Published at 10th of April 2026 7:44 am

Chapter 89: Island of Bones

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Chapter 89: Island of Bones

Exhaustion. That was the only thought left in Seo-jins skull as he lay sprawled on his back, arms burning, waves licking at his feet.

It had been a few days since hed set the Dead Hands in motion, Min was buried in drills, Gregor crawling through the citys alleys for intel. That left him alone, free to scratch the itch that had been gnawing at him.

Ever since hed reached Earth and swallowed Seo-jins memories, hed started to see the cracks. The truth was simple and bitter: his hand-to-hand work was shit. Every victory so far had been carried by his system, not skill.

So while he studied the reports John had given him about demons, hed sent Grimm scouting. The coast beyond Shatterbay crawled with small islands, abandoned patches of rock and death, but he needed one big enough to move and bleed without being seen. Somewhere away from human eyes. Somewhere to break himself down, somewhere to hunt.

When he decided the gang could stand without him for a while, he took a small rowboat and slipped into the tide, heading for the island Grimm had marked. He had been warned to be careful. The sea wasnt for humans anymore; even powerful users vanished out there, their ships dragged under by things with too many eyes.

Still, he made it. No storms, no monsters. Just hours of rowing until his arms screamed and his chest felt ready to split. Even with his boosted strength, the effort wrung him dry in a way no fight ever had.

He pushed himself off the sand, brushing the grit from his skin as the wind hissed through the trees.

A slow grin crept across his face.

Its perfect. You did well.

Grimm drifted at his shoulder, the air rippling around his pale form, guts swaying like ribbons in water.

I wonder what kind of game it has.

He narrowed his eyes and opened his Soul Sight. The world dimmed, then flared alive in coloryellow and green lights flickering through the treeline like sparks caught in fog. The sight lit a pulse of excitement through him.

[Are you sure this is a good idea? I still think waiting for dungeons would be safer.]

Waiting takes too long. And fighting over a dungeons a waste of time. There cant be that many here, and there won't be anything big, Woon Corp wouldve wiped it if a higher rank dungeon dropped, even out here. Worst case, were dealing with a C-rank boss.

Hed dressed lightblack jeans Min had fetched, reinforced enough to shrug off cuts, a green coat over a plain white shirt. No armor yet. No boots. He liked feeling the ground. Liked knowing his claws were close.

He walked to the shore and dragged the small boat up the sand, flipping it to dry. The hollow thud rolled out into the surf. Biting the inside of his cheek, he spit a bit of blood onto the boat.

[-8SM]

[Rotmark // Active]

[Anchor Marked // 1/3]

Its kinda surprising humans havent cleared these places.

His escape route set, he stripped off the jacket, the fabric sliding from his shoulders and disapearing in system light. The skin on his forearms split open with a wet crack as Butchers Wrath pushed through, black veins writhing under his flesh and wrapping around steel as they ripped into his hands.

[Its not strange if you think about it. Before the Convergence, humanitys strength came from cooperation. In the Freelands, that instincts dead.]

He stared into the tree line, where the dark thickened until it looked solid. The island stood as a monument to what humanity lost. Once, people wouldve banded together, built walls, fought for something larger than themselves. Now, in a world ruled by shards and Kings, all that remained was hunger and self-preservation.

Another reason to keep going. Another reminder of why he needed to bring the green back.

The air changed near the trees. Damp rot rolled out to meet him. His pulse quickened. He drew in a long breath through his teeth.

Smells like death in there.

Grimm drifted closer, the glow in his hollow eyes flaring. He sniffed at the air, copying his master.

Come on, Grimm. Lets go kill some monsters.

He stepped into the treeline, shadows swallowing him whole, a single blue flame trailing behind.

----

The island Seo-jin landed on was large by the coasts standards, ten square miles of twisted growth, and its vegetation looked like someone had stitched nightmares together into a forest.

Because no human hand tended it, every dungeon that had opened here shattered and seeped into the soil, leaving aberration in its wake. Each rupture birthed new predators to fight the old ones; the ground was a ledger of battles that never ended.

Realms loathed each other as fiercely as they disliked humans. Every break spat out creatures that devoured or supplanted what came before. Only the brutal, the ruthless, kept ground here.

Seo-jin noticed it at once: every step required attention or youd grind bone beneath your boot. The beach and path were a white mosaic of skeletons.

This place is brutal. Id hate to be a dungeon boss and get stuck out here. Unless theyre Abyssal, theyre fucked. Either drown trying to reach food, or starve to death.

[Monster physiology varies wildly. Youd be surprised at how long some creatures can go without eating. Some can even achieve a form of suspended animation during resource droughts.]

The thought sharpened him; his chest tightened with a hungry sort of anticipation. He wanted something that would actually fight back.

That was the reason he'd sent Grimm on another mission. To look for anything that resembled a dungeon boss. His main dish.

[Wouldnt it be smart to summon the Brood?]

It would. But that would defeat why Im here. Unless I have to, theyre sitting this out. I need to keep my growth ahead of theirs.

Beyond that, hed sworn to himself to use his powers sparingly. This trip was for his hands, training them to kill without leaning on curses and tricks.

He shoved through a curtain of branches slick with sweet-smelling slime. The air clung to his skin. Thena faint pulse of yellow between the trees caught his eye.

'Got one.'

He dropped low, body tight, watching the glow drift closer through the dark. The thing was moving straight toward him.

'Keep still. Hide your presence. Bloodlust draws attentioncontrol the breath. Dont think about killing.'

His pulse slowed, but only barely. Instinct clawed at his chest, begging for release. He was still too green.

For a flash, all restraint vanished when he saw its outline. For a heartbeat, he thought Grimm had made a mistake, but he was wrong. As it slithered closer, the shape came into focus. Humanoid, but not human.

A serpent-man stepped into the open.

'Didnt expect beast realm... but itll do perfectly.'

Each realm spawned monsters, but only the Beast Realm bred creatures that forged and wore armor. Intelligence made them dangerous, organized. Predators that hunted with purpose.

Over six feet tall, wiry and long-limbed, its body shined with overlapping scales that darkened and lightened with every twitch of light. Its head was pure snake. Slit eyes, flicking tongue, a neck that swayed like it was tasting the air.

Simple leather armor clung to its torso and covered its arms. A spear rested in its hands, but the real weapon was the tail, it was thick, muscular, moving with slow, patient threat.

[That is a Green Hood. Serpent tribe. If they control this island, your training plan might be done. If their leaders still breathing, you wont survive alone.]

Keeping his eyes glued to him, the Snake-man moved with slow precision, tongue flicking in and out as it tasted the air. Its route curved away from Seo-jin, not close enough to pose a threat, so he let his muscles ease

'Ill just summon the Brood. Not like I havent soloed a boss before.'

[This will not end the same. Beast Realm monsters arent mindless. Their intelligence rivals humans. A C-rank Serpent boss would shred your dumb ass. Dont get cocky.]

His frown deepened. He adjusted his stance, eyes locked on the creatures back as it passed through the trees.

'Maybe we should uninstall a part of that update. You were a mouthy fuck before, but now youre even'

His thought snapped in half...the clearing was empty.

The Snake-man had vanished.

'What theeven his aura?!'

He forced his breathing steady, scanning the treeline. Nothing. Just the warped trunks twisting through the dark. Then a feeling...

Shit!

The warning was almost too late. A spark of killing intent flared above him. He threw himself back as a spear grazed down his chest.

[-5 HP]

[HP // 835 / 840]

You fucking distracted me!

[Quit whining and focus.]

As he landed, a long tail dropped from the canopy, curling around the spear and yanking it back into the foliage. The motion was quick, calculated. Seo-jin snapped his gaze upward, eyes glowing, but the aura flickered out before he could track it.

Where'd he?!

A flash of metal interrupted him. Another spear buried itself in the dirt where he stood. He rolled, dirt spraying around him as the weapon was pulled away again. The serpent was moving above him, fast, using the trees like a hunting ground.

He thinks hes got advantage.

A grin split his face as his feet began to twist and split. Bone cracked. Black claws tore through the skin and dug into the soil beneath him, anchoring him in place.

He didnt wait for another ambush. Muscles coiled, he launched himself upward and slammed into the nearest trunk, claws biting deep into the bark. His Wall Crawler ability turned the forest into a vertical hunting ground, every surface a foothold.

He climbed fast, leaping from tree to tree until movement caught his eye. The Green Hood was ahead, its tail wrapped tight around a branch as it crouched to spring again.

Seo-jin didnt hesitate. His legs tensed, flesh hardening as he kicked off, the tree behind him exploding into splinters.

Butchers Wrath whispered through the air.

A shriek tore out behind him. He landed light, twisting back to see the serpent crashing down through the branches, its tail still clinging to the tree it once perched on.

I wont catch him slipping again, but now we can fight for real.

[You shouldve gone for the neck.]

He dropped and hit the dirt, straightened, grinning as he faced the beast head-on.

Dont be stupid. I cant train with a corpse.

[You cant train if reinforcements show up.]

The serpent rose, mucles twitching, fangs bared wide in a hiss that rattled the air. Its spear began to glow, metal rippling orange as the heat built. The stump of its severed tail pulsed, flesh knitting, muscle crawling back into place.

Healing already? Good. Lets take our time getting to know each other.

The creature didnt care to listen. It lunged, scales flaring, spear thrust like a bolt of fire.

Seo-jin raised Butchers Wrath, grin spreading as the weapon caught the light. This was what he needed. A fight that hurt. A fight that forced him to adapt.

And as their weapons clashed, he felt it...more auras flickering in the treeline, closing in like sparks on dry brush. Things were about to get more intense.

He was all for it.

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