Chương 622: A Boat or Death

Dungeon Challenge 2: Claim a Boat Objective: The far side of the island, previously sealed off, is now accessible. Form a group of up to ten people and claim one of the available boats on the northern beach. But be warned: there are fewer boats than participants, and those who set sail first will have the advantage. The penalty for failing to complete the objective in time is disqualification from the challenge. Luke, Anne, Eleanor, and Evangeline were sprinting through the forest. Not just them.

Everyone else was too. Luke carved a path ahead with his kukris, slashing through leaves and branches. When they broke into a clearing, they found a battlefield waiting for them. The other participants were already attacking each other, trying to sabotage the competition. An arrow shot toward Luke. Anne raised her wand. The arrow struck, snow exploded outward, and Luke was shielded from the impact.

"If Jack and Layla are still outside..." Evangeline began. They all knew.

"They'll drown," Eleanor said, worry sharpening her voice.

"Neither of them has anything that helps them breathe underwater, and I seriously doubt they'll have enough air to make it back to the surface." Without Luke's shark, they would move slowly underwater, and they would have to fight the current while escaping Stalkers, giant octopuses, and spined fish.

"They're... going... to die," Anne said. Luke already knew that.

"Charlie can help them." He was certain she could kill other people who had also been disqualified, take their items, and get them to Jack and Layla.

"And what if Charlie wasn't disqualified?" Eleanor asked as they kept running.

"I need to get myself disqualified."

"Let's reach the objective first. Then we think about it. They've got more than enough breath to last for hours," Luke said, though he was still thinking hard.

"A total of four hundred ninety people were disqualified," he added.

"They won't be alone." The notification appeared every time Luke looked at one of them. [Do you wish to form a group with Anne Grimhart?] [Do you wish to form a group with Eleanor Kennedy?] [Do you wish to form a group with Evangeline Asakura?] He kept running. [Group formed with Anne Grimhart] [Moon Group: 2/10] Anne had accepted. [Group formed with Evangeline Asakura] [Moon Group: 3/10] As they ran, beasts emerged from the forest. They looked like humanoid shrimp.

Luke cut them down with his kukri whenever they got too close. Throwing knives, he shattered the legs of others. Killing them all was not worth the delay. The real objective was winning by reaching the beach in time. [Witch's Thread activated] He was yanked upward. From above, he hurled a blade into the larger creature ahead, destroying its head. The thing dropped dead.

[You have slain a Reef Fighter- Lvl 76] 327, 471 EP earned"You're not getting through," said a group of four stepping out of the undergrowth, half-masks covering their faces.

"If you slow us down, you'll lose the challenge too," Evangeline said.

"Who cares?" one of them replied.

"We want your items."

"Thieves..." Anne said. Eleanor fired an arrow. They scattered, but too late. Her arrow split into eight in midair and struck them. One dropped dead instantly. The other three were wounded. Luke charged alongside Anne and Evangeline. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 79...] 6, 413, 653 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment]"Move!" Evangeline said. If there are groups, that means only one of them wins in the end. At most ten people out of a thousand. This is a Beacon where only one percent can clear it.

Are all the Beacons in this phase going to be like this? For an hour, Luke and the others ran. If the Beacon's second challenge worked anything like the first, then there were probably hidden timing rules involved. So they did not stop for even a second. When they reached the beach, they saw people rushing toward the boats, large rafts with sails that looked like they could hold twenty people each. They resembled small Viking boats.

"Do you see any of them?" Eleanor asked as they ran.

"No," Luke answered.

"I really wish I had Jerry here to help," Evangeline muttered. Anne was right behind them. [Dungeon Challenge 2 has been updated!] They all opened the interface immediately. Dungeon Challenge 2: Claim a Boat Objective: The far side of the island, previously sealed off, is now accessible. Form a group of up to ten people and claim one of the available boats on the northern beach. But be warned: there are fewer boats than participants, and those who set sail first will have the advantage.

The penalty for failing to complete the objective in time is disqualification from the challenge. Tip: Attacking boats docked on the beach is punishable by disqualification. There is also a single ship on the beach. Good luck to the group that claims it. They sprinted toward one of the boats, but someone stepped in front of them.

"If I dodge and you hit the boat, you're screwed!" the man shouted while his group climbed aboard.

"Damn it," Evangeline said, and they ran for another. There were not enough boats for everyone.

"Idiots, haha!" someone nearby was laughing. When they looked over, they saw a large ship.

"They already claimed the ship," Eleanor said.

"It's not like we could sail it anyway," Luke said. He knew absolutely nothing about ships.

"I know... how... to sail... a ship," Anne said.

"You do?" Evangeline asked. A sword fight was already breaking out ahead of them, and then a ball of shadow crashed down onto the beach and exploded into black flames. People were fighting everywhere. Luke ran to another boat. Someone climbed into it ahead of him.

"You can't attack the boat. It's mine!" the man shouted. Luke punched him and threw him into the sand.

"I can't hit the boat, but you're a different story," he said, and Evangeline kicked the guy in the face. They climbed aboard. Other people were coming. Luke started shoving the boat toward the water.

"I don't know if I should go with you, Luke," Eleanor said as she helped push, while Anne and Evangeline stayed aboard to protect it. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"I do," he said, pushing harder. More people started closing in.

"Give us the boat, you brats!" shouted a group of men who looked like lumberjacks.

"It's ours! We're winning this damn challenge!" Luke stopped pushing and moved to intercept them, protecting Eleanor while she kept forcing the boat forward.

"Don't leave the boat!" he shouted to Anne and Evangeline. He went in against them. Every man in the group was carrying an axe. Eleanor shot one with an arrow. Luke leapt and cut the man's throat. One of the others roared. It was a rage skill. He came at Luke fast, and the rest tried to exploit the opening while Luke deflected their attacks with his kukris. Luke killed two of them, and that only seemed to enrage the others further. They were barbarians with berserker-type skills.

One of them stomped hard enough to blast a cloud of sand into the air, and they all leapt at him together.

"The blood of one barbarian fuels the next!" the man roared as he drove the weight of his axe down on Luke. Luke twisted and opened the barbarian's stomach in one spinning cut.

"Then let them keep bleeding," he said. More people were getting drawn into the fight while Luke traded blows, and then the last of the barbarians dropped, leaving one final figure standing in the sand with a sword in hand. Their blades were about to collide when Luke froze.

"Charlie?!"

"Master Luke!" she said.

"Luke! There's a whole damn army coming at us, and they're attacking the other boats in the water!" Evangeline shouted.

"I'm going to disqualify myself!" Eleanor said, hanging back.

"Scaumbag?" a voice said. It was Layla.

"We found you," said another. Jack. They were with Charlie. There was no time.

"Have you already joined a group?" Luke asked.

"No!"

"Then accept the request. Now." [Group formed with Charlotte Vespertilio] [Group formed with Layla Pumpkin] [Group formed with Eleanor Kennedy] [Group formed with Jack Harper] [Moon Group: 7/10] All of them leaped onto the Viking boat.

"Row!" Evangeline shouted.

"There's another damn notification!" [Dungeon Challenge 2 has been updated!] Warning: If the boat suffers severe damage, all participants in the group bound to it will be disqualified. A new problem. b Because it was not just the group on the beach firing arrows and magic at them anymore. The nearby boats had started attacking each other too.

"Shield, Jack!" Eleanor shouted. Jack threw up a mana barrier overhead while Anne covered the back of the boat. Luke summoned his Spectral Beast. The shark appeared in the water behind them and started pushing, driving the boat away from the reef. Other boats began pulling away from one another too, but nobody knew which direction was actually right. For a while, all they could do was focus on getting away from the island.

Once they were far enough out, with the other boats at a safer distance, they finally stopped rowing.

"That ending was absolute hell," Evangeline said, dropping her oar.

"Where were you two?" Eleanor asked.

"I showed up with Layla. We swam through the ocean and made it to the island," Jack said.

"I appeared in the ocean with a woman," Charlie said.

"But we got separated while swimming to the island." They quickly exchanged what had happened. Charlie had found Layla and Jack and protected them until they reached the challenge area.

"If you had formed a group, we would've become enemies in this challenge," Luke said.

"That's why we didn't. We needed to find you first," Charlie replied. [Dungeon Challenge 2 "Claim the Boat" has been successfully completed.] [Dungeon Challenge 3 has been activated!]"One more problem," Evangeline said.

"At least we're together," Layla said.

"I'm... happy... Charlie is safe..." Anne said.

"Thank you, Anne. I'm happy you're safe too," Charlie replied.

"And what about us?" Jack and Layla asked together. Anne tilted her head.

"Hmm... the short one... I had accepted... was already dead."

"What?" Jack said, stunned.

"A-and me, Lady Princess Maid?" Layla asked.

"Who... are you...?"

"I've been traveling beside you for days," Layla said, visibly offended.

"Welcome to the world of side characters the plot forgets exist, Layla," Artemis said. Luke tapped the notification. Dungeon Challenge 3: Island Run Objective: There are five islands in this area. Follow their path. Leave your boat on the island and run across the course to the far side, then claim another boat. Attacks between boats are allowed between participants, but attacking a boat docked on an island still results in disqualification.

For a full day, they sailed toward the horizon, following the markers set in the water, flags showing the route forward.

"There are fish in the water," Jack said after a while. Watching the sea had become his pastime. He was afraid something dangerous was lurking below.

"I'll go hunt," Charlie said.

"We have... food..." Anne replied, pulling bread from her pocket dimension.

"It's good to stretch your legs once in a while," Luke said. Charlie jumped into the water and dove beneath the surface.

"She does that so fearlessly. Is she not afraid?" Jack asked.

"We fought giant fish and dove all the way to the bottom of that ocean. You should've gotten over your fear by now," Layla said.

"I can't. I think the thalassophobia comes from not knowing what's down there. Honestly, I was less scared in those caves at the bottom of the ocean than I am out here now." Luke watched through Charlie's eyes using [Soul Infiltration]. [+5 Blood Energy] [Blood Core: 32/100] Charlie was feeding on fish. That had been his biggest concern, how she was supposed to keep feeding on blood while traveling with the group inside the dungeon. Now she had managed it. Do I tell them she's a vampire? He still had not decided.

But it was not as though the group would suddenly declare her an enemy. During the day she's weaker, but inside this dimension the sun is fake. It doesn't affect her. At least one of Charlie's disadvantages simply did not exist inside dungeons. When night fell, they split the watch into shifts. Luke took the night watch, since he could see in the dark. Charlie stayed up with him, and Anne did too.

"That pirate ship moved fast once it set sail," Charlie said.

"If they... were pirates... then they likely have powers... that make ships move faster," Anne said. She was sitting at the bow in a perfectly composed posture, her dress moving in the wind.

"You never sleep? Not even pretend to?" Luke asked.

"Never," she said.

"Charlie is my... conversation partner. Sister... Erza... used to sleep."

"Anne and I talked a lot during the months we spent on that island."

"Lord Luke... was the subject... of many conversations," the doll maid said. Charlie's cheeks turned red.

"Oh, interesting. Spicy conversations?" Artemis asked.

"N-no. Nothing like that. We only talked about... girl things," Charlie said.

"Not even a little bit spicy?" Artemis pressed. Luke conjured a black knife and threw it. [Telekinetic Impulse activated] The knife shot straight toward the water. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 61...] 2, 111, 413 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment] The splash made everyone jump to their feet.

"Lights!" Eleanor shouted, waking fully and already drawing her bow. Jack threw a sphere of light into the air, illuminating the sea around them. They saw four people in the water.

"Damn it!" one of the figures shouted. Eleanor started firing with Layla while Luke hurled knives. When it was over, the bodies floated on the surface.

"Their boat must be nearby," Charlie said, scanning the darkness. Luke used the Eye of Sariel and looked into the distance.

"Found it." He leaped from the boat and summoned his Spectral Beast. Eleanor jumped down beside him onto the shark's back, and the two of them cut through the sea toward a boat rowing away.

"Let's see who gets more kills," she said, firing an arrow high into the air. Luke threw a knife. [Telekinetic Boost activated] [Knife Storm activated] Luke's blades rained down beside Eleanor's multiplied arrows. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 73...] 19, 471, 427 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment] [You have slain a Human - Lvl 57...] 7, 852, 124 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment] She killed the other two. They returned to the boat.

"They're all dead," Eleanor said. Luke made the shark push the boat forward.

"Our position's been exposed," Evangeline said. They already knew that could happen. The challenge rules said the boat could not be destroyed, and the crew had to protect it, but nothing stopped some of them from leaving their own boat to attack another. In fact, that was probably the best strategy if you wanted to keep your own vessel away from direct confrontation. By morning, they reached an island, following the flags planted in poles above the water.

"The pirate ship," Layla said, staring. The ship was grounded in the sand.

"We can't attack," Eleanor said. And there was no point anyway. In the next stage, they needed to find another boat on the island. As soon as their boat scraped onto the beach, they felt a wave of relief. No one was waiting on the shore to ambush them.

"Anyone who got here first probably already ran inland to cross the island," Luke said.

"We could have gone around the island by boat," Jack said.

"The rules are to land at the beach marked by the flag. I wouldn't risk trying to cheat that," Luke said. Markers in the sand formed a path leading into the forest.

"Opportunity makes the thief," Luke muttered as he walked. He was finally going to choose his new class skill. He had put it off long enough.