"Ahem... my apologies, I got a little excited." After a moment of excitement, Isaac quickly composed himself.

Although others saw Isaac as an out-and-out madman, only he knew how methodical he truly was. Even after getting information from Avin that could verify some of his conjectures, Isaac’s plan for this trip wouldn’t change. He would still use the Island Scramble ritual to complete his ascension.

They laugh at me for being too crazy, I laugh at them for failing to see the truth.

This saying perfectly described Isaac’s current state.

So, after a couple of light coughs, Isaac said, "In any case, those rats have nothing to do with any Evil God. Besides, my Servant Demon knows its limits. Its main targets are the Sea Race. Adventurers can avoid being attacked as long as they retreat and drop their Crystal Stones. I don’t think that should be a problem, right? You’re Adventurers too. You should understand the cruelty of this line of work better than I do."

Upon hearing this, the blonde-haired girl silently nodded. If that was the case, then there wasn’t much of a problem. While she was kind, she wasn’t a naive saint.

But after sheathing her longsword, just as she was about to leave, the blonde-haired girl couldn’t help but ask, "You’re not really trying to summon an Evil God, are you?"

"...Definitely not..." Isaac said with a sigh of resignation. But after a pause, he added, "At least, I don’t have that in mind right now."

The blonde-haired girl: "...Fine... We’re not interested in the Island Scramble. We’re just here to kill the Sea Race, so you don’t need to be so wary of us."

With that, the blonde-haired girl pursed her lips and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Isaac called out to them then, saying with a smile, "That... ritual for the God of Rat Plague... want to make a trade? I’ll trade you other rituals for it!"

The blonde-haired girl’s face darkened, and she immediately turned and walked away!

A trade?

Trade my ass!

’What would I even do with that thing!’

The others glanced at Isaac and followed the blonde-haired girl away. Among them, Avin’s expression was the most complex. In a daze, he felt as if he’d just unlocked a chain on some sort of Demon...

Seeing them turn and leave so decisively, Isaac just shrugged and didn’t press the issue. He hadn’t gotten his hopes up anyway. They were clearly the righteous types, on a completely different wavelength from him. It was already a good outcome that they didn’t start a fight. A trade?

’As if.’

Watching them go, Isaac cracked his neck, sighed, and turned to walk into the dark forest. While Shushu’s death plague was exceptionally effective against the Sea Race, it wasn’t nearly as good against humans.

After all, Battle Qi and Life Energy could block the faint Death Magic Power within the rats. If the Death Magic Power were a bit stronger, it might have been able to break through this unconscious defense, but with such a small amount...

It just wasn’t enough to make a difference.

Therefore, Isaac himself had to deal with the Adventurers his creations couldn’t handle.

"Flaming Arrow!"

BANG!

"Who’s there!"

Deep in the dense forest, a Swordsman wrapped in a black aura slashed an incoming Flaming Arrow in two with his sword, sidestepped a Wind Blade from another direction, and with a sharp cry, swung his longsword to unleash a wave of Sword Qi! 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

All his movements were executed in one smooth, fluid motion!

"Arcane Teleportation!"

"Flesh Mutation!"

But Isaac’s reactions were just as fast. He cast Arcane Teleportation to dodge the incoming Sword Qi, while Harmon coordinated with him, casting Flesh Mutation. A faint purple glow showered the Swordsman.

"Ugh!"

The Swordsman, who had been about to give chase, let out a muffled grunt. He clutched at his chest, which was squirming unnaturally, and dropped to one knee, his expression grim!

Without a moment’s hesitation, the back of Isaac’s right hand began to glow blue. He swiped his hand through the air, and a line of Flame appeared before him. The Flame quickly solidified into the shape of arrows as Magic Power was rapidly poured into them, and then...

With a shout of "Flaming Arrow!", ten scorching and sharp Flaming Arrows cut through the sky, streaking toward the Swordsman like a volley of fiery meteors in the pitch-black forest!

In the orange-red glow of the flames, the Swordsman’s expression flickered between light and shadow. The black aura around him flared up instantly, the surging Battle Qi temporarily suppressing the changes within his body. He raised his longsword and slashed out with a wave of Sword Qi, intercepting all the Flaming Arrows in mid-air!

The exploding light of the flames dispelled the darkness, also illuminating Isaac’s exasperated expression.

’Just as I thought. Without my summoned Servant Demons, my personal combat abilities aren’t very strong. The Flesh Mutation spell, which had succeeded time and again before, was only good for bullying Ordinary Adventurers without a strong foundation. Once I encounter a Knight or a Wizard, the energy within their bodies is enough to suppress the Flesh Mutation.’

Fortunately, Isaac understood this point deeply and had made preparations long ago.

Mastering magical techniques wasn’t something that could be done overnight. No matter how much of a genius one was, or how abundant their resources, it would take at least three years of study to become a competent Combat Mage!

And that was with dedicated, full-time study of Magic and its combat applications. If one were to be distracted by other matters, it would take even longer.

Therefore, Isaac’s choice—and that of most Legendary Mages—was to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses!

THUMP-THUMP!!

Just as the Swordsman’s Sword Qi sliced through the ten Flaming Arrows and set off a massive explosion, a powerful heartbeat suddenly resounded!

An immense surge of Magic Power erupted!

The Swordsman’s movements faltered for an instant!

Using the light from the flames on the ground, he stared at Isaac in the distance with knitted brows, his expression one of disbelief.

Isaac was now floating silently in the air, flanked by two Great Sword Ghosts. They stood on his left and right, their greatswords planted in the ground, guarding him.

If it were only that, the Swordsman would have been merely surprised, not so utterly disbelieving. After all, it was perfectly normal for a Wizard to summon Demons to aid in battle. The truly bizarre thing was Isaac himself...

Behind Isaac, the phantom image of a slowly beating, pale blue heart had appeared. Several tubes extended from this heart, connecting to the top of Isaac’s head and both ends of his spine!

With each beat of the heart, pale blue Magic Power was being channeled through the three tubes into Isaac’s body!

Combined with the sight of Isaac floating silently in the air, the scene was as bizarre as it could possibly be.

After a brief moment of shock, the Swordsman felt the killing intent radiating from Isaac. He let out a sharp exhale, a slight smirk playing on his lips as the black aura around him flared up once more!

’No matter how bizarre it is, I just need to cut it down!’

BANG!

The figures of the Swordsman and the two Great Sword Ghosts vanished in an instant. Their speed far exceeded what Isaac’s eyes could track; he could only see slash marks appearing out of the Void, shredding the nearby trees, grass, and rocks to pieces!

The entire battlefield was covered in endless slashes!

SHIING!

Suddenly, a stray wave of Sword Qi shot past and instantly shattered three layers of Isaac’s shields!

Isaac’s pupils contracted, and alarm bells screamed in his mind. Although he still had four layers of shields left and he quickly restored the three that were broken, the attack put him on high alert. He immediately created another Great Sword Ghost, tasking it solely with his protection!

’As expected, a spatial defense is still the most reliable!’

’After I get back, I’ll just take one directly from an Outer God. There’s no time to learn it from scratch!’