Chapter 123: Castaway Chronicle on the Deserted Island (4)

Late at night, in a corner of the Rocky Isle.

Hardin contemplated his body in stillness.

‘I need to grow my core first.’

The amount of mana condensed within Hardin's core at the moment was limited to the level of a 2-star master knight.

While other 2-star ranks might differ in mana circuits, efficiency, and speed, it was still far from the level needed to completely dominate in the upcoming battle.

In the end, it wasn’t just knights who had to break through their limits.

‘I’m no exception.’

Hardin's consciousness scanned throughout his body.

Vmmm—

He could feel hundreds of tiny mana particles clinging near his blood vessels and organs.

These were the results of his steady mana training and consuming elixirs he personally brewed.

A faint furrow formed on Hardin’s brow.

‘Damn, is it supposed to be this hard to gather mana?’

In his previous life, all he had to do was focus on physical training and swordsmanship, but now he was juggling heavy duties and training his subordinates while trying to accumulate mana—it was absolute hell.

Truly... a kind of suffering he’d never imagined in his past life.

‘Still, I did it.’

Clench.

Hardin gripped his fist tightly.

With this much accumulated mana, it should be enough to raise the grade of his core to the level he desired.

It was time to test that result.

Hardin curled his lips slightly into a grin and focused his consciousness on his lower abdomen.

‘Come here... you little bastards.’

Vmmmm—

As his core began to emit light, the mana particles that had been clinging throughout his body and lying dormant started to be drawn toward the core.

At first, they seemed to resist, stubbornly clinging to their spots, but they couldn’t hold out for long and gradually gathered near the core.

Soon, like soldiers surrounding a fortress, hundreds of mana particles formed a circle at regular intervals around the core.

Once everything was in place—

Crack.

Hardin clenched his teeth.

‘Go.’

The surrounding mana rushed into the core all at once.

Crunch! Crack!

The mana particles simultaneously pushed against the walls of the core.

Bit by bit, they began to melt through the outer walls and seep inside.

If he could just absorb all of them like this... he could raise the grade of his core another level.

‘Good, melt completely.’

Increasing his concentration, Hardin pushed the remaining mana particles into the core.

Now all that was left was to stabilize it, let it fuse with the existing core, and slowly expand the outer wall.

Hardin focused inward, maintaining the balance between repulsion and attraction to stabilize the interior.

But then—

‘What the—?!’

VMMMMM!

Suddenly, the flow of particles inside the core, which had been swirling together, began to speed up rapidly.

‘What is this...?’

He tried to concentrate and regain control somehow, but the speed was too fast—he couldn’t stop it.

‘Damn it!’

Perhaps it was because the mana within the core had increased due to the recent infusion.

The core’s already rapid repulsive force accelerated even more violently, swelling out of control.

Forget mana manipulation—nothing was working at all.

The uncontrollable particles within the core began to form a small vortex of mana.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if the core itself shattered.

In the end… Hardin had to make a choice.

“Cough! Cough!”

He spat out a mouthful of blood, followed by a series of violent coughs.

“What… the hell is this?”

The mana particles he had forced into the core scattered outward again.

Only then did the core, which had been spinning madly, begin to settle down.

At that moment—

“A-Are you alright, Young Master?”

“Hm?”

When he lifted his head, Beryl, completely soaked, was looking at him with a deeply worried expression…

 Kukuuu?

The Cockatrice was also staring at him intently.

To this, Hardin waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”

“But—”

“I said I’m fine.”

Hardin looked Beryl straight in the eyes with a firm gaze as he spoke.

“…Understood. If there’s anything I can help with, please let me know.”

With that, Beryl slumped his shoulders slightly and turned back toward the sea.

Ptoo!

Hardin spat out the rest of the blood still lingering in his mouth and closed his eyes again.

‘So… what the hell was that just now?’

This time, Hardin drew in a single mana particle and pushed it into the core.

Push.

Even as the mana pierced into the core, there was no abnormal reaction in his body.

He tried again, feeding in one more mana particle, then another—slowly, carefully continuing to insert more.

And once it reached a certain point—

Vmmm! VMMMMMM!

Suddenly, the core began to spin wildly, repelling the mana with violent force.

This was a level that couldn’t be controlled at all.

“Goddamn it… again?”

Hardin expelled the mana particles from the core and bit down on his lip.

He had a rough idea of what was happening.

‘This… is a trait of the core itself.’

Once a certain threshold was crossed, the core would begin to spin uncontrollably, far beyond his ability to regulate it.

From the start, it wasn’t human-made—it was a mimicry of Shagrath’s, so it wouldn’t be strange for anything to happen.

Their bodies were different, their blood was different. Perhaps that’s why his body couldn’t fully accept it.

If anything, it was strange that things had gone smoothly until now.

‘This… is messed up.’

A bitter taste rose in his mouth.

He didn’t care why this phenomenon was occurring or what the exact reason was.

The real problem was that very soon, he’d have to face the Count of Tread.

If he didn’t raise the core’s grade before then, not only would total victory be impossible—the odds of winning at all would become uncertain.

It was, quite literally, a bolt from the blue.

‘Hmm…’

Hardin gnawed at his fingernail.

Though a sigh escaped him, he didn’t feel worried or irritated.

No—what he felt now was actually…

‘This is going to be interesting.’

Yeah, this was what it took to make things feel worth doing.

His heart pounded, and thoughts began to rise one after another in his mind.

How could he overcome this wall?

How could he solve this problem?

The memories and experiences of "Varlach Daphne," who had survived countless battles and hardships, were warming Hardin’s blood.

“Alright.”

Shff!

Hardin pulled out a bundle of parchment from inside his coat and grabbed a quill.

Then, curling the corner of his lips, he muttered to himself.

“Let’s see who wins… you or me.”

I’m Varlach Daphne.

The man who once tore apart that damned squid’s body.

Not much time left? Please. I’ve overcome worse within tighter deadlines.

‘And besides… a wall isn’t something you always have to climb over.’

You could dig a tunnel, or carve a hole through it… as long as you got to the other side, that was all that mattered.

Scratch, scratch.

Hardin’s hand began to move across the parchment.

“Hehehe… hehehehehe.”

A twisted grin spread across his face as a sly chuckle slipped out.

---

At that moment—

“What in the world… is he doing?”

 Kukuuu?

Not far away, Beryl and the Cockatrice watched Hardin with worried expressions.

---

---

Time moved quickly for Daphne.

Three full weeks had passed since construction of the fortress began.

Late morning, transitioning into noon, at the Mudside coast.

“Alright, alright! We’re finishing the eastern sector by today no matter what!”

“Yes, sir!”

Under Malion’s supervision, nearly a hundred laborers were working diligently, hauling materials and assembling structures.

As he read over the blueprints and gave orders, Malion stopped for a moment to survey the harbor.

‘Progress is faster than expected.’

A fairly long wooden wall had already been built in front of the harbor village, and nearby, soldiers had begun setting up watchtowers for cover and placing siege weapons and cannons.

‘Once this is finished, the harbor will be…’

Just as Malion tightened his focus with a determined gaze—

“Third Young Master! We’ve arrived!”

“Ah, right.”

Turning his head toward the familiar voice, Malion saw several wagons lined up behind the supply officer Engelmann and the attendant Gadolph, who stood side by side.

Malion relaxed his expression and smiled slightly.

“Great work, everyone. Let’s unload everything quickly.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, Engelmann was the first to return to the wagons, leading the waiting personnel to begin unloading the cargo.

The side Engelmann was overseeing was loaded with supplies essential for fortress construction—lumber, nails, hammers, and so on.

“Stack them over here! Don’t mix them up!”

“Yes, sir!”

Meanwhile, on Gadolph’s side, boxes filled with foodstuffs like hardtack, jerky, and dried vegetables—provisions for the workers—were being neatly piled on the ground.

Originally, this would have been the retainers’ responsibility, but due to the current shortage of manpower, Gadolph had taken over the task.

“The lumber looks to be in order… Is this all there is for this wagon?”

“Yes.”

Holding a bundle of parchment in one hand, Malion checked the items against the inventory list.

After a brief inspection, Malion let out a long sigh and turned his gaze to the side.

Far off along the shoreline, barely a dot in the distance, the Rocky Isle came into view.

‘What’s he doing out there, I wonder?’

Hopefully, not getting up to anything absurd again.

Just as he stood there blankly, staring toward the Rocky Isle—

“…Third Young Master?”

At the voice calling out to him, Malion turned and his brow twitched.

“You all are…?”

Standing before him were nearly twenty people.

At the front was an elderly man, his back slightly hunched, with women and children standing behind him.

Each of them was holding a large basket with both hands.

The old man, hands trembling slightly, spoke up.

“I’m not sure if you remember us… but we’re the original residents of Mudside.”

“Ah.”

From the time of the Sahagin…

In that moment, recognition dawned on Malion’s face as he nodded.

“What brings you here?”

At that, the old man, as if waiting for the question, held out the basket he was carrying toward Malion.

“Would you be willing to accept this?”

“What is…?”

As Malion looked inside the basket, a sweet aroma wafted up.

“Dried fish fillets. Nothing grand, but… if you allow it, may we share them with the workers?”

Golden, appetizing strips of dried fish.

These were made by carefully deboning fish, slicing the flesh, sprinkling bone powder on top, and slowly drying them in sea breeze for dozens of days. The taste was excellent, but the process was so labor-intensive that they were fairly expensive.

And they had brought this… in such quantity?

Malion asked, slightly surprised.

“I don’t mind, but why are you offering this without asking for anything in return?”

The village chief responded with a sheepish smile and a slightly awkward tone.

“Well, we’re Mudside… no, Daphne’s people now.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“You revived our ruined village and turned it into such a splendid trade port. And now, this construction must also be for the safety and well-being of the harbor. If anything, we’re just sorry we can’t do more to help.”

“……”

There was a deep sincerity in the faces of the village chief and the women standing behind him.

In that moment, a few past memories flashed through Malion’s mind.

 That won’t do.

 Huh? What’re you saying?

 We can’t build the harbor. I’m telling you.

The memory of when he had firmly urged Hardin to abandon Mudside came gently to the surface.

‘I’m not the one they should be thanking…’

He felt a tickle in his nose, and a warm flush rise to his face.

Malion scratched at his cheek, shaking off the strange emotion, then slowly lifted his head again.

Looking at the village chief, he calmly replied.

“Please share as much as you’d like. I’m sure everyone will appreciate it.”

“Th-thank you so much.”

Immediately, the women who had been standing behind stepped forward and began handing out the fish fillets to the workers.

“Here… please try one of these.”

“Ohh, thank you!”

“Mister, try this! My mom made it!”

“Thank you, child. Haha!”

Smiles bloomed on the faces of the workers who received the dried fish.

Watching the scene, Malion found himself nodding without realizing it.

Then, the village chief quietly spoke up.

“Um… Third Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering… may I ask where Manton is? I haven’t seen him around at all lately.”

“Oh, Manton.”

Malion pointed with his finger toward the Rocky Isle, far beyond the breakwater.

“He’s probably over there with my older brother right now.”

“He went over there? Why?”

“I heard they’re doing some special training. I don’t really know the details, though.”

“Oho, if it’s something the Young Master is leading, then surely it’s for the sake of the House. That’s… quite exciting.”

For the sake of the House, huh…

Malion met the chief’s eyes for a brief moment before letting out a small chuckle and responding.

“Yes, I think so too.”

At that moment—

Smiles of satisfaction crossed the faces of both Malion and the village chief, overlapping warmly.

---

---

At that very moment, on the Rocky Isle—

“Uuugh!”

The knights of Daphne, standing atop the water, were trembling violently.

Splash!

Unable to hold out much longer, they fell one after another into the water.

Soaked like drowned rats, they crawled back onto the shore, gasping.

“This is insaneeee! Is this really proper traininggg?!”

Mikkelsen shot up like lightning and let out a shrill scream.

‘Is this really supposed to help with anything?’

‘Are we really going to be okay doing just this?’

Their faces were filled with anxiety and despair.

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