~ Chapter 93: The map ~

[Illsyore's point of view]

About half an hour later, the hut's door was opened, and the rumored Pirate King stepped out. I was expecting a Black Beard type of fellow, with one wooden leg, an eye patch, a parrot on his shoulder, and a stuffy unwashed black beard. What I got instead was a 1.90 meters tall man with a big fat belly and without the distinctive eye patch of a feared pirate captain. He didn't have a beard, but he sported a twirled brown mustache instead, his hair was tied back in a ponytail, and the clothes he wore were fit more for a Renaissance period European noble rather than a scurvy pirate.

“Greetings, ye landlubbers!” he called out as he walked up to us.

The accent was definitely that of a pirate, but it seemed to be rather... forced.

“Are you the Pirate King?” I asked.

“Of course! I be the infamous cap'n Iffy De Mon! The most wanted man who ever sailed on the Endless Ocean!” he laughed with his hands on his hips.

“Endless Ocean?” I raised an eyebrow.

“That's what we be calling the dreaded waters around the three known continents.” he nodded.

“I see... What of the one between the continents?” I asked.

“Don'tcha know even that?” he furrowed his brow.

“Sorry, I'm not from around here.” I smirked.

“Hm. Well, the waters between all Three Continents are called Bachus Ocean.” he nodded.

That was a familiar name, but not because it was an ocean. My memories from Earth told me of the once revered roman god of wine and parties Bacchus, but also of the famous German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Does this mean that if I'll sail on that ocean, I'll get drunk from wine while hearing relaxing classical music instead of the sounds of the waves? I thought with a raised eyebrow.

When we were still back at Fellyore Academy, the teachers there used the names Allasn Ocean, Thorya Ocean, and Sorone Ocean to describe the three masses of water surrounding the respective continents.

From this, I judged that either he was testing us, or this was how the pirates called it. The term 'seven seas' didn't exist in this world because there weren't that many oceans. Besides, there were no actual seas to begin with.

“I'll keep that in mind.” I replied.

“You should!” he smirked and then looked over at Ayuseya “This one be a draconian woman, ain't that right?” he asked.

“Yes.” she replied in a calm tone of voice.

“I see... you and your kind, like all the other non-humans are worthless existences to this world.... Worthless, I say!” he declared raising a finger up. “But you look good... I may be able to get a few coins off of you if I sell ya to the right buyer.” he smirked as he lifted her chin up.

As I looked at him touching my wife like that, I felt the need to rip his head off, but I abstained... for now.

“This one is a... what you be exactly?” he furrowed his brow as he looked at Tamara, who was yawning.

“Nya~ Nekatar...” she replied calmly.

“Nekatar? With so little fur? Hm... you be selling with a better price than the scaly one over there.” he nodded to himself.

Tamara ignored him and scratched the back of her left ear.

“And you... You be human, right?” he asked as he looked at Zoreya.

She furrowed he brow but didn't reply.

“A feisty one, me like it! I be keeping you for me self!” he laughed and then turned to look at me. “So, how does it feel to lose like this in front of me, eh lad?” he asked with a grin.

Lose to you? When and how? I wondered, but instead of saying this, I snorted and replied “I've seen worse on the Dungeon Continent.”

It was a lie. I had absolutely no idea how to get to the Dungeon Continent. Well, not completely, I could use the memories of some of the Dungeons inside me, but to be honest, I was reluctant. They were too chaotic and broken... I only knew for certain that it was somewhere West of here.

“Hm, so you say...” the Pirate King squinted his eyes at me and rubbed his chin.

It was clear he was looking at me with suspicious eyes, but this fellow didn't seem like one capable of distinguishing those with strength from those without. If he was, then just by standing in front of the unwavering Zoreya and Ayuseya, he would have acted more cautiously. As for Tamara, she was so good at playing the fool that even I had sometimes trouble figuring her out.

“Why ye all be here?” he suddenly asked as he looked into my eyes.

“Sightseeing.” I smirked.

Something triggered in him because he slapped me. Well... to say I was hurt from his strike would have been ridiculous. If I didn't move my head, his hand would have broke.

“Ouch...” I grumbled.

“Hm, ye sure are a tough bastard.” he said as he rubbed his hand.

That must have hurt him at least a little bit.

“I am a Master Ranked Adventurer, I should be!” I retorted.

When he heard me, he blinked surprised and then burst out into a loud laughter.

“What?” I glared at him.

“I heard that captain Grayheart had a Godlike among his ranks, but that seems too be nothing but a farfetched lie!” he scoffed.

I squinted my eyes at him.

Isn't he suspecting in the least bit that I might not be the strongest in the group? I thought.

The reason I gave a Master Rank instead of an Emperor or Godlike was just to see how he would react if he thought my wives were stronger. Technically, I was the strongest in our group, but each and one of us we were Over Supremes.

After he calmed down a little bit, he looked at me and then at my wives. Without saying another word, he turned around and snapped his fingers. At his order, the guards around us grabbed our chains and dragged us after him.

We walked past the small hut towards another cave at the back. It was a bit smaller than the one we came through, but not low enough for Ayuseya to have trouble standing. Because they didn't use a torch or Light Crystal, we could barely see where we were stepping, but neither the guards nor the captain seemed to have a problem with this. On the contrary, I would say that they could perfectly avoid every single stone in their way.

As for the four of us, we had no problems navigating through this darkness. Our reflexes were exceptionally good so even if we hit a stone, we could step around it without falling. In case of Zoreya, she crushed them under her boots or kicked them out of the way, making her the noisiest one out of all of us.

After about 10 minutes of walking, we finally reached the end of the corridor. Here, captain Iffy took out a small Light Crystal and placed it on a nearby pedestal. When light shined inside the corridor, we were finally able to see the big stone doors blocking our way. Right between them was a small circle socket in which you could insert a disc of sorts.

That was exactly what captain Iffy did. From his Storage Crystal he took out the stone key and opened the doors.

Thanks to a loud grinding mechanism, the two doors were pulled back and opened the passage before us. Captain Iffy put his key away and then stepped through with a smug look on his face. We followed behind pulled by the guards.

“This place be secret from all but me and a few other pairs of eyes. Ye all are scurvy landlubbers unworthy of its greatness! Still, I be making a special case for ye all.” he smirked as he looked back at me.

In other words, once he gets the truth out of us, it's off with our heads or something like that? Although, it doesn't make sense to threaten to sell us if he planned on showing us such a secret... Is he an idiot by any chance? I thought and sighed to myself.

I was voting for the latter option.

Two minutes later, the captain stopped and pushed a small rock on the wall. I felt a very small quantity of Magic Energy flowing through a network of sorts, and in the next moment, a row of Light Crystals illuminated our way.

“Wonderful ain't it not?” he asked with a smirk.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he ignored me and continued to walk.

“By chance, do ye know what Rank I be?” he asked.

“Potato?” I replied.

“Fish?” Tamara asked.

“Minuscule?” Ayuseya giggled, but I felt like she was referring to something else.

“...” Zoreya kept her stoic expression.

“Funny ye be.” he spat. “Supreme.” he said and then continued to walk.

I shrugged.

Was I supposed to be afraid?

The guards looked at each other when they didn't saw us react in an expected way. From this, I could only guess that the previous victims of the captain were either scared stiff or began to beg him for mercy by this point. There was a third category though: the fools who didn't believe him. As for us, we were in the fourth one... those who were stronger than a Supreme.

Thus, several minutes later, we finally arrived in what appeared to be the last room: a giant spherical chamber where even Ayuseya in her full dragon form could fit without a problem. Alongside the walls were countless piles of treasure of untold value... Jewels, gold coins, weapons, armors, books, and all sort of things the pirates had gathered over the centuries were all stacked here.

I gulped when I found myself in front of it all, and even Ayuseya was surprised by this scene. The only ones without a reaction were Zoreya and Tamara.

“What do ye all think of me treasure?” captain Iffy asked with a big smirk.

“It's... impressive.” I said.

But even so, I couldn't see anything that resembled a map. My eyes kept running over these piles, but I couldn't find it.

“Oh? Is be something missing?” he asked.

“You wouldn't happen to have special maps around here... you now... world maps?” I asked with a grin as I looked back at him.

He squinted his eyes at me.

“Hou? It seems me eyes do not deceive me and me sure me ears be working as good as in me youth. Thy not here fo' gold and jewels. Ye be here for THEEE map, me be right?” he asked with a smirk.

“What if it be so?” I replied with the same pirate accent as him.

“Then ye really know of the Dungeon Continent? Right?” he asked.

“Yes...” I squinted my eyes at him.

“Then tell me... Do ye know how to get past the Barrier?” he asked as he stepped towards me.

“Which one?” I asked carefully.

There was no mention of a barrier in my memories. I thought.

“The one that keeps Allasn, Thorya, and Sorone from falling in the grasp of all those more powerful than all of the Supremes on these three continents put together! The one that lets the weak enter, but not the strong!” he replied and then pointed up.

A barrier of such size and strength sounded like an absurd fairy tale. A machination of one's over-reactive imagination, but after I had witnessed the strength of the monsters on Boss Island, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe he spoke the truth.

“Illsy... look at the ceiling.” Ayuseya told me with wide eyes.

I gaze up as well.

Up there, carved in stone and partially destroyed by nature and age, laid the map of the world, the main reason why we arrived on this island. Allasn, Thorya, and Sorone were on the right side surrounded by a big circle. Above them were another two continents, while to the left was a cluster of islands that looked like a shattered continent. At the top of this archipelago was another landmass, but it had a hole in it. at the bottom was another continent, and farther to the left were two others.

“A world map...” I muttered surprised.

“Oho? So ye do know what that be, huh laddy?” the captain asked with a loud laughter.

“It would be hard not to...” I replied.

“Then ye be telling the truth, aye? Ye landlubbers sailed the oceans beyond the barrier and reached this place!” he laughed. “I knew it! The old stories were true! There be countless oceans and continents out there! Me old man was right!” he laughed hysterically this time.

The guards gulped when they saw him like this.

Well, if he was a Supreme, it was clear why they were afraid of him, but this didn't explain one thing to me, so I asked.

“Why didn't you sail forth towards the other continents?”

“Why? Because no man or woman of me strength can go through the barrier! More so, the waters be unsafe to sail past it without the strength of one such as I! Me boats would be shattered by the jagged teeth of the monsters before they even had a chance to reach the barrier, let alone cross it!” he explained.

If what he was saying was the true, then the strong couldn't enter or leave, while the weak could enter, although, they would need an extreme amount of luck to reach safe waters. Or maybe this area of the ocean was just too dangerous for them. I highly doubted there were no zones without powerful monsters lurking in the depths of the waters but finding them probably required a lot of manpower. Then came the hard part: exploring an outside world that required the minimum strength of a Supreme to survive.

In other words, this barrier was like a protective dome for the weak but also a prison for the strong born inside.

“Ye see the scribbles in the stone?” he asked me then.

“Yes...” I replied and nodded.

Those were written in Dungeon Language, another proof that this place was made by a Dungeon long ago.

“Not even now I be able to find out what they mean, but with ye all here, who came from outside, I may be able to find a way out! Or at the very least, ye could entertain me with ye life stories.” he showed us an evil smirk.

So this was his true intent... Although... Goodbye, Paramanium Language! This guy is butchering you to no end... I thought and then asked “What makes you think we'll do that?”

“Ye be coming from the outside, aye?” he asked.

“Yes.” I replied squinting my eyes at him.

“Then ye be weaker than Supremes! I be Supreme, so ye be nothing when compared to I!” he declared in a menacing tone of voice.

Looking into his eyes, I let out a sigh, then looked back up at the ceiling.

The world map is right here. It's the thing we came for after all... I can even read the Dungeon Language written on it, so it's certainly the real deal. Is there any worth playing like this? I wondered and then looked back at the captain.

“What do you intend to do now?” I asked in a calm tone of voice.

“It be simple. Ye be telling me all you know about that!” he pointed at the ceiling “And I be letting you live. Of course, ye be me slaves from henceforth, so matters not what ye think. I be the strong one here. I be the law! I say jump, you jump. Got it?” he said pointing his finger at me.

From his jumbled-up words, I more or less understood what he wanted to say and do with us IF we obeyed like cute little puppies. Unfortunately for him, this play was already over the moment he showed us the map. I guess, he had too much faith in the barrier's power, which existence I was already doubting.

There was nothing in my memories that ever mentioned the existence of anything of this sort. The Primordial visited the Dungeon Continent at one point, so it was clear that he was able to safely reach it. Since Tuberculus found his remains within the barrier, I could only suspect that either this barrier was added much later, or it wasn't real at all.

However, around Allasn, Thorya, and Sorone was a perfect circle carved within the map. Inside, I could read the names of the three continents and the number 1000. For a Dungeon, that number was the representation of a Level. In other words, the Dungeon Continent located to the far west, past the Slime Archipelago, had the number 4500+ on it, while the latter had 1500+. The Demon Continent located bellow the archipelago had 2000+, while the Zeryan Confederation in the Northwest of the map, above the Dungeon Continent had 3000-3500 on it.

The strange island to the north of the Slime Archipelago had the word UNKNOWN written next to it in capital letters and the number 4000+ above it. While the continent to the East of it had a big question mark on it. The last one was the Nekatar Empire, with 1000-1500 next to it.

Well, the one big difference between this map and the one I got from Cairen Talcaea was the big island between Allasn and Thorya. It was present only on this world map, another clear sign of how old it was. At best, it was probably several thousands of years old or maybe more.

It's also highly likely that this barrier isn't there anymore... I thought and then let out a sigh.

“Ye ignoring me?” the captain told me in a furious tone of voice.

For a moment there, I spaced out and didn't listen to him at all.

“Yes...” I replied in a nonchalant tone of voice.

“Why ye little!” he tried to punch me in the face, but I stopped his attack with only one finger.

He widened his eyes in surprise.

“You know, your biggest mistake was the fact that you thought we were far weaker than a Supreme. Your second one was most likely inviting us like this in your treasure room.” I let out a sigh.

“He's an idiot!” Tamara laughed as she took off her cuffs.

The metal bent and broke between her fingers like it was made from clay. Zoreya and Ayuseya did the same and got up on their feet.

The guards tried to retaliate when they saw them, but a simple slap from the draconian was enough to send them crashing into the walls. I highly doubted they survived that blow. Against ruffians and pirates, this dragon lady showed no mercy.

“Now then.” I said as I got up.

The captain backed up in surprise.

“B-But the barrier.” he said.

“Well... That's your third mistake.” I rubbed the back of my head.

“Wha?” he blinked confused.

“We aren't from the Dungeon Continent or the outside. I was born on Allasn. The powerful draconian here was born on Thorya, and the lovely blonde was born on Sorone just like the cute Nekatar.” I said with a smirk.

“But ye know of it... ye... how?” he asked dumbfounded.

“I'm a Godlike Dungeon with a level way past 1000. Of course, I know of it.” I shrugged.

“Huh? WHAT?!” he shouted in surprise.

“Well... Anyway, I'm not going to go into details. I just came here to steal your map, that's all.” I shrugged.

“Ye want to steal me map?!” he said.

“Yes...” I nodded.

Lifting my hand up, I mentally selected the portion of the ceiling that contained the map and then absorbed it. Now all that was left up there was a big round hole. The captain himself looked up at it simply dumbfounded and unable to understand what just happened.

“Well, that's where your fourth mistake comes in... You never had a Dungeon Detection Stone on you.” I shrugged.

“Illsy, what should we do with him?” Ayuseya asked.

“I'm going to leave this to Zoreya. She's a High Apostle of Melkuth, so the justice of battle and war should go to her.” I replied.

“As you wish, my love.” she nodded.

“High Apostle?! Wait! Ye can't kill me! Aye! The contract with the Great Paramanium Empire still be in play! If ye harm me, ye be hunted by them for the rest of ye lives!” he said and pointed at us.

“So what?” I didn't even look at him. I simply walked around absorbing all of his stolen treasures.

“I feel no need to spare the life of one such as you! Be gone from this world!” Zoreya declared and then punched him in the chest.

The captain didn't even have the chance to retaliate or say another word. Even if he was a Supreme, against her might, he was simply way too weak. As a result, his Magic Armor was shattered, and her fist caved in his chest. The man died on the spot.

After I was done with collecting all of the loot inside this cave, I lifted my hand up and activate my palm AGLMC Laser. A small and powerful beam of red light pierced the mountain and reached the sky. I kept it active for a few seconds before I stopped and stretched out my arms a bit.

“So... What are we going to do now?” asked Ayuseya as she kicked the dead captain's body out of the way.

“Hm... Let's wait for a bit and then leave this island.” I replied as I looked around the room, trying to see if there were any more secrets left untouched.

“As you wish.” Ayuseya replied with a small nod.

Unfortunately, there were no more secrets to be found here. The map on the ceiling was probably the biggest one in here. It was something that could shake the existing nations and shatter the common sense of their citizens.

In the end, I stopped looking and returned to the center of the room, where I was going to wait for the arrival of my other two wives: Shanteya and Nanya. But while I did so, I looked at the bodies of the dead humans lying on the floor and absorbed them for their Magic Energy. My Dungeon Territory was currently spread to the far reaches of this entire island, so in a sense... all of these pirates were at my mercy now.

There was once a time when I would have flinched at the sight of a body or worry if the right thing to do was to kill someone or not... Now, I am just wondering if it's the right thing to let them live. Or no, I should say that there are certain rules and parameters for determining such things... I let out a sigh and looked up at the perfectly cut ceiling as a result of my absorb ability So many reasons I can find for not killing someone, but if I let go of my usual good and forgiving nature, I guess it all amounts to the following questions: Can they change from now on for the better or not? Can I help him change in any way? Is he worth it? How does keeping him alive influence this world? How would his positive change influence it? Will I and my family be safe if I let him live? I closed my eyes.

To such questions, there were multiple answers. Many of them contradicted themselves, while others negated some of the questions. For example, someone in the position of a King could influence the world by a lot, but at the same time, it made it questionable whether I could help him change. At the same time, he could do both good and bad things with a single neutral order. As such, what I did to Prince Reynolds was a very risky matter. The curse I placed on him back then probably led him only to death unless he forced himself to accept my values. Morally, it was a bit wrong, but at that time I forgot about his brother, Prince Reginald, who could have found in his brother's death an excuse to go hunt me down despite my intent to change him. The best course of action would have been to force the prince to step down from his throne... and impose the slavery matter on the remaining prince.

Even if I elude myself by saying it was the Darkness' fault, it wasn't. At that time, it was mostly me who wished to do that to him. I wasn't perfect. I probably never will be. And as any other sapient living being out there, I had the right to get angry.

However, all this leads to another question... According to my new sense of value and principles, was letting Dankyun alive a good choice or not?

I lowered my eyes and looked at my lovely human wife, Zoreya, who returned a soft smile.

No... It wasn't... At that time... I simply was too afraid to kill again willingly as I did to Shanteya's former squad. I thought and then replied to my beloved with a smile.