7 Odon Seas

Unlike the other parts of the Continent of Skyhaven, which had rulers of Kingdom and nations, the Black Lands had no sovereign ruler. This made the huge territory of the Black Lands available to the strongest faction or highest bidder to do as they pleased. With various races living in the Black Lands, they called it the de facto Capital of Skyhaven. Although the presences of multiple races enabled each one to understand the other better, it also lead to various forms of enmities between various races, which originated from a conflict of interest. Because of this, one had to be knowledgeable of which race (s) occupied a particular territory. If not, they could wander into the territory of a hostile race. Except the individual was powerful, such a person would meet a painful death.

With no sovereign ruler, various factions ruled different territories in the Black Lands. Because of this, those from the Great Kingdom likened the Black Lands to lawless zone. Paradise for the strong, but hell for the weak. The strong bullied and killed the weak for their possessions. But, if one was too strong, it could cause trouble, too. Because, the ruling faction of a particular territory would feel threatened by a rising power. In most cases, the ruling power would either absorb the rising power or destroy it. Only on rare occasions does the rising power triumph over a established faction. With such a system in place, if one wanted to survive in the Black Lands, they had to maintain a balance between being weak and strong. If not, their time in the Black Lands would end in the twinkle on an eye.

Although the Black Lands was responsible for the highest ratio of deaths within the Continent of Skyhaven, thousands upon thousands of people did whatever they could to move there. Because of the natural wonders and rare oddities found within its territories. Whether one was looking for a legendary ore, a rare flower or Animal, or an essential ingredient for a powerful spell, they could find them within the Black Lands. Also, several natural oddities and rare wonders produced Items that could even make the four Great Kingdoms salivate with greed. Since greed was a common trait shared among all races, they flocked to the Black Lands hoping they would make it big.

With the Black Lands akin to a massive treasury, it was not a surprise the Man of Darkness took control over it. The massive brawl that ensued after his death did not come a surprise to most people living in the Black Lands. In fact, they all prayed for the day. The fallen saints and the Great Magus only made their wish come true.

Although most of the inhabitants of the Black Lands leaned towards the path of Darkness, those from the path of Light and regular people also forayed into the Black Lands.

Like every other part of the Continent, the Black Lands also had various forests, seas and rivers. There were also islands, peninsulas, and unexplored regions that even the top factions in the Black Lands did not dare to tread. Although, it was the most hate place in Skyhaven, most considered the Black Lands to be the most interesting place on the Continent.

Unknown region in the Black Lands.

As the moon hanged in the desolate skies, over an unknown island in the Black Lands. Its silver light illuminated a thick forest surrounded by mountains. Like most Islands, the air was humid and the whistling sound of breeze echoed, carrying the faint smell of fresh salt. But, the color of the water surrounding this island would leave most people slack-jawed. Because, it was pitch black! Its majestic waves assaulted the Island's cliffs. The sound of the wave crashing against the cliffs echoed like that of a large army charging into combat. These waves reached a terrifying height of 50ft, while the clouds above the sea was thick and pitch black, too. Several white and red lightning sparks appeared on intervals, accompanied by the sound of thunder, and the downpour of rain. Like the sea, the rainwater was black, too. Meanwhile, the weather condition on the island differed to that of the sea. The island looked like a serene and peaceful environment compared to the apocalyptic nature of the sea.

In the serene forest, a florescent green portal opened in the southern section of the Island. The moment this portal appeared, it spat out a familiar figure on the cold hard ground of the forest. Seconds later, the portal disappeared with a muffled explosion. Meanwhile, observing the figure on the ground, he wore a gray tunic with no special designs on it. Which he paired with black breeches and a leather knee-high boots. Unlike his plain clothes, the silver moonlight illuminated his fiery-red hair. While he laid on the floor with a dazed expression on his face, and drool poured from the corner of his mouth. After using the Milkyway stone, James had arrived at the Black Lands. His current demeanor resulted from experiencing instant teleportation for the first time.

A few seconds later, the effects of the teleportation wore off, and James had an ugly expression on his face. As his eyes scanned the surrounding forest, the scowl on his face got uglier.

"where the hell is this?" James said.

From what Damien told him about the Isles of Ojoh, he was 70% certain he was not in the same place. Because, Damien mentioned nothing like a forest.

'What's that sound? Is that the sound of an ocean?' James mused as he heard the crashing waves. Although it frightened him, it made him curious, too. With no clue about his whereabouts, he walked in a cautious steps towards the sound of crashing waves. Also, he believed something went wrong when Damien activated the Milkyway Stone. Since he could not change what has already happened, James decided not to dwell on the topic. Finding out his current whereabouts was his priority. He speculated that, the item sent him to a neighboring location close to the sea. He hoped to meet the natives, who would explain his situation to him.

Naturally, James would not invite them for a chat, since he did not know whether they were hostile to foreigners or not. He was planning to kidnap one local before drilling out of the required information from the said local. With this thought in mind, James walked towards the sounds of crashing waves. Fortunately for him, the Milkyway portal dropped him in a place close to the southern cliff of the Island. Hence, he did not need to walk too much.

As he made his way to the cliff, the lighting of the forest became darker and darker. Which made James perplexed and alerted. A few seconds later, his eyes bulged out of their sockets while his mouth was wide open. What he expected to be a shore was actually a huge cliff which was being assaulted by gigantic waves from a pitch black sea. Above the sea was a pitch black sky with several traces of red and white flashes while the sound of lightning and thunder reverberated.

His idea of kidnapping a native, disappeared from his mind as he saw the raging sea. One did not need to tell him that, death awaited those unfortunate to fall into such a sea. While the eerie scene overwhelmed him, the familiar sound of the system's notification echoed in his mind.

<Ding>

Scanning Complete!

Name: Odon Sea.

Effects: Water in the sea is capable of corroding the user's body.

Those who drink 3 liters of water from this sea, lose their minds forever. They also walk into the sea to become one with it. The user's Mana capacity will reduce if exposed to the water of the sea.

Limitations: Skill - Hell-Fire Manipulation, is capable of neutralizing the effects of the sea.

Odds of User surviving in the Odon Sea: 1.34%.

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Life presence detected within the sea.

The user is incapable of defeating the creatures with the current level.

<Ding>

While reading the system's notification, James had a stern expression on his face. When he read the Limitation section, his lips curled into a wry smile. Although the flames from hell could neutralize the effects of the black sea, James was not stupid enough to dive into eerie sea that screamed death. That living beings lived in such a place made his skin to crawl, and he wondered what sort of monstrosities lived beneath the sea.

Even though things were not looking good for him, James did not panic. Because, he wanted to know the overall situation of the island before he made his next step.

'What sort of rotten luck do I have? When I fulfill the system's ranking requirements, I'll pour all my SP into Luck!' James mused. While these thoughts floating through his mind, the familiar sound of the system's notification echoed for a second time.

<Ding>

Warning! Warning! Warning!

A pack of Level 1 monsters is approaching the user's location.

Name: Moonlight Wolves

Level: 1.

Rank: Unevolved.

Path: Light and Darkness.

Quantity: 8.

Distance between the user and target: 350m...

<Ding>

"What kind of shitty luck is this?" James said.

He had not spent twenty minutes on the island, yet he was already meeting various stumbling blocks. The same moment James cursed his luck, several savage howls reverberated underneath the beautiful night sky of the unknown island.