~ Chapter 151: Phantom Island ~

[Shanteya’s point of view]

There was nothing left for me on the Sorone Continent, and although I felt the faint desire to head over to my family in the Mondravia Kingdom, I felt as though this was not the time for such an uncertain reunion.

The last time my parents saw me was when I was but a little girl of no more than ten years old. In their minds, I died back then, and in a way, it could be said that it wasn’t far from the truth. The innocent child who loved to play in the gardens and chase after butterflies or listen to her mother as she read her stories in the warm afternoon was nowhere to be seen. Right now, I was a mature woman, a mother and the representative of a different nation. Nothing but my name connected me now to Mondravia, but this alone and the few memories I still had left of my beloved family were enough for me to consider paying them a visit on a more opportune time.

“Maybe when Anette and Bachus are teenagers?” I wondered as I cast a fugitive gaze at the city of my birth located in the far distance.

I was currently heading towards Gastreza Port, from where I was to take a boat to the hidden island of the Phantom Rage Guild. All this time, I have never stopped to rest at any of the inns or taverns that promised a good bed and a decent meal. I have been camping in the wilderness, using Tamara’s food for meals and Illsy’s portable home for shelter. There was no need to make my presence known in this kingdom, at least, not yet.

Upon reaching my destination, I didn’t go through the usual checkpoints and simply sneaked inside the city by jumping over the wall when none of the guards were looking. I didn’t need to wait for too long either, since they weren’t expecting anyone to exploit this weakness in their defense.

Once on the other side, I made my way to the harbor and looked for the secluded Dark Inn. It was a small building on the very edge of the port, close to the slums, but not inside them. It was secluded and didn’t appear to be maintained that well, but upon a closer inspection, one could notice the many enchants that covered the entire place. They had as purpose only one thing, which was to help the building look old while at the same time offering it the best defense out of all the structures in this settlement.

There was a high chance that it had an alarm against intruders, so I took my time to analyze the enchantments placed on this building. At one point, one of the hidden assassins from the guild noticed me acting suspicious and tried to approach me. Since we were rather far from any prying eyes, I quietly slit his throat and then dumped his body in a nearby fish barrel.

Once I found out where that enchantment was placed, I took out my sword and stabbed it right in the center of its formation. There was a small buzzing sound and then it shattered like a piece of thin glass dropped on a marble surface.

With my sword back in my Storage Crystal, I walked up to the entrance and opened the door.

“W-Wha... Who?” a half-asleep guard jumped up, but before he made another sound, I grabbed a nearby block of wood and shoved it down his throat.

The man squirmed for a moment, until I stabbed him in the heart with his own dagger, then I was free to proceed at my own discretion.

The way to the basement was behind a small trapdoor hidden under an old rug. I pushed it out of the way and then jumped down.

The passageway was at least ten meters under the ground and led to a point outside of the city limits. I carefully followed the path, without lighting up a torch or activating a light spell, my night vision spell was more than enough for this sort of place. There were plenty of traps here, but also several guards on the other side ready to give out the alarm in case they spotted an intruder.

With my light steps, speed, and Over Supreme agility, I was able to avoid all the triggers laid out on this corridor. On the other side, there were three men waiting for me while playing cards. I stepped into the light, revealing my presence to them.

“Good evening, gentlemen.” I showed them a smile, the last they would see in this lifetime, for in the next second, their heads rolled down on the floor.

Surprise and awe could still be seen on their dead frozen expressions.

Within this room was another passage hidden behind another door. It did not take me long to discover it. The door was a rock wall that slid to the side, similar to those created by a Dungeon. Since I was familiar with this sort of gimmicks, I knew what to look for and where to strike. Disconnecting the Power Crystal was thus a very easy thing to do for me.

My cute little daughter could probably make something far better than this shabby thing, but I was impressed that they had taken the time and effort to bring this door mechanism here. Only an assassin’s guild would see the use in something like this.

I entered the second corridor, which led me down a barely lit path with one or two torches along the way, and more traps than they needed paving the whole path. Since this was used by experienced members of the Phantom Rage Guild, rather than having someone disarm and rearm all of these traps, it was better to have a safe path leading through all of them, the so-called Eye of the Storm stepping-stones. So, what I needed to do was find these spots and then make my way to the other side.

If I were to have attempted this several years ago, when I was still within this accursed guild, I probably would not have even made it past the first corridor. Even if I had the knowledge of what to do, if I lacked the skill, then I was as good as dead. As for this place, while it was incredibly easy for me to skip through right now, it would have been a real nightmare back then.

I guess, having Illsy build all sort of traps for me to practice my skills with was a good thing. At least these things do not have any of those troublesome heat sensors or invisible AGLMC beams shooting all over the place... I can still remember how surprised, annoyed, and terribly shocked I was the first time around when I attempted to pass through a custom course designated by him as ‘Easy Difficulty’. The hard ones were... well... even now I would have trouble getting through them unscratched. I thought and then let out a sigh.

Looking back at the untriggered traps, I was thankful in my heart that the assassins had yet to discover how to make heat sensors and other annoying devices like that.

“Now then... there should be 34, no... 36 targets up ahead.” I told myself as I took a simple kitchen knife from my Storage Crystal.

This little weapon was made by Illsy, so it was enchanted in some rather ridiculous ways. If I were to lose this somewhere on Sorone and then have it found by some random nobody, this kitchen knife would most certainly end up as a national treasure.

It made me show a wry smile just remembering my silly husband who knew not the meaning of the words ‘holding back’ when it came to his own creations. Then I remembered the time when I first met him. The Illsy back then was still afraid of many things. He worried about everything and when he held me in his arms, he tried to protect me unconsciously even if there was nothing there to harm me.

Only after I became his wife did I realize this little fact though... Until then, I never thought that it was something weird or unnatural... he was hugging me, but the way he did it was certainly not in the manner of someone who felt safe and relaxed. I thought and then let out a soft sigh.

Looking down at this kitchen knife, I then wondered if I should really stain its blade with the blood of these criminals?

No, maybe I shouldn’t... I thought and shook my head.

In the end, I returned the dagger to my Storage Crystal and decided to move on with magic spells that could slice and dice my enemies with ease, like the [Wind Scythe]. The first unfortunate fellow to cross my path happened to be a half-drunk el’doraw who was stepping out to relieve himself.

I snuck up behind him and then with a fast movement, I snapped his neck. His body fell limp to the ground. Since he was carrying with him a short sword and a hunting dagger, I picked them up. They were pathetic in terms of quality, but if used properly, I could achieve a few good kills with them.

With my Magic Energy flowing into these weapons, to strengthen their durability and sharpness a little bit, I stepped inside this den of murderers and began my dance of blades that summoned a rain of blood. They tried to fight back, to hold on to that last thread of their lives, but they had already sold it to the Underworld the moment I stepped inside this hideout of theirs. Only those few who were out on a mission would get to survive tonight’s massacre.

As expected though, my short sword and dagger ended up snapping after my sixth kill. They weren’t very good for decapitations, but I didn’t really mind, to be honest. There were a bunch more of these pathetic weapons on the ground and equipped on the helpless idiots who decided to stand before me within this enclosed den of theirs.

If I would have stepped inside this place back when I was still just a humble maid at Fellyore, being raped would have been the least of my concerns... but now, I was their Goddess of Death.

Following the death of their last assassin, I proceeded towards looting their treasury of all the gold they had stored there and then moved to the back, where another passageway connected this place to a hidden underground cave that had an opening to the ocean outside.

There, I found five more assassins, all of them wearing far better weapons and armors than those inside. My guess was that these fellows were Elites or maybe even Phantoms within the Phantom Rage Guild. Thus, I brandished my own dagger this time and gave these fellows the honor of dying by a blade of light.

As expected, their skills were not those to be underestimated, but... they were slow and weak when compared to me. The first one died when I cut him in half, sword and all. The second one had his own dagger stolen from his hand and then stabbed into his temple. The third one was cut vertically from the top of his head, splitting his body in two halves. The fourth one had his right hand ripped out of his shoulder socket and then stabbed with his own sword in the mouth. I jumped off the pommel, stabbing the blade farther into his guts and propelled myself towards the last one, who tried to cast a spell. His head was cut in half at the nose.

With all of them dead, I now laid on the docks, waiting for that mysterious ferryman to come at midnight to carry me over to Phantom Island.

While waiting, I went through my plan again. This mission of mine was not one of peaceful negotiations like Ayuseya’s or a visit to my family’s home like Nanya’s. No, I was on a quest of blood, seeking out the one who ruled from the shadows, the only individual from my past who wouldn’t hesitate to put up a bounty for my own children, the one and only King of all Assassins... the Master.

When the clock struck midnight, the ferryman arrived, pushing a small boat that looked weathered and fragile like a small dried twig. Following behind him was a sinister white fog, which hid him from the curious eyes of the onlookers.

The boat stopped at the dock, the sound of the wood knocking against wood was like an eerie greeting that let everyone know that he had arrived. Without pulling back the hood on his long, dirty, and ripped cloak, the ferryman lowered his stick into the water and leaned against it, although, it should have been impossible for anyone to do that. When I glanced down, I couldn’t see the bottom at all, but that stick of his was no more than five meters long at most.

“Will you carry me to the Phantom Island?” I asked.

“200000 goldiettes...” the ferryman said without looking at me.

The price was ridiculous, but it wasn’t as if I was paying with my own money. All the coins I dropped into his boat were taken from the many hideouts I happened to ‘visit’ along the way. Their total amounted to a staggering 247051 coins. I was left with a decent amount, enough to buy myself a noble title in any country.

“This one received his payment. This one shall take the client to the destination.” he said and then waved his hand, inviting me to step on.

I got on his little boat and sat down on the squeaking wooden seat. My gaze fell upon this strange individual, but what I saw sent a chill down my spine. His eyes were a pair of blue flames, his flesh long gone, leaving behind only a white skeleton scratched and beaten by the passing of time. He was an undead with a will, but the aura he gave off was not that simple.

Is he a Lich? Or maybe something higher? I doubt he’s more powerful than a skeleton created by Illsyore, but he’s definitely unique. I thought as I could sense a glimmer of intelligence in this bag of bones.

“Were you cursed?” I asked.

He stopped moving and looked at me with his sinister eyes.

“You are the first to guess correctly...” he said and then continued to push the boat.

“A necromancer or a god?”

“God...” he replied.

I didn’t push with my questions any further and instead remained quiet, listening to the gentle waves as they splashed against the hull of this little boat.

About three hours later, the ferryman said, “We’ve arrived at Phantom Island.”

When I turned around to look at my destination, I saw the fog parting to the sides, letting me see this place in its full grandeur. Far in the distance, three mountain peaks were standing firm and proud on top of a rocky barren terrain. There were no trees or grass anywhere you looked, making it feel like an abandoned territory marked by death and desolation.

All around the island, sharp rocks aimed towards the outside formed an unpassable barrier that neither ship nor monster could pass through. Only a small long pier dared to make a bee line through these jagged teeth, a safety line for all those who wished to step a foot on the island, but they were so well hidden among all these rocks, that without the ferryman, even I would have had a very difficult time finding it.

This place made me feel like there was no living thing that dared to set foot on this cursed soil, let alone live here for countless years.

The knock of the boat against the pier’s pilon announced that it was time for me to get off.

Once I stepped on the pier, the ferryman bowed his head and then pushed the boat away, returning to the dense fog. He was but a lone soul cursed to bring travelers from one place to another. I didn’t even know his story, but I didn’t care to find out.

“I’m finally here...” I said and then let out a sigh.

This island held a strange domineering presence that sent shivers down my spine, almost as if it was declaring that I was nothing more than a little insect it could squash with a mere flick of the wrist. The winds howled through the jagged rocks, screaming at me to run away. The ocean waves smashed against this wooden pier like a starving monster trying to devour a juicy morsel.

It looked barren and lacked any signs of life, unfriendly like a devil born to shred the living to piece and then laugh as their souls wailed in despair. The winds were its voice and they threatened me with death, they warned me of pain, and they laughed at me as though I was the weakest living being in the entire world.

“No matter how much you howl or roar, you can’t take me down.” I said as a mocking smile formed on my lips.

With unshaken confidence, I stepped forward and made my way towards the island, ignoring the winds as they whipped against my skin and the waves which tried to shake me off the pier. The monsters hidden underneath the black waters noticed my presence, but they also felt like they were no match for me. Even if they all gathered up and attacked me at the same time, they still would not be able to even so much as put a scratch on my Magic Armor.

Upon taking a step on the shore, I looked up at the cloudy sky and then back at the screaming winds and thundering sea. The natural barrier raised around this island would have made it impossible for most people to land here. The thick fog surrounding it would have also made it exceedingly difficult for others to spot it.

“No wonder they call it a Phantom Island, no one would dare take a step here, but before they could, they would first need to find it.” I said with a scoff.

Turning my gaze towards the vast wasteland before me, I began to focus my energy in the core of my body, preparing myself to cast a spell that was not only powerful but also very complex. When I was a simple Broken Doll, I could never have even imagined that one day I would be able to do something like this. It was a unique spell designed with my husband’s help and customized specifically for me.

I was not one to put focus on my strength or speed, I didn’t even care that much about my own endurance, but what I cared about was stealth. Although my parents gave birth to me as a noble girl and wished for me to grow as one, after 27 years of training and working as an assassin, my skills and temperament had already been sculpted by them.

Thus, my choice of skills was one that favored hit and run tactics, espionage, and swift assassinations.

 [Over Clone].” I whispered and at the same time released the massive amount of Magic Energy stored inside me.

With those two words, I activated my Over Supreme Skill. Although it lacked the frightening firepower that Ayuseya’s [Wrath of the Ageless Gods] possessed, what it did was to create any number of exact duplicates of myself. Up to the last detail, these clones of mine could not be distinguished from the original. They could breathe and they could moan; they could eat and they could sleep; they could break their bones and even bleed. Even Illsy had trouble distinguishing one of my clones from myself, yet all of us had only one mind, my own. What they saw, I saw. What they felt, I felt. What I ordered, they obeyed.

This skill, combined with my Godlike Rank Skill to create items from pure Magic Energy, allowed me to have an army of my own equipped to the teeth and ready to battle in a way that would make any foe think twice before attacking. Nanya could increase our strength, Ayuseya could cause damage beyond any measure, Zoreya could defend all of us, and Tamara was a lightning bolt. They all had an individual power, meanwhile, I had an army...

“It’s time to hunt.” all sixteen of us said at the same time.

With a smile on our lips, we split up and ran in different directions. The original one, me, equipped Illsyore’s powerful armor and dagger. These futuristic pieces of equipment were far beyond any craftsman’s imagination. Even now, I could remember how astonished I was when he revealed them to us. While Nanya and Ayuseya took them as given, probably only me and Zoreya could tell what a powerful game changer these tools were.

If one could get a hold of them and somehow managed to recreate their technology, they would be able to rule the world. Of this I had not even the smallest of doubts.

At the same time, Illsyore’s armor and weapon were the only way to distinguish me, the original, from the rest of my clones. This skill was also good when I wanted to... ahem, exhaust Illsy, but they unfortunately had a big flaw.

All of my Over Clones were exact duplicates of myself, but this didn’t mean that they could copy my original Magic Energy Pool. That one was divided accordingly. Thus, right now, I had only the sixteenth part of my original one, but it was still enough for me to cast some regular Supreme spells and reinforce myself with a boost and a powerful Magic Armor.

But I was meant to use this skill for scouting and exploiting the weakness of my enemy. I held no desire to confront a powerful enemy face to face. If needed be I could just toss him over to Nanya. She would never mind getting a new sandbag.

Before I, the original, moved deeper into the island, I took a moment to take out the small device Illsy gave me when I felt the need to call him over. I looked at it and weighed it in my palm. It was so fragile, I had to make sure not to accidentally break it.

He told me to call him if I ever needed him... I thought and then closed my eyes. Do I need him now? I wondered and through the eyes of my eighth clone, I saw how I snuck up behind a patrol guard. I slipped behind him and then slit his throat with my dagger. His body fell limp into my arms and then I dragged him out of sight. The sixth clone encountered a pair of half-drunk Fledgling Rank assassins. I spared them no mercy and slit their throats before they had the chance to scream.

I opened my eyes and looked at the device in my hand. While my sixteen clones were killing each and every single individual they encountered, I decided to press the little button on this thing and call him.

I don’t think I need his help, but maybe... I can ask him to take all the loot on this island just as he did with the Pirate Island. I thought and then placed the device in my Storage Crystal.

There was no hurry for me, the original. I made my way towards the heart of the island, walking at a slow step while the Over Clones killed off in absolute silence each and every single assassin on this island, no matter their species, age, or gender. It was not as if there were any innocents here... Those like me never stepped a foot on this place, while those born among the ranks of the assassins were conditioned as such from the moment they could speak, brainwashed to adore their master, trained to kill and never show their own emotions.