June 20, 17649. Late at night.
Aside from the dim moonlight, it seemed to be a perfectly ordinary day.
Off the coast of the Lanyu Kingdom, ten small cruise ships were moored in silence.
Aboard the cruise ships, a group of apprentices from the Inner World, their hands in shackles, had a rare chance to "see the light of day," breathing in the fresh, moonlit air.
CLANK! CLANK!
The iron shackles, weighing hundreds of pounds, made a rhythmic noise as the apprentices moved.
Perhaps because the cruise ships were so close to shore, the sound of clashing iron, mingled with the splashing waves, carried clearly to the coastline.
The coast was pitch-black and appeared completely deserted.
The Lanyu Kingdom was an island nation. Aside from a few good harbors, most of its coastline consisted of these harsh tidal flats.
Thus, for anyone determined enough, it was very easy to enter a small country like the Lanyu Kingdom.
...
"So this is the legendary Demon Island?"
"I can’t believe I’m actually getting out of prison alive!"
Aboard a ship, a pale-faced apprentice stared at the distant shore with immense excitement.
He would be free soon.
"What’s there to be happy about? We’re just moving into a slightly larger cage."
"As far as I know, a batch has been sent in every five years for the past few decades, but not a single person has ever come out alive."
"Don’t celebrate too soon."
Another apprentice tried to move his hands and feet, his face etched with worry.
He really didn’t want to go to Demon Island. After all, his crime would have gotten him a dozen years in prison at most—it wasn’t a death sentence.
Unfortunately, the Inner World didn’t care for human rights, and the rules were dictated by the whims of the powerful.
Otherwise, why would he be stuck with this murderer right here?
"Heh, a weakling is a weakling."
"If it weren’t for these shackles holding me back, I’d have killed all of you already."
"Of course I know the truth about Demon Island."
"It’s not that no apprentices survive. It’s just that the ones who do have become players."
"And I will certainly survive."
Kiel glanced disdainfully at the nine other poor souls around him. ’Being with this bunch just drags me down to their level.’
The shackles binding them were no ordinary iron, but were mixed with a bit of Extraordinary Metal and inscribed with a Spell.
The Spell’s function was simple: it suppressed their Spirituality to the level of an ordinary person.
And just like that, they were effectively normal humans.
"Fine, you’re the tough guy!"
The surrounding apprentices couldn’t be bothered to argue with Kiel. The guy was clearly unhinged, and they weren’t going to stoop to his level.
Similar scenes were playing out on the other nine cruise ships. A total of one hundred apprentices from the Inner World had been transported here tonight.
The apprentices had assumed the next step would be to unlock their shackles and let them swim to shore on their own.
After all, that’s what happened to all the poor saps before them.
But today, fate had a huge surprise in store for them.
...
"Hmph. You’re the dregs of the apprentices, the shame of the Inner World."
"Listen up!"
"The great Heaven-Reaching Empire has issued a bounty! Whoever can kill the Demon and clear the game..."
The Prison Guards responsible for this escort mission began to read out the orders from their superiors.
At first, the apprentices paid little attention, assuming it was just another speech meant to trick them into getting themselves killed.
But when the Heaven-Reaching Empire’s bounty was mentioned, they were all instantly dumbfounded.
For a full three minutes, all the cruise ships were dead silent.
Only the drumming of their hearts revealed the excitement raging within them.
It was no wonder the apprentices had such a strong reaction; the prize that had just fallen from the sky was simply too enormous.
Never mind them—even the Prison Guards standing by wanted to jump into the sea and swim to Demon Island with them.
CLICK. CLICK.
SPLASH. SPLASH.
As their shackles were unlocked, the hundred apprentices scrambled to leap into the ocean, swimming desperately toward Demon Island.
It was as if the island wasn’t a hopeless death trap, but an ideal country filled with their life’s dreams.
The Prison Guards watched this mad scramble with rather complicated feelings.
In the past, these apprentices from the Inner World hadn’t been so "easy to handle."
Once freed from their shackles, they would use every method imaginable to escape. They would rather die than be eaten by a Demon.
But now, they were rushing to their new lives, terrified of losing out at the starting line all over again.
SPLASH. SPLASH.
In that moment, a hundred expert swimmers churned the sea’s surface, creating a spectacular scene.
...
"Hahaha, so much more motivated now."
"This is a much better look. At least they’re full of drive."
Aboard a luxury yacht ten kilometers from the ten cruise ships, Milton watched everything unfolding in the distance with satisfaction.
Behind him, ten Transcendents also witnessed the apprentices’ frantic swim, but their faces were full of contempt.
"Milton, that esteemed personage issued such an important bounty. Why did you only inform us now?"
"If I had known earlier, why would we need to send in this bunch of trash? I would’ve sent you my own best apprentices."
Among the ten, a blond Transcendent spoke up, clearly displeased.
His attitude basically represented everyone present.
They had only been informed of the Heaven-Reaching Empire’s bounty by Milton after they had already arrived on the yacht.
Shock, anger, regret—a storm of complex emotions assaulted them.
If not for Milton’s special status, they would have already killed the bastard for deliberately hiding the news.
The reward was a Hereditary Viscounty. Once they had that, they could all just pack up and leave.