"What? What did you see, Draco?"

Siegfried asked excitedly.

"Just try looking at the map for a while, and you'll see,"

Draco replied, not taking his eyes off the map. He feared that if he looked away, the faint image he saw would disappear.

Chang Long and Siegfried, although puzzled, stared at the map again as Draco instructed. Almost a minute later, the blank parchment slowly revealed a design, gradually transforming into a map of a small island located north of Europa Island.

"Uh... can I have the overall map of Europa Island?"

Chang Long asked without looking away from the map, afraid that if she did, it would go blank again.

"Here you go, Chang,"

Valentine handed her the map of Europa Island. When Chang Long compared them side by side, she found that the quest map's island was indeed to the north of Europa Island.

"Try comparing your map, Siegfried,"

Chang Long said to the young man. Siegfried looked away from the quest map, causing the image to disappear instantly. He took out the Pirate King's treasure map from his bag and spread it out next to the other two maps. Everyone gathered around to help analyze the maps.

"So, can you figure out which directions these islands are from Europa?"

Lidded Wet Trash Can asked first.

"Hmm... The quest map's island is definitely north of Europa Island. As for the treasure map island, we need to rotate it a bit because there are no directions marked on it,"

Draco replied.

"Let's mark the islands with a pen. The Maritime Association can't see the images on these maps, so this will help when explaining to them. But which island is the one on quest map?"

Hero asked, holding a pen.

"Uh... here, this open area in the sea, north of Tartarus City,"

Siegfried pointed out. Hero marked it with a cross so everyone could see it clearly.

"And what about the treasure island? Have you pinpointed its location, Chang Long?"

Oliang asked as he saw Chang Long rotating the maps for a while.

"Interestingly, I've tried several rotations to be sure, but the location..."

Chang Long said, pointing to the position of the island on Siegfried's map on a clear area on Europa Island's map. It matched the spot that Hero had marked on the Europa Island map exactly.

"No way. They're the same island!"

Jane exclaimed, not quite believing Chang Long since everyone knew she had a terrible sense of direction.

"Then check it yourself!"

Chang Long scowled at Jane and walked away. Jane, feeling guilty, smiled sheepishly and apologized profusely since, despite seeing the treasure map, she could not see the Fairy Island map to confirm it was the same.

Their friends let Draco and Siegfried compare the maps as well to see if anyone could find differences. However, both of them pointed to the same spot, leading to the unanimous decision that the treasure island and the island they had to find Princess Rhea were indeed the same.

"This is what they call hitting two birds with one stone!"

Oliang said happily.

"Exactly. Should we proceed with the next steps?"

Aden asked, feeling enthusiastic.

"Let's wait until tomorrow. It's getting late. We should stock up on potions and crystals first, then get a good night's sleep,"

Wet Trash Can suggested, equally excited but knowing they needed to prepare for a long adventure outside safe zones. Everyone agreed, heading out of their hotel to buy the necessary supplies. Meanwhile, Chang Long tried to contact Captain Columbus to see if his ship was still at the Tartarus City port so they could charter it instead of relying on an unfamiliar captain.

Meanwhile, the masked man suspiciously lurking around the corner of the building noticed Chang Long's group leaving the hotel. They immediately began to tail them. Although they had been hired by members of the Dark Horse Guild to eliminate players in Chang Long's group, the information they reported to the guild caused the assassination quest to be temporarily halted. Instead, their task was now to follow the group until they reached their destination.

'Missy, we're being followed,'

Davy-chan, who remained invisible next to Chang Long, reported with irritation.

'How do you know, Davy-chan? There are so many people in the city. You might be mistaken,'

Chang Long asked telepathically.

'No mistake. These two have been following us since Ark City,'

Davy-chan replied.

'Why didn't you tell me earlier?'

Chang Long asked, slightly startled.

'I didn't think they'd keep following us. From what I see, they must want something from you,'

Davy-chan said seriously.

'Want something from us? What could it be?'

Chang Long wondered, confused. Since arriving on Europa Island, they had been keeping a low profile.

'I don't know, but their movements and concealment skills are impressive. Both are in their early 50s level-wise,'

Davy-chan answered.

'Keep an eye on them with Hisa-chan. If anything happens, let me know,'

Chang Long instructed Davy-chan and Hisa-chan calmly. She then walked into the potion shop as if nothing was amiss.

After buying the necessary supplies, Chang Long's group headed back to the hotel without making any stops, planning to wake up early the next day. The two stalkers closely monitored their movements while Davy-chan and Hisa-chan kept watch over the stalkers.

"Hey, buddy! Don't you feel something creepy about today's weather?"

The man in the half-eagle mask asked his companion who was sitting beside him on the roof of the hotel where Chang Long's group was staying. He felt a strange chill in the air.

"You feel it too? I've felt a cold breeze several times already,"

replied the man in the half-leopard mask, glancing around nervously.

"It's not... is it?"

The eagle-masked man teased, pretending to strangle his friend.

"Stop it! You know I'm scared of it. People say there are ghosts in this game. Luckily, only those with spiritual-related professions can see them unless the ghost chooses to reveal itself,"

the leopard-masked man scolded his friend, looking around even more fearfully. He did not want to see a ghost, nor did he want one to show itself.

"Really! I wonder what a ghost looks like. Hey! Damned ghosts. If you're real, show yourselves. But if you're too scared of the mighty eagle, I won't hold it against you. Hahaha!"

The eagle-masked man shouted, taunting any nearby spirits without fear.

"Ahhh! You idiot eagle, why did you provoke them? Sorry, my friend has a foul mouth. Please, don't show up!"

The leopard-masked man screamed, bowing and apologizing in all directions in sheer terror.

"Hahaha! You're such a coward, Leo. Ghosts in the game can't do anything to us. Hahaha."

Eagle continued to laugh, oblivious to the fact that he had just provoked two nearby spirits.

'Hmp, these insolent brats dare to challenge a king like me!'

Davy-chan growled, enraged.

'Let's give that guy what he wants, Davy-chan. How about something special?'

Hisa-chan was also angry at being challenged like this. Davy-chan met Hisa-chan's gaze with a knowing look before both of them smiled cunningly. They slowly revealed themselves to the two assassins.

"Hello~"

A raspy, elongated voice greeted the two men from behind. They quickly turned around to see a long-haired man with his head down, hiding his face from the light, facing them.

"Who are you?!"

Eagle demanded in a harsh tone. He had not sensed this man's presence at all, not even a trace of movement or energy.

"You called us here, didn't you?"

Another voice spoke, and a second man materialized from the void, causing Leo's anxiety to skyrocket. He had been on edge since seeing the first man, but now, with the appearance of the second, his instincts screamed at him to run.

"Huh! When did we call you two?"

Eagle asked, ready for a confrontation, while Leo tugged at his friend's sleeve, trying to stop him from provoking these newcomers further.

"You wanted to see us so badly, didn't you, kid!"

Davy-chan spoke in a chilling tone as he slowly lifted his head. What greeted the young assassins' eyes was a decaying, rotting figure of Davy-chan advancing toward them.

"We're here now. What will you do next?"

Hisa-chan said, stepping forward. His body, too, was slowly decomposing as he approached.

"Don't... don't tell me you're!"

Eagle's eyes widened in horror as he saw what was happening. These two were not human.

"Yep, ghosts! Just like you wanted to see. Aren't you happy now!"

Davy-chan growled, extending his decayed hand toward the two men.

"Aaahhhh!!"

As Davy-chan's hand neared Eagle's throat, he screamed and took off, disappearing in a flash, leaving Leo stunned.

"Who's afraid of ghosts now? Aaaahhh. Wait for me, you idiot Eagle!"

Leo screamed, and seeing the two rotting ghosts closing in, he quickly flew after Eagle, abandoning all pretense of being an assassin.

"Tch, I thought they were tough!"

Davy-chan watched the two assassins disappear with a look of disdain.

"Hehehe, those guys were fun,"

Hisa-chan chuckled before turning invisible again.

The next morning, Chang Long's group set off for the ports. Captain Columbus and Vice Captain Sea Breeze were there to welcome them. They exchanged greetings like old friends and followed the captain back to the Bloodied Angel, which was docked nearby. Chang Long pulled out the Europa Island map and showed it to Captain Columbus, pointing at their destination.

"You want to go to that shallow water channel?"

Sea Breeze asked, puzzled.

"Uh-huh, can you take us there?"

Chang Long asked.

"There's a large island in the middle of that shallow channel, but no one has ever found an entrance. Are you sure you want to go there? I think it might be a waste of time, Chang Long,"

Captain Columbus asked again to be sure.

"We have a quest to complete on that island, so we don't have a choice,"

Chang Long shrugged.

"Just take us there. Whether we can get in or not, we need to try first,"

Siegfried laughed at Chang Long's attitude, making Captain Columbus smile.

"Alright then, settle the fare with Sea Breeze. I'll get the crew ready,"

Captain Columbus said as he walked away to prepare the Bloodied Angel for departure.

"The island is 5 kilometers away from Europa Island. The fare isn't much, just 25,000 coins. If you want us to wait and bring you back, which I assume you do, it's 1,000 coins per day. That's the friends-and-family rate,"

Sea Breeze calculated smoothly.

"Wow, those veins are popping, Vice Captain!"

Peach Blossom teased with a playful voice.

"What can I say? It's the association's rule. This is the friends-and-family rate. For others, it's 1,500 coins a day!"

Sea Breeze quickly defended.

"Whatever, we have to go anyway. Complaining won't change it. So, we'll rent the ship to the island,"

Chang Long agreed on behalf of everyone.

"Captain, take us to Volcano Island!"

Sea Breeze called out to Captain Columbus, who was already waiting at the helm.

"Set sail!"

Captain Columbus ordered.

The Bloodied Angel slowly departed from the port and headed north of Tartarus City. Two masked men stood on the shore, watching helplessly. They had woken up unusually late due to the paranoia from last night ghost encounter, fearing that they would show up again. Now they missed the departure and were unsure of the ship's destination.

"What now?"

Eagle asked Leo, frustrated.

"Call our reinforcements from the guild. Let's see where they are,"

Leo suggested.

"Good idea,"

Eagle agreed, but as he lifted his wristwatch to call their guild mates who were travelling to reinforce them, he noticed a ship with the Assassin's Guild flag docking.

"That's the ship our guild hired. Let's go meet them, Eagle."

Leo said, leading Eagle toward the docked ship.

"Hello, Leo, Eagle,"

a man in a black outfit and a half-face clown mask greeted them.

"Is the ship ready to sail, Joker?"

Eagle asked urgently.

"We need to wait a bit. They're stocking up on supplies,"

Joker replied.

"How long?"

Leo asked, clearly anxious. They did not know where the Bloodied Angel was headed. If they did not follow them soon, they could lose them.

"Not long. We have guild members helping with the process. I think it should be done in 40 minutes,"

Joker answered nonchalantly.

"40 minutes! We might lose track of that ship by then!"

Eagle exclaimed aloud with worried face. Fearing that failing this quest might anger the guild leader, leading to demotion or something even scarier as a punishment.

As Eagle, Leo, and Joker discussed at the port, a member of the Dark Horse Guild, secretly assigned by Merlin's Top Protege to monitor the assassins' work, was on the phone, updating Merlin's Top Protege on the situation and the assassins' change of plans.

"Yes, understood!"

He hung up and continued to monitor the assassins, having been instructed to follow them to the end.

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