Chapter 340: Wrath Island

Two days have passed, Ned arrived at the shore of Wrath Island with his identity still unknown to the Niagara and her crew. With Kurashinpi constantly on his face, and with a beast he once rode, that put mental strains over the crew, none got the guts to bother him in his cabin.

Along the coast, Niagara's ship anchored. And from the distance, Ned was able to survey the island as the two stood next to a wooden railing.

Ned assumed that the Wrath Island was almost the same size as O'rriadt, with the exception of mountain ranges the Wrath Island were having around its boundary. The island formation was like the mouth of a volcano that was surrounded by towering mountains.

Currently, no magical creatures were seen, both over the mountain ranges or outside the shores.

Ned sighed under the mask. If he went inside the island, there's no turning back. Like he can turn back now. This was the moment he was waiting for, to have the title of being a hunter and access locations, humans and Hollows alike could not.

But if he went inside, it would mean that as long as the Hunter Exam was progressing, they would be like prisoners. Jailed inside not with iron bars but with soaring mountains.

"This is Wrath Island, Lordness." Niagara pointed over the horizon. Over the blurred mountain top.

Ned wasn't bothered being called a Lordness. He must act the act as though he was a noble closely related to some pirates. To fully convince Niagara's crew, Ned had to produce the token given by Lady Darcey. Yet again, to his surprise, Ned was considered among the pirates with the aid of the token from Time to Loot. They were not even surprised to see one of the Emperor's sigil etched at the corners of the token.

"Only a friend of the Empress could command a beast that strong," Niagara had said a day after Ned settled in her ship.

Now that they were on the shores, Ned waited for some activities the island was giving. But for reason, an hour has passed and no candidates have yet to show. Ned has a day left before the official Hunter Exam started.

Maybe I am the first, Ned thought as he eyed the horizon.

But just after the thought was roaring sound of flapping wings overheard above the ship.

Ned, Niagara, and the crew looked up almost at the same time after the noise broke through.

Aside from Ned, the rest went to their respective battle stations after a massive beast hovered above them.

But before the crew could fire, nor react, perhaps breath, a voice rang from above the flying beast.

"Pirates," the voice said as though thunder flashed. "This is the territory of the Kingdom. Leave as I am giving you a chance."

Niagara's eyes went retarded as she was unable to speak a word. Her mouth went suspended in a big O shape while she kept on staring at the massive beast.

With a flash of light from the setting sun, Ned was able to recognize the beast.

Although wasn't exactly as big as Newter, the massive beast was a sight to behold with its golden feathers, razor-sharp talons, and commanding roar.

"Gryphon," Ned said under the mask which took Niagara's attention.

"This lady here saw this beast for the first time in my pirate life." She swallowed saliva in between her words. Her fingers trembling over the hilt of his blade.

Ned wasn't able to get a good view of the rider behind the gryphon's back as the beast itself was covering almost half of the sky in their vision. The beast couldn't land as it was nearly half as big as the ship. Doing so might put them in danger, and the rider knew it.

"This is the territory of the Kingdom of Griffith," the voice repeated as though it was rehearsed a few dozen times. "Leave as I am giving you a chance."

"What do we do, Lordness?" Niagara looked over her shoulder. Seeing that her crew nailed on their spots. Niagara gave up the thought of them fighting if things go wary. She waited for Ned in the end. Of course, Ned had the one with the beast that could fare against the Gryphon.

And as though following a well-written, well-rehearsed procedure, the voice rang once more. "This is the territory of the kingdom of—"

"Hunter-sir," Ned said, raising his voice to match the flapping of the wings. "I am here for the Hunter Exam."

"If you are, you know where to go," the voice rang over the gryphon. "Anyone that doesn't have the token is suggested to leave now."

After his speech ended, the gryphon let out a sudden chirp and flapped its wings until they were nothing but a ball of black over the horizon to the Wrath Island.

"Is that it?" Niagara nearly fell from her standing.

"That's it," Ned replied. With the beast with him, none would dare to lie and still proceed to the island without invitation.

"So this it, Lordness."

Ned wasn't sure if Niagara was somewhat joyous because of the gryphon leaving or him.

Ned left the ship with a boat he himself puddled. It was surprising already that they would give him their boat even though half of the crew were still afraid of him.

Nearly an hour had passed, the sun was almost set, and Ned arrived at the shore of the Wrath Island. There, he could hear distant noises over the mountains. But it was too acute to tell what were the noises even with Ned's keen hearing.

After changing his clothing to that of black leather with long sleeves to hide the gleam of the Mark of the Knight, and recalling the Kurashinpi in exchange for the Krisalix blade, and producing a leather pouch of gold, Ned proceeded to the nearest mountain with the noises resounding over it.

Ned arrived with the sun setting to almost darkness near the base of the mountain with a wide clearing of the forest along with a daunting slope behind them. And in that clearing stood a pair of figures guarding a gate at one of the slopes of the mountain. Looking above, from the remaining light of the sun was the mountain, so high Ned doesn't even need a second thought to proceed to the pair of standing figures.

As Ned was closing, he realized that the pair were guarding a silver door engraved with the markings that say 'South Bound' in their native scribing. Which Ned presumed he was currently at the southern part of the island.

Just like the one riding the gryphon, one of the guard, perhaps higher rank than the other, mumbled his speech. "Token. If none—leave. This is the territory of the kingdom." He held the spear without even looking at Ned. A gleam of his face showing through the gaps of the helmet telling Ned that this guy was somewhere in his twenties. Which means he was either a hired mercenaries to guard the entrances, which Ned doubted as the Association would never hire them; or he was a hunter with a necklace hidden underneath the silver armor he wore.

With a breath, Ned reached inside his leather pouch hanging his waist, then produced the token the Royal Knight gave him.

The one on Ned's right accepted the token and held it above. So that if anyone would be watching, they knew for sure that what the guard was holding was a token from a Royal Knight and a Diamond Rank Hunter.

The door behind the two guards shook, and with a cheerful, yet, suspicious voice, the guard to the right said, "Candidate. You may proceed."

The other guard handed the token back to Ned and in unison, the pair step aside just in time for the silver door to open.

Inside, there was a narrow, and dark, and long tunnel that Ned had to tread.

But before he could reach ten meters of walking, a chime resounded in his head.

[Ned, this walk is an illusion.]

Ned stopped and frowned, sweeping his fingers over the hilt of his sword. He then focuses, only to realize in an instant, that the tunnel was nothing but Array protected.

Illusion Array, Ned thought and grinned. He knew about this from his Master. And if this was another test, then he needed to pass. One thing that came into his mind to pass was to find the weak spots the Array was emitting.

Ned focused. Skill Detect was useless since it could not detect lifeforms. What Ned needed was his focus, and focus he did. He stood in the middle of darkness and felt the pulses the Array was giving off. And in the illusion, Ned sensed a weak pulse coming from his right not less than three meters away from him.

Ned moved to this pulse. Once he was near, he knelt and swept the ground with his bare hand. Sensing a sudden change of mana in the ground, Ned poked the ground.

The tunnel twisted and Ned felt as though his eyes were playing at him as he watched the distortion dancing around him.

For a moment, Ned closed his eyes. And once he saw a flicker under his closed eyes, he opened them slowly.

Only to be welcomed by a dozen people staring at him with their eyes almost leaping out of their sockets.

"No way," one of the guys mumbled.