Chapter 62 : The third divine stone tablet

We left the pirate ship’s parts to Gallow and the Skeletons and returned to the resort.

It was already a wonderful place, but there was still a lot to improve.

First, we built a communication tower and connected the gate.

This became the third location connected to the Pyeongya Entry.

Now, it was time to decorate the island.

We needed a place to stay first.

What we could build right now were either small detached houses or pool villas.

But since it was a resort, should we just flex and build pool villas?

No.

Why waste magic stones recklessly?

The price difference between the two was an astounding 1,000 times.

With the cost of one pool villa, we could build 1,000 detached houses.

So, no pool villas.

There’s the sea right in front of us, so what’s the point of a pool villa?

We decided to buy some nutritional snacks for our beast friends instead.

After building the houses, the resort felt even more complete.

We set up parasols and sunbeds bought from outside and even put on sunglasses.

Lying under the warm sunlight, stretching leisurely, we took the perfect rest.

Now, all that was left was to wait like this.

Gallow and the Skeletons are doing well, right?

***

Sheaah—

The pirate ship cut through the raging waves.

It had a new name now.

Inspired by Bbyak, we decided to call it the Pheonix ship.

Gallow flapped his wings, enjoying the cool sea breeze during the voyage, a feeling we hadn’t had in a while.

As usual, the Skeleton Captain climbed onto the signboard.

He then took out a compass from his waist and checked their location.

Not far to the northwest, one of the Pheonix ship’s parts had fallen.

The subordinate Skeleton immediately took the helm.

Turning the direction, they moved toward the location where the part had dropped.

First, one.

Another pirate Skeleton prepared to dive, then without hesitation, threw himself into the sea.

The diving crew quickly gathered something and surfaced.

Normally, they would have taken a short rest.

But Skeletons didn’t need rest.

They resumed the voyage immediately.

Around them?

That was just a pile of bones.

Infinite labor.

They would be reborn even after death.

Truly, infinite manpower.

No food or rest required.

That’s how they moved toward the next destination.

Then, a strange aura grew stronger beneath the sea.

Suddenly—

Something opened its jaws and sprang out.

A gigantic shark.

It was the Megalodon!

***

[Eight pirate Skeletons have been destroyed.]

[They can be resurrected after 24 hours.]

A message appeared before Woo Min, who had been leisurely enjoying healing.

Eight pirate Skeletons had vanished in an instant.

What on earth had happened?

More importantly, what about Gallow?

He jumped up abruptly, his face full of panic.

Then—

Caw caw—

From afar, Gallow flew over, flapping his wings as he approached.

Phew, I thought something had happened to Gallow too. Luckily, it was fine.

The Skeletons could just be resurrected tomorrow, so it wasn’t the end.

Gallow arrived with a gloomy expression.

Caw…

Gallow explained what had happened.

During the voyage, they had encountered a giant shark and were all eaten.

A giant shark following a colossal monster.

So this island wasn’t just beautiful after all.

There were too many dangers we didn’t know about.

Caw Caw.

After finishing the explanation, Gallow flapped his wings again, and the pirate ship was summoned once more.

He wasn’t just an ordinary hawk.

Still a beast, but he possessed a unique skill.

The ability to summon pirate ships.

Depending on his rank, he could create new ships anytime.

A special ability unique to the pirate hawk.

Of course, he couldn’t summon an unlimited number of ships.

Regardless of the number of summons, only one ship could be summoned at a time.

The ship’s performance also correlated with Gallow’s rank.

The current ship was far more advanced than the shabby pirate ship we first saw.

Size, speed, and maneuverability had all improved.

In fact, ordinary merchant ships couldn’t even compare to Gallow’s pirate ship.

However, there was one problem.

The ship attracted way too much attention from the beasts.

Just like when the giant monster ambushed us, the Megalodon’s attack was the same.

It wasn’t intentional, but we had terrible luck beyond belief.

That’s when a good idea flashed through my mind.

The pirate ship that attracted the beasts’ attention—

This would be perfect as a decoy.

“Gallow, come here.”

Let’s hear what Gallow, who summons the ship, has to say.

After all, he builds the ships himself, so he wouldn’t use them carelessly.

Caw?

“Do you happen to be attached to the ship you summon?”

Caw.

He nodded.

Fortunately, he only made them because he could; he wasn’t particularly attached or affectionate toward the ships.

Unlimited pirate ship summoning?

This might be easier to handle than I thought.

Why bother diving to find the giant monster?

We just have to make it come up here.

Let’s test it first.

We summoned the ship Gallow had made and sailed toward the place Mint had encountered it.

We evacuated to a safe distance.

Then—

Bubbles rose from the sea.

Kwachijiijik—

A massive tentacle burst out and completely crushed the ship.

That tentacle looked very familiar.

A bumpy, red sucker bouncing up and down.

A fluid, wavy appearance.

Could it be an octopus?

Just to be sure, let’s check once more.

Gallow summoned another pirate ship.

After sailing back to the location and waiting a moment—

“Clack—”

Another purple leg shot out and smashed the ship.

Now it was certain.

The unknown beast was a giant octopus.

Could it be the mythical Kraken?

Other places were fine, but it only appeared there.

Is there something beneath it?

Could it be the treasure Mint found?

That’s when I roughly figured out the cause.

That octopus wasn’t a bad beast.

It was guarding something.

Probably the island’s guardian, like a vandal.

We couldn’t just recklessly attack such a being.

We had to capture it as safely as possible.

So, what was the plan?

Actually, I had already thought of one.

First, summon another ship.

Wrap the entire hull in sticky spiderwebs.

It would become a sticky trap.

If the Kraken tried to crush the ship again—

Its tentacles would get stuck in the webs.

After all, the Kraken was an octopus.

It had a fixed number of legs.

If we could immobilize all eight legs, we could drag it ashore.

First one.

Kwachijik.

The sticky webs tightly wrapped around one of the Kraken’s legs.

We continued to send ships one by one.

Already the eighth.

Even the last remaining leg was covered in spiderwebs.

Now, the operation officially began.

We had spread enough sticky webs.

Now, it was time to bait it.

We attached a sturdy rope made from spiderwebs to the newly summoned pirate ship.

At the other end, Bbyak—the strongest among us—waited.

We moved toward the place where the Kraken had come up.

Chu waaaak—

The powerful octopus leg surged upward.

As planned, the sticky webs clung firmly to the leg.

Though it struck the ship with great force, it was a different story from before.

The rope stuck to the sticky leg wouldn’t come off.

Now!

Bbyak flew with all its might, tightening the rope.

It became a tug of war between the Kraken and the Phoenix.

Neither side gave an inch.

But the rank difference was undeniable.

Bbyak was not just any Rank 5 beast.

It was an 85-rank Phoenix that had evolved twice.

The Kraken gradually started to lose ground.

Soon, it surfaced.

Kwaaah!

The Kraken fought hard with its last strength.

But it was no match for our Bbyak.

Eventually—

The vanguard—

Pulled the Kraken ashore with a huge spray of water.

It was massive, just like in the legends.

Its jet-black skin and eight legs.

The giant octopus Kraken looked around, clearly startled.

Let’s calm it down first.

We asked why it had attacked the approaching ship.

Carefully approaching, we gently stroked its leg, which seemed a bit darkened.

Thanks to Kiumi’s skill, it wasn’t particularly alert.

“Is there something down there?”

Kwaaah.

The Kraken nodded.

As I suspected, it was a guardian deity protecting this place.

Its rank was—

Even higher than Vandal or Cheonsan.

[Kraken]

[Rank] S-SSS

[Preferred Food] Giant underwater monsters

So that’s what it was guarding.

If it was worth guarding, it must be a powerful item.

Surely it wasn’t a fragment of the God’s Shard, was it?

Curious, I asked.

Kwaaah!

The Kraken was startled.

Long ago, the Pirate King entrusted it with a sacred stone tablet bearing the traces of the gods.

It protected it from evil monsters coveting the sacred power.

If a hero came to claim the stone later, it was to be given as a gift.

The Kraken looked back and forth between me and Bbyak, nodding.

That person was the one.

The hero the Pirate King, once ruler of the seas, had spoken of!

Kwaaah—

With a voice full of certainty, it said to wait a little longer.

It then dived and soon returned.

On one leg, there was a small box.

An old treasure chest.

Carefully opening it, we found a familiar stone tablet inside.

[The third trace of the gods has been discovered.]

[The divine aura hidden in the Pyeongya deepens.]

[The power of the World Tree expands.]

[It can now detect entities in more distant Dimensions.]

[Up to 18 characters can be transmitted.]

We had found the third piece of the long-sought stone tablet!

The power of the World Tree expanded immediately.

It said it could detect beings in more distant Dimensions?

What was this about?

***

The hidden plain.

Silpia, who nurtured the World Tree, felt a sharp intuition.

The World Tree had just grown.

Not its outward appearance.

Its inherent power itself had increased.

She cautiously touched the tree’s trunk, focusing her mind.

Since the World Tree was still young, communication wasn’t possible.

But its will was clear and unmistakable.

A new Dimension, transparently projected!

It was easy to see.

Where could that be?

Since its power hadn’t fully recovered, it only appeared faintly.

We couldn’t discern any details.

But it was evidence of another Dimension.

Just like Silpia herself, if a connection was left behind, we could cross into a new Dimension anytime.

Come to think of it, the entire plain was now filled with sacred energy.

What had changed?

Silpia carefully looked around and saw something.

A very old stone tablet.

I had seen it somewhere before.

Where was it?

That’s right.

It came to me.

On Earth 10,459, there was something similar.

A diary left by the previous queen.

Because it was written in an unknown script, we couldn’t read it, but there was one unique drawing.

It looked exactly like that stone tablet.

You might ask if all stone slabs look the same, but those who have seen it know.

That stone tablet was one of the relics humanity protected until the very end.

Why was it here?

And there were two of them.

Silpia’s mind grew complicated.

That was when footsteps sounded behind her.

Startled, Silpia quickly prepared magic.

Then—

“W-who are you?”

A young man stood there.

A familiar face.

He looked exactly like Woo Min.

His identity was none other than Woo Hyuk, Woo Min’s younger brother.

It had been a while since Woo Hyuk came to visit the plain, and his eyes met Silpia’s.

“Eh, an elf?”

Pointed ears.

Beautiful appearance.

Woo Hyuk, seeing a real elf for the first time, was completely stunned.