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After a period of uneventful sailing, Ethan arrived once again at Central Island.

After passing through the port's entry procedures, he unloaded the goods from his warehouse and stored them in his personal guild account. He then resold his surplus food and fresh water, contacted the shipyard to conduct routine maintenance on the Goddess of Dawn, and, only after completing all these tasks, did he finally take the time to find a hotel for a well-deserved dinner and rest.

This voyage had been highly profitable. His previously depleted finances were replenished, and with a surplus of "spare money" on hand, Ethan found himself feeling more confident. Without hesitation, he paid the shipyard extra to expedite the maintenance of his ship, sparing himself from the long queue and the unnecessary waste of time.

After a good night's rest, Ethan wandered around the island.

This time, he deliberately docked at a different port and landed from another direction, using the opportunity to familiarize himself with a new section of the island.

As he explored, he noticed something peculiar—the layout of Central Island had been carefully planned. Despite being in a completely different area, the distribution of shops, hotels, and businesses mirrored that of the previous district he had visited.

Commercial areas were concentrated in fixed zones, and while there were minor differences, overall, they were remarkably uniform. Once someone became familiar with one section, they wouldn't have any difficulty finding what they needed in another part of the island.

It was highly unlikely that this level of organization had happened naturally. The only logical explanation was that a powerful force had deliberately structured the island's layout.

"The guild?"

The most probable answer was the guild, a force that was becoming increasingly mysterious in Ethan's eyes.

Despite his suspicions, Ethan didn't abandon his exploration. Instead, he deliberately visited the two remaining areas of the island that he had yet to explore.

Even though he already had a working theory, he wanted to see it with his own eyes. And with the Goddess of Dawn still undergoing maintenance, he had time to spare. He might as well use it to map out the entire island.

In the end, his findings confirmed his hypothesis, the island was uniformly planned, just as he had suspected.

However, there was one unexpected surprise—he ran into Brent.

"So you really came to this sea, though later than I expected."

Brent—an adventurer with a strong reputation in these waters—seemed genuinely pleased to see Ethan. Without hesitation, he warmly invited Ethan to sit down for a chat.

"I've been here for a while," Ethan replied, "but I haven't spent much time on the island. This time, I came because my ship is undergoing maintenance."

Ethan had first arrived on Central Island after crossing the Sea of Storms. He had then set out to sea again, spending months on a distant island. When factoring in his time in Paradise Island and the Caribbean, he had been away for well over a year.

Including his time in the Sea of Calm, Ethan—who had gone to sea at seventeen—was now well into his twenties. The youthful softness on his face had faded, replaced by a calmer, more experienced demeanor.

Years of rigorous training and proper nutrition had also allowed him to catch up on his final stage of growth, filling out his once thin frame.

Ethan himself hadn't noticed these changes, but Brent, who hadn't seen him in a long time, could immediately tell.

"You've gotten stronger."

"I should thank you for holding back back then."

Ethan wasn't the type to forget a favor. Back when they first met, Brent had deliberately restrained himself and that decision had played a major role in Ethan's victory over Keno.

However, Brent clearly had no intention of lingering on the topic. Instead, he shifted the conversation to Ethan's recent experiences, asking if he had any difficulties and offering help if needed.

"I'm managing fine. I'm getting used to life here."

Although Ethan and Brent had very different worldviews, Brent's goodwill was undeniable. Ethan saw no reason to be impolite and sincerely expressed his appreciation.

"That's good to hear." Brent nodded approvingly. "Seeing more and more outstanding adventurers appear... makes the future seem a little brighter."

Ethan gently turned the cup in his hands, unsure how to respond.

Through Philip, he had already learned a great deal about this sea region. However, Philip's knowledge was mostly limited to the Central Island and its surrounding waters. The two extended sea routes had only been briefly mentioned in passing.

Brent, on the other hand, had always welcomed and supported new adventurers. He actively helped rookies and worked tirelessly to unite adventurers under a common cause.

That could only mean one thing—the two routes were far too dangerous.

Even for someone as strong as Brent, the only viable approach was to gather and unite as many adventurers as possible.

But just how dangerous were these routes?

Enough that even a veteran powerhouse like Brent had to resort to this kind of strategy?

This question had been weighing on Ethan's mind for a long time. And now that he had run into Brent, he finally had the chance to ask directly.

"What exactly lies beyond those two routes?"

Ethan's question made Brent realize something, this young man was doing well enough in these waters that he was already setting his sights on those two paths.

Brent had initially planned to dissuade Ethan, advising him to remain in this sea for a while longer, accumulate wealth and experience, and avoid thinking about those two routes for the time being.

After all, this sea and the Sea of Calm were two entirely different worlds.

Compared to this region, the Sea of Calm truly lived up to its name—it was as peaceful as a lake, with no complex sea conditions. A light rain or a strong gust of wind was considered a major disturbance.

In such an environment, even a three-meter-long boat could freely navigate the waters.

But here, things were different. The unpredictable environment, chaotic ocean currents, and violent storms made sailing far more treacherous. Many adventurers who had crossed the Sea of Storms arrived here under the illusion that it was just another extension of the Sea of Calm only to lose their lives due to their miscalculations.

However, when Brent noticed the determined look in Ethan's eyes, he changed his approach.

This young man wasn't the type to be swayed by the words of others. Since he had already lived in this sea for a while, he must have gained a clear understanding of the dangers. The very fact that he was asking about those two routes meant he had already begun considering them seriously.

"Those two routes become more dangerous the deeper you go."

Rather than trying to dissuade him, it was better to tell him the truth. If Ethan was determined to set sail, at least he would be well-informed and properly prepared.

"Unstable ocean currents, unpredictable weather, and dwindling resources."

The changing currents and shifting wind patterns would directly impact a ship's navigability. Meanwhile, the extreme climate variations posed an even greater challenge to adventurers.

According to Brent's description, the climate along those two routes was erratic. One moment, a sailor might be enduring a scorching 40-degree heatwave, only to suddenly plunge into an icy region of -30 degrees within hours.

It wasn't uncommon for storms and blizzards to rage intermittently, with wind patterns so erratic that a ship could be sailing smoothly one moment and then completely becalmed the next.

But if navigation difficulties were one issue, the scarcity of islands was an even greater threat to survival.

"There is only one unsinkable island in this entire sea—the Central Island. You already know that."

Ethan nodded.

If Central Island was the starting point, then sailing along those two routes meant traveling further and further away from it. Without finding floating islands along the way to replenish supplies, adventurers risked running out of food and starving to death at sea.

However, finding floating islands along these routes was extremely difficult.

Even if such islands existed, navigation pointers often failed to locate them, meaning adventurers relied purely on luck to stumble upon one.

"Magnetic interference?"

Ethan had always believed that the island pointers issued by the guild were immune to environmental disturbances but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Then again, the Sea of Calm had no such interference, so he had never encountered this issue before.

"Besides…"

For Brent, while these challenges were difficult, they weren't insurmountable. The true issue was the lack of food and supplies.

If one could gather a large enough fleet, stockpile a sufficient amount of provisions, and fully load every ship with supplies, then theoretically, it might be possible to travel from Central Island straight to the end of the route.

Given Brent's influence and reputation, assembling such a fleet wasn't entirely out of the question.

But Ethan knew there had to be more to it. If the only issue was resources, Brent wouldn't be so adamant about recruiting strong adventurers.

Something else was lurking beyond those routes.

"What else is out there?"

Brent's response was straightforward.

"Monsters."

This sea was vast enough to spawn countless creatures, and many islands had their own unique wildlife. Even Ethan had Auriel, a creature that fed on magic stones and could channel the energy within them.

If creatures like Auriel existed, then it was only natural that more ferocious and powerful monsters did as well.

These creatures were an immense threat to adventurers.

Given the long voyages and limited food reserves, crews had to be carefully selected to avoid overconsumption of supplies. A smaller crew meant less manpower, but bringing more people meant reducing the amount of weapons and defensive equipment that could be stored.

Fewer crew members meant a weaker fighting force. Fewer weapons meant less firepower against hostile creatures.

In the end, the only solution was to recruit powerful adventurers and that was precisely why Brent wanted to see more skilled individuals rise.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

What Brent said next completely shattered the idea that these monsters could be avoided.

Many of the monsters along those routes were capable of flight or underwater movement.

And like all predators, they needed to eat.

The few floating islands scattered across the routes were their primary hunting grounds. And for creatures who didn't find enough food on those islands?

They targeted passing adventurers instead.

Adventurers traveling these routes didn't just have to endure harsh sea conditions, they also had to face relentless assaults from hungry monsters.

Only those who could overcome both challenges had any hope of reaching the end of the route.

And even then, those who survived would still have to face the final trial, the more terrifying storm waters beyond the route's end.

"Sounds like suicide."

(To be continued.)

***

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