Leviathan's Forbidden Gamble
“Really?”
“Spirits do not lie. If they said it, then it must be true.”
Adel frowned slightly at Sennew's words.
“Hmm, those Leviathan bastards... They've already started, have they...”
“You're not all that surprised.”
“I knew it was coming to some extent. Just didn't think it'd kick off this soon.”
Sennew nodded, thinking it was indeed the reaction of someone who had lived through a previous life.
“The Leviathan crew said they'd completed 90% of the continent's map and had nowhere left to chart, but they couldn't resist their greed in the end.”
“They want a perfect map. Ninety percent means ten percent is still missing.”
“And they don't even realize that's shortening their own lifespans.”
“Who knows. We can't just blame them outright. You can't move forward without pushing boundaries. You're the same, aren't you?”
Sennew gave a wry smile at Adel's words.
“It must have been at least a century since Leviathan finished that 90% of the continental map after all their efforts. In other words, the map hasn't changed at all for the last hundred years.”
Adel said, “It's been a hundred years since the current map was completed. Add the time before that, and it's been centuries. We still know next to nothing about the Forbidden Zones.”
“True enough. Pioneers always have to gamble.”
“Exactly. They've rolled the dice.”
Most cities in the principalities lining the strait had amassed wealth through trade, leading to dazzling advancements in all things maritime. As such, the associations in each city had launched various sea-related ventures. Among them, the guild known as Leviathan—literally “Sea Chart Guild”—had originated in a small city of one of those principalities.
At first, when they announced they would chart the maritime maps, hardly anyone paid attention. The reason was their guild master.
Piz Gwahl, leader of Leviathan. One of the few surviving brown gnomes, he possessed craftsmanship skilled enough to complete a world map, but he had a fatal flaw.
Severe seasickness.
Ridiculously, the chronic gnome ailment of motion sickness at sea defied any magic or medicine. And Piz Gwahl suffered from it worse than most. To the point where he was famous for barely making it past the harbor on the largest existing ship before passing out on deck.
For him to chart sea maps? It was laughable nonsense to everyone.
Yet Piz proved to his mockers that even a brown gnome could conquer the seas. His method was simple.
If the waves keep you from venturing out, just build a ship that doesn't rock with the waves.
Everyone called it impossible, but he made it reality.
Thus was born Sea Wave Island. It started as a single ship, but through constant repairs and reinforcements, Piz created new vessels and linked them together.
And now it's grown into a literal island.
Over the years, they traversed the oceans, completing their charts. But Piz didn't stop there—he retrofitted Sea Wave Island into a flying airship, finishing the continental map as well.
That's how the current map came to be.
Leviathan's maps were renowned for their exquisite detail, thanks to gnome craftsmanship. But there was one flaw: three areas painted black and unknowable, called the Forbidden Zones.
One of them was the southernmost desert site of the Forgotten Ones' Temple.
The other two Forbidden Zones.
One of the remaining pair was the primitive island floating in the middle of the massive lake the spirits had pointed out—the very place Leviathan was heading: Cove.
“They must have had their reasons to challenge it. It's not like there's zero info on the Forbidden Zones.”
Like Haien Temir, many of the continent's powerhouses kept challenging the Forbidden Zones. They competed fiercely, assaulting them repeatedly, gathering scraps of intel from the unknown despite constant failures.
Even Father got blocked at the entrance. Challenging a Forbidden Zone means staking your life.
It was such a massive risk that the continent's warring kingdoms dared not attempt it lightly.
“Cove at least has a bit more info than the others. The Spirit Formation tried tackling it once, right?”
“Yeah. It's where the savages live.”
“Cannibals who eat humans...”
“Not just humans. They don't discriminate by race. We'll be paying the gnome toll soon enough.”
Sennew shrugged as he spoke.
“Who knows. The savages there don't even speak a language you can reason with. Gnomes are small and meatless—might piss them off instead.”
Adel gave a wry smile.
“Enough idle talk. You ready to head out? Take this.”
Sennew handed him something.
“I'm going to start deciphering Gerald's incantation tome and Titan's Book you gave me to lift this binding on myself first.”
“Smart move.”
“But it'll take time. Interpreting ancient incantation tomes is a slog, and applying it to myself makes it worse.”
“No rush.”
“I still can't leave the Black Magic Palace yet... This should help you.”
Adel examined the small ring Sennew gave him.
“A seed ring. Your Spirit Axis is complete, linking your two bloodlines like a bridge. But summoning spirits directly is still a stretch.”
“Right.”
“Wear this, and you can command low-tier spirits without a contract. It'll protect your Spirit Axis if you overdraw on spirit power.”
Woooong...
The ring looked plain, like a bent twig, with a small seed embedded instead of a gem. It seemed crudely made, like a child's craft. But the moment Adel saw it, his eyes lit up.
“Didn't expect a gem like this. The Spirit Formation shamans would lose their minds.”
The alliance of druids who wielded nature shamanism, the Spirit Formation. They were the only humans besides elves who could handle spirits. But lacking elves' innate affinity and with a short history, few could truly command them.
“Hmph, the Spirit Formation? As if they could compare to an elf like me. Summoning the Wind Spirit King proves your affinity is plenty. Just be careful not to overuse it against your will.”
Elven relics were rare. Adel eyed the ring with keen interest.
“Remember: spirits aren't always benevolent.”
“Got it.”
Whoooosh—
The seed in the ring trembled faintly, and the low-tier wind spirits that had swirled around Sennew earlier brushed past Adel in greeting before vanishing into the ring.
“Your contracted spirits via the ring. It's just that your first was such a heavyweight... But Alakacr isn't actually contracted to you.”
“Looking forward to working with you.”
Having never handled spirits in his previous life, Adel watched in fascination.
“Magic fails in the Forbidden Zones, and divine power weakens. Easy to get lost. But spirits are the exception. Follow where they lead.”
“Thanks.”
“Don't thank me... I only benefit if you survive. Can't have you dying in a hellhole like that.”
Sennew waved it off.
“The real question is whether Leviathan's humans are still alive by then. Might be half-eaten by savages already.”
“Harsh talk.”
“Kekeke... If they're dead, bring back the bones at least. I'll raise 'em as undead.”
He laughed it off casually, but it wasn't something to brush aside lightly.
Humans living in a Forbidden Zone.
They couldn't possibly be normal. Cannibals? Not surprising.
No, that'd be a relief.
Adel's reason for seeking Leviathan now wasn't just clues on the abyssal sea god.
As Sennew said, Leviathan was pretty much wiped out around this time. I never cared about maps back then, so I ignored it...
He hadn't even considered they'd gone to a Forbidden Zone. He'd spent over five years holed up in the desert.
More happened while I was gone than I thought. Fixing them will change the future plenty.
Even in his previous life, Adel had never visited Cove.
“This'll be fun.”
“You're the only one excited about a Forbidden Zone. Anyway, about that armor you mentioned. The one that feeds on prey.”
“Yeah. Looked into it?”
“Asked around a bit... But it literally eats artifacts to grow stronger, right?”
“Yep.”
“And the first stage is physical defense, so my stuff doesn't fit. Mine's all magic-related. Hmm... Better to feed it my items at stage two.”
“Fair.”
The Black Magic Palace's treasury held incredible artifacts, yet Sennew offered them casually. He'd already received something more valuable than the treasures inside.
“I'd say feed it top-tier gear. Dwarven stuff, or better yet, red dragonkin-made. They have the continent's best smithing.”
“Red dragonkin, huh...”
“Not easy to find, though. Their numbers tanked after Red Dragon Karsea died in the dragon wars.”
“Might be easier than you think.”
“...Hm?”
Adel grinned and slipped out of the Black Magic Palace.
The primitive island of Cove lay not far from the Zen Kingdom, the mercenary nation in the central nine kingdoms' southeast.
Distance-wise, it wasn't far at all, yet Adel hit the expected snag.
“Hmm... Teleporting straight to Zen Kingdom via the Black Magic Palace's array was nice, but...”
No ships headed to Cove.
“Are you insane? To a Forbidden Zone?”
“Buy your own damn ship if you wanna go alone!”
“Off to die, eh?”
Every ship in the harbor rejected Adel's proposal outright.
He'd half-expected it, but now he pondered solutions.
“Wish I could borrow a ship from Ruinxen...”
Ruinxen in the southern continent was too far from central Zen. He'd reached out just in case, but help seemed unlikely this time.
Pay, the harbor manager at Dagger Port, had scoured every sailor he knew, but no takers for Cove.
“Hmph.”
Adel sat on the adventurer guild's terrace, gazing blankly at the square.
Unlike other kingdoms, armed folk dotted the square casually. Each clutched papers stamped with seals.
Nine kingdoms at war, civil strife within—tons of commissions, huh.
The central hegemony war raged on, but Zen Kingdom buzzed with energy. The guild board overflowed with requests, proving it. Most kingdoms withered in prolonged war, but here they welcomed it.
“Hey, where you headed this time?”
“Azal Kingdom. Best pay there.”
“Azal? That fratricide poison fest? Greedy bastard.”
“You?”
“Garn Kingdom. Swordsman's land—gotta go where the blades are. Tsk tsk.”
“Lunatic. Then why fight for coin if not for money?”
“Kek, watch your neck on the battlefield. My sword'll take your head.”
“In your dreams, punk.”
Conversations no one could laugh at, yet the streets buzzed with such banter.
The reason? Zen Kingdom was the mercenary nation.
The “adventurer guild” was mostly war mercenaries—paid fighters for battlefields, not monster hunts.
[How long you gonna sit here? Can't find a ship? Buy one, damn it.]
Kalderet grumbled beside him, curled up in boredom.
Plop—
Adel tossed him meat from the inn and chuckled.
“A sturdy ship for the Forbidden Zone needs serious size. Buying one means red tape from the crimson officials, total hassle.”
He pointed to the massive building at the square's end.
[Then?]
“If no luck here, hitch a ride from there.”
[Hitch a ride? Who else is crazy enough for a Forbidden Zone besides you?]
“Plenty. Guess who.”
Adel smiled meaningfully.
[...Leviathan Guild?]
“Bingo. They fail to chart Cove. Sea Wave Island's danger should be guild intel by now. They'll form another survey team.”
They prepositioned reserves in nearby cities for contingencies.
[But what's guaranteeing they'll take you?]
“I'm not asking for a ride. I'll make them beg me to board.”
[...How?]
Whiiiish—
Just then, the seed ring from Sennew trembled faintly. Several low-tier spirits patrolling the city since an unnoticed summon slipped into the ring.
That's when it happened.
“Hey, you.”
Someone below the terrace called out.
“Looking for work?”
Adel looked down. Robed face, but the thick voice belied a small frame matching Adel's youth—a gnome.
[Heh...]
Kalderet let out an incredulous low chuckle at the sight.