Chapter 621: Only the Chosen Stay |
Luke was swimming upward, dragging Eleanor with him. The moment their heads broke the surface, she screamed. The large spined fish had hit her. Eleanor was cursing with words so vicious Luke was not even sure they existed.
“The boat, Eleanor. The boat,” he tried to tell her.
She touched her bracelet, and a wooden rowboat appeared. Luke hauled her into it.
“It burns! It burns!” she screamed, clawing at her own body.
The spines that had pierced her carried corrosive acid. Eleanor was riddled with holes, and the liquid had already eaten through fabric, skin, and flesh.
“I need to check whether it injected venom,” Luke said.
He examined the wounds quickly. The punctures had only struck her on impact. The fish had not managed to release its venom.
“It burns! It burns!” she kept saying while Luke poured water over her. The acid had already evaporated from the surface, but some of it had gotten under the skin.
There was no sign of Jack, Anne, or any of the others. Just the two of them. In the middle of the ocean.
Objective: Survive until the end.
Time Remaining: 1 Week : 6 Days : 23 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds
Just me and her.
Luke reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out a healing potion. The only one he had left. Except it was not exactly a normal healing potion.
[Verdant Vitality Potion (Rare)]: A healing potion empowered by the stimulating essence of the Energizing Luminous Mushroom, allowing its energy to activate and accelerate bodily tissues. This stimulation reinforces recovery and enhances the body’s natural regenerative processes, even assisting with minor regrowth of limbs, bones, or damaged tissues, similar to how plants recover. With tissues accelerated and revitalized, the body regains vitality, endurance, and prolonged physical capacity. Restores 1550 HP and, due to intense bodily activation, may cause a slight increase in libido.
“Eleanor, I’ve got a healing potion that can stop this.”
She groaned through clenched teeth. “Give it to me. It’s eating my flesh.”
“But... this potion has a minor side effect.”
“Just give me the damn thing!” she snapped, grabbing his shirt and glaring at him through the pain. “This shit hurts, Luke!”
“Alright. You accepted the risk.”
He handed it over. She swallowed it immediately. Less than ten seconds later, Eleanor’s expression changed. Relief. The wounds were already beginning to close.
“I’m... sorry,” she said, pressing a hand to her forehead as she sat up against the edge of the boat. “I was a little harsh.”
“It’s fine. Is it getting better?”
“Yes.” She tore away the ruined part of her shirt where the acid and spines had torn into her. “It’s healing. Honestly, just making the pain stop was enough.”
She handed him the empty bottle, and Luke stored it away in his pocket dimension.
“So what now?” Eleanor asked, looking around.
“It’s just us here. The others aren’t. None of the other Beacon participants either.”
“And we’re in the middle of the ocean.”
[Dungeon Challenge 1: Reach the Island.]
The notification appeared beneath the dungeon’s main objective.
“Island?” she asked, staring out at nothing but water.
Several hours passed with Luke and Eleanor rowing. He did not want to use the shark yet. Better to let it keep regenerating inside the core. When night fell, they started watching the direction of the waves. The tide was stronger now. So they made their choice. They followed the pull of the sea.
Eleanor was red-faced and silent.
“What the hell did you give me, Luke?” she asked.
“Okay, before you judge me, I did try to warn you, all right? It only has... one small side effect. Very small.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What exactly is this damn side effect? And it’s not just one side effect. I’m feeling a whole list of them.”
“Feeling what? What are you feeling?”
Her cheeks turned even redder. “Luke, what is the damn side effect?”
“A slight... increase in libido. That’s all.”
“Oh, sure...” she said, then froze. “Wait. Did you say libido?”
“Yes. Libido.”
She stopped rowing and covered part of her face with one hand. “Damn it. That explains things.”
“Explains what?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. Then she glared at him. “Luke, why do you casually carry around something that raises libido?”
“I’m going to remain in total silence over here while eating my imaginary popcorn,” Artemis said.
“It’s not what you think, Eleanor.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to think?” she asked.
“I don’t know. What are you supposed to think that I think you’re thinking?”
“Luke, if I remember right, you used to make potions. You were even proud of being a walking plant encyclopedia. So I do not believe you accidentally made something that messes with libido. Luke... why do you even have this?”
“Look, I’m not some deranged creep walking around with date-rape potion,” he said.
“That is exactly what it sounds like,” Artemis muttered.
“I made it for science, okay?” he told Eleanor. “Magical science. It wasn’t supposed to be used on women. It was meant for men.”
“I cannot believe this,” she muttered.
“Magical science, okay? Science.”
“Thank you for your contribution, great scientist who invented a potion to give men erections. Should we nominate you for a Nobel Prize?” Eleanor asked.
“Look, listen. Medicine doesn’t work properly on people with the system. At least not modern medicine. I had to be a pioneer, okay?” he said. “And I’m broke. I lost eighty million dollars. This could be my one way back to being rich, so please... put that knife away.”
“It was just sitting here casually.”
Eleanor stood up. “Damn it, Luke. This thing doesn’t just raise libido. I don’t know what else is in it, but I feel like I need to run a marathon just to burn the energy off, and I’m stuck in a damn raft.”
“It’s a stimulant across the board,” he said.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
A small wave hit the boat, and Eleanor lost her balance. Luke caught her in midair. Suddenly, a moan slipped from Eleanor.
She clapped both hands over her mouth and sat down, eyes wide in shock. “W-w-what was that?”
“What was what? I didn’t hear anything, no pretty sound, I mean, nothing,” he said.
Please, this doesn’t count as cheating, right?
Eleanor touched the skin of her own arm with two fingers and shuddered. “Damn it, Luke. Why is my skin so sensitive right now?”
“Hey, hey, hey,” he said. “I don’t know, okay?”
“How long is this supposed to last?” she asked, face burning red.
“I don’t know. It shouldn’t be hitting you this hard. Layla didn’t complain this much.”
“You gave this stuff to Layla?” Eleanor shot to her feet, scandalized.
“Hey, hey. It’s not what you think,” he said, dropping the oars.
“What exactly should I think, Luke?”
“What exactly am I supposed to say so you stop thinking whatever it is you think I was thinking?”
“Explain.”
“In the dimensional rift at the temple, Layla was badly injured, and I had to give her the libido potion to save her life.”
“So you just casually carry libido potions around to save wounded women?” Artemis asked. “You are an awful man, Luke. Truly shameless.”
“Hey. Stop making this worse. I only had a few of them left, and I drank one myself once. It was really weak.”
“You drank a potion to get hard?” Artemis asked.
“You know I used it to heal. Stop putting ideas in Eleanor’s head,” he snapped.
Eleanor sat on the far end of the boat, as far away from Luke as she could get.
“Super weak? Luke, you told me you had magical blood that gave you resistance to poison and things like that. Then some insane stomach that made you practically immune to all kinds of substances.”
“Yeah...”
“So of course it would feel super weak to you, you idiot!”
“Oh... right. That actually makes sense when you put it that way.”
“I can’t believe this. Poor Layla. She probably went through hell and was too embarrassed to say anything,” Eleanor said. Then she pointed at the oars. “Row, Luke. Row by yourself. That’s your punishment for creating something like that.”
“I’ll row. But don’t tell anyone I gave you my potion, okay? I only kept it with me for medical emergencies. Strictly for that.”
“Why would I tell anyone?”
“He’s afraid Charlie will kill him,” Artemis said.
“It’s not that dramatic. I just don’t want to screw up with my girlfriend,” Luke muttered.
“Fine,” Eleanor said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who drank it without asking what it did. And honestly, I still would’ve taken it even if I had known. You saved me from hours of pain while waiting for my natural regeneration to kick in.”
A brief silence settled between them.
“But row, Luke. At least until the potion wears off.”
“Thank you, Eleanor. You’re a saint. I’d give you a hug, but...”
She looked at him like she was about to fire lasers out of her eyes.
“Right. Got it. I’m shutting up now. I promise.”
***
“Opportunity makes the thief,” Luke said.
He and Eleanor had been talking through his strategy. Luke still had not chosen any of the level 90 skill options for his class. He wanted to see what he was up against first and then decide which skill would actually help. This time, the choice worked differently. It was not five brand-new skills. It was every old skill he had previously rejected, all the way from level 60 to 85.
“I hope that works,” Eleanor said.
“You didn’t reach class level 90?”
“No. Do I look like some lunatic who throws herself into danger every chance she gets? You leveled way too fast, Luke.”
“Maybe, but you pushed your profession past one hundred.”
“I had three months on an island. I had plenty of time. And before that, I spent months leveling after the tutorial. Altogether, what was it? A year?” She glanced at him. “Did you know I used to make arrows and hand them over to government people?”
“Seriously?”
“I wasn’t sitting around in an office. I worked hard,” she said.
They reached the island’s shore that morning.
“The easiest way to level your race is through profession levels,” Eleanor said, stopping to store the boat inside her pocket dimension. “And it’s also the easiest way to gain more years of life. That’s what most bureaucrats do.”
[Dungeon Challenge 1 has been updated!]
Luke and Eleanor opened the notification immediately.
Dungeon Challenge 1: Reach the Island Objective: Be among the 51% of people who reach the island. Total People: 387/1000
“And what happens to the ones who don’t make it?” she asked.
“Death?” Luke said. “Either way, getting here wasn’t hard. There was nothing dangerous in the ocean. We just thought it through and followed the direction of the waves.”
They left the beach and headed into the forest.
“Do you remember how big Beacon One’s dungeon was?” Eleanor asked. “It was huge.”
“The one I cleared solo was gigantic too.”
“That entire Beacon One dungeon was meant for up to 10 people,” Eleanor said. “This one holds a thousand. Proportionally, this place should be enormous.”
“I’m guessing it is.”
“We went through three challenges in the last one, and this dungeon did not even warn us. It hid the part about needing to be among the fifty-one percent who reached the island.”
“Yeah. The system may not have put something directly lethal into the Beacon’s first challenge, but it hid the real condition. And after everything we went through just to reach this Beacon, the dungeon itself also got harder because of the penalty.”
The little floating robot following Luke slipped out of invisibility.
“The Beacon becoming harder does not necessarily mean every challenge will involve death. The very concept of challenge became more difficult because of what you did in the Citadel. That can include puzzles as well.”
“And was it the right choice?” Luke asked.
“There was no right or wrong choice,” Cadmus said. “There was only choice.”
It did not take long before they heard voices. They followed the sound through the forest, alert, weapons already in hand. Soon they reached a small village filled with other participants. People were sitting on rooftops, watching the area. No one seemed to know what to do. They were not killing each other. They were just... there.
“In Beacon One, we had to work together,” Eleanor said. “Doing that with this many people is going to be difficult.”
Luke studied the area. He did not see anyone familiar. He and Eleanor sat on top of a rock. The day dragged on while the number of people continued to rise.
Total People: 473/1000
Then, among the latest arrivals, Luke saw a familiar figure. A woman with a doll-like face and a maid’s dress.
“Anne,” Luke called, raising a hand.
The doll girl walked over. Evangeline was with her.
“You all got here the same way too, just appearing in the middle of the ocean?” the ninja woman asked.
“Nice to see you too,” Luke said.
“Yeah, yeah, Cinderella, nice to see you too,” she replied.
Evangeline was wearing a bikini with a cloth skirt tied around her waist.
“We’re in the middle of something dangerous,” Eleanor said.
“This is my battle outfit,” Evangeline replied.
“Hello... Lord Luke... and Eleanor,” Anne said.
“You two got here together?” Luke asked.
“No. I found the doll on the beach,” Evangeline answered. “I got here with someone else, though. We came as a pair. The guy ran off to find his friends.”
“I... arrived... with someone too,” Anne said, holding a human eye in her hand. “But... he tried... to drown me. So... he died.”
“I’m guessing that eye is his,” Luke said.
“I tore it... out.”
“That’s disgusting,” Eleanor said.
Evangeline sat down beside them. “Looks like you recovered, Eleanor. I was worried. Right before we got thrown here, one of those giant spiked fish hit you.”
“It wasn’t poison. The spine was made of acid. Those were some very unpleasant minutes,” Eleanor said. “But I got healed.”
“Healed? How, without our two healers? Did you have a healing potion?” Evangeline asked.
Eleanor’s face turned red. “Luke had a potion.”
He gave a small cough. “Anne, could you check Eleanor’s injuries? There might still be internal damage,” he said, steering the conversation away.
“Yes... Lord Luke...”
Anne raised her wand toward Eleanor. “I’ll examine... her first.”
While Anne looked after Eleanor, Luke and Evangeline scanned the area around them.
“Two weeks of challenge, huh,” the ninja woman said.
“This won’t be easy. The Beacon you cleared with Jack and Layla, was it hard?”
“No. We got through that dungeon in a few hours. But did you notice the problem with this one lasting two weeks?”
“Me and Eleanor did.”
They both looked around at everyone else.
“This Beacon is going to cut into the Phase 3 schedule,” Luke said. “Which means that out of the four weeks of Phase 3, we’ll only have two left once we get out of here.”
“And everyone knows that,” the ninja woman said. “They also know that losing this Beacon means losing Phase 2. Anyone aiming for Stage 3 can’t afford to lose a single phase.”
She fell silent for a moment. “This Beacon better force everyone onto the same team, because...”
“Things could get ugly once everyone realizes that.”
“No one fought this hard, especially after all the effort it took to get here, just to lose now. This little village could end up painted red.”
[Dungeon Challenge 1, “Reach the Island,” has been successfully completed.]
The notification appeared.
[Anyone who was not among the 51% of participants who reached the island has been expelled from the Beacon.]
Eleanor jumped off the rock. “Shit.”
“What is it?” Evangeline asked.
“The worst-case scenario. I don’t see Jack or Layla,” Eleanor said.
And Luke did not see Charlie either.
“If those two got thrown outside... then they’ll have to make the whole trip back up to the surface,” Eleanor said.
“Charlie’s with them. She’ll help them deal with the threats,” Luke said.
“Charlie doesn’t have a problem underwater, but Jack and Layla don’t have items that let them breathe down here,” Eleanor said. “Which means...”
“They’ll... drown...” Anne said.
[Dungeon Challenge 2 has been activated!]