As soon as I stepped through the purple Gate, I instantly felt the familiar - and honestly disconcerting and dreadful - experience of being transported from one place to another magically.
I an, can you bla ?
I've experienced it a few tis in this life already, and only once was it pleasant... kind of.
This was a bit different, but it felt roughly the sa; warm energy wrapped around my body, the unfamiliar magic coating my entire body and all of my gear, almost like it was a cocoon around , and then I felt a bit of... turbulence.
I was lurched forwards and upwards at the sa ti, leaving my stomach to enjoy the fun accelerations on a delayed tir as the acids swished around, making my head go light from the nauseating feeling.
My vision was a warp of violets, purples, pinks and so splashes of wine red, while my hearing was limited to the sounds of my blood rushing through my body, trying to figure out what the hell was going on to my body.
This lasted for a few seconds, but they were the type of seconds that were even worse then the seconds from a plank; they dragged on for what felt like minutes each, leaving us in this weird limbo of swirled purple, warmth, and nausea.
However, ti still moves, and everything cos to an end... even if it takes what feels like an eternity.
The purple Gate spat us out sowhere just as warm as it, and I have to say...
I was damn surprised by what I saw when I erged from the gate.
Situated before was a verdant, tropical forest brimming with life, while a beach of golden sand ringed the forests edge, sloping down into crystal blue waters that lapped soothingly and calmly at the sand.
We had been guided onto a beautiful tropical island, and directly in the center of it stood a large mountain of grey and green rock, towering above the large trees and scratching against the clouds-
No, never mind, that was smoke; clouds of smoke were draped above the island, marring the serene beauty a bit as they only grew over ti, the soft breeze doing little to diffuse the ash and smoke into the wider sky scape.
My nose twitched involuntarily as I made that observation, and past the scent of salt, moss, and flora, I could detect a hint of acrid smoke lacing the sll of the air, just barely noticeable.
This island seed to be hiding sothing, and it did that job well.
Looking around, I saw nothing but crystal clear ocean in sight, aning that this island was far off from other land masses; at least on this side, since we couldn't see past the mountain.
We all stood on the beach, the water lapping at our boots, and we stared at the mountain before turning towards the Marquess, who was looking up at the sun with a relaxed smile.
"I missed this..."
Her mutter made us all frown, and we looked around once more to try and determine if this was an illusion or if sothing had took control of the Demoness in front of us, but...
"Co on, let's talk about what I brought you all here for."
She strode forwards before plopping onto the sand, turning to stare out over the gorgeous ocean as she leaned back, basking in the sun.
Sitting around her, we waited for the Marquess to finally co back to us as she continued to enjoy herself.
"Honestly, I'd been wondering if I should take you all here or just Jahi, but with the recent happenings and the return of the things like her-"
The Marquess glanced behind , and I sighed as I felt Sla'Caligo appear beside , her head resting on my shoulder as she smirked at the Marquess, ignoring the Demoness' harsh glare.
"I decided to say 'fuck it' and bring you all. Tradition dictates that it'd be just Jahi and I, but no one's around to tell what to do with what's mine, so who cares. This is Sisyphyea Island, and it's where - according to tradition - the heir of the Asmodeucian Clan was ant to co to train and grow to a degree that the outside world would consider monstrous. Now, since you're nowhere near the level required to actually take over the Asmodia na from , I went ahead and toned this 'trial' of yours down to sothing more manageable."
She smirked at her daughter, who just raised a brow back at her before listening as her Mom continued speaking, explaining more of this island to us.
"This place - Sisyphyea Island - is a... sort of Dungeon, I guess you could say. It's a place where monsters are born, matured, and pitted against one another in a constant battle for the thing that grows in the center of the mountain. From what I've seen, there are three 'factions' inside the island; the Guards, the Undead, and the Monsters.I think you should take a look at
Firstly, the Monsters; it's a collection of normal forest monsters dialed up a few notches. You have serpents, avians, goblins, treants, spriggans, and more waiting to find an opportunity to kill the others and claim that thing in the mountain.
The Undead, on the other hand, are just a spattering of skeletons of all kinds wanting to use numbers and poisons to destroy the island and claim that thing as well; pain in the asses, since they can't be 'killed' here and simply reknit themselves together in a few minutes.
Lastly, inside the mountain there is a group of golems made from stone and tal - surprise~ - guarding that thing from the other two factions, and now us as well. The thing inside the mountain is a nifty little item that I've never seen in a place besides a body."
Peering over her shoulder, she stared at the mountain before looking back at us, her eyes sparkling as she said "It's a heart. The mountain's heart, and what I want you to do is go inside the mountain, and rip out it's heart. Doing so causes the island to die, before the Fire Mana pooling beneath the mountain turns the island into a wondrous place of fla and brimstone, resetting it in a few years ti."
Leone leaned forwards and asked "Resetting it? How is that possible? This... sounds inconceivable."
Chuckling, the Marquess nodded as she drumd her fingers in the sand, agreeing with the Vampire.
"I know. Still don't get it, but if I had to guess, the island is alive. That heart causes the wellspring of Fire Mana it was gathering to overflow, and then it slowly gets everything back together, allowing the monsters to begin appearing again as the heart grows back. It's a vicious cycle, and it's one that we can use to our advantage. See, these aren't just monsters or undead; they're monsters and undead that fight, fight, fight, and fight. They don't die easily, and they learn. If you were here from start to finish, they WILL begin to plan according to your tactics. The undead set traps. The monsters assemble a strong rearguard. If you use brute force, they grow stronger hides and create thicker bone plates. Speed? They match it. Power? They'll beco more offensive. Magic? They'll NEGATE it. This island is a ho of war..."
"It's more than that; it's a cca for bloodshed. Everything about this place demands blood, demands death. It's... abhorrent."
Cali sneered beside as she said that, before almost snarling at the Marquess as she grinned at the Arch Fiend, replying "That's a perfect description~! A cca for warriors... Filled with herculean tasks that demand improvent lest you get squashed like a bug! Perfect for those with a thirst to get stronger..."
"Barbaric. Why fall back on brute force all the ti when words and sex can get more done in a far more productive manner?"
Scoffing, the Marquess rolled her eyes as she turned towards Jahi, ignoring the Arch Fiend as she said "This is a watered down version of what this place is ant to be. I did this exact sa thing when I was younger as well, and it's an addicting place. Monsters and Undead that grow alongside you, learn to fight YOU on a more equal level... all of them only ever returning whenever the sun rises on a new day! You can fight and fight forever here..."
"And get swallowed up by the enemies that scale to your strength? That learn from you? Are you insane?! How can you look at this place and find joy in its existence?!"
Leone and I nodded slightly at the Arch Fiend's cautious words, understanding and partially agreeing with her point; this place was a deathtrap after a few days, especially if it began to learn how exactly it was ant to kill you as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Anput and Jahi, however, were staring at the tree line with a thoughtful, slightly hungry expression, their minds likely wondering just how close to the truth the Marquess was telling us regarding this place; could they really fight an opponent created to counter them?
Would they be able to overco that disadvantage and maintain a superiority over sothing that powerful?
"Then don't get swallowed. Learn your limits, and break them slowly. Push yourself to the edge and learn to tiptoe along it, teetering between life and death on a thread. How else are you ant to grow past the level of a great warrior, and into the level of soone with a re handful of equals?"
Grinning maniacally, the Marquess leaned forwards and growled "How else could I have reached the level that I am at now, where I am capable of killing an Arch Fiend with a coins flip of a chance walking away with minor injuries? Where I am just a few steps away from making my way into a realm no one could hope to enter except for a dozen? Patience? Practice? No, because that leads to stagnation; an assurance that what you are doing is correct and the best you can do. It's pathetic."
Cali narrowed her eyes at the Marquess' threat, before sneering as she looked away, not wanting to continue that conversation.
"This is an opportunity that only cos around once a decade or so, oh daughter mine. Take it, and use it. The monsters have been thinned enough to where they should be manageable. They only ever learn from being overwheld; otherwise, they stagnate as well. Currently, they're at the sa tier as the monsters past the Gate of Hades in Zhu'Rong. Oh, and this island?"
Gesturing around us, the Marquess smirked as she snapped her fingers, a small pulse of her mana gliding over the golden sand.
"This is the only spot that monsters won't tread. They stay away from the Gate, aning that when night falls, and they grow more dangerous? Unless you return here, you're not safe. So don't get lost..."
At her words, I had to purse my lips as I looked back towards the mountain, my own mind filled with questions as I stared at the island that would beco a large part of my life for the imminent future, and there was one thought in mind...
Wasn't this like so kind of 'Hidden Realm' that a protagonist would find and use to get stronger in a Cultivation novel?
A world separate from the rest, hidden away - hence the na - and laden with treasures and opportunities to get far stronger than normal in a short period of ti?
Surely not..?
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