DOTM: Chapter 265/266

Chapter 265: Beckford's Eyes

After eliminating Christina and incidentally destroying a castle, Ethan acted as if he had done something trivial, patting nonexistent dust off his sleeves and tidying up his clothes, which had been slightly ruffled by the surging arcane energy.

"Now we can go over and check things out."

What was there to see? The entire castle had been reduced to a pile of ice shards under the powerful magical attack. Looking at the ground covered in ice and snow, the intense cold generated by the blizzard wasn't easy to dissipate. Everyone felt as if they had suddenly arrived in an extremely cold region, and many adventurers without magic stone equipment felt a biting chill.

Ethan, outwardly calm, was secretly assessing the power of his spell. The blizzard unleashed using the Casket of Ancient Winters was a bit more powerful than he had anticipated. The energy contained within the artifact was indeed potent and overwhelming.

"If Loki keeps working at it, even if he can't surpass Thor, he'll at least have comparable combat strength."

Ethan remembered that after Thor initially awakened his God of Thunder powers, he was still beaten badly by Thanos. However, after forging a new weapon, whether it was the axe itself that was powerful or the weapon made it easier for Thor to fully unleash his strength, he turned the tide and nearly killed Thanos instantly.

But even Thor at that point, the combat strength he displayed wasn't necessarily stronger than this blizzard. This meant that if Loki could successfully master the energy within the Casket of Ancient Winters and unleash such an attack using his own power, his combat strength would be at least on par with Thanos.

As for now, Loki, who had just begun to master this power, was more comparable to Thor when he still relied on Mjolnir to channel his own strength, not yet as strong as Thor after breaking free from Mjolnir and initially mastering his own power.

Thinking in these terms helped Ethan better understand his current level.

Ethan made an assessment and finally reached a conclusion: he was still some distance away from Thanos. Aside from the physical gap, his biggest issue was that the magic energy within him wasn't deep enough.

Fortunately, after experiencing so many worlds in succession, Ethan had enough methods to compensate for this shortcoming. Especially after mastering the Tesseract—once he entered the Marvel Universe, it would be equivalent to having an endless energy source at his disposal. In that case, fighting Thanos wouldn't be impossible.

"At least I wouldn't be completely helpless."

After holding back for so many years and diligently leveling up, Ethan finally saw a glimmer of hope of becoming a true powerhouse. Indeed, he no longer had to treat everything with the same cautious attitude as before.

At this moment, Loki was doing something similar to Ethan. Compared to Ethan, Loki was more interested in the power of this magic and seemed quite pleased seeing the ground covered in ice and snow.

He saw a vast and bright future in this. When Ethan first told him those words, he had been half-believing, half-doubting. Although he trained according to Ethan's guidance and tried his best to master the power, he had no clear idea in his heart of how far he could actually go.

Until today, through Ethan's magic, Loki gained greater confidence in his future.

"There are no clues left here."

Brent looked around and finally shook his head helplessly. Even if there had been any clues, they had been completely destroyed by that terrifying attack.

Looking at the ice and snow beneath his feet, he couldn't find any trace of the former castle in these tiny shards. If he hadn't personally watched Ethan create and complete such an attack from nothing, he would even suspect that this place had always been a snowy field and that the castle never existed at all.

Thinking of this, Brent finally voiced the question in his heart—who had died under Ethan's attack this time?

"You knew that person?"

"Christina." Ethan remembered clearly. That lich was called Christina. "Someone very skilled at using death energy."

Originally, Ethan wanted to say she was a lich, but he realized the lich form he had seen before was just a clone of Christina. He didn't know if Christina's main body had transformed into a lich.

Looking at the ice shards under his feet, he couldn't be sure: "She should be a subordinate of someone named Beckford."

"Beckford?"

Surprisingly, it wasn't just Brent in front of him who exclaimed in shock, but also Brad, who was lingering not far away.

Brad had also been wandering nearby, occasionally pawing at the ice and snow on the ground with his foot, seemingly trying to see what was underneath.

But it was all in vain. Beneath the snow he dug through was an even harder layer of ice, and digging further wasn't so easy.

When Ethan mentioned Beckford's name, Brad was just considering whether to try digging with his weapon. Upon hearing that name, he almost instinctively let out a gasp of surprise, then stood frozen in place.

Meanwhile, Brent, after recovering from his surprise, pressed further, repeatedly confirming Ethan's words.

"You said Beckford? Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure it's Beckford. Do you know him?"

"Beckford is a very powerful adventurer." Brent's expression turned grim. He hadn't expected to hear that name. "Not just in this sea region."

"What do you mean?" What did he mean by "not just in this sea region"?

"Beckford is extremely famous. Any adventurer who's been around a bit longer knows that name."

Brent felt that what happened this time wasn't so strange anymore, since it involved Beckford. "It's just that no one's actually seen Beckford in recent years, but every so often, there are rumors about him."

"What kind of rumors?"

"That Beckford turned into a monster."

As Brent recounted, Ethan finally gained a general impression of this Beckford.

Beckford had been a very powerful adventurer, so strong that almost no one dared to oppose him, until he broke through the Sea of Storms and headed for the next sea region.

"Many people believed that if anyone could discover the Endless Land, it would be Beckford. Just when everyone thought he had set foot on the Endless Land, he returned to this sea region again."

Brent found this puzzling. He couldn't understand why an adventurer with such a promising future would suddenly come back and even turn into a monster, according to the rumors.

He had always thought the rumors were just gossip. After all, there was no real evidence proving Beckford had actually returned.

Moreover, these rumors only appeared occasionally. Aside from the part about Beckford turning into a monster, there were no specific details. It might've just been a story made up by adventurers.

"I really didn't expect to hear that name from you."

Brent rubbed his temples. Things were worse than he had imagined. If it really was Beckford, and if Beckford had truly turned into a monster, then the danger they were about to face would be far greater than they had anticipated.

The only consolation was that Ethan's strength was also extremely formidable. Though he didn't know whether Ethan could rival the invincible Beckford of the past, at the very least, he should be able to put up a fight, right?

"I don't get it. If it really is Beckford, what reason would make him return to this sea region and become a monster?"

Ethan, who had been silent for a while, suddenly looked to the side and said something that made everyone shiver: "Maybe he can explain it to us himself."

Both Brent and the silent Blade's expressions changed drastically. They looked in the direction Ethan was gazing and simultaneously tightened their grip on their weapons.

Under everyone's gaze, a shadow slowly emerged from the ground and then stood there silently.

This translucent figure had a very ordinary appearance, like a regular middle-aged man. If one ignored its strange, transparent form, it looked no different from the common sailors nearby. If it blended into a crowd, it would be hard to spot again.

"Beckford?"

Ethan was first puzzled—Beckford looked like an ordinary middle-aged sailor? Then he realized this wasn't Beckford's main body at all, just a projection or clone he had sent out.

Similar to the clones Christina used, Beckford was manipulating a clone with his mind for reconnaissance. The difference was that Beckford had chosen an "undead" as his clone.

"Since you've come out, you must have something you want to say to us, right?"

The ghostly figure in the form of a middle-aged man scrutinized Ethan with eyes filled with evil energy for a while before turning to Brent and answering his earlier question.

"Because I discovered the truth of this world."

The undead's words had a peculiar effect—everyone felt a bit disoriented. However, this small trick had no effect on Ethan. With his increasingly powerful mental strength, he was long immune to such mental attacks.

Not only that, Ethan could completely shatter the interference Beckford released with just a slight vibration of his magic power. As a result, the undead figure in front of him trembled slightly, as if it might collapse and dissipate at any moment.

Beckford glanced at Ethan again, as if nothing had happened, and continued speaking. This time, however, there were no more additional effects.

"Not long after I reached the Sea of Miracles, I finally discovered the true secret of this world." Beckford continued in an emotionless tone. "This world is far worse than you think. I came back to save everyone in this sea region."

(To be continued.)


Chapter 266: The Truth of the World?

"Salvation?"

If it were just Brent, he might have been fooled by Beckford's words. But now Ethan was also present, and he knew what Beckford's subordinates had done.

"Turning people into undead counts as salvation?"

Beckford looked at Ethan again. He didn't refute Ethan's words, but instead turned to face him.

"Because their strength is too weak. If they were excellent and powerful adventurers like you, they certainly wouldn't have turned into such low-level undead."

Beckford's words were still devoid of emotion. Ethan wasn't sure whether this was Beckford's natural tone, or if the vessel he had chosen could only mechanically 'relay' Beckford's words without emotion.

"I sincerely invite you to join my group, and let us work together for the future of the 'true people' in this world."

Ethan's eyebrow twitched. He was very curious about what Beckford meant by "true people," so he immediately asked.

Unfortunately, the answer was slightly different from what he had expected. Ethan thought the "true people" might possess some kind of special bloodline or something similar, but Beckford's answer was actually based on "survival of the fittest." Only those with great strength were considered people by him. The rest were no longer viewed as human.

"Their greatest purpose is to provide assistance to those who are truly fit to survive."

"..."

For some reason, Brent felt a chill. In fact, he wasn't the only one who felt cold. The commotion here had already attracted everyone's attention, and many people had gathered. From Beckford's perspective, he could certainly see more and more adventurers arriving. Most of them were "worthless existences," and yet he continued to speak his thoughts openly in front of everyone.

"Perhaps you don't understand now, but once you truly discover the truth of this world, you'll think the same way I do."

Unusually, there was a slight emotional fluctuation in Beckford's words. Ethan knew these words were directed at him, and everyone present could sense the same.

"Are you so sure?"

"..."

This time, Beckford fell silent. It was unclear whether he didn't want to answer or couldn't, but as the translucent figure twisted, the undead finally shattered and vanished.

Even at the end, Beckford didn't reveal the so-called truth. Perhaps he wanted Ethan to discover it on his own?

Although Beckford didn't say much during his brief appearance, his words had a significant impact.

Brent was even a little lost about what they should do next. Everyone was pondering what the truth of the world could be that would turn such a powerful adventurer into someone like that.

"The Beckford back then was a bit arrogant, but he wasn't like this. What exactly is the truth of the world?"

Standing next to Brent were only Ethan and Brad. Up to this point, the core of this group consisted of the crews led by the three captains, plus a small number of scattered crew members from other captains who had been absorbed into the group.

Before now, Brent had been the leader. But now, Brent often looked to Ethan for advice on difficult matters. This was the respect Ethan had earned with his absolute strength, and Ethan didn't feel there was anything wrong with that.

When the three captains gathered to talk, the crew members would consciously keep a certain distance. Even if they didn't want to, Logan, who stood nearby, along with Brent's and Brad's trusted subordinates, would make them move back to a safe distance.

Brad, who had remained silent since Beckford appeared, finally spoke. His first words surprised both Brent and Ethan.

"The truth is... there is no Endless Land."

"What?"

Both Ethan and Brent looked at him in shock, unsure why he would say something like that.

Although the Endless Land had always been more of a legend than a confirmed place, it was still the driving force behind countless adventurers pressing onward to the end of the seas. Without the hope of reaching the Endless Land, why would anyone continue risking their lives to explore the next sea region?

Now Brad was saying the Endless Land didn't exist. That was like taking away the motivation of every adventurer striving for the unknown.

Without the Endless Land, was it still necessary for them to brave this deadly journey? Was it still worth risking ships and lives to cross the Sea of Storms? They could very well stay in this sea region and live peacefully. With their strength, they could live comfortably. Ordinary adventurers didn't even have the capital to compete with them.

"Why are you so sure?"

Brad remained silent for a moment, seemingly struggling with something, but in the end, he chose to speak.

"Because I came from the Sea of Miracles."

"Sea of Miracles?" Ethan had heard the name earlier from Beckford. "You mean the next sea region? It's called the Sea of Miracles?"

The natural first impression of hearing that name was that the sea must be full of various miracles. That's why it was named so.

However, Brad's first words directly refuted that assumption.

"Everyone in that sea region is constantly praying for miracles to happen..." Brad shook his head helplessly. "Only a miracle can save all the adventurers who don't know the way forward."

"Don't know the way forward?" Ethan immediately caught the key point. "There's no new sea region after the Sea of Miracles?"

"No." Brad shook his head. "The Sea of Miracles is the end. There are no new sea regions."

Ethan thought of the Sea of Storms that surrounded the Sea of Calm and their current sea region. "What's the area around the Sea of Miracles like? Is it also surrounded by a Sea of Storms? If so, has the storm become even more terrifying, to the point that no one can get through?"

He wanted to know more. If the Sea of Miracles was also surrounded by a Sea of Storms, then the idea that there was no way forward might not be entirely accurate. Perhaps it was just that these adventurers didn't have enough strength to break through the blockade. Maybe the Sea of Storms around the Sea of Miracles was no longer like the previous two, which had deliberately left a path open, but now required adventurers to charge directly into the most terrifying part of the storm.

However, Brad's answer made Ethan realize that the reality was far worse than he had imagined.

"Around the Sea of Miracles? Nothing... there's nothing!" Brad became a little agitated, possibly recalling something. His voice even rose a few octaves in excitement. "Nothing at all. No seawater, no land, not even air!"

His suddenly raised voice attracted the attention of some nearby people. Realizing this, Brad tried hard to control his emotions, took a few deep breaths, and regained his composure.

"Sorry, I was just remembering what it was like the first time I saw that place."

Brent didn't say anything. He understood. Discovering that everything he had yearned for was just a fleeting rumor... he would feel devastated too. In fact, he was already feeling that collapse right now.

Ethan was much more composed. He had too many trump cards and countless other worlds to choose from. Although, for now, he could only remain in a particular world for up to a year, as his mastery of the teleportation circle deepened, and his understanding progressed, he would eventually be able to fully integrate the circle into his own magic. At that point, he could remain in any world for as long as he wanted. So, the appeal of the so-called Endless Land was much weaker for him than for others.

Aside from that, Ethan was also very interested in Brad's description: no water... no land... no air...

"What is that? Space? But the edge of the sea is space..."

Ethan suddenly remembered that Loki had once told him this world was very similar to Asgard. And wasn't Asgard that kind of existence?

So this world was a flat plane, perhaps with a certain curvature, which made it appear as if distant ships emerged gradually from the horizon, just like on a spherical planet.

"A whole ocean, separated into several regions by storms... It doesn't sound like a good place."

Ethan had some vague guesses in mind, but without solid evidence, he didn't want to speak too soon.

However, regarding the environment suspected to be space, the absence of land and water was obvious. But how did Brad know there was no air?

When he asked this question, Brad immediately gave his answer.

"At first, I heard it from other adventurers, but I didn't believe it. So I specifically went to verify it."

"How did you do that?"

Brad's method wasn't complicated. In fact, it was quite simple. He just captured a few flying animals, went to the edge of the Sea of Miracles, and released them into the distance.

"To determine the specifics, I tied ropes to these animals so I could pull their bodies back and determine the cause of death."

Brad shook his head helplessly. "Aside from some cases of frostbite from the low temperatures, they basically died of suffocation... from lack of air. Also, these creatures didn't fall after dying. They just floated there until we pulled them back to a position near the sea surface, and then they suddenly dropped."

Listening to Brad's description, even with Ethan's limited knowledge of space, he could be sure that the edge of the so-called Sea of Miracles was indeed outer space.

"So, is the Sea of Miracles a ring surrounding this sea region?"

Brad visualized it in his mind and realized Ethan's description was very accurate. He also thought of the adventurers living in the Sea of Miracles, a cyclic ring—forever sailing along this ring, searching for the resources needed to survive.

(To be continued.)