The Phantom Fleet

Promises made to others must always be fulfilled. The next day, as I set foot on Bafin Island, I brought the axe along.

Horus displayed no surprise at the presence of an additional companion. When I suggested that the axe undergo his training, Horus merely gestured toward a dilapidated bookshelf and remarked, "I would be more than willing to train him, provided you purchase a set of martial arts cards. However, your achievement card data, being tied to your time on Skull Island, will require double the payment."

That poses no problem," I replied. The axe certainly lacked the funds to acquire martial arts cards, having scraped together his travel expenses only by risking his life to rob a bank. I paid his tuition, ensuring that the axe would not indulge in the luxury of choice; I selected the cheapest martial arts card, known as the "Primordial Truth," and gifted it to him.

Even this most inexpensive card cost a staggering sixteen million demon coins. As for a weapon, I deemed his usual small flying axe quite sufficient, thus bypassing the need for a purchase. 

Horus instructed me to activate the teleportation magic circle with my achievement card, transporting us both to Skull Island.

The axe had harbored some illusions about the Demon Island I had described, but upon arriving in such a bizarre locale, any semblance of the underworld's swagger vanished entirely. When I intended to have him use the Primordial Truth card, I suddenly recalled a crucial detail I had overlooked.

Aside from rare cards like the space card, communication card, and Demon Island bank card, most cards—such as the tenfold strength card, dynamic vision card, and martial arts card—required placement within the Book of Demons to be effective. The axe had no Book of Demons; had I not squandered my resources?

Just as I was about to accuse Horus of commercial fraud, this diminutive yet imposing master of martial arts coughed lightly, stepped forward, and presented the axe with a peculiar black book adorned with a white skull.

He whispered its purpose, and the axe, elated, promptly placed the Primordial Truth card within and activated it. "So he offers such services as well; however, the treatment on Skull Island is far inferior to that on Demon Island, lacking a beautiful demon assistant like Juliette." 

Horus's guidance had come to a close; the remaining challenge lay in grasping the elusive Warrior's Heart, a task I had to undertake alone. After bidding farewell to both the axe and Horus, I ventured into other parts of the island to train, allowing the axe to benefit from Master Horus's teachings in solitude.

The axe's martial skills were significantly inferior to mine, and his plight was even more pronounced. For several consecutive days, I regarded him with a gaze full of sympathy. However, I had recently begun to push through the first barrier of the formless sword energy technique, leaving little room for further sympathy. The progress in mastering this martial art was exceptionally arduous, entirely different from the nameless martial arts I had previously practiced.

If not for the sudden emergence of the formless sword energy option in my abilities after clicking, I might have doubted my qualifications for this practice, believing I had failed to initiate its training. No matter how diligently I trained, my progress remained stagnant at zero, causing me considerable distress. 

Encountering a plateau in my training, I attempted various methods to break through the bottleneck. After consulting Master Horus, his response was, "Some things cannot be achieved solely through hard work; they require a certain opportunity and insight."

As the summer drew to a close and I prepared to return to school, I resolved to abandon this trial if I could not comprehend the Warrior's Heart.

After all, the crisis I had faced had been resolved, and the influence of Lord Guan would no longer trouble me. The title of Demon Island warrior held little significance for me; as long as I could make breakthroughs in my research on magic circles, I could still access Demon Island. 

In recent days, aside from my training, I had seized the opportunity of Horus training the axe to recruit a cadre of skeletal knights into my legion.

I utilized this group of skeletal knights to explore the island, gaining a general understanding of its power dynamics. Although many areas remained unexplored, I had amassed sufficient knowledge.

Even without Horus's company, I had already ventured into most regions of Skull Island. As my martial skills grew more refined, my challenges escalated. Today, I delved deep into the island's interior and encountered a skeletal lord. After a fierce battle lasting the entire day, I finally defeated this skeletal lord. 

Having completed my training for the day and regained some strength, I prepared to return to the teleportation circle. Without Horus, that old man, by my side, I had gone on a rampage these past few days, reaping substantial rewards.

The weapons wielded by the high-ranking skeletal knights were all treasures of levels five or six. The skeletal lord I had slain today wielded a magical longsword called "Breath of Death," a remarkable level seven treasure, perfectly complementing the sword I had acquired from a skeletal swordmaster just a day prior.

My willingness to cover the axe's expenses was merely a means to distance myself from Horus; now, it seemed my investment had yielded significant returns, exceeding tenfold. 

Strangely, the atmosphere above Skull Island always felt oppressive. Suddenly, a tremor shook the ground, followed by a series of distant cannon fire sounds.

The monsters on Skull Island, belonging to various factions, engaged in perpetual conflict, yet I had never witnessed the use of cannon weaponry. Though the cannon fire was fierce, the explosions were not particularly loud or dense, lacking the potency of modern artillery.

I flapped my magical wings and quietly ascended into the sky, where I beheld a vast fleet upon the sea—ancient sailing ships, modern yachts, old cannon boats, and contemporary warships, all present. However, the cannon fire launched from the fleet consisted of strange, dark, or pale fireballs that, while producing explosive sounds, inflicted no damage upon the rocks and vegetation of Skull Island. Only when the cannon fire struck the skeletal warriors did it erupt violently, shattering them into countless bone fragments. 

"A ghost ship fleet?

So Skull Island possesses a navy;

but what could their purpose be in attacking this island?" Soon, seven formidable waves of dense death energy surged forth from the island, the black and deep gray miasma erupting like a volcanic explosion, shooting straight up several kilometers into the sky.

Recalling Horus's mention of seven kings residing on this island, a chill ran through me, and I swiftly made my way to the teleportation circle. Such commotion was beneath my notice; it was far too perilous.