BOOM!
The sound originated from the explosion caused by the Bronze Battleship as it self-destructed high above the island.
'How extravagant…'
Socrates could not help but stare in amazement as he watched the fireworks unfolding in the sky. Chunks of machinery split apart as they travelled downward toward the island, burning fiercely as they fell. Yet none of the debris reached the ground. Each flaming fragment was halted by the massive blue barrier that protected the entire island of Bermutha.
'So if this array wasn't here, this debris would have fallen on our heads and killed us all… Just how strong is this defensive array?'
Socrates whistled softly. His blue eyes seemed to shine like stars as he tried to comprehend something far beyond his current level of understanding.
"Boy. You've been standing over there watching the sky for over an hour. I bet there isn't any time left for us to gather supplies."
Mr. Jaggers reprimanded him from behind.
"My apologies, Senior. I was only amused by the extravagant nature of the Northern Gladiators Guild. Destroying a Bronze-class battleship… something every House could start a war over."
Socrates defended himself calmly.
"Oh, I see… You seem a bit knowledgeable, boy. But one thing you should always remember is that there is always a BIGGER FISH IN THE WATER. The House of Trueblood is akin to a drop of water in the expanse of an ocean."
Mr. Jaggers stroked his beard slowly as he spoke.
'The House of Trueblood is like a drop of water in an ocean.'
Socrates repeated the statement several times in his mind, yet he still could not fully grasp the depth of its meaning.
"Junior is amazed by Senior's wisdom. I will surely make good use of it."
"Good… very good, boy."
Mr. Jaggers tapped Socrates on the shoulder lightly, clearly pleased with his response.
"Follow me. Let's go search for ammunition. The one hour will be over soon."
Mr. Jaggers added before turning around and running deeper into the island, with Socrates naturally following behind him.
While running, Socrates kept his gaze fixed on the back of the middle-aged man. For some strange reason, he felt that if he took his eyes off Mr. Jaggers even for a moment, the man might somehow disappear from his sight.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The numerous sounds of footsteps alerted Socrates that they were not alone. Many aspirants were also running deeper into the island, all heading toward the same direction.
Suddenly, Mr. Jaggers veered left instead of continuing straight like the others. He deliberately chose to go astray, moving away from the main crowd.
This surprised Socrates.
But what could he say?
He simply followed without complaint as the two of them travelled under the dim illumination of flaming debris hovering over the island.
It was already nighttime on the island of Bermutha. Although the moon had not yet appeared, the burning remains of the destroyed Bronze Battleship continued to float high above the sky. The flames surrounding the debris illuminated large portions of the island, casting an eerie orange glow across the land.
Naturally, everyone could still see one another clearly.
"That boy is a fool. Why is he following that middle-aged man?"
"This is the correct route. Why are they heading toward the outskirts?"
"Aren't they aware that the supplies are in the middle of the island? They won't find anything useful near the perimeter."
"Boy… don't follow that man. He'll lead you astray."
Several aspirants whispered among themselves as Socrates and Mr. Jaggers ran past them.
Mr. Jaggers did not frown, nor did he say anything in response. He simply continued moving forward silently while secretly trying to gauge Socrates' reaction.
Yet surprisingly, the boy paid no attention to the comments at all.
His eyes remained locked on Mr. Jaggers.
The look in his gaze made it seem as though Mr. Jaggers himself was some rare treasure that Socrates absolutely could not afford to lose.
'Interesting…'
Mr. Jaggers slightly increased his pace.
Socrates bit his lips as he silently cursed the middle-aged man in his mind while forcing his legs to keep up.
If he could still control his internal energy, keeping up with this pace would have been effortless. But now that his meridians were broken, he could not even absorb energy from the surrounding air to strengthen his body.
After several minutes of running, they finally stopped in front of a small house located at the periphery of the island.
"A clay house," Socrates whispered.
Mr. Jaggers nodded with a faint smile.
"You're indeed knowledgeable. Yes, this is a clay house — a structure made from a type of hardened earth material. Tell me, boy… how do you think such a building came into existence here?"
"Junior has no clue."
"Well… let's go check it out."
Mr. Jaggers stepped forward, and Socrates followed closely behind him. His entire body was on high alert as he entered the clay house alongside the middle-aged man.
The house was circular from the outside, and numerous cracks covered the walls. The interior looked old, dusty, and abandoned.
At the right side of the room stood a clay bed reinforced with a wooden stick. At the center of the house was a small mud table with no chairs surrounding it. At the far end of the room was a pile of bones mixed with trash, dried leaves, and other debris.
"Does someone live here?" Socrates asked cautiously.
"Incorrect."
Mr. Jaggers replied calmly.
"Something lives here. And that something… is exactly what we came for."
At that moment, realization suddenly struck Socrates.
The projection's earlier words echoed inside his mind.
There are hostile creatures living in Bermutha…
"Let me get this straight…"
Socrates spoke slowly.
"We are waiting inside the home of a Bermutha creature, wearing just boxers, without any ammunition or proper weapons to defend ourselves."
Mr. Jaggers raised an eyebrow.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course not. With Senior here, this junior has nothing to fear. I am only trying to understand the intention behind this."
Socrates answered respectfully.
Mr. Jaggers burst into laughter.
"Hahaha. Aren't you such a good boy?"
He lightly tapped Socrates on the shoulder.
"Just search around. Perhaps you might get lucky enough to find something useful."
Socrates nodded politely and turned around, pretending to search for something that he already knew was not there.
'That crazy man knew there was nothing in this place, yet he still allowed me to come inside and search.'
Socrates complained bitterly in his mind.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled violently.
'What's happening?'
Before he could react further, he felt a sudden fluctuation of energy in the air.
Then a loud scream echoed outside.
Moments later, a heavy impact followed.
'Is that the Bermutha creature? Has it arrived already? Is this what Senior was waiting for? Has it killed Mr. Jaggers already?'
Socrates' thoughts spiraled rapidly as he prepared himself for the worst.
"Boy… come over here."
Socrates felt his heart calm slightly when he heard Mr. Jaggers' voice.
He immediately rushed toward the entrance.
What he saw stunned him.
Mr. Jaggers was calmly stepping on the body of a beast lying in a pool of blood.
The creature resembled a deer, but its antlers shimmered faintly with energy.
The moment Mr. Jaggers removed his foot, the deer burst into particles of light. The corpse disappeared and was replaced by two items floating in the air while radiating energy.
[Congratulations Aspirant 150 for killing a Bermutha Deer. You've gained a pair of Antler Daggers as a reward.]
Both of them heard the familiar sweet feminine voice of the projection.
Their eyes immediately shifted toward the two floating items.
The weapons emitted an intense and almost frightening energy.
"Those are Antler Daggers, crafted from the antlers of a Bermutha Deer. They are good-quality weapons. Do you want them?"
Mr. Jaggers asked casually.
Socrates quickly lowered his head and forced himself to look away from the daggers, even though he had been staring at them earlier.
"Junior was only appreciating the craftsmanship of the weapon. Junior has no intention of coveting what belongs to Senior."
Mr. Jaggers reached out and grabbed the two daggers before casually throwing one toward Socrates.
Socrates immediately caught it.
"One is enough for me. Use that one to protect yourself until we find real supplies."
Mr. Jaggers explained calmly.
"The Bermutha Deer is not a violent creature. That is why it lives at the outskirts of the island instead of venturing deeper into the forest. Because of that, killing it was easy."
He paused briefly.
"But the same cannot be said for our next enemies."
"Next enemies?"
Socrates asked, his attention immediately shifting from the dagger to Mr. Jaggers' words.
"Yes. Even though the deer lives on the outskirts of the island, why do you think such a weak creature has managed to survive all this time?"
"Because it is being protected."
Socrates answered.
Mr. Jaggers nodded.
Socrates felt his heart skip a beat.
'If it is being protected… then why did we kill it? And why are we still standing here? Shouldn't we be running already?'
Every part of Socrates' body began to tremble slightly.
"Are the creatures you are waiting for the protectors of the deer? Did you kill the deer in order to lure them out?"
Mr. Jaggers smiled.
"Boy. You are surprisingly perceptive. If this were the outside world, I might have taken you as my disciple."
"You flatter me too much, Senior."
"They are called Bermutha Wolves. They usually move in packs and are responsible for protecting weaker creatures within this territory. The items they drop are three times stronger than anything found inside supply crates or scattered across the Bermutha forest."
Mr. Jaggers slowly raised his dagger.
"And with my peak Apprentice strength, the Antler Dagger, and the one-hour Safe Zone protection reducing the strength of Bermutha creatures… what do you think, boy?"
'I think we are presenting ourselves on a silver platter to those Bermutha wolves.'
But Socrates said something else.
"Senior's strategy is extremely insightful. If this succeeds, it will give Senior a huge advantage over the others."
Mr. Jaggers chuckled.
"Not just me… us."
He suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"I can sense their presence."
"Stay focused… and don't die on me, boy."
At that moment, a powerful impact shattered a large section of the clay wall.
Dust and debris scattered everywhere.
When the dust settled, twelve glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.
Six wolves stood outside.
Their bodies were hidden within the night shadows.
Only their red eyes were visible.
"We are extremely lucky we did not attract an Alpha or a Beta wolf. Otherwise we might have died before the Double Battle Royale even began."
Mr. Jaggers chuckled as he rushed forward, charging directly toward the pack of wolves.
His words caused goosebumps to spread all over Socrates' skin.
'What if we had attracted? This old man is sure crazy…Socrates, There is still time for you to escape.' His mind screamed at him.
Socrates tightened his grip on the dagger. "No… Socrates was never a coward."
"I would rather die here than run away."
The red-haired teenager steeled his resolve and charged forward also, trailing behind Mr. Jaggers.
At that moment, Socrates' evaluation rose significantly in the eyes of the crazy senior.