Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

While Ethan was happily chopping down sharks one by one, the other captains weren't just standing idly on their ships. From his detection goggles, Ethan could tell that several figures had jumped into the sea one after another.

"It seems it wasn't just the captains who jumped… maybe they weren't even captains at all."

They were all veteran adventurers who had spent considerable time at sea. Ethan didn't believe these people had no way of dealing with underwater threats. It was likely their ships even had crew members specifically trained for underwater combat.

After finishing off the last shark around him, Ethan noticed a figure not far away battling a Death Shark.

Although visibility was still poor, Ethan could make out one detail: "That's combat gear powered by magic stones."

After returning to the Goddess of Dawn, Ethan went back to his room to shower and change clothes. By the time he emerged, the battle outside was already winding down.

People began surfacing one after another. At this point, Ethan could clearly see that these individuals were indeed wearing various types of magic stone gear. Most resembled light armor, and a few looked more like leather armor, but none were wearing the set he had previously captured.

"Wait…"

Ethan hadn't expected to notice anything unusual, but one person's magic stone gear stood out. Although it looked similar to the others, the bodysuit beneath the armor appeared more like the one he had obtained earlier.

"The adventurers on that ship don't seem ordinary."

It was just a quick glance, so Ethan couldn't be sure of his observation. He would have to take a closer look the next time they interacted. He had already remembered which ship that person belonged to and had also noted its captain.

What Ethan didn't realize was that while he was observing the other captains, many of them were also observing him.

From the initial surprise at seeing a pure wooden, unarmored sailing ship equipped with a magic stone shield, to Ethan—who, although not the first to enter the water, was the first to emerge—he had drawn considerable attention. Even though he tried to keep a "low profile," his strength was still obvious.

For some captains who were more familiar with or friendly toward Brent, Ethan's display made them sigh with admiration: Brent really was reliable. He hadn't just brought along some random, unknown person, this young captain was quite strong.

"All ships, report your status."

The communicator came to life again, and all the captains could hear the reports from their "comrades." Although the swarm of Death Sharks had caused some trouble, there were no casualties. Only one unfortunate fellow hit his head during a collision.

However, that bump hadn't even broken the skin, which turned out to be the worst injury sustained in the whole encounter.

"Adjust course. Head toward the island."

Knowing that all ships were intact, Brent ordered the fleet to continue forward. This time, they would land directly on the island. For some reason, the closer they got, the heavier the sense of oppression became. Even the dullest among them could feel that something was about to happen.

The captains gathered once more on the Hope, but no one sat in the meeting room. Instead, they all assembled on the quarterdeck, staring together at the land ahead.

"The weather's getting weirder and weirder."

One captain glanced toward the sky. Thick dark clouds blocked out the sun, with lightning faintly brewing within. Rain or snow occasionally fell, and it was impossible to tell whether the next moment would bring snow or rain. Sometimes, it would even start snowing and suddenly shift to rain halfway through. They had experienced this several times on their approach.

This kind of weather was rare, even in the later stages of the route.

Occasionally, lightning would strike the sea, or a whirlpool would suddenly appear, causing significant problems for navigation. Several times, they had narrowly avoided collisions caused by abrupt whirlpools or lightning strikes.

Fortunately, all crew members were seasoned sailors, so no irreparable accidents occurred. The fleet steadily drew closer to the massive landmass that almost blocked the entire route.

"I can't shake the feeling that there's something strange and oppressive about that land."

Brent hadn't put down his binoculars. He kept staring at the land in the distance. This place made him deeply uneasy, as if something inside him were warning him to stay away.

The others didn't know, but Ethan understood why.

As a mage who had faced Death energy head-on multiple times, Ethan could tell the island was saturated with negative energy—primarily Death energy.

Brent and the others hadn't recognized it as such, partly because Death energy wasn't the only kind of negative energy. It was just one of the more prominent types.

Ethan couldn't identify all the different forms of energy either, but he was certain that none of them were friendly to humans. Prolonged exposure to this environment would likely not just corrode the body but also pollute the mind, potentially driving people mad.

"What a… wonderful place."

Everyone could tell Ethan was being sarcastic. The captains nodded in agreement. Brent finally lowered his binoculars and looked around, as if about to ask if anyone wanted to withdraw.

But considering that such a strange land blocked the route, and whatever unknown threats it might contain, this danger had to be dealt with. In the end, he said nothing.

As the fleet gradually approached the land, the possibility of sudden incidents at sea decreased. The captains returned to their ships one after another, and Ethan also had to go back to make some preparations before landing.

Just before he left, Brent pulled him aside.

"Maybe you should stay on the ship."

"Worried that I'm not strong enough to handle this?" Ethan knew Brent was concerned about his safety. Compared to the others, Ethan still seemed too young. "Don't worry. If things go wrong, I'll retreat immediately."

Ethan wasn't concerned that this place posed a real threat to him. His strength had grown tremendously compared to before, giving him confidence.

More importantly, he had plenty of ways to protect himself and his companions. If things got out of hand, he could even hide in other worlds. If he didn't have the courage to step onto land under these circumstances, he might as well just find a safe world and retire early.

Back on the Goddess of Dawn, Ethan began organizing his gear for the landing.

There wasn't much to sort. With the expansion of his storage space, the little equipment he had was all stored inside. On his person, he only carried some basic gear, mainly to mislead the other captains.

In contrast, Logan looked fully prepared for battle, with a full set of firearms and a backpack stuffed with various supplies.

Loki still wandered around carrying his scepter. Ethan knew his equipment was stored with magic and would be summoned when needed.

Selene's situation was more unique. She had previously worn a custom-made leather suit with designated areas on the back for storing magazines. Her main weapons were two modified Beretta 93F automatic pistols, along with two backup sidearms.

Given the current situation, that loadout was no longer sufficient. Fortunately, Selene was a warrior with hundreds of years of experience. Besides firearms, she was also skilled with bladed weapons. She now wore a specially crafted set of light armor and carried a longsword and two short swords.

Of course, the Berettas were still with her. She also carried enough grenades to ensure she had plenty of options in combat.

"So, here's the problem. If we all go ashore, who's going to guard the ship?"

"Actually, I could stay behind." Loki's response was as quick as ever. He wasn't interested in exploring the strange land. If he stayed behind, he could do his own thing—or maybe stir up a little trouble to give Ethan a headache.

Unfortunately for him, Ethan shut that idea down before it could take shape. There was no way this Prince Charming was going to stay on the Goddess of Dawn and just quietly guard the ship, so Ethan absolutely wouldn't leave him behind.

"Laura can't stay either. In this situation, I'd rather leave the ship empty." As long as the people were safe, losing the ship didn't matter.

Perhaps sensing Ethan's dilemma, Brent had his crew signal for the Goddess of Dawn to berth directly alongside the Hope, so his crew could help watch over Ethan's ship.

Ethan didn't fully trust Brent's people, but there was no better option at the moment. Since Brent had offered, Ethan nodded and accepted, then led his team to land alongside Brent.

"Even though it's not rocking like the sea, this place feels worse. I'd rather be back on the ship."

Logan started complaining within a minute of stepping onto land. Although he hadn't become a druid, his time studying under Broll had changed him. He had developed a strong dislike for environments filled with negative energy and lacking natural balance.

Laura felt the same, and even Auriel, whom she held in her arms, had a look of agreement on her face.

Their conversation wasn't loud, and Auriel's subtle nod was barely noticeable, yet it still caught someone's attention.

"Is that little one your pet?"

Ethan turned to look and saw that it was the captain he had marked for close observation. The man wore a broad smile and was staring at Auriel in Laura's arms.

"Would you be willing to sell it to me?"

(To be continued.)