Chapter 67 067

-Do you think he really means it?

-Looks real to me. He'd ask to get paid in advance if he was trying to scam us.

-I think so too. Crooks tend to be talkative, but he's not. He even said that we can pay him whenever we want.

Odie and Roth, Haydall were busy chatting behind Seojin's back. Seojin didn't care what they were doing, but Odie had already cooled off.

-Right? He'd ask for the money first if he was trying to scam us.

-I think so too. There's no reason to say no to a thousand gold.

Roth was right. If Seojin intended to scam money out of them, he could get paid first, tour them around the island and then call it a day. Odie didn't intend to benefit from the quest in the first place, she simply wanted to soothe her ego with money.

'So, is the quest on that island really worth it?'

It was hard to understand. Although Seojin had helped them, Odie was confident that they would have collected enough coconuts if they had a decent tank. So, was the quest really worth a thousand gold? No, more than a thousand gold.

'Of course, we spent a lot of money on specs…'

At that time, Haydall sent another message, perhaps reading her mind.

-Don't you think the quest to get these coconuts is something like a minimum qualification? I had a l had a look at the community and heard that Kenzie's quest changed recently.

-It changed?

-Apparently, there used to be no time limits, and the quest for burning coconuts didn't exist at all It looks like those who failed will get a completely different quest.

-…

Odie felt complicated. She started the game as a way to relieve stress, and as she had breezed through everything until now, she was very stumped.

* * *

Seojin had his plate full as well.

-So you can't go in?

-Thuh flames is too fierce. Ah can't scout thuh area raht now, but maeybe thet'll change once way enter.

Even Flappy couldn't get past the hellfire of the Southern Island. It looked as if recon was prohibited at a system level. The island was only accessible by using certain means, and only after entering it directly could they grasp the internal conditions.

'I guess I've gotta dive in headfirst.'

Nothing was "too creative" when it came to world quests, but there was also one more problem.

'How do I get to the Southern Island?'

Originally, there had been a passenger ship that operated regularly. In contrast to the Northern Island, which was more like a cultivated tourist attraction, the Southern Island pushed a primal forest theme. However, he couldn't expect such services to be running in this kind of situation.

-Ahl take uh look.

Flappy soared up to fly along the coast, looking for anything that would help. There had to be a hint considering that the developers wouldn't want the quest to remain unsolved forever. Unsurprisingly, Seojin was right.

-Foun' it.

-Found what?

-It's close tuh chur position. Walk along thuh coast fahwar twindy minutes.

-What's there?

-Hyooman with uh boat. See fer yerself.

Seojin knew that Flappy didn't mean a luxury yacht when she talked about a boat. Seojin told Haydall, who was acting like the team representative as he followed him.

"Boat? In this situation? I can't believe there's such an insane captain."

"Well, it's a game."

Haydall couldn't argue with that logic and simply nodded.

"That's true."

After a while, Seojin found the NPC that Flappy was talking about. The plain-clothed, middle-aged man was sitting on his boat, holding paddles in his hand. He didn't look right though, he was staring blankly into the air as if he had been possessed by something.

But after a while…

"Oh, hey there!"

The man's eyes soon found Seojin and he waved his hands passionately.

"Come this way! Vast nature is just over the water! I'll even give you a discount!"

"…Vast nature? I'm doubtful that there's even one tree left over there."

"Oh, of course, but you'll see how lacking your imagination was once you get there! I guarantee you!"

"It's on fire, though."

"Fire? So, you're saying you're excited? Haha, no wonder!"

'No wonder what?'

The man wasn't making any sense, but it wasn't as if Seojin had another way to get there. He gulped down Kenzie's special drink and looked back at the rest of his party.

"Let's go."

"Wait, are we riding this? It doesn't look too safe…"

"Well, do you have another way?"

"I don't want to be that guy who criticizes without an alternative… so, shall we go, Odie?"

Odie glanced between Seojin and the boat before speaking.

"Is it safe?"

"Well, I don't know, but you can take a week-long rest if you die."

"How irresponsible… hey, don't leave me behind!"

Seojin quite literally gave zero shits about Odie and was already on the boat as the trio hurried to embark.

"Hey, I was talking…"

Seojin ignored Odie and looked at the man in the boat once again.

"You can carry four people, right?"

"Of course!"

"How much is it?"

"Give me four silver and we're good to go!"

"That's really cheap."

The man grinned ear to ear as he grabbed four silver coins.

"Let's go!"

The boat began its journey toward the Southern Island.

'…Can we really make it there like this?'

Odie's point was reasonable, although Seojin would never admit that. The sea would be burning too, so if the boat burned on the way…

'That would mean I acted too recklessly. I'll have no choice but to wait for another chance.'

While he had made a bold decision, Seojin never overestimated himself. He simply decided that the faster route was worth the risk after evaluating things.

"I feel like I'm sizzling. Is that just me?"

"I feel like I'm in a sauna."

"It's not like the game simulates pain anyway. Even if you fall into the water, you won't feel anything."

"Who cares about pain? I'm talking about the mugginess."

"You haven't even been to a sauna yet, have you?"

"I saw it on the internet once. Is it similar to this? Do people really pay for this shit?"

'What are these guys doing? A standup comedy show?'

Seojin doubted that they had any clue, but he had already found out that Odie was a celebrity. They acted like her identity was top secret, yet chatted about saunas like that.

"Have you never been to a sauna?"

"Oh, we live abroad now. Our ras…"

"Rascal?"

"…girl would love to visit one at least once. Hahaha."

"Oh… okay."

Seojin smiled and averted his gaze, thinking that they were indeed funny guys… then, he paused.

"…?"

Something was off. The boat was moving toward the Southern Island at speed, completely unaffected by the flames on the sea. That wasn't a problem, but…

'It's turning transparent.'

The boatman and the boat itself had turned slightly transparent, like a grainy hologram. He became grainier as they gradually approached the island, and soon enough, he was translucent.

"No, I'm not… ahhh!"

"What the… gasp!"

"Why is the NPC like that?"

While Roth spoke calmly, Odie and Haydall were overly dramatic. Seojin shrugged.

"Idunno?"

"Oh my God! What if the boat disappears? I knew it! I shouldn't have come here! What can I do with an entire week?! I don't even have any gigs now!"

"Wait… wait a minute… Odie, calm down!"

"Calm down, my ass! I know that you'll lock me up in the gym like you did before!"

"Hey, that wasn't my fault!"

Seojin didn't care a bit about their rambling as he calmly watched the Southern Island getting closer and closer.

'So, the drinks must be effective. We would have burned to death otherwise.'

He also could grab the side of the boat tightly and feel the hard wood under his hands even though it had turned translucent.

'It's not actually vanishing. This must just be one of the clues.'

Target's existence is fading.

As expected, a system message popped up as the process reached a certain level. However, the condition of the NPC and boat did not worsen. It looked like a ghost ship but didn't vanish completely.

"Oh my God!"

"Fire, fire, fire!"

Soon enough, the boat passed through a wall of flames, but no one felt the burn, only a soft warmth.

Entering: The (Ex) Island of Peace.

"We're here!"

Seojin's gang stared at the peaceful, calm coastal village. The entire place was translucent.

* * *

"I heard that a house over there was on fire, so I went to see it, but it was my house!"

"You must have cried as soon as you saw it."

"Why would I? Fire is fire, but the island is still beautiful."

"…That's right. Thank you, ma'am."

"Take your time looking around! Our island is such a beautiful place!"

Seojin returned to the center of the village, leaving the ghosty middle-aged woman behind.

'As I expected, something is wrong.'

The moment he arrived, Seojin started investigating the residents, and they seemed to be enjoying their lives peacefully. They didn't seem too bothered about the fact that the fierce flames were burning not only the village but the entire island.

'Every single one of them was acting as though there were no problems. It was almost like they all had a screw loose.'

It wasn't an insult, but a description. Seojin thought that the cause must have been in the flames that encircled the place.

Odie and her gang also returned after conducting an investigation.

"How was it over there?"

Haydall nodded.

"People are strange. Well, I'd say that they're not in their right mind."

"You can just say that they're nuts."

"Language… but I can't deny that. How about you?"

"Same as you guys. I think this must be the reason…"

Seojin swept over his cheek and sent Flappy a message.

-See anything?

-Wayul, thayure's sumpn suspicious, but Ahv uh bayud feelin' bout it. Ah feel lahk Ahm gunna git caught fah git no closer.

-Don't get closer then. What can you see from there?

-Ah say bout fav suspicious buildings.

Flappy was seeing five artificial structures. As a spirit, Flappy could feel things more clearly, including the layout of the buildings.

-If you connect each building together, they form a reverse pentagram. You know what a pentagram is, right? A star shape. It's upside down.

Of course, Seojin knew what a pentagram was, he had seen them numerous times in Asgard. It was in an inverted form, which meant…

'It's the mark of a demon. I saw it when I made the fallen angels repent in Asgard.'

-Can you see any demons?

-Thuh flames is blockin' mah sight. Gotta disembark an take uh good look tuh find out.

-Stay there. Don't get any closer.

If Flappy said that it looked dangerous, it indeed was dangerous. Seojin wasn't planning to risk a superior spirit over a piece of information. All of a sudden, Roth shouted.

"How dare a feeble human step into our domain! I'll make you a follower by myself!"

Everyone looked bewildered, including Roth.

"Uh…. what did I just say?"