Everyone at the table was quietly pondering.
What Alka said was all very real, and there was nothing wrong with such a proposal.
It was rather well-considered.
"Simon, what do you think it would take you to reach your current stage if you had the Concentration Stone when you were at the Fourth Spiral and had been meditating here?"
How long do you think it would take you to reach your current stage?" Jason pondered, suddenly asking Simon beside him.
This would allow him to estimate how long they might stay here.
Hearing this, everyone at the table looked at Simon.
After all, he was the highest-ranking person among them.
Simon pondered, and began to make calculations based on his own experience.
After a while, he came to a relatively accurate conclusion and said, "Probably more than a year."
"So how long will it take you to reach the Ninth Spiral now?" Alka pressed.
"I don't know about that, but I think given my current situation, it won't take half a year." He raised his right hand and wiggled the index finger of his Precision Hand.
That was a treasure.
In other words, with the treasure, he felt he could reach Levels 7-9 in less than half a year, aided by the Infinite Ocean and the Magic Gathering Stone.
"Then, if you had another treasure, do you think the time it took to improve your strength would be reduced?" Sofia also asked.
"If I had always had [Divine Ascension], the time I mentioned could actually be halved."
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
In other words, with the treasure, the Magic Gathering Stone, and the Infinite Ocean, if they wanted to reach the Ninth Spiral now, it would probably take a year.
It wasn't necessarily accurate, but at least it was a reference point.
Among them, those with treasures were Alka, Sofia, Lucilia, and Simon.
Among them, Alka possesses two treasures, so he will definitely advance faster than the average person. That's for sure. Simon has already reached the seventh spiral.
Julia and Matresa have reached the sixth spiral, and their levels are comparable.
The only people with four spirals and no treasures are Pororo, Jason, and Juanlu. Juanlu isn't at the fourth spiral yet, but that's just a few days away.
This means that aside from these three, everyone else can conservatively reach the ninth spiral within a year.
Furthermore, another treasure will soon be available. Based on their contributions, Pororo and Jason will definitely be given priority.
In the end, only two people can't guarantee reaching the ninth spiral within a year.
The rest can all reach this standard, and the two who can't reach it but maintain their strength are no longer noteworthy.
Because individual cases are nothing special.
Everyone present understood the situation.
"So, conservatively speaking, we'll have to stay on this island for another year. The rest of that time, we can excavate the ruins, so it won't be a waste of time."
Alka concluded.
"I agree," Simon raised his hand first, eager to turn the ruins upside down.
Since we're going to be here for so long, there's no doubt we'll find plenty to gain from the ruins.
"That's fine with me."
"Okay."
"..."
Seeing everyone agree, Alka nodded.
"Then it's settled."
Just as he finished speaking, a ding-dong sound came from outside. Lucelia's eyes lit up as she spoke, "There's an unfamiliar ship approaching. Should we evade it?"
One, who had been on alert in the observation room, had received the news.
"You stay here for a while. I'll go out and take a look," Alka said, and a pink mist emerged, enveloping him.
And so, she vanished before everyone's eyes.
Alka, relying on a dream of pink mist, had used a strange method to achieve invisibility.
Looking into the distance.
A two-masted sailboat, approximately 50 meters long, was heading toward the island. Judging by its angle of sail, it seemed to have just discovered the harbor and was adjusting its angle.
It didn't seem to be heading straight for it, but rather passing by by chance.
The ship was entirely reddish-brown, even its sails were painted red, and the symbol on the sails was two crossed white swords.
The entire ship had a single gun deck, its gun muzzles sealed.
Compared to Alka and the others' wait-and-see attitude,
The two ships from the small town in the harbor slid off the rails and out to sea. Instead, they sailed out first, seemingly preparing to inquire about the ship's purpose.
It was a necessary security procedure. The reason Alka and his companions hadn't been received this way was because they had arrived in town first.
Alka watched them interact and exchange from the observation deck as the three ships entered the harbor together.
The already narrow harbor, squeezed with four ships, had become a bit crowded.
The reddish-brown vessel was also a spell ship. Come to think of it, sailing in such a place without a spell ship would be extremely dangerous.
Alka felt it was tantamount to seeking death.
He watched as twenty or thirty people disembarked from the deck and, following the guidance of the islanders, headed towards the small town.
He could sense their curious gazes, occasionally glancing towards the Dawn Sound docked at the harbor.
After they left, some people remained on the ship to guard it.
Alka narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at those who remained.
Everyone's magic power was unusually boiling and violent, and it was easy to sense their strength through the exposed magic.
Most of them have between 2 and 5 spirals, with a few exceeding 6.
He walked silently down from the observation room and returned to the dining room.
"What's going on?"
"An unknown ship, with around 70 people on board.
The leader is hard to spot, but the majority are at the second level, their magic power clearly visible."
Alka shared some of the intelligence he had gathered with the others. Regardless, this was a being they couldn't afford to offend.
"So what are we going to do now?" Sofia asked, looking at him.
After all, they had just said they would stay on the island for a year, so they had to figure out how to avoid contact with these outsiders.
After a moment's hesitation, Alka said, "On the island at night, the only safe place is around the town. Or rather, back out to sea. We must avoid the island at night."
"Then let's circle the island during the day and mark all the possible landing spots. We'll then plan our route for the ruins excavation based on these marks."
Alka laid out his plan.
Then, no longer hiding, he took out the map and laid a thin sheet of paper from Sofia on top.
He picked up a pen and began marking the map.
"These are the places I've explored that might contain treasure. The ruins at these locations are where we'll excavate later, so we'll plan our excavation based on these points."
Jason tilted his head to look at the points and exclaimed, "Holy Mother, are there so many on this island?"
Alka marked countless points densely, shocking everyone.
"Yes, I can't guarantee it, but it's pretty close."
"What treasure-hunting construct?"
"That's ridiculous! Why doesn't the Virgin have mercy on me?"
They had completely underestimated the island's treasures. No wonder Alka was willing to stay and improve his strength.
It was a win-win situation.
A variety of complaints rang out, but it also meant they agreed with the plan.
Driving the Voice of Dawn, they began to circumnavigate the island, pushing their speed as high as possible.
They began to record every possible place to dock and every safe point.
As expected, mapping the island was different from navigating it from the sea.
After circumnavigating it themselves, they realized that some of the points that had appeared suitable for docking on the map actually had many hidden reefs beneath them.
This meant that many of the stops they had previously considered possible had to be abandoned.
However, after a round of detours, they finally found a good spot.
They began connecting these points to the treasure locations Alka had pointed out, planning each area for their search.
To maximize efficiency and capture these treasures.
"The question is, how can we ensure we don't encounter strangers while digging?" Simon suddenly asked, looking at the map.
Hearing this, Alka smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll find a way."
"By the way, our first stop is here. I have a feeling there's a great treasure here."
As he spoke, Alka drew a small cross at the golden glow.
"Great treasure?" Upon hearing this description, Sofia turned and looked at him in surprise.
For Alka, anything that was a great treasure was essentially equivalent to a treasure.
Alka understood her meaning and nodded in confirmation.
…
On the second day, the group anchored the boat at the northeast corner of the island, if there was a northeast direction.
This was the closest stop to the golden point.
"Get ready, we're heading there."
Everyone prepared themselves, and under Alka's leadership, they headed for the golden point.
They quickly entered the area surrounding the point.
Xadaiti said quietly, "It looks like we're surrounded."
As his words fell,
Giant brown-furred wolves emerged from the bushes one after another. These magical beasts looked exactly like wolves, except they were much larger than normal wolves.
And their fur seemed to glow with a slick, oily sheen.
Looking at the giant wolves emerging from behind, around, and in front of them, there were over 20 of them in total.
They surrounded them.
Clearly, they had mistaken them for prey.
The ruins of the great temple, where the golden treasure was buried, lay less than 800 meters away.
"They seem to be able to evade my detection. Even if they appeared before us, we couldn't detect their tracks," Sofia said.
That's why she didn't warn them earlier. Furthermore, these wolves seemed very patient.
It seemed they had already sensed their approach and were lying in ambush along a possible route.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have discovered the wolves' tracks only after entering the encirclement.
Clearly, the hunters of difficulty level two were caused by these giant wolves, and they had also arrived in their territory.
Hearing Sofia's words, Aka smiled.
This meant that these wolves must possess a material that could evade detection and conceal their presence.
This material was something Aka had long coveted. "Hold on, let me try."
Simon suddenly said, wanting to test out the constructs he'd just acquired.
Speaking of which, he hadn't really shown off his prowess before Alka.
Although his stats on paper were the strongest in the team,
He'd spent the past few nights modifying and repairing the constructs, and now was the time for real combat.
Furthermore, his strength had reached the seventh spiral, placing him in the upper-middle level. With the help of the constructs, he could be considered a skilled group fighter.
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded, moving slightly closer and backing off to make room for him.
Although the wolves were stealthy and numerous, they posed no significant threat to them. They were ready to witness Simon's tactics.
Since Alkati had warned them today that they might encounter danger, Simon wasn't completely unarmed.
The most striking thing was the backpack on his back, which stretched almost all the way down to his waist, as if he were carrying a giant box.
Around the box were various protrusions and accessories, but no one, except Alka, could make out what they were.
A beeping sound followed.
The wolves didn't rush in, but instead let out gloomy growls. The beeping sound heightened their vigilance.
Simon raised his right hand and snapped his index finger.
"Combat mode, lock-on, free fire."
With three commands, the four Sentinel patrol aircraft that had been hovering overhead immediately glowed red.
Four red beams swept out.
"Woo!"
The wolves cried out in pain as the red beam pierced their heads. One was pierced through the hind legs, paralyzed on the ground. Another wolf, farther away, managed to dodge with difficulty, but its fur was already ablaze.
"More fur, less fire." Watching this scene, Alka suddenly said with a smile.
Following cries of pain and the patrol plane's attack, the remaining giant wolves immediately pounced on them.
Several giant ribbons shot out, swirling around them and sweeping away all the approaching giant wolves.
A soft song began, but a hint of harshness could be heard within it.
As the song surged, magic power illuminated Simon.
"Now they've been taunted by you. As long as you're alive, they won't attack us. Stay away," Julia said with a smile after humming.
To the uninformed, these words might have led them to believe they had abandoned Simon.
This was also to fulfill his wish.
Pink magic power and sunlight descended, enveloping everyone. In Simon's eyes, Alka and the others vanished instantly.
Alka's dream mist could only render him completely invisible, and at best, the others, along with him, became hazy.
It gave him a vague sense of touch, a trance-like sensation.
But Sofia had already mastered optical invisibility, combining it with the mist.
While it couldn't completely vanish from the giant wolves' eyes, it at least reduced their desire to attack.
The combination of these two, coupled with Julia's taunts, instantly diverted the wolves' attention.
After all, you can't expect Warcraft to be intelligent; they're merely stronger beasts.
Simon smiled as he watched the vanishing group.
"Thanks." As he finished speaking, flames erupted from the back of his backpack, and as he leaped, they were carried away by the jet.
The giant wolves surrounding them immediately charged at Simon at breakneck speed.
They caught up in the blink of an eye.
"So what's this taunt? Why haven't I seen you use it before?" Alka asked.
"It only works on animals. Now Simon is an enemy of nature."
"
Julia gave a brief explanation.
Then everyone turned to watch Simon fight.
After landing, Simon's left palm transformed into a slender blade.
Turning around, he raised his arm and thrust upward with all his might.
Blistering wolf blood splattered across his face, which was already covered by a metal mask.
He crouched, dodging another wolf's attack. He rolled to the side, unsheathing his blade. As he stood up, he used the force of the force to swing it forward.
He severed the wolf's body, sending blood and internal organs spilling onto the ground. The scent of blood instantly filled the air.
He raised his right hand and extended his index finger.
The treasure's index finger was already engulfed in a blue light, and the moment he raised it, a beam of light shot out.
The giant wolves attempting a sneak attack from behind were pierced.
Four red rays shot out around him, piercing two of the giant wolves and igniting the fur of more.
The wolves were forced to roll on the ground, abandoning their attack on Simon.
The entire attack flowed smoothly, like a silky dance.
It was completed in the blink of an eye.
As Simon gained more space around him, more giant wolves attacked him.
The backpack vibrated visibly, pushing the air to push away the approaching giant wolves.
Another burst of energy lifted him into the air, and a javelin appeared in his left hand.
It was the same two they had brought from the armory, but he had modified and shortened them.
Throwing it with force, another javelin appeared in his hand, the same... He launched them.
Two javelins, one in front and one behind, headed straight for the leader wolf, who stood in the distance giving orders.
Its size looked no different from the surrounding giant wolves, but it remained isolated from the pack, and each roar altered the pack's attack.
Simon had keenly noticed this and determined that he was the pack's leader.
The backpack's ejection had a time limit; besides carrying him farther, it could only provide a brief moment of levitation.
With the two javelins thrown, the levitation period expired, and the moment it landed, three balls fell from the bottom of the backpack.
One of the patrol planes flew behind him and released a hook, hooking his backpack and flinging him towards the leader wolf's location.
A sudden gust of wind struck, knocking Simon from the air like a sledgehammer, sending him flying to the side.
Simon didn't wait for the wind to fall to the ground, but instead rolled quickly to the side.
He could smell a hint of fishy, hot air, brushing past his ears.
It was the wolf's gaping maw, instantly appearing where Simon had landed, the very spot it had intended to strike with its wind hammer.
The wolf was clever.
He rolled to avoid the blow and quickly stood up, but the wolf had already appeared where he had landed, its mouth open, snarling at him.
Had he not dodged it, he would have been injured.
Several wind blades flew out, severing the trees behind him.
They also instantly shattered a corner of Simon's visor.
"I really underestimated you, beast."
Simon touched the blood on his cheek.
"Ouch! "
As the roars echoed, the surviving giant wolves that had surrounded Alka were about to close in.
An explosion rang out.
The three balls Simon had dropped into the air exploded, sending a massive burst of flames spurting out.
It was similar to Alka's cross-shaped flame.
It engulfed the surrounding giant wolves, igniting their fur.
Dozens of them began to tumble on the ground.
The other giant wolves were already terrified and seemed no longer willing to fight Simon.
Such a price made the leader of the pack ready to turn and flee.
However, as soon as it turned, it saw four Sentinels already trained on it.
"Now, I've surrounded you, hahahaha."
Simon's laughter echoed from behind.