"Throw another bottle at the same spot!"

Chang Long commanded again. Oliang threw the glass bottle at the same spot, half a minute after the second throw. Once again, no spikes emerged. However, when they threw the fourth bottle, the spikes shot up from the ground, shattering it to pieces.

"One minute per spike,"

Chang Long concluded.

"But how are we going to get past? Those spikes are huge—each base is about thirty centimeters in diameter and are positioned very closely, just like honeycomb. Even if we don't get impaled, we'll get slashed and seriously injured!"

Peach Blossom said in fear. A single scratch could be fatal for a magic user like her.

"Prepare your blood crystals and rejuvenate crystals in an easily accessible spot. Oh! Also, set them to auto-use. Siegfried, summoned Lycanth. Among us and our pets, it's the fastest. Draco, can your Firetail carry a rider now?"

Chang Long started issuing orders like a true leader.

"Yeah, I've had Kimhant ride it before,"

Draco replied, beginning to understand Chang Long's plan but unsure why she wanted Siegfried to release Lycanth.

"Good, call it out,"

Chang Long ordered. Although the safe area was small, Firetail was not as large as a typical dragon, so it did not take up too much space.

"Release, Lycanth,"

Siegfried said, unsealing Lycanth as instructed.

"Release, Kitsune,"

Chang Long called forth her faithful pet, which appeared in his flame fox form, about the size of a large dog, having evolved to its second form.

"Transform into human form, Kitsune. You'll accompany Lycanth,"

Chang Long directed, and Kitsune complied immediately.

"Peach Blossom, get on Firetail. Kimhant, try to keep up,"

Chang Long instructed, then turned to Kimhant with a mockingly sad expression.

"Come on, master!"

Kimhant was more frightened by Chang Long's feigned despair, as if he would be the first to perish. He knew she was teasing him, though he was almost used to it by now.

"Ready?"

Chang Long asked after giving everyone a moment to prepare. They nodded, looking tense, not expecting the first challenge to be this difficult.

"Listen, we know how the spikes work. Each spike has a cooldown of 1 minute. Therefore, the fastest ones should lead. Look! The floor has sections where the spike holes are densely packed and sections where they are spread out,"

Everyone looked at the area Chang Long had pointed out and noticed the two types of floor sections as she described.

"I'll have Lycanth lead to trigger the spikes, and Kitsune will guide it along the path with fewer spike holes. When Lycanth triggers the spikes, they'll shoot up behind it. Then, we have to run and keep up the pace. No slowing down or stopping until we reach the next safe point."

Her explanation left everyone speechless, while Kitsune explained it to Lycanth in animal language.

Lycanth nodded enthusiastically, ready to stretch its legs. It positioned itself at the start of the first trap, triggering the arrow mechanism again. When it reached the desired point, it sprinted along the path Kitsune indicated. Kitsune followed closely, guiding Lycanth through the traps. Though, elated the treasure hunters held their wits well. The spikes missed their marks and retracted, signaling the rest to start their run.

Outside the Volcanic Island, Captain Columbus and the Bloodied Angel crew were enjoying themselves as they waited for Chang Long's group. They had food, drinks, and music to pass the time, there was nothing else to do other than just waiting. Captain Columbus hummed a tune and read a newspaper handed to him by a crew member with interest, with a large name on the front page: "The Reaper's Whisperer."

"Captain, there's a ship from our association heading this way. It looks like Captain Dukes' ship,"

the navigator shouted from the crow's nest.

"Captain Dukes? I heard he's been hired by the Assassin Guild. What's he doing here?"

Captain Columbus turned to look at the approaching association ship, confused.

Beep beep beep beep

"What's up, Dukes?"

Captain Columbus answered the call on his wristwatch, curiosity piqued.

"Who did your ship pick up that has the Assassin Guild following in droves!"

Captain Dukes asked, half-joking. He could not believe that someone being tracked by the Assassin Guild had hired Captain Columbus's ship to this inaccessible island. If a fight broke out, the ill-fated crew of the Bloodied Angel would be slaughtered with no escape.

"Your ship is full of assassins!"

Captain Columbus asked in alarm.

"About twenty of them, all level 40 and above,"

Captain Dukes replied.

"Why did you bring them here?"

Captain Columbus inquired, suspecting it might be connected to Chang Long's group having the map allowing access to the Volcanic Island.

"I don't know. They asked if I knew which of our association's ships were heading north of Europa Island. There was report so I knew. Every ship must report its itinerary to recover any ship lost unexpectedly. Ships aren't cheap, right?"

Captain Dukes explained.

"So, what's their goal? Bringing a whole shipload of assassins must mean a significant target, right?"

Captain Columbus pressed, sensing the need to prepare for the worst.

"I overheard them talking about some treasure map. I'm not sure, but the person who hired your ship doesn't have the Pirate King's treasure map, do they?"

Captain Dukes whispered, even though they were using a secret communication channel.

"Captain, there's another association ship two kilometers behind us!"

The first mate's shout interrupted, causing Captain Dukes to pause the conversation with Captain Columbus momentarily. Returning to the call, Captain Dukes excitedly reported,

"There's another ship from our association full of Dark Horse Guild players. And I just heard 5 more ships hired by that guild are coming from the city of Longshan on Aseana Island. Carrying all mid-level players, level 50 and above."

Captain Dukes shared the news he just know to Captain Columbus.

"I need to go!"

Captain Columbus cut the conversation short and hung up, leaving Captain Dukes frustrated and curious about who had hired Captain Columbus's ship and what they were doing on the Volcanic Island.

"What happened, Captain? Who are Captain Dukes bringing here?"

Sea Breeze asked after seeing Captain Columbus end the call.

"20 players from the Assassin Guild. Tell our crew to stop the party and get ready for anything. I'll try calling Chang Long,"

Captain Columbus ordered, his voice tense. He walked away to urgently consult with Chang Long on the phone.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Spikes shot up from the ground rapidly, but they found only empty air. The players, running for their lives, were still evading them. Even with the slower ones at the rear to keep the formation moving smoothly, no one was getting injured by the spikes.

Peach Blossom had it easier than her friends, riding on Firetail's back as it flew above the group below. She helped by shouting directions from above, which Kitsune relayed to Lycanth more quickly. The large spikes shooting up violently from the ground separated the pets from their masters, but Kitsune and Lycanth darted through them like the wind.

Chang Long ran below with everyone else, not wanting her friends to feel she had taken advantage of them, even though her wings could provide a significant comfort. Kimhant and Lidded Wet Trash Can kept pace with great effort, each step taking no more than five seconds. With lower movement speed stats than their friends, they needed immense focus to keep up.

"It's been almost 5 minutes. Aren't we at the next rest point yet!"

Kimhant asked, his voice weary. He had already used nearly half his rejuvenating crystals. Five minutes at hurricane speed was a new personal record for him.

"Not much farther, Kim. Keep going. I can see the next chamber ahead!"

Peach Blossom encouraged. Indeed, a new cave hall loomed faintly in the distance, though it was still afar.

Beep beep beep beep

The incoming call sound from Chang Long's wristwatch made her falter, alarming the others behind her. She quickly unfurled her wings and told the others to keep running without worrying about her.

"What's up, Captain?"

Chang Long floated up and answered the phone, which had been ringing for a while.

"Why did you take so long, Chang Long? Busy?"

Captain Columbus's voice was anxious.

"Uh-huh, your call almost got us all killed, you know,"

Chang Long sighed.

"What? Should I hang up then!"

Captain Columbus exclaimed, panicking.

"No, no, go ahead. What's up?"

Chang Long quickly reassured him. She did not want him calling again at a more critical moment.

"Uh... Well, there are two ships following us. One has twenty players from the Assassin Guild, and the other has over thirty Dark Horse Guild members. They're probably here to observe. And more importantly, 5 ships hired by the Dark Horse Guild are coming from Longshan to this island. Do you know anything about this?"

Captain Columbus asked, his voice tense. Chang Long frowned in confusion.

"Why are they bringing such a large group? Could they have triggered the island entry quest?"

Chang Long muttered to herself, puzzled

"Captain Dukes, my friend, overheard the Assassin Guild players talking about a treasure map..."

Captain Columbus added, leaving Chang Long momentarily stunned.

"...If they resort to violence to extract information, tell them we're on a quest from the King of Tartarus to find Princess Rhea on this island. If they don't believe you, tell them to go to Tartarus Castle and get the quest themselves. But if they don't ask, keep quiet,"

Chang Long finally instructed Captain Columbus.

"Got it. But is there really such a quest?"

Captain Columbus asked, excitement and curiosity in his voice.

"There is, but it's a long quest. Completing the first part reveals the entrance to this island,"

Chang Long replied. This quest was not a well-kept secret. According to the King of Tartarus, several players had already taken on the quest, but none had succeeded yet. From their own trials, they could confirm that the quest was indeed very challenging.

"That's all for now, Captain. My friends are calling me,"

Chang Long said and immediately hung up. She saw that Lycanth and Kitsune were nearing their destination, but her friends were clearly lagging behind. Running such a long distance in under ten minutes was beyond their limits, yet they pushed themselves so hard that Chang Long could not help but admire their determination.

"Argggh!"

Kimhant screamed as a spike shot up from the ground, grazing his leg and leaving a deep, nearly foot-long gash. Blood poured out alarmingly.

"Kimhant!"

Everyone shouted his name in shock. Wet Trash Can looked ready to turn back and help him, but Chang Long shouted urgently, startling him.

"Keep running. Don't stop. Move!"

Chang Long commanded with a serious tone. She quickly flew to Kimhant's side. The others, reluctantly leaving him in Chang Long's care, continued forward, knowing they could not afford to stop.

Chang Long managed to scoop up the nearly unconscious Kimhant, now in a coma state. However, a spike suddenly shot up, piercing one of her wings.

"Tch!"

Chang Long clicked her tongue as she flipped her wings, struggling to keep them both airborne and out of the spike's reach. She fumbled to pull a jar of blood crystal from her inner pocket with one hand, using her mouth to uncork it. Holding the jar in the hand that was also holding Kimhant, she poured it into her other hand but dropped several crystals before finally getting some into her hand.

She bit into the blood crystal slightly to crack it and quickly fed it to Kimhant. Then she flew as fast as she could to catch up with her friends, who had reached the rest point safely. Despite the pain in her wing, it did not significantly slow her down.

Chang Long laid Kimhant down and checked his condition. The others, although exhausted and sprawled on the ground, got up to help with his treatment.

"What should we do next, Chang?"

Valentine asked once Kimhant's condition improved and he was no longer in a coma.

"Rest for now. No one can go any further today. If nothing goes wrong, there shouldn't be any more traps. At the end of the path, there will be a door that requires the weapon Siegfried holds to open,"

Chang Long explained. Everyone nodded in acknowledgment, too tired to show any excitement. They lay down and fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

-----

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