Surprised by this, Adam immediately stepped back a few steps, taking his arrows and small backpack with him.
"Did you get the same notification? This is what I don't like about the system. Hufff," the man sighed before turning back towards the forest. However, before disappearing into the darkness, he said, "You know, being part of the Underworld faction is quite torturous. So far, I only know a few players from the Underworld faction who have survived until the end.""And this is a warning. Be cautious of players affiliated with the Prayers faction. They can be quite challenging for the Underworld faction."His silhouette slowly merged into the darkness and disappeared, leaving a silence that made Adam repeat his words in his head just to remember them.After a while, he immediately asked the system."System!"[System ready]"Who was that?"The answer came unexpectedly. It was a vague sentence as if a sensor ha"Hey, what are you doing?" Adam stood at the gate, leaning against it. He just wanted to start a conversation with small talk.John glanced at him for a moment before returning to his activity.Feeling annoyed at being ignored, Adam restrained himself and tried to remain calm. Then he asked seriously, "Why are you so suspicious of me?"John looked back at him again, and with a clear sigh showing his effort, he said, "Have you ever killed someone?"Adam furrowed his brow. "Is he still thinking I killed Rachel Gray!?" He muttered to himself.Adam was about to answer when John continued, "I can see it."Adam asked, "See what?""A number," John said.He continued to dig into the dark soil while talking, "I have a Skill that allows me to see whether someone has killed or not. It projects all that into numbers depending on the number of people killed by the person I'm looking at when activating this skill."T
Adam tried to open his palm as a distorted black smoke formed into a ball above it. It looked evil and terrifying, but for Adam, it brought warmth.He quickly swung his hand holding the distorted black ball upward and immediately created a cross-shaped pole where at its highest point there was a rope in the form of a circular knot.The wood was dark brown with some signs of decay visible on it. Additionally, an unpleasant aura emanated from the object, strangely making Adam feel more comfortable with his body and movements felt very smooth.Adam immediately remembered the same scene from his dream. In his dream, Leon also died hanging himself on the same object Adam created now![Creating Gallows]"That's really similar!" He exclaimed in surprise.He didn't expect a dream to display something he hadn't even encountered before. And here he was![Doubling ability effects][Stealth Step doubled][Poison Touch double
At the castle, some players were still going about their activities.Groups began to form, consisting of three to five players. Of course, these groups were merely for chatting.True to his purpose, Adam quickly found his place and started designing his arrows.He didn't consider other alternatives like axes, swords, or spears, given his expertise in precision aiming. It was a skill he couldn't afford to waste!Night fell quickly.Campfires began to flicker in various chatting groups.Adam took his place by the edge, next to the non-functional fountain.Surprisingly, he also had his own group consisting of five people!William Sambus, Trevor Thys, Rashard James, John Gates, and himself gathered around a single campfire.John Gates no longer showed explicit hatred towards him, but there was still an anticipation that seemed to erect a wall between them."So, anyone want to guess the next game?" Rashard, who was always smiling, asked, trying to lighten the mood.Trevor, who was skewerin
Adam absorbed the information while thinking hard. "The usefulness of points isn't explained well... Should I ask the System for clarification?""Besides, to earn points, we have to destroy other players' ships or free pirates' ships... Free pirates..." Adam muttered the phrase.It confirmed that besides the players, there would be other free pirates, "Are those humans other than us?"He then recalled some information from The Hanged Man feature."Order points can be obtained by killing humans, and the amount will depend on whether the human is a cardholder or not." Additionally, he remembered the mysterious man whom he thought was an S-rank Beast before.On the other hand, there were ship crews that would assist the players. Adam reluctantly concluded one thing based on this information, "There are other humans on this island!""Is that what the other players meant by the mysterious man?" Adam thought calmly and with a hint of e
Adam looked at him carefully, assessing the man's condition.Aside from his pirate-like attire, interestingly, the man's physique seemed ordinary. His skin wasn't even particularly bronzed, which made Adam doubt their experience as pirates.Soon, Adam felt his thoughts were too narrow. "Perhaps they're also here not by their own choice?""Judging from their appearance, they seem too ordinary, and although they have a seemingly hostile gaze towards me, they don't intimidate like real pirates."After finishing observing the man, Adam immediately nodded, "Yes. I am The Hanged Man."The man fell silent for a moment before politely inviting Adam to the small boat. "I am Bryan Georgia, I will be your first mate.""Bryan? His name sounds modern. As I suspected, are they also players? But all players have their own cards..." Adam nodded understandingly, still showing calmness to assert his authority.Bryan, who had a soft face b
Adam silently watched.After that, he went out and stood on the deck to watch the crew work together."Henry, Ginny, always be prepared for battle at any time. We will encounter many obstacles." He smiled at the two crew members responsible for the weapons.This decision was based on the fact that Adam had a Curse that attracted beasts towards him. In the vast sea, surely there would be a variety of beasts. The chance of encountering B-level beasts would be much higher. Furthermore, if they encountered A or S-level beasts, it would be a nightmare.According to the map in the cabin, this large island was surrounded by many uninhabited smaller islands. And further out, there was only vast ocean. At certain points, some descriptions were added to the map. No ship could pass far from the main island.Considering this, Adam concluded that there was indeed a limit to how far he could sail.Also, along with this, he had already determin
The spear flew swiftly and immediately struck the creature's head.The one-and-a-half-meter-long spear was embedded directly into the giant sea creature's skin without scales and made it dive back into the sea.At that moment, the vibrations on the ship were felt again.[Ship hull damage reaches 50%]Adam gritted his teeth as he prepared a second spear. He didn't care if Jormungandr would extend its head again after receiving the attack, but if this continued, the ship would be destroyed and sink!He had to do something.At that moment, Adam widened his pupils."What if I use the Gallows? Considering its effect as a trap that directly attracts the target's soul... Would it work?" After thinking for almost five seconds.Adam turned towards the Gallows standing in the middle of the deck.In the midst of the shaking, Adam ran towards the Gallows and grabbed it. Lifting it was quite easy for Adam, it was no
In the daytime, Adam regularly shot arrows at the level C beasts swimming alongside the ship. By attaching a string to the end of the arrow, he made it unlimited ammunition.This way, Adam could collect both Chaos Points and special points for this game wave.[Chaos Points: 40]The amount was quite impressive.[Special Points: 13]On the other hand, it seemed to require more effort to get special points. Not all Beasts would give them!During his spare time, Adam approached the crew to understand them better. For some reason, since Jormungandr's attack, they seemed more willing to communicate. Even Jenna could now smile at him. Of course, she was the only one who openly showed a smile.In his leisure time, Adam began to understand his crew a little better.Bryan had a cold but professional temperament, especially when it came to his expertise, navigation. Rick and Jack had their own stiffness, especially Rick, w
As the sun set once again, Adam sat on the main deck of "The Hanged Man" ship, examining the gold-covered book in his hands. He had flipped through the book repeatedly, finding only blank pages. He had also experimented by trying to tear the book, but it returned to its original condition.Clarice, on the other hand, was busy with her crew, whatever they were doing on "The Emperor" ship.Adam, wearing a half-height hat, gazed out at the distant sea shrouded in thick darkness."Considering the time I needed to get to this island... I doubt Collin White will arrive in less than a week. That would allow me to use this book freely..."Moreover, he had many wild ideas in his head. Previously, when he used the skill "Equivalent Exchange," he sacrificed Mini Sun, an artifact belonging to The Sun, which he had taken over at the time, as an exchange material. He wondered if he could do the same with the Book of Repetition to eliminate the reverse effect on
"Dock now!" Adam ordered firmly.Topper nodded, immediately steering The Hanged Man towards the shore where the molten rocks formed a pattern indicating the entrance.Both ships, The Hanged Man and The Emperor, began docking near the shore. Clarice led her group to prepare to disembark, while Adam directed his crew to guard the ship."Don't let anyone approach our ship," Adam commanded Topper and several other crew members. "We don't know what we will encounter in there."Clarice jumped down from the ship and landed on the rocks that had started to cool after melting. She looked towards the now more visible entrance."Derrick, Clint, come with me," she ordered her crew. Both immediately disembarked and stood by her side.Adam also disembarked, followed by Bryan, while the others stayed behind to guard the ship from any potential attacks, as this time the ship was not hidden.Clarice nodded and approached the entrance, tr
The sun slowly moved, tilting 60 degrees to the west.Topper, who was standing guard on a sharp rock, noticed movement from the forest, then saw his Captain walking with someone else. At first, he thought it was Lucas, but quickly discarded that thought upon seeing that the person with his Captain was a woman. He frowned.Signaling to the others, they quickly gathered to greet them."Prepare the ship," Adam said to Topper and the others.Meanwhile, Bryan approached and asked in a low tone, "What happened to Lucas?"Adam shook his head, "I don't know, just hope he's okay.""Are we going to leave him?" Bryan asked again.Adam glanced towards the sea, then towards the island. "We’re going to circumnavigate the island and find The Emperor's ship," he said casually.Bryan quickly shifted his gaze to Clarice, nodding politely before saying, "Alright."Clarice looked somewhat surprised to see The Hanged Man's
"Explain what actually happened..."[Ancient Artifact of The Hierophant—Book of Repetition, has repeated the story. The coverage area of this ancient artifact encompasses the entire island, effectively returning the island to its original state after the artifact was integrated into it.]"Repetition..." Adam muttered softly."So, why are all my skills acting strange?"[Your condition has been reset to how it was before you entered the island. However, since you are not part of the story, a side effect has occurred because you became involved in a process you were not supposed to be involved in. All your skills will experience Reverse Effects.]Adam's face twitched."Gallows, which should be very light, has become impossible to lift... The Shadow Hand that I should be able to control now doesn't obey my commands... And instead of gaining order points after killing humans, I'm being fined..." He muttered to himself while looking at
Adam landed smoothly and simultaneously swung Gallows like a giant axe, sending several hunched humans flying.Meanwhile, Clarice, who jumped nearly twenty meters high, also landed smoothly. Her pupils suddenly turned gold, "Authority Aura"!Some of the hunched humans received its impact.Not stopping there, more hunched humans began to appear, like a pack of wolves growling."Grrr!!!"Adam twirled Gallows in his hands, adjusting to the situation."We've made it out, now the problem is how do we deal with these hunched humans? Should we kill them?" Adam found himself puzzled.Clarice, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to fight the hunched humans.At that moment, Adam remembered something, "I left Lucas!"He turned back into the circular hole and his gaze stopped at the one-foot table that previously held the book, also an Artifact. The book was gone!Briefly, he saw movement in the entrance ar
On the other side, Clarice had completed all her preparations, with the red flag bearing the golden crown emblem standing in the middle of the area. She raised her sword into the air, and a fireball the size of a palm flew towards her, merging with the sword, turning it into a flaming sword. Adam furrowed his brow, once again comparing his cards to Clarice's. "How many skills does she have!?" Adam quickly counted his own skills and found that he only had six, and some of them weren't very useful at the moment. With the flaming sword in hand, Clarice sliced through the air, causing the mist to dissipate not too far away. Vaguely, it revealed a figure on the other side. A creature twice the size of a normal gorilla, with elongated arms covered in brown fur. Its eyes looked like a musical note symbol. With sharp teeth and flowing saliva. [Gorilla Orchestra—A] Recalling the informati
Adam followed from behind, his Gallows long turned to ashes. The red flame moved slowly, illuminating the square-shaped room. Clarice prioritized a path close to the wall, as that's where she found the right path during her first attempt to find a way out. The problem was, she wasn't sure where exactly. Even the markers on the minimap stopped before this room. Adam followed Clarice from behind along with Lucas, still bound by the rope. After walking for almost five minutes, Clarice suddenly stopped. "Wait," she said, raising her index finger while focusing her hearing. Adam wanted to ask "What's wrong?" but immediately refrained from doing so, he followed Clarice and focused on listening. Vaguely, they heard the sound of paper rubbing against each other. Rubbing! "What's that?" Adam thought about the possible causes o
The bottom of the gorge has a vastness that's difficult to describe. Many areas branch off, making it feel expansive. Without a Minimap, they would easily get lost.As Adam walked at the forefront, the rock wall beside him suddenly heated up and gradually melted.Seeing this anomaly, Adam immediately stepped back, followed by Clarice, who did the same.Looking at the Minimap, there were no points indicating it wasn't a B-level Beast or below.Adam pulled the rope binding Lucas and hid behind a sharp rock, turning to a different path.On the melting wall, lava poured, and a lizard the size of a mature horse appeared. Its skin was burned by orange fire, and the surrounding area gradually melted. The creature had a head that bloomed like a corpse flower, spraying hot lava from its mouth.[Earth Penetrator—A]Adam frowned while holding back his voice.The creature didn't notice Adam, Clarice, or Lucas."Alt
Clarice sighed, "Why don't you try following the path indicated by the system?" As if challenging Adam to do it.Adam understood her meaning, "Is there any obstacle that makes it impossible to get out? Something like traps? Puzzles? Or beasts?" His mind tried to conclude."What's the problem?" Adam wanted detailed information.Clarice didn't plan to hide the facts and willingly gave an overview, "At the end of the path, there's a giant door, I can open it, though it requires great strength. And that's when the creature comes and attacks... It's a miracle I survived.""A creature?"Clarice reaffirmed, "It's an A-level Beast guarding this gorge."Adam's memory spun, recalling information in his mind. His imagination worked, and the appearance of the Gigantic Boar that devoured humans appeared in his head, then changed to the sea creature with large, sharp fins that almost sank his ship. It was clear that an A-level Beast was still