Four people had died in their battle with the Cocatrices, all of them belonging to Hong Yuri’s group.

It was due to the large number of Cocatrices that they had encountered, so the survivors were naturally quite tired. Many of them wanted to turn back, but Hong Yuri didn’t agree.

‘If we were to turn back like this, I might just become another sex slave.’

It was a terrible thought, but the reality was many men had already attempted to have their way with her.

If she hadn’t cozied up to Seo Changseop early on, her chastity would have been soiled many times over.

‘I need to make him a King.’

It was her protection so as to keep others away from her body. Even if many in the group wanted to turn back, she couldn’t afford to. Her partner had to be the very definition of strength, or else she couldn’t survive in this hellish world.

“Woohyuk, what is your plan now going forward?”

Hong Yuri wanted to rope in Woohyuk to her side as much as possible.

He was a good fighter and seemed to have a lot of knowledge. Although he was a bit cold and aloof, he was still more than worth it.

“Put an end to this nightmare.”

“... do you mean escaping from here? I think about that everyday as well, do you have some way to get out?”

But Woohyuk simply stayed silent, causing Hong Yuri to sigh as she shook her head.

‘What should I do with him?’

If things kept going this way, it would naturally lead to a conflict between the two parties. Seo Changseop was quite an ambitious man, so he wouldn’t back down in the case of good items appearing. Woohyuk doesn’t look that naive though.

‘Is he simply confident in himself?’

Looking around Woohyuk’s party hadn’t taken much damage, getting off with light injuries. It was clear that they were all quite skilled.

‘Oh my God.’

She had thought that due to their inferior numbers, they could easily get the upper hand in negotiations, since fighting hadn’t really seemed like a possibility for them.

As Hong Yuri came to terms with her latest misunderstanding, Woohyuk spoke up.

“We’re almost there.”

“Really? Great, my legs were beginning to hurt.”

“This is just the start.”

“... start?”

Hong Yuri had a forbidding thought.

This man was far too hard to control, and he didn’t seem all too interested in her body. If ever the two groups got into a conflict….

‘I’ll have to toss him aside.’

Although she was thankful for his help, that was all there was to it. It wasn’t anything worth losing her life over.

Hong Yuri thought to herself as she made up her mind.

“Wow the water is crystal clear.”

“There it is.”

People shouted out upon arriving at the Central Lake.

It was almost like standing before a sea, because it was so vast that one couldn’t see the end of it.

“We will need a boat to get to the island.”

Seo Changseop said as he approached Woohyuk, who nodded back.

“Swimming isn’t an option.”

The Central lake had large and deep waters, teeming with sharks and monstrous seals.

Woohyuk’s explanation caused Seo Changseop to start sweating in fear.

“A canoe won’t suffice in this case.”

If they were to accidentally flip over, it would spell death for all on board. Still, building a ship large enough for thirty people was no easy feat. Time was of course a factor, but the biggest hurdle was shipbuilding knowledge.

“Follow me, I have a way.”

Woohyuk led the party along the lake’s shore. After walking for a few minutes, they came upon a marooned galley.

“Although some sections are damaged, it still looks operable.”

“We can repair it”

Huang Donghwan had brought with him a basic toolkit, so all they were missing was the lumber.

The group quickly organised some logging parties and set to work. Woohyuk took charge of the repairs, giving out detailed instructions, while Seo Changseop guarded the perimeter from monsters.

“The boat's design is such that it requires rowing on both sides.”

“Our numbers are high enough to man it.”

The sails would only act as a secondary boost, so this galley could only be operated by a sufficiently large group.

‘It’s purpose is to force us to cooperate, despite the inherent upcoming competition on the island.’

Cooperation was required to make full use of the galley, but a conflict could erupt at any moment.

Woohyuk thought back to the past.

‘It was a nightmare.’

The group that had originally found the galley had headed straight over to Paradise Lost without making much preparations and had quickly been wiped out. As a result of that, all subsequent teams had to build their own boats in a bid to cross the lake, which led to many conflicts.

Many people had been impatient and wanted to leave for the island immediately. They would build shoddy canoes or rafts, but without exception they’d all end up as shark food.

“Do you think it's fine, captain?”

Lee asked as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was standing on the deck with his tools.

“Good enough.”

Woohyuk answered after meticulously checking the galley for damage. He gathered the others to push the galley into the water. Once all was set, he had everyone except for the wizards go below deck, to man the oars.

Anyone still above deck would be prepared for battle.

“It looks just like a sea.”

Seo Chanseop said nervously.

Although the lake’s exact size was unknown, it was still larger than Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, where he had spent some time as a foreign student.

“Let’s get going.”

Woohyuk began to beat the drums, and those below deck attempted to follow the rhythm as the galley slowly began to pick up speed. In the real world more manpower would have been needed to get such a large vessel moving, but under in such a game setting, their group’s strength sufficed.

After some time, a piercing cry resounded in the sky.

It was a Three Clawed Eagle.

“Can we take them on by ourselves?”

Seo Changseop asked as he stared at the Three Clawed Eagles in the distance.

They were only five of them currently on the deck. Besides Woohyuk, Seo Changseop, Hong Yuri, Yoo Kayoung and Song Anna were there as well.

“We have two mages.”

Yoo Kayoung had focused on Fire spells, while Yuri had her Ice magic. Woohyuk moved the three women towards the back, as Seo Changseop and himself took the vanguard.

Huirrriric

He threw his Vampiric dagger, sinking it deeply into one of the incoming Three Clawed Eagles. Seeing their kin come under attack, the others shrieked angrily and honed in on Woohyuk.

Swoosh

Swoosh

Two quick slashes later, the heads of two eagles rolled on the deck. It was so fast that the others had trouble following the movement of his machete.

Seo Changseop swallowed down nervously.

‘He’s been hiding his true skill level this whole time.’

Equipped with three Growth rings, Woohyuk’s progress had been outstanding, especially after their latest intense party hunting.

Currently, there was no one that could take him on in a one-on-one fight. Be it Stats, Combat sense or Weapon proficiency, he was superior to him in every regard. It was natural for Seo Changseop to feel a sense of crisis.

‘What if he’s also aiming for the best items?’

If they were to distribute the spoils based on contribution, he would have to make heavy concessions to Woohyuk, making this gruesome endeavor rather pointless

‘I’ll have to get rid of him.’

Although he was an acquaintance of Hong Yuri, he was first and foremost a dangerous competitor. He had been watching them recently and they didn’t seem to be that close either.

Seo Changseop’s eyes narrowed into slits as he saw Woohyuk make short work of the Three Clawed Eagles.

* * *

The surviving adventurers had later gone on to rename the Central lake as [Quiet Sea].

It was based on its ridiculously large size, but tranquil surface, unlike the waves one would typically find at sea.

For them, the Central Lake was both a natural wonder to hold in awe, as well as a deadly trial to overcome.

Sharks would ram their heads against the hull of the boat, in an attempt to capsize it, while Three Clawed Eagles would swoop down from above, harassing those above deck. Although Woohyuk’s party had undergone some ordeals, they had mostly come out unscathed.

Despite its shabby appearance, the galley was actually quite sturdy and Woohyuk’s performance as captain allowed them to safely arrive to Paradise Lost. Once on the island Woohyuk left his own party members on the boat.

It was to defend the galley from monster attacks such as the Rainbow lizards which could spit fire from their mouths.

‘He is quite sneaky.’

Seo Changseop chuckled to himself.

Since his party kept control of the ship, their only ticket out of here, it wasn’t easy to betray him.

‘This is actually works in my favor though.’’

Woohyuk was the only one that was excessively strong. After dealing with him, it shouldn’t be too difficult to trick the others into leaving the boat.

Seo Changseop followed behind Woohyuk as he secretly gave out instructions to his own followers.

‘I will wring him dry until he has no worth left, and then I’ll kill him. The earlier he’s taken out, the better.’

He would still have to wait however until they found the island’s hidden items, but Hong Yuri was always sticking close to him, so he wasn’t worried about losing track of him.

‘Even if he catches on to our plan, we can always torture it out of him.’

After losing a few fingers, they all start to sing like canaries. Of course he was quite formidable so it would result in some losses, but it was all within his expectations.

“This place looks quite dangerous.”

“Be careful.”

While alert of his surroundings, Seo Changseop tried to listen in on the conversation between Woohyuk and Hong Yuri. Exploring such an unknown place, any information was incredibly useful.

‘A Star Snake….’

From the name alone he was unable to guess much of the monster’s characteristics.

As Seo Changseop mulled over the snippets of Woohyuk’s conversation, an eerie sound came from the forest.

Shhh Shhh Shhh

‘So they appeared right away.’

Seo Changseop frowned as he prepared himself for battle. Numerous translucent snakes which shone like a galaxy of stars appeared from all sides.

“KKaya! So gross!”

Hong Yuri didn’t waste a second as she sent out an Ice bolt. However, the Star Snake simply ate the magic attack, holding it for but a second before spitting it back out.

“Move!”

Woohyuk roughly shoved Hong Yuri out of the missile’s trajectory. The Ice Bolt flew right between them, landing on an unfortunate man standing behind them.

‘Magic attacks won’t work.’

Seo Chanseop thought to himself as he watched the man become an Ice statue. He quickly overcame any hesitation before swinging down his Black machete on an incoming Star Snake.

Puak

The point of impact shone brightly and resulted in a dull sound.

‘What?’

Clearly he had swung with enough strength to cleave it in two, but the snake appeared unscathed.

Seo Changseop continued to chop down wildly, all the while avoiding its sharp fangs.

Churrr

Eventually the Star Snake lost its luster and collapsed on the ground. Until the very end there were no visible injuries on its corpse.

“There’s a quicker way to kill them.”

Woohyuk said as he looked at Seo Changseop panting from his frantic swings. He simply stepped on a snake’s head and crushed it with his weight.

‘Show off’

Seo Changseop thought to himself, but he took the advice and focused on their heads.

While he was busy killing Star Snakes, a series of screams came from behind him. Looking back, Changseop’s eyes widened in surprise. The road to Hell began here.

* * *

Seven people had lost their lives in the battle against the snakes. Due to their enchanted scales, It was difficult to cut them down with their mediocre weapons. So far their expedition had suffered eleven deaths.

Seo Changseop was beginning to get nervous.

“Do you have a destination in mind?”

“Paradise Tree, located at the island’s center.”

That was where the greatest prize was located. As It followed common gaming sense, the rest of the party didn’t doubt him for a second.

“Look over there.”

WooHyuk pointed out an enormous tree in the distance.

“Finally!”

Changseop cried out in elation.

“It’s too early to celebrate.”

“What? If...”

Could there be powerful monsters? He wanted to ask but didn’t say it out loud.

“How are we supposed to defeat that….”

A Giant Star Snake was coiled around the tree, staring at them as it flicked its long serpentine tongue.

“Are you planning to give up?”

WooHyuk asked Hong Yuri and Seo Changseop, but the two didn’t give an immediate answer.

A single misstep and they’d be swallowed whole by such a large monster.

“Let’s hold a meeting to strategize.”

Hong Yuri said in an attempt to hide the terror on her face.

Many ideas circulated but they all concluded that they would have to wait for some kind of opportunity.

‘Attempting it now would simply be suicide.’

We need to think about our own lives, Seo Changseop thought to himself as he clicked his tongue in defeat.

“Just making it here can be said to be a success, we can simply return in the future after increasing our strength.”

“Then you guys can watch from here.”

“... What are you talking about?”

“I’ll slay it myself.”

“Uh….”

Everyone looked at him in amazement.

Ignoring their reaction, Woohyuk examined his Adventurer’s watch to take a look at his Status page.

[Chun Woohyuk]

- Job: Human adventurer

- Title: Legendary Explorer (20% increase in Item drop rate from monsters, 20% increase in Perception and Speed when in Historical sites]

- Stats:

Strength: 45 +5 (Vampiric Dagger) +2 (Goblin’s Ring)

Vitality: 41 +5 (Gladiator’s Belt)

Dexterity: 43 +3 (Black Machete) +3 (Black Machete)

Intelligence: 15

Spirit: 27

‘It’ll be a bit tight.’

Intelligence aside, he would have liked for his other stats to at least exceed 50 in order to deal with that monster. His current strength was a little on the low side, but he had a way to deal with it.

The Adventurer’s Stimulant which he had obtained from the Vampire cave would increase all stats by 15 for one hour, whereas the Burnt Poplar tree bark would give an additional bonus to his Spirit.

‘Speed is the key here.’

If he wasn’t able to demonstrate superior agility, victory couldn’t be guaranteed. To that end, he took out a Cloud mushroom from his storage and threw it into his mouth. The result was a thin protective aura appearing as well a 5 point boost to Dexterity.

“You can help me out if you want, but if you have a hidden agenda, it will be the end of you.”

Woohyuk cautioned the rest of the group as he finished his preparations.

It acted as both advice and a warning