Knock knock knock!

"Come in!"

A voice from inside the room called out almost immediately after Tom knocked on the captain's door. He opened the door and led Chang Long's group inside.

The captain's cabin was elegantly decorated, but the dim lighting and the chilling atmosphere made everyone feel uneasy, except for Chang Long, who was used to such environments.

"Oh, living visitors!"

The captain exclaimed with delight. He stood up and scrutinized Chang Long's group with keen interest.

"How does it feel to still be alive? Listen! I can hear your hearts beating! Oh... the rise and fall of your chests as you breathe is truly fascinating!"

The captain inspected the nervously stiffly standing young men with amusement, running his bony fingers over each of them, oblivious to their disgusted expressions.

"You all must be hungry. Would you like something to eat?"

The captain asked, answering his own question. He ordered Tom to prepare some food for their living guests and cheerfully invited them to sit on a strange-smelling sofa to wait for the food.

"What kind of food do the dead serve?"

Valentine whispered curiously to Chang Long.

"Whatever it is, we probably won't be able to eat it,"

Chang Long whispered back. Soon, Tom returned with two, three other crew members, each carrying a tray of food.

Large silver trays were placed on the table. The captain, smiling happily, waved his hand to have the covers removed. Peach Blossom covered her mouth and turned away when she saw the food that Tom and the captain assured was delicious. The dishes were dark brown, infested with wriggling worms, and reeked of rot.

"Go ahead, dig in! I know you must be starving,"

the captain urged, scooping a large piece of the unidentifiable brown mass and wriggling worms into his mouth. Some worms even fell into his tangled beard.

"W... We don't eat that kind of food... with worms crawling everywhere,"

Chang Long replied, looking nauseated. Her friends had already turned away. Watching any longer would surely make them vomit and lose their dignity. Even Kimhant, after snapping a few pictures of the horrific food, turned away.

"Oh, I knew it! The living doesn't eat like us. Go ask the cook if there's anything suitable for the living?"

The captain said disappointedly, sending Tom out of the room again. The crew members who had brought the food took it away, and Chang Long's group sighed in relief.

"Where exactly are we heading!"

Kitsune, who had been silent, asked the captain with a serious expression.

"To a city... well, actually a small island in the middle of the sea. There's a large city in the center of the island. At the far end is a restricted area, home to the castle of the overlord who rules over the dead,"

the captain replied solemnly.

"A castle... is it the one that's completely black? Is it called the Castle of Death?"

Chang Long asked, narrowing her eyes as she recalled her latest dream. The captain stared at her in shock, studying her carefully before asking with a wary expression,

"...How do you know that?"

"Land ho!"

The lookout's shout temporarily interrupted their conversation. Even though the captain was eager to know how Chang Long knew about the castle of the ruler of the Land of the Dead, he had to go out to give orders and dock the ship himself.

"Master Chang, how do you know about that castle?"

Peach Blossom asked curiously. Even though Chang Long had entered this dimension with them, she seemed familiar with the castle.

"In a dream... I think it was when I was helping Mi with her quest, the time I was in a coma,"

Chang Long replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"Could this be fate!" Wet Trash Can exclaimed, looking relieved now that there were no dead people in the room.

"What fate? This is a game. It's more likely to be a hidden quest!"

Oliang shook his head, thinking Wet Trash Can's mind had to have been rattled by fear of the dead.

"What quest is it then? Since we entered this mysterious dimension, has anyone heard the system notify us of anything?"

Draco asked. Everyone shook their heads; since they had seen the ship in the fog, there had been no system notifications.

"Could this be an unmarked town, like Eldar City!"

Aden suggested.

"Eldar City? Where is that?"

Kimhant asked with interest. He had only heard the name but had never met anyone who had actually been there.

"Later. Kitsune, do you still sense danger?"

Siegfried asked, turning to Kitsune, who stood close to his master with a worried expression.

"All the time. I urge everyone to be extremely cautious and not to trust the dead!"

Kitsune spoke sharply. Beasts often had better instincts than humans, especially the instincts of a sacred beast were not to be ignored, and they would never ignore his warning.

"And... what about the smell of blood?"

Valentine whispered.

"Hey! Aren't you coming to see? The ship is almost at the dock!"

The captain burst in, startling everyone. Kitsune nodded in response and walked over to stand by Chang Long, who calmly followed the captain out.

Although they were nearing the island inhabited by the dead, the atmosphere of an impending storm persisted. The captain noticed that Chang Long's group seemed more solemn and wary than when they first boarded, but he did not comment. Instead, he pointed out various landmarks on the island, explaining their significance without any sign of suspicion.

"Where will you go once you land?"

The captain asked.

"We'll probably explore the town. We don't often get to visit such strange places,"

Chang Long replied.

"Heh heh heh, strange to you... but remember, you are strange to us as well. It's unfortunate that in a town of the dead, there are no essentials for the living. Soon enough, you'll become one of us, heh heh heh,"

the captain said with a sly smile.

"Alright, I need to dock the ship. We need to stock up on supplies and repair the ship, which will take until next month. Then we can sail out to collect more valuable items that wander into our dimension. Heh heh heh, enjoy your stay, living ones,"

the captain finished and walked away, leaving Chang Long's group stunned by his cryptic words.

As the ship docked, Chang Long's group quickly bid farewell to Tom and the captain before hurriedly disembarking. However, they were stopped in their tracks when they saw that everywhere they looked, the streets were filled with the dead. Shortly after, the system's voice echoed in their minds simultaneously.

"Players Chang Long, Siegfried, Peach Blossom, Draco, Aden, Valentine, Oliang, Wet Trash Can, and Kimhant have received the quest to find Kearick and rescue twelve living people from the Land of the Dead. The time limit is until you and those you are rescuing run out of sustenance and die. If more than one-third of those being rescued perish, the quest will fail, and you will be sent back to the original point before being transported to the Land of the Dead."

"What does that even mean!"

Kimhant shouted.

"Another mission,"

Draco sighed.

"Is Kearick dead or alive?"

Peach Blossom snorted.

"At least we have a way out of here. Let's go!"

Chang Long led everyone away from the gloomy dock.

Inside the city of the dead, the inhabitants lived similarly to the living but moved more slowly. Chang Long's group found themselves the center of attention wherever they went, unable to escape the curious stares of the undead. Eventually, they could not take it anymore and retreated to a deserted beach outside the city, free from the dead's prying eyes.

"Should we set up camp here? It seems much safer!"

Wet Trash Can suggested.

"Good idea. I can't stand the way the dead look at us; it gives me goosebumps!"

Valentine agreed.

"Alright, let's find a good spot around here,"

Draco said, looking around. The area was barren and desolate, depressing everyone. They split up to explore and find a suitable place to set up camp.

"By the way! Master, perhaps you should summon Davy-chan to help keep watch. He can turn invisible,"

Kitsune suggested to Chang Long.

"Great idea, Kitsune. Spirit Summoning, Davy-chan! Spirit Summoning, Hisa-chan!"

Chang Long patted Kitsune's head affectionately and called her spirits out to help, as they had been resting comfortably in their spirit tablets all day.

"Why did you summon—ah!"

Thud!

Davy-chan, just summoned, tripped over his own feet and face-planted into the sand, much to his confusion and surprise.

"Hahaha! What are you doing, Davy-chan? You've ruined your looks!"

Chang Long laughed at Davy-chan's antics, while Hisa-chan, summoned alongside him, examined his body with confusion.

"Argggh, that hurts. Why does it hurt so much?"

Davy-chan cried out, holding his reddened face.

"What did you say? It hurts?!"

Chang Long asked, stunned, examining Davy-chan closely.

"You're not translucent anymore. Look..."

Smack!

Chang Long did not just talk; she also slapped Davy-chan's back hard, causing the former pirate king spirit's back to arch in pain.

"That really hurts. What are you doing!"

Davy-chan cried out again, but Chang Long was even more taken aback. Did she just touch the spirit of the former pirate king? Just to be sure, Chang Long strucked again.

"Owww. You little brat!!"

"You... you have a physical body now. That's why you can feel pain, Davy-chan,"

Chang Long exclaimed, staring at him without blinking. The former pirate king seemed to just realize this, quickly running to the sea and jumping in.

"I can feel! I have real feelings. Look, my clothes are wet too!!"

Davy-chan shouted joyfully. He had regained a physical body and the sensations that came with it.

"Is this for real!?"

Hisa-chan could not believe it either. Chang Long responded with a hefty slap, making the young samurai tear up and grit his teeth. Then he was dragged into the sea by Davy-chan, where they played happily.

"What's happening, Chang Long? Who are they!?"

Siegfried asked, rushing over to Chang Long after seeing the two young men playing joyfully in the sea, a stark contrast to the island's gloomy atmosphere.

"Davy-chan and Hisa-chan,"

Chang Long replied, crossing her arms and watching the two grown men play in the sea like young girls with amazement.

"Huh! The two guys playing in the water!"

Siegfried exclaimed in disbelief.

"Uh-huh..."

Back at the camp, Chang Long's group watched Davy-chan and Hisa-chan with disbelief. The two spirits paid no mind to whatever kind of gaze that look at them and were now tangible and thoroughly enjoying themselves, drinking and feasting on several food. Oliang, Draco, and Wet Trash Can drooled at the sight, wishing they could join the fun, but they had to focus on the quest to find Kearick and the twelve living people in the Land of the Dead before they perished.

"It's unbelievable that Davy-chan and Hisa-chan suddenly became solid and real!"

Peach Blossom said excitedly, staring at the two former spirits.

"What could have caused this? Why did they become human again?"

Valentine pondered.

"Maybe because this is the Land of the Dead, it allowed their spirits to regain physical form,"

Kimhant suggested.

"That makes sense, but it means Chang Long can't summon them for Spirit Possession now!"

Aden quickly noticed the problem. Chang Long, realizing this, widened her eyes in shock. If she could not summon them for Spirit Possession, she would have to rely solely on her own skills in battles.

"Let's deal with that later. Right now, we need to figure out how to find Kearick and the twelve living people without alerting the dead!"

Chang Long said, calming herself and focusing on the task. She silently prayed that they would not face situations that required Spirit Possession.

"The twelve living people shouldn't be too hard to spot, but who is Kearick? We don't even know if he alive or dead!"

Draco said, feeling the weight of the task.

"If the system wants us to find him, he's probably on our side, whether he's alive or dead,"

Siegfried speculated, and everyone agreed.

"But another problem is, we don't know where the living people are. And no matter where we go, the dead keep staring at us without blinking!"

Wet Trash Can shivered as he spoke.

"At first, I thought about having Davy-chan and Hisa-chan go invisible and explore the city, but it seems that plan is off the table now,"

Chang Long could not help but complain.

"Hehehe, you're still inexperienced, missy. Even though I can't turn invisible, I still have all my other abilities,"

Davy-chan laughed heartily and downed his drink in one gulp.

"What do you mean, Davy-chan!"

Everyone asked simultaneously, intrigued.

"It means that even though we can't become invisible, we can still sense if there are living people nearby. The little dog can do it too, though not as well as I can. He uses his nose, but I use my mind,"

Davy-chan boasted proudly.

"Really! So now we just have to find and figure out who Kearick is,"

Oliang exclaimed happily. Davy-chan's words eased the group's tension, making it much easier to discuss their plan. The pressure of finding living people was significantly reduced, and they continued to strategize, unaware that they were being watched by a group of the dead.

"Heh heh heh, finding Kearick won't be that simple. But it seems we need to inform the one holding the living about this, Tom!"

The captain, who had brought Chang Long to the island, said to his subordinate.

"Yes, sir..."

Tom replied. The two of them quietly disappeared from the bushes where they had been observing Chang Long's group.

-----

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