Chapter 131

The ‘Sanctuary’ was indeed the place the rumors described.

A vast expanse of nature where neither ferocious monsters nor the oppressive weight of magical power existed.

Places to obtain water could be found throughout the vicinity, and fruits or plants to stave off hunger were not difficult to discover.

In this peaceful space, it would certainly not be impossible to preserve one’s life and continue living for a long period.

‘As expected, there are no traces of humans… Did the Empire ultimately fail to find the entrance to this place?’

It wasn’t particularly strange, as it would have been nearly impossible for Taewoon himself to find the entrance without the fox’s help.

On this island, where all sorts of perilous creatures lurked, it must have been difficult to conduct a large-scale search.

‘But… it’s not as if there isn’t something bothering me.’

There were no signs of living beings entering or leaving this place, which meant that, with the exception of the fox, it was impossible for the island’s creatures to enter the Sanctuary or find its entrance.

However, he didn’t know why such a difference existed, and the Empire’s intentions remained a complete mystery.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed more information.

‘So… what should I do now?’

Should he stay in the Sanctuary and resume activity when the next Exploration Team arrived on the island, or should he move for another purpose?

The options before him left Taewoon deep in thought, and there was no clear right answer.

However, since the purpose of this 1st Cycle was the exploration of the Sanctuary in the first place, he felt that figuring out the cycle with which the Exploration Teams visited this island would be key information.

Ultimately deciding to remain in the Sanctuary, Taewoon soon began a full-scale exploration of the interior along with Biryeong.

“This place is… certainly a peculiar space.”

“In what way?”

“On the surface, it seems fine, but if there are no living creatures, an ecosystem cannot be maintained. Doesn’t that mean something else is substituting for the role of living beings?”

Some plants rely on the power of other animals or insects to spread their seeds, and many creatures form interactive or complementary relationships.

However, except for Taewoon’s party, no entities with consciousness existed here, and that was what Biryeong was referring to.

“That is certainly true. There is a high possibility that some kind of secret is hidden in this space. And that may not be unrelated to the true identity of this island.”

“I haven’t observed anything unusual so far… but just how wide is this place to begin with?”

Taewoon and Biryeong spent a full day exploring the interior of the Sanctuary, but they had yet to reach its end.

Considering that the two were masters of lightness skills renowned even in the Martial World of the Central Plains, it was truly an astonishing fact.

‘It’s a very peaceful space… but for some reason, I feel like that’s not all there is to it.’

Everything has a cause and effect.

In other words, there must have been a trigger and a reason for the creation of this island’s ‘Sanctuary.’

Taewoon continued to wander through the Sanctuary with Biryeong, and finally, on the third day, he was able to reach its edge.

“…I feel a strange sensation from here on.”

“You’re right. If we keep going, we’ll probably end up back in that lake region, won’t we?”

It would be no laughing matter if they left the Sanctuary and failed to find the entrance again, so Taewoon finally concluded the exploration and headed back to the place where they first arrived.

The white fox had already vanished during the exploration and its whereabouts were unknown; only Taewoon and Biryeong remained.

“Since it’s come to this, shall we train together for the first time in a while?”

“That sounds good.”

After the Aquila Empire was established in the Heavenly Secret Manual Theater in the past, Taewoon had spent some time immersed in training, facing Biryeong like this.

That too was now a somewhat faded memory, but facing a similar situation brought it back to his mind as if it had happened yesterday.

“I don’t know when the next Exploration Team will come to the island, but…”

Rather than sitting still and waiting for that moment, it would be better to engage in some productive activity.

Taewoon lightly drew Barata and took a stance, pointing its tip toward Biryeong.

All the while, he began to lay out the countless choices that would soon come his way, one by one, in his mind.

Two months passed.

During that time, Taewoon and Biryeong repeated their training daily, sharing their realizations, and occasionally took advantage of the fox’s visits to check the trends outside, waiting for a new Exploration Team to find the island.

In the process, they discovered a few new facts, the most shocking of which was that the entrance to the Sanctuary was not fixed in a specific location.

‘No wonder the Empire had to give up… To think the location of the entrance keeps changing.’

Also, as expected, creatures other than the fox seemed unable to detect the entrance to the Sanctuary, and it felt as though they weren’t even aware of its existence.

In fact, it would be more accurate to think of the island and the Sanctuary as semi-isolated spaces.

“It’s been two months today… still no special news.”

“I thought it would be about time, but perhaps the visit cycle of the Exploration Teams isn’t as short as I thought.”

No matter how capable Taewoon was, he didn’t feel confident in surviving on this island for more than two months with nothing but his bare body.

In other words, if he wanted to reunite with the other viewers of the Theater, he had no choice but to join the Empire’s side or find the Sanctuary.

A familiar cry was heard from somewhere, and the white fox appeared before the two with quick steps. Biryeong, placing the creature on her shoulder, disappeared outside the Sanctuary, saying she would go check the exterior.

And then, a few hours later, he finally heard the long-awaited news from the returning Biryeong.

“I confirmed several presences I’ve never seen before beyond the lake region. It looks like an Exploration Team has arrived.”

“Then… that means the Empire sends people to this island roughly every two months.”

That was precious information. Now that he had secured a hiding place and accurately identified the timing for action, he could challenge the conquest with a minimum foundation established, even if he had to move to the next Cycle.

‘Then… the problem is the timing of the other two joining.’

Since Yerin or Seoyoon might be included in this Exploration Team, there was a need to check the team’s camp at least once.

Accordingly, Taewoon left the Sanctuary with Biryeong and crossed the now-familiar lake region, heading toward the forest area at the entrance of the island.

‘As I thought… the island’s ecosystem has changed quite a bit in just two months.’

In the past, the creatures Taewoon mainly encountered in this forest were Bullet Lizards, Lightning Bears, and Hypervibration Hedgehogs, but now the composition had shifted slightly.

He had wondered why there were occasionally creatures that weren’t recorded in the logs or couldn’t be found despite being recorded; it seemed the ecosystem of this island was undergoing changes at a very rapid pace.

“Can I leave the camp to you?”

“Yes. I remember their descriptions, so I’ll let you know immediately if I find those two.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

After parting with Biryeong, Taewoon moved quickly through the forest, using Thousand-League Perception to search for the active exploration members.

“I lost track of the thing! What about the detection?”

“Wait, I’m searching for it now.”

Once the presences of members focused on exploration were captured, Taewoon quickly cast Stealth Art to escape their perception and began following them.

‘Looking at how they act… it seems they haven’t been on the island for long.’

Then he had timed it perfectly. Now, he had to contact some of them and first create collaborators within the camp.

After observing their faces intently for a while, the moment they separated from other teams and approached the depths of the forest, Taewoon revealed himself and blocked their retreat.

“This is…”

“Who are you!”

The team members, consisting of two men and two women, grew wary of Taewoon and raised their respective weapons, and Taewoon spoke to them in a low voice.

“How long has it been since you arrived on the island?”

“…Suspicious. Reveal your identity first.”

“I am a survivor of a previous Exploration Team that came to this island. It’s been exactly about two months.”

“What? A survivor?”

The man who appeared to be the party leader frowned, thinking he was hearing something utterly absurd, and then provided the answer to Taewoon’s question.

“It’s been two days since we arrived. Today is the second day of exploration. But what do you mean by survivor? Weren’t we supposed to return to the Empire once the exploration was finished?”

“That is a lie. The Empire has no intention of letting the Exploration Teams return alive. In fact, explorations have been carried out several times, and among them, the only survivors are me and my companion.”

“How on earth are we supposed to believe that?”

There was no definitive evidence, but there was much he could tell them.

When he detailed how the previous team had gathered information but it wasn’t passed to the subsequent teams, the structure of the island, the creatures they had encountered, and the end of the last team, their expressions changed instantly, and they looked utterly confused.

“I-is that really true… Damn it! Then those crazy bastards are treating us as…”

“Soon, the Empire’s forces will come to this island, and currently, there is no certain way to escape the island. At the very least, it is impossible to oppose the Empire unless more people cooperate.”

“Damn… what do we need to do?”

Taewoon hinted at the information regarding the Sanctuary, giving them insurance that there was a place to flee, and successfully secured their cooperation.

“…Fine. I’m counting on you from now on. Let’s get out of this damn island together.”

Gerio and Hans, Ollyn and Gryush.

The four decided to gather information within the Exploration Team and act as Taewoon’s hands and feet, and Taewoon also decided to provide them with all sorts of help, such as handing over a notebook where he had organized information about the island, to ensure they didn’t lose their lives during exploration.

With this, the first piece was set.

Recalling the various plans he had been thinking about, Taewoon turned and walked quietly back into the dark forest.