Chapter 131: The Island (III)

It had been three months since Louis and the twins were first stranded on this island.

Louis sat perched on a rock, holding a map in his hand. The island resembled a crescent moon or a cookie with one bite taken out of it. Various locations such as ‘Cliff’, ‘Cave’, and ‘Freshwater Lake’ were marked across the map, along with symbols representing forests and trees that dominated most of its surface area. There was even a circle labeled “Safe Zone.”

Despite appearing crude at first glance, it was surprisingly detailed for a homemade map. This final product represented Louis’s efforts over the past three months.

He grinned widely while gazing at the completed map.

“It’s done!”

Today marked the day when there was nothing left unexplored on the island by Louis. He stood in the last uncharted territory, having just finished mapping the nearby terrain.

“This took way longer than I thought.”

The island was far larger than Louis had initially thought. If he were to walk around its perimeter at a normal human pace, it would have taken him at least four days. To thoroughly explore every nook and cranny of the island would’ve required a month. Yet, Louis had spent three times as long on this exploration.

The reason for this was simple: The mysterious island represented an unknown territory to Louis. Not knowing when, where, or what might happen, he had approached his investigation with utmost caution.

As he gazed upon the dense forest, Louis muttered to himself:

“This place… truly is deserted.”

At first, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone—be it humans or even Ains—might exist on the island. However, despite searching meticulously, he found not a single trace of humanity.

In hindsight, perhaps this is for the best.

If anyone were living here, they’d undoubtedly be a constant source of concern.

The absence of people actually freed Louis and his twin from any constraints on their behavior.

He looked puzzled as he put away the completed map.

Something just isn’t right…

He had been certain there must be something here, given how much effort it took to force him to this place, but he couldn’t find anything unusual.

It was a quiet, peaceful deserted island with beautiful white sandy beaches and stunning natural scenery.

If not for being forcibly stranded here against his will, it would have made an excellent vacation spot.

Despite searching more thoroughly in the central forest where he expected to find something significant, he still came up empty-handed.

“There really should be something here…”

Louis felt uneasy because despite investing several months into exploring the island, he hadn’t yet uncovered its secrets.

Yet he remained unfazed.

If I keep digging deep enough… I’ll uncover it someday.

Rushing would only make him miss details. Maintaining composure allowed for a broader perspective on all possibilities.

Tak-tak!

“Let’s head home,” Louis muttered. No sooner had he spoken than light surged forth, revealing a pristine white dragon perched atop the rock.

Whoosh-whoosh!

With each beat of its wings, the snow-white body soared upward like a shooting star streaking across the heavens. Louis crossed the sky, heading straight for his destination: the forest near the white sandy beach where they had first settled upon arriving at the island. Now, this area served as their “temporary sanctuary.”

How long had he been flying? Louis paused mid-air, momentarily stunned by what came into view through his eyes.

Soon, an incredulous voice spilled from his lips.

“I told them to build a secret base… What kind of fortress are they constructing?”

The wooden structure stood amidst the forest near the white sandy beach. It had started as a small log cabin but gradually expanded in size and height over time.

Three months passed like magic. The once tiny hut now boasted a grandeur akin to that of a castle.

All this was the handiwork of the ever-enthusiastic twins. Despite reaching a point where most would have called it quits, our dynamic duo didn’t show any signs of stopping.

What if someone tries to invade?! We must protect our secret hideout!

Let’s fortify with defense structures!

It was as though they were following some unseen blueprint… After building their castle, the twins began felling trees and digging trenches on the cleared land.

In this manner, a moat was dug, palisades were erected, and even watchtowers began to rise. Thanks to all this construction, every tree in the nearby forest had been completely decimated.

Is there any greater environmental destruction than this?

At this rate, they’d probably start building castle walls out of wood next.

“This is beyond children’s playhouse scale…”

Who could have expected such monumental mischief from dragons? Their ability to wreak havoc was truly mind-boggling.

Typically, kids their age would be content with building sandcastles, stacking blocks, or playing war games with toy soldiers. But these twins…

“Seriously… are they planning some kind of actual war?”

It was overkill on an epic scale.

Who would believe that two 10-year-olds could create something like this? Yet Louis didn’t bother reprimanding the twins.

When was the last time I enjoyed such leisurely moments?

Louis had been constantly hounded by the twins during their daily travels up until now. However, ever since they became obsessed with building a secret base—no, a war fortress—he was enjoying his newfound freedom. The twins were so engrossed in creating something all day that they barely noticed him.

“Well, I suppose it’s nice while it lasts,” Louis muttered as he descended into the twins’ fortress.

Thud.

He transformed back into human form upon landing on solid ground. Fin immediately flew over to greet him when she spotted him.

“Luuuis!”

“How’ve you two been?”

“We’ve been great! Except for Twin-sama bringing back forty-five more trees from over there!”

“…Well then, nothing much has changed.”

What were they trying to make this time? Louis chose not to dwell on reality. He could see the twins chopping down trees in the distance as they brandished their swords, but he decided to ignore that too.

In exchange for his freedom, Louis mourned the forty-five trees around him that had been sacrificed.

“I’m heading back to my lab now, so let me know if anything unusual happens.”

“Yes, sir!” Fin replied.

With the twins potentially chasing after him, Louis quickly made a run for it. His destination was the basement of the castle—the former log cabin—where the twins had allocated space specifically for his research purposes.

When asked why they chose the basement among all available rooms, the twins responded:

Research labs should always be underground!

That’s right! That’s just how research labs work!

Louis later vowed to investigate what books those twins were reading and set them ablaze. Since he had no choice but to accommodate their whims as the castle’s master, he reluctantly established his laboratory in the cellar.

Louis descended the stairs into a vast underground chamber easily accommodating two hundred people. He stretched lightly as he entered.

“Let’s begin today!”

For the past three months, Louis’s routine had been simple: explore the island during the day and return to his tree castle at night for research.

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing with his eyes closed.

Hm… hm…

Soon, mana began pulsating around him. After about an hour,

“Sigh…” Louis exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

Though he called it a laboratory, what he was doing there was closer to training. He was devoted to raising his mastery of space attributes to the pinnacle. Despite investing considerable time, he hadn’t achieved any significant breakthroughs.

Louis let out another deep sigh.

At this rate, who knows how long it’ll take me to understand spatial movement crystals…

The space movement magic circle was essential for escaping the island. What good did it do to have knowledge of the space movement magic circle if he couldn’t use it?

Memorizing the crystal and understanding it were two different concepts; perfect comprehension of its components was necessary to safely utilize it.

I need to enhance my grasp on spatial attributes as I approach top tier status…

Louis rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“It doesn’t quite make sense. How exactly is there a connection between distinctive sacred scriptures and top tier?”

It had been said that once one reached tier 1 and created their own unique sacred scripture, the path to top tier would open up. Before Louis was unexpectedly transported to the Winter Continent, he had been researching precisely this concept—a distinctive sacred scripture.

“top tier…” He pondered aloud.

Once, Louis had asked his father about it.

What does it mean to reach top tier?

At that time, Genelocer’s answer was simple:

Back then, Louis had thought of it as just another impressive-sounding line from his father. Now, however, he couldn’t make sense of those words at all.

Infinite elemental power in a continuous cycle… How is that even possible?

Louis pondered this question for quite some time, but no clear answer emerged.

“Ugh…” He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up, then retrieved a book from his pocket dimension and opened it.

This wasn’t any ordinary tome—it was none other than Hero King’s Forbidden Magic. For several months now, deciphering its contents had been second only to reaching top tier on Louis’s list of frustrations.

He’d acquired these forbidden magic texts during winter on the continent, intending to study them later. Initially, with plenty of time on his hands, he figured tackling something less challenging than sacred scriptures might be refreshing.

As Louis continued reading about forbidden magic, he found himself increasingly captivated by the Hero King’s spells. However, despite repeated study, instead of mastering them, he only grew more perplexed. The latter part, detailing elemental powers and mana manipulation techniques, was utterly incomprehensible.

Louis muttered, bewildered: “How did that bastard Sword Saint learn this stuff?”

Whether it was the Hero King who created these unfathomable spells or Sword Saint, who later deciphered them and made them his own, it remained a mystery.

“How on earth could a human body manage such things…?”

Suddenly…

“Huh?” A spark of realization flashed in Louis’s eyes.

It was an epiphany—a sudden burst of insight that occurs after repeatedly pondering something over time.

Louis found himself in such a predicament. After much contemplation, an idea had finally struck him.

“…Wait?!” Realizing something, Louis quickly flipped back through Hero King’s Forbidden Magic. His eyes were soon drawn to the first line of the latter part:

“This…” Despite having read Hero King’s Forbidden Magic multiple times over three months, this passage resonated with him differently today.

Transcending humanity… becoming something other than human…?

At first, he thought it simply referred to reaching a realm beyond what humans could attain.

But if I interpret it differently…

With determination etched on his face, Louis rapidly turned the pages of the book.

What if everything I thought before was wrong?

Louis changed his perspective and continued reading.

He erased the idea that ‘transcending humanity’ meant reaching a higher state as a human.

Instead, he filled in different conditions for all elements.

If transcending humanity means… turning humans into something else entirely?

The moment his thoughts shifted, Louis’s eyes widened dramatically.

Surprised, he shouted:

“I-it makes sense now! It’s starting to make sense!”

Suddenly, things that had seemed incomprehensible began to click into place. The wall built by a simple difference in thinking had crumbled.

Overjoyed at this breakthrough, Louis quickly finished reading about the forbidden magic, absorbing every detail.

If we follow what the Hero King’s forbidden magic is saying…

Meanwhile, Louis’s mind raced through calculations at breakneck speed. He swiftly simulated every possible outcome of mastering the Hero King’s Forbidden Magic. As he processed all conceivable scenarios, one result stood out above the rest.

A disheartened groan escaped his lips.

“Huh?”

He blinked several times.

Did I… miscalculate something?

Louis ran the simulations again with utmost seriousness, but the results remained unchanged.

“Oh no…” A sigh slipped from between Louis’s teeth.

It was an inevitable conclusion. If someone were to master the Hero King’s Forbidden Magic, a massive mana engine would grow within their human heart. And Louis knew very well what such an organ was called—the world referred to it as…

“A Dragon Heart?!”