Chapter 220: Let’s Do Our Best
[Calyra’s POV]
The silence weighed down on everyone inside the private quarters.
Squad 2, Calyra’s squad, had long since finished discussing their strategy for the island test, yet not a single person spoke.
The reason was simple.
The warning they had just received had left a shadow hanging over their hearts. No one dared question it, nor did anyone wish to test whether it was true. Some truths, after all, were never meant to be challenged, and everyone in that room understood that all too well.
Calyra stood slightly apart from her squad as she often did.
Her gaze was fixed beyond the porthole, watching the slow churn of the waves. She wasn’t ignoring the statement from the academy. No, the fear had reached her too, but she simply held it differently.
While the others clung to caution, her mind had drifted into what had been said and what had been left unsaid.
What manner of darkness could silence the Island so completely?
What force moved with such intensity that even the Voidspawn forged in the deep bones of the abyss refused to cross its path?
Though no explanation had yet been spoken, she had already sensed the change. Subtle to the point of vanishing, but undeniable once noticed.
The world around them, the sea beneath, the sky above, and even the air between... had shifted into something different, something unrecognisable. They could not be seen through naked eyes, but Calyra could sense them through the overwhelming dread they radiated.
The sea still lapped against the hull, but the sound no longer soothed. The water had thickened. Its color, too, had changed. Previously, it was ocean blue. Now, it was darker like an ink, heavy, and swallowing.
Above them, the clouds had also taken shape.
And they had taken the wrong one.
The sun was still there, visibly so, yet even that presence felt strained, distant. Its radiance had curdled into a pale, sickly imitation of warmth — present, but hollow.
This was not the sky’s doing or the weather. For some unknown reason, she had a feeling that this was manufactured by something unknown. A blanket drawn over the world to hide the unspeakable.
And Calyra, sensitive as she was to mana, felt it brushing her skin.
A warning through her soul. She felt a heavy, indomitable presence looming towards where they were heading.
’This... isn’t this Dark Mana?’
She quietly thought about it.
Even across the stretch of sea, even without contact, a presence on that Island was reaching her. A wavelength, faint but consistent, curling outward into the atmosphere, searching for purchase.
Then, her fingers traced the map she held, finally stopping at the southern coastline near the sprawling river delta. The narrow stretch of land sat between the wetlands and the open sea, where rocky cliffs, scattered boulders, and winding waterways met in a maze of marshes.
[Grid Location: 10G]
’Still, he was right... my starting location is 10G.’ (+100PP)
She exhaled slowly, gaze lifting once more to the unnatural, cloudy sky.
They hadn’t even set foot on the island yet.
And somehow, it was already watching them.
*****
[Ruvian’s POV]
Roughly an hour remained before they reached the waters surrounding the Vazrun Island.
That much, the navigator had informed them earlier. Every now and then, a dull impact shuddered through the vessel, followed by a low groan from the hull as whatever lurked beneath the sea rammed into it once more.
A few Sea Voidspawns had begun to surface too, a primal hunger that came from their raw instinct to attack the ship. Some came alone, or in twitching groups of two or three, gnashing and shrieking as their warped forms rose briefly to the surface.
Yet none had posed a real threat. Leviathan’s defenses had held fast. Whatever dared draw near was swiftly dealt with.
Even so, the silence afterwards felt a bit too long. Ruvian watched from behind the reinforced window of their assigned quarters, his gaze fixed on the water as a whole.
The sea had darkened further since morning. No longer blue, nor the blue-green that belonged to tropical depth, but a shade that seemed to reject light outright — darkness. And the sky above mirrored it in temperament, heavy with low grey clouds.
’We are close now.’
Ruvian could feel the abstract shift of it. He turned his head, then slowly swept his gaze across the quarters, observing his fellow teammates.
Shima lay sprawled across her mattress, surrendered to boredom and mild exhaustion. Her breath came deep and steady, but even in sleep, she looked alert.
Across from her, Horren had fallen into a similar state.
Arlok, meanwhile, rejected the stillness entirely. He moved through a set of light push-ups near the far wall, eyes half-closed as though the act itself was meditative.
Perhaps it was, for him.
Yerin sat with her legs crossed on the edge of her bed, hands resting lightly on her knees, eyes closed in deep concentration. The ambience of mana danced along her figure as she was refining her mana control.
Anyway, all of them were managing the final hour in their own way.
And so did Ruvian.
Then, he activated [Bookmarks].
[Bookmark Slots: (2/2)]
[Your current slots are full.]
[Do you wish to expand more slots?]
’Yes, add 4 more slots.’
[Unlock Cost: 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 / 4,000 Plot Points.]
[Total cost: 10,000 Plot Points.]
[Proceed?]
’Yes.’
Then, Ruvian added a few more people to the list, and one of them was Loden, whom he had secretly managed to approach during the final day of preparation.
[’Calyra Arcanis’ Has Been Added To The Bookmark.]
[’Rosalin Varion’ Has Been Added To The Bookmark.]
[’Silvena D’Elvoire’ Has Been Added To The Bookmark.]
[’Loden Armand’ Has Been Added To The Bookmark.]
[A total of 8,000 Plot Points have been deducted!]
[Remaining PP: 12,655]
Ruvian sighed.
’I guess I need to gather these points again...’
With one final glance toward the others, he let out a soft breath and turned toward his own bed. His body was not tired, but if he wants to get some rest, it’s better to do it now before they land on the island.
*****
Then, after an hour of nap, a hand pressed lightly against his shoulder.
Ruvian woke up from the shallow edges of sleep, his eyes opened with readiness as though the part of him that rested never truly let go of the waking world.
Arlok stood above him, crouched slightly, his face shadowed by the dim cabin light.
"Oi, wake up, Golden Goose. They told us to get ready. We arrive in 15 minutes." His voice sounded stiff.
’Ugh... I feel like I didn’t sleep at all.’
Ruvian got out of the bed.
By then, the others were already awake. Yerin sat on her bed, tying the leather guard around her wrist. "The instructors said we will arrive soon." She took a deep breath and looked at the four of them.
"So everyone..."
Yerin let out a confident smile and said—
──────── ✦ ────────
[Chapter 220: Let’s Do Our Best]
Plot Points= 12,655
