Although the image-conscious Royal Family had covered up the details of the battle in Philis Town, not all of the Nobility had been deceived, and the Noy Clan was among them.

Isaac Solomon, the youngest son of the Solomons Family, had been plagued by illness in his early years and remained utterly obscure. There was no information on him whatsoever. Then, not long ago, he suddenly became a Legendary Mage—and a Mad Witch, at that!

And he wasn’t a new-era Mad Witch like the Eldest Princess, but a Mad Witch of the old era—the most insane and brazen kind!

Compared to this identity, the fact that the Eldest Princess had lost to him was hardly worth mentioning.

For this reason, they had been keeping an eye on Isaac from the day he arrived, mainly because they were afraid he might summon an Evil God on their doorstep...

’Fortunately, it seems he really is here for the Sea Island Competition.’

’I hope so, at least...’

Inside the cabin, the person in charge for the Noy Clan took a long, hard look at Isaac, who was sizing up his surroundings on deck, before looking away.

’In any case, no one from our family is participating in the Sea Island Competition. To the Noy Clan, this is just a sanctioned opportunity to slaughter the Sea Race—and, of course, to make a little money on the side.’

’After all, the Sea Island Competition lasts for three days. Someone’s bound to run out of supplies, or have too much loot with nowhere to store it. That’s when our ships will come in handy.’

’Rather than fighting until you’re black and blue, it’s better to sit on the sidelines and watch the show. If you really need something, you can just buy it.’

Of course, Isaac was oblivious to the thoughts of Mr. Moneybags. He was leaning against the deck’s railing, brazenly sizing up the other passengers in an attempt to gather intelligence.

After a few glances, however, Isaac looked away. He didn’t recognize anyone.

This was to be expected. He didn’t run in Adventurer circles and knew little about the local guilds. The last-minute information he’d gathered was sparse, and with the influx of out-of-town Adventurers for the competition, he recognized even fewer faces.

’Besides,’ he thought, ’even though we’re on the same boat now, we’ll all be randomly teleported to different islands once we reach the designated area. It’s questionable whether any of them will even survive to the third day.’

Unlike the Divine Lamp Trial, participation in the Sea Island Competition was automatic upon reaching the island area. There was no time limit; even arriving on the third day counted you as a participant.

This low barrier to entry naturally attracted a massive number of Adventurers. They weren’t after the island’s grand prize, but the heads of the Sea Race!

To the Sea Race, the fact that humans controlled the Sea Island Competition was a disgrace!

Even though their Sea God was, in fact, long gone, they still yearned to reclaim the ritual. At the very least, the victor had to be one of the Sea Race!

Thus, every year, a large number of the Sea Race would join the competition. They were all walking piles of Gold Coins!

Before long, the ship Isaac was on filled up. The Magic Array on the sails glowed faintly, and a breeze appeared from nowhere. The limp sails suddenly billowed out, and the ship quickly pulled away from the harbor.

Watching the harbor recede rapidly, Isaac’s expression grew serious. He gave the Spellcasting Material Package on his person and the Magic Mark on his Glazed Rat one final check, then looked toward the islands with anticipation.

POP~

As if passing through a Magic Barrier, in the blink of an eye, Isaac found himself teleported from the ship to a lush, green islet. He raised an eyebrow. Looking back, he saw the ship he had arrived on still floating on the sea, its position almost unchanged.

’No wonder they can make a living doing this,’ Isaac thought. ’The Noy Clan really knows their stuff.’

’Hmm, it’s also possible that the Wizard who set up this ritual is one of the Noy Clan’s own!’

After all, if the Solomons, a mere Viscount family, could cultivate a promising Grand Arcanist, then the Noy Family, a Duke Clan, shouldn’t be any less capable.

’Maybe we’ll have a chance to exchange notes in the future. As fellow Border Nobility, we should have something in common... right?’

Isaac turned back. He decided he’d ask his eldest sister about it later. As for right now...

His eyes narrowed slightly at the member of the Sea Race that had just burst out from the bushes in front of him. ’First things first, I’ll deal with this guy!’ 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Sea Race," much like "Black Orc," was a general term. Just as the Black Orcs included Lizardmen, Kobolds, and Pigmen, the Sea Race was composed of many different peoples. The one that had just appeared before Isaac was an Octopus-man.

Its two legs were no different from a human’s, but its upper body was surreal. Eight tentacles each wielded a sword, and the creature was topped with the head of an octopus. It was a real sanity drain!

’How bizarre!’

"RAAAGH!!!"

The moment it saw Isaac, Octopus Xiaoba brandished its eight longswords and charged, screaming. In the blink of an eye, it was upon Isaac, its eight tentacle-wrapped longswords slashing down from eight different directions, sealing off every possible escape route!

THWUMP!

However, as the eight blades fell, there was none of the expected feedback of steel biting into flesh. No blood sprayed forth as the creature had anticipated. It was as if... it had struck sand!

It wasn’t ’as if’.

Octopus Xiaoba was fast, but Isaac was faster. Even before becoming a Wizard, Isaac had a profound understanding of just how quick the brutes of this world could be. That was why, after becoming a Wizard, he had diligently practiced displacement and shield-related Magic.

’No matter how high a Wizard’s damage output is, it’s meaningless if you don’t survive!’

What had blocked Octopus Xiaoba’s attack was a spherical shield of sand. While it couldn’t claim to be an Absolute Defense on par with some legendary techniques, the sand was of Isaac’s own special creation. It possessed incredible defensive power, specifically enhanced to counter the swords and spears most commonly used by Knights. Between the fine grains, an invisible magnetic force flowed.

RRRIP!

The first strike had failed. Now, it was Isaac’s turn!

A vicious Demon Claw emerged from the nape of his neck. Its long, sharp fingers danced delicately as a crimson eye slowly opened in its palm, fixing its deathly stare on Octopus Xiaoba!

The iridescent stripes at the edge of the eye flickered, and Octopus Xiaoba’s expression instantly went slack. It had been hypnotized.

Then, a purple radiance showered down. More tentacles sprouted from Octopus Xiaoba’s body, tangling together as it collapsed to the ground.

The battle was over.

With a flick of his finger, Isaac sent a Flaming Arrow shooting out. It instantly pierced Octopus Xiaoba’s head and then exploded, snuffing out its life completely.

"Always remember to secure the kill," Isaac said, patting the back of Harmon’s hand.

"Hiss?"

"No need. We’re not here to cash in bounties. A headshot is fine. Let’s go find Shushu first."

"Hiss hiss~"

"Hm? It wants to go off and train on its own? Why didn’t it say so earlier?" Isaac stopped mid-stride, looking quizzically at Harmon, who was perched on his head.

"Hiss hiss," Harmon conveyed. ’It wants to improve its combat skills.’

"Always getting these silly ideas. Why would I ever let it fight?" Isaac shook his head with a sigh. Even though he was constantly strengthening Shushu, in his mind, the rat’s role was that of a mascot. It would never be its turn to actually fight.

’However...’

"Alright, fine. If that’s what it wants, let it go have its fun. Just have Liu Li keep an eye on it. We’ll go collect Crystal Stones."

"Hiss!"