine, a Turkish script was engraved.

Simply at the hum of his magical energy, Husnü’s Stormedge resonated.

The emptiness that had been thawing at him disappeared. Noor, clinging onto her staff and filling herself with mana, became determined in the same way.

Once they made past the sandy coast and onto the grass, they saw it. Twenty men and ten women fighting against a flock of birds. The birds were ferocious and great in number. He counted hundreds.

‘The birds are fighting the players to protect a well?’

What was the context of this battle? Who were these players? Why were they here? The questions Kazi wanted answered didn’t matter to Noor. Her golden staff at the ready, she muttered, “How should we attack?”

She didn’t dare consider these players to be their allies. What mattered was that they were trying to take what was hers.

‘Their names are in a deeper shade of red, probably to indicate that they are players from the opposing side. Ah!’ Now he understood. As his gaze settled from the players back to the well, he understood everything. ‘The well, that's the source of everything. It’s what is making us feel empty.’

Since he was adjusting to his new skill, he wasn’t as proficient or quick with it. With this new understanding came several conclusions.

“Counterflow Stance!” Bam! Bam! Bam! One of the martial artists in white swiftly dispatched several birds and then activated, “Fire Fist! Fire Fist!”

The birds weren’t high level, capping out at Level 10. The sheer number was overwhelming. The ten martial artists put everything they had into fighting back. Kazi had three key observations.

‘One, they’re martial artists without uniforms. Two, all of them are above level 16. Three, most of them are Asian, likely Chinese, but not all. There’s a decent chunk of women too.’ The conclusion? ‘They must be a part of the Unorthodox Sect. They’re the only ones that don’t care for nationality, gender, or uniformity.’

“Let’s wait till they’re tired,” Kazi said. “I want to talk to them. Just me alone, not you. You focus on a surprise attack if things go south.”

“Don’t stop me from killing them if I have to.”

“I won't.”

The twenty-five members of the Unorthodox Sect were wiped by the time they were able to kill all the birds. Most of them were huffing and puffing and wiping the sweat off their foreheads.

One of them didn’t. One of them was utterly unfazed. His name was Hu Yanlin—an Intermediate Martial Artist and Level 20.

“Hi!”

Heads whipped towards him. Kazi smiled politely, hands up. “Hey there, are you guys lost too?”

“Lost?” one of them asked. Quickly, he pulled out an elixir and drank it. Many of the others followed. “Who are you?”

‘Their health bars are regenerating fast. Must be because of the elixirs.’

Their strongest member, Hu Yanlin, with short dark brown hair and a white tai chi stained in blood, stayed far back. He observed him with a keen eye.

“A red name…” the front member went into a stance. “You’re an enemy.”

‘These guys aren’t lost,’ Kazi realized. Their faces were anxious, though not due to the island. None of the Unorthodox Sect members were affected by the island’s overbearing emptiness either. Were they just that strong? Or was it something else?

‘No uniformity in the sect yet they’re all wearing the same silver necklaces?’ It was the same design and the same length, and in each of the necklaces, Kazi saw a glint of magic in it. ‘They’re not here because they sensed the island or accidentally came upon it. They’re here because someone sent them here.’

“Leave or die,” the front member declared. “You have ten seconds.”

Some eyes flickered to the well behind them. Their patience was running thin. They were men and women on a mission. They were going to do this or face severe consequences.

Kazi attempted another kind smile. “I really don’t want to fight, I just want to—”

“Enough.” The front member pulled out another elixir from his inventory. This time, his magical power increased. “Five seconds.”

Kazi’s smile didn’t wane yet. “You can drink as many elixirs as you want but you won't beat me, I promise you that.” His sudden confidence took many of them aback. “I'm going to give you one last chance. Just one. We can talk this out.”

“Pfft. We’re not going to—”

‘Equip.’ Kazi tonelessly summoned Husnü’s Stormedge and Arboreal Guardian’s Spectre. ‘Super Spark Strike.’

In a burst of thunderous speed, Stormedge met its first victim.

Slice!

From the distance came a series of chants and a bullet of fire.

“Fire Dart!”

Boom!

A head fell to the ground.

A body exploded into ashes.

Chaos erupted on Ireland’s Eye. The first major battle between players had begun.