One month later, at the edge of the second zone. Dark clouds and churning waters were present as far as the eyes could see. There were a total of 6938 casualties among the players. Their original fleet of 1000 was lacking 63 ships despite all the repairs they had done along the way.
Of course, there was good news as well. They were attacked twice in the last 30 days– by a pack of sharks and thousands of squids.
The shark’s entire skeleton was a treasure. It had too many applications in every field that used metals and mana conductors. The squids didn’t have any special material, but their numbers made up for it. The present 937 ships were using a new rope processed from the squid’s remains, not to mention all of them were painted with black ink that had good resistance and natural camouflage.
“Alright, drop the anchors.” Zyrus spoke to the command center as he observed the weather.
“Here?” Ria’s questioning voice sounded from the comms. Her reaction wasn’t unwarranted.
Contrary to what others were thinking, Zyrus didn’t order to drop the anchors due to storms. What he looked at was the flow of mana and insights gained from the heavenly eye. It was difficult to guess the sun’s exact position with so many clouds, but still, he knew that the moment he waited for was coming. It was time to cross over to the third zone.
He gave a brief explanation in the comms and further told them to tie the longboats; with one another and the nearby galleon
The fleet now looked like a giant monster that was prowling on the ocean. The black ships made the sea even more ghastly with their presence.
It didn’t take long before all preparations were complete. The players were even more confused as neither the storm nor any enemies appeared for the next tens of minutes.
“The night of new moon has arrived” Zyrus spoke in the comms once the sky became dark enough. Just one line was enough to rouse everyone’s spirits.
The players became both nervous and excited. They had heard a lot from Zyrus about the mysterious third zone, a place where there was an ocean in the sky as well.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long.
*Shuuuaaaaaa*
The dark waters below them rose like a fountain. The ships were lifted alongside the water currents, soaring towards the night sky filled with clouds.
Everything became dark around them. Apart from the difference in the air, it was hard to tell how high above they were.
“Let’s go up.”
“Sure thing,” Zyrus chuckled and jumped on Franken’s back. It was an exciting moment for them despite their vast experience.
Zyrus inhaled the moist air that was dampening his scales. The clouds were getting closer and closer, and at last, they broke out with a puffing sound.
“Incredible….”
There were no other words that could describe the scene in front of them. The parted clouds were like a shore that connected with a sparkling ocean that lay ahead. Each and every star was reflected in the calm waters in front of them.
This illogical yet majestic ocean was their target– the third zone of Pisces archipelago.
One by one the ships also surfaced above the layers of clouds. Everyone was awed by the spectacle in front of them.
“Hoist the anchors,” Zyrus curved his lips at the dumbfounded players. The ones who came here for the first time had the same reaction.
Even the calmest of them were shuddering when the anchors tore apart the cloud below them. Thankfully, their ships remained floating just like before.
“Onward.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to NovelFire for the genuine story.
*Flutter*
Hundreds of black sails caught the night wind and rode the clouds. It didn’t take long before the excitement and adventurous spirit overcame the emotions of fear.
[Congratulations! You are the first players who have reached the Third zone of Pisces archipelago]
[Your feat will be recorded in the annals of history]
The dragon of war led everyone to the sparkling sea. Neither the stars in the sky nor their reflection on the ocean was ‘real’, but still, it was a magnificent sight.
“Do you know the direction?” Franken asked with his hoof on the helm.
“No, but I know someone who does,”
“Who is-, oh, I see,” Franken stopped mid-question as he glanced at the sky above.
No one knew when a golden slime had appeared above the dragon of war. It was silent like a soothing breeze, seeming in harmony with the environment. This state of ‘oneness’ was a result of their power. Rather than saying that they were assimilated with the world, it was more appropriate to say that the world around them was influenced by their sheer existence.
Unlike at the lair of Nidhogg, Matope hadn’t frozen the players. It was thus their first time seeing this administrator.
“Your army is getting weirder by the day...”
“Naturally, I don’t discriminate between players.”
Matope felt like spitting on Zyrus’s composed face. Was this something a man who had slaughtered countless races should say?
“Your scales are even thicker than before. Speak, what do you want this time?”
“Tch…and here I thought you were going to stop us,” Zyrus smirked at the golden slime, knowing full well that it wanted nothing more than to kick them back to the ocean.
But since this was within the rules of system, there was nothing an administrator could do. They should have predicted this a long time ago. The reason Matope was sent here instead of someone like Anansi and Aurora was also to deal with this.
“How about we go as usual…”
“Don’t even think about it. You should know full well that you can’t conquer these islands– not even with a loophole.”
“That’s not my problem now, is it? Might as well give me some options,” Zyrus didn’t try to infuriate Matope any longer and brought the serious topic.
“I already told you before that under special circumstances, the flag’s powers and system won’t work as intended.”
“I agree.”
“Since you can’t anyone here, you won’t gain any loot or anything of the sort.”
Zyrus nodded once again. The terms so far were within his acceptance.
“Skills and achievements will be earned as per the rules of the sanctuary. It goes without saying, but you can’t use the weapons of war-”
“I disagree. We won’t ‘attack’ using it.”
There was a big difference between not allowing the usage of the weapons of war and restricting them from attacking.
“…Fine. As for the key issue, I think we can go with this,” Matope wriggled its side and a new screen popped up in front of Zyrus.
The thing he cared about more than anything was something fundamental– exp. Since they couldn’t kill their enemies, there was no way for them to level up. Skills and everything else were secondary in the end. The players' core strength was their ability to improve their league of existence via the system.
The words in front of Zyrus proposed a solution to this.
“I don’t mind the overall theme. However, I’m working on creating a new subclass, so I’d like to integrate it into this as well.”
“This goes beyond the range of compensation you deserve.”
“How stingy…Anansi would have agreed and left already.”
“And that’s why he’s not here.” Matope scoffed in disdain.
Zyrus racked his brain to come up with a solution. He knew from the start that the dammed slime was tougher than it looked. There was no way it would budge even an inch from the system’s rules.
“How about increasing the difficulty then?”
“Heh…are you sure? The current scenario is already beyond their power.”
“…” All Matope got in response was a deadpan stare.
“Fine, whatever, it’s not like they’re my subordinates.”
“Pleasure working with you,” Zyrus pressed his claw forward and authorized the screen with his mana. He was perhaps the first player in history who had made so many deals and contracts with the administrators.
At the same time the two finished their arrangement, a glaring light shone in front of every player.
This marked the start of a special event that would last till the end of the flag march.
[Congratulations! You have arrived at an event ground]
[The special event: Shatar will begin in 00:45:00]
[May the flames of wisdom light your way]
Everyone, including Zyrus, clicked on the event tab.
[==] Shatar [==]
On the stage where millions yearn for victory, are you a pawn or a player?
-Every 6 months, a game of Shatar will begin.
-You may elect the following Roles among the players.
-You may select the following Buffs.
-Once the game has started, you will be moved to any of the 5 islands of the third zone.
-Meet the game objective within 6 months to initiate the next game.
-Points will be given based on your contribution. You can purchase the items you desire by using those points.
[Note: No loot or exp can be acquired from the event monsters]
[Note: You can’t use weapons of war in the event]
[Note: The area outside of the events, namely the sea, is unaffected by the event’s rules]
While Zyrus clicked to check more rules of the event, he was unaware of the undercurrents he had set off.
…
At the abyssal zone of the ocean, a place far away from Kyros.
A mountain rose from the seafloor and moved towards the surface. Boulders and seaweed scattered about as it collided with everything in its path.
*Huuuaaaaaa*
At last, it arose from the trenches after hibernating for countless millennia.
was no longer a mountain.
What rose from the ocean was a creature larger than two kilometers.
Chapter 187: Shatar
8 min read