16 Chapter 16 (1/2)
Jake Smithson found out that his journey for the Island of Delusion was something much tougher than he first expected.
From the riverbank to the coast, it was nonstop fighting for him.
The golden leopard he had cut down was just one of many, a nameless, faceless horde of enemies he tore through with a single-minded purpose.
You wouldn't blame him for taking a nap on his boat and forgetting to set his course due to the trail of dead monsters he carved for roughly half a day the moment he sighted water.
But he took it all in stride, as if the path down the river was paved with yellow bricks, and where the boat finished its destination was where the rainbow ended, with a courier box waiting for him.
It was at the riverbank where he activated the miniature Turtle Ship, whereupon it grew to its actual size when you set its destination.
Again, this was yet another reason for him to take a nap and preen about his latest purchase.
In hindsight, his forgetfulness would be a blessing in disguise, because the perilous route to the Island of Delusion had its own set of surprises to spring on him.
Jake pressed ”Yes”, and the boat was on his way.
And as soon as the Turtle Ship hit the rough waters of the river, he realized something very important.
For all his item purchases and stat gains, he had forgotten one thing: you couldn't buy sea legs.
The Turtle Ship tipped left and right, front and back, the waves coming from every direction battering the vessel, and within ten minutes, Jake's face was now colored a very interesting shade of green.
'Is this what Nohas calls a river? The high seas during a gods-be-damned typhoon are calmer than this!
If I took the sailboat, I'd be dried up more than a side of beef jerky when I get to the island!
Unbelievable. So much for my Admiral Yi impression when I can barely stand due to these waves!'
Fortunately, the Turtle Ship had the amenities needed during voyages like this.
[Anchoring at the Island of Delusion.]
By the time Jake heard the notification, he checked his balance, stood up on wobbly legs, and turned to where the Turtle Ship was holding another bottle of water.
Without further ado, he scrambled off the deck, landed ass-over-teakettle on the shore, and chugged down the water bottle to replace all the fluids he lost during the voyage.
”That was the crappiest roller coaster ride of my whole entire life!” Jake shouted as soon as he tossed the empty bottle back to the Turtle ship.
And as soon as he took a deep breath to calm himself, the Turtle Ship returned to the size of a scale model, where Jake picked up his transport and stashed it in his inventory.
What he saw after turning around and seeing the Island of Delusion for the first time took his breath away.
Close to the shore was a meadow, its trees adorned with flowers of every color between their green leaves, making the clear, cloudless sky stand out even more.
Anyone's mood would improve by viewing the scenery. While Jake was also impressed with the scenery, something else clicked within his mind as the Island of Delusion loomed over him, waiting to be explored.
”I love the smell of points in the morning… smells like victory.”
***
Jake knew he was close to something when the meadow's grass thinned out the deeper into the island he went.
He could barely make out a small swatch of green on the horizon when he saw birds fly off in the distance.
The island's response to his presence was immediate: it began with a low rumble, and graduated into full-on shaking as the ground itself began to move.
As the earth shook, the field of grass began to rise, and a low-pitched cry resonated across the island.
Jake couldn't see the source of the cry, as he nearly lost his balance as the field of grass began to rise, and the more it rose, the more bits and pieces of the meadow around the field of grass began to crumble off, revealing tree roots that were fused to the giant turtle's shell.
When the field stopped rising, a shock wave rippled throughout the isle, and the chunks of meadow began to slough off more rapidly.
And thus, was the Cherry-Shell Snapper, the second boss monster set to invade Brino, began to awaken after its long slumber, sensing a feeble presence trespassing on its territory...
As the gigantic turtle stirred from its sleep, the rocks and soil falling off its form began to arrange themselves into vaguely human-shaped rock monsters… all aiming for the interloper on this island.
”So…” Jake said, hefting his sword, his attention focused from the source of the shaking to the monsters currently making their way towards him, ”you're the welcoming committee?”
***
The first monsters Jake encountered on this trembling island were Forest Raptors; they were small but fast and cunning.
They showed up one by one and began to surround Jake as if they were hunting down a prey.
However, they were no match for a Shopping Addict wielding his newly acquired great sword.
'Was the navigation broken or something? Seems like it's a Jurassic Park, not the Island of Delusion.' Jake wondered.
First group of them, seemed to be aroused by the quacking earth, was about to charge towards the unwelcomed guest.
”Pay up!”
Unwilling to let the monsters dictate the pace of this fight, he dashed to the raptors, taking out his first enemy with a vicious slash from his Swiftstone Sword, and turned to the next group of enemies.
”REALLY pay up!”
A wide swing ended up pulverizing several Forest Raptors, thanks to the massive weight of Jake's weapon.
”Pay up…”
Swing, and another reptile was bisected easily.
”IMMEDIATELY!”
For all of Jake's power and the weapon he carried, he was killing monsters so fast that they were considered mercy kills.
”Who's going to be the holiday gift?”
The monsters simply ceased to be when Jake leaped into the air and brought his sword down onto them, letting momentum and gravity do his work.
”What's the overtime going to be?”
Another raptor leaped, and this time Jake didn't bother with any drama and met it in midair, reducing it to gravel with several slashes
”Why are YOU the promotion bonus?!”
The Swiftstone itself was something more than just a weapon, especially with his overwhelming weight.
The Forest Raptors had no option but to fall apart before the massive great sword, wielded by strength worth 40 points.
A different-colored and more fearsome looking raptor was the last one among the wave of monsters Jake took care of, crushing its head with the flat of the Swiftstone Sword as if he was pounding a melon with a sledgehammer.
”This is not enough!”
Another wave came, and he was ready.
”I need more money!”
In charged the monsters.
”I'm going to sing while I work! So open your ears and listen well!”
Taking a stance, Jake went after the first monster and began the battle anew.
”It's CASH! The thing that makes my world go around!”
”Because money rules the world everywhere you go!”
He continued spitting rhymes to an imaginary beat, evading attacks easily and pulverizing the enemy monsters his sword couldn't crush into powder.
And as soon as the second wave of monsters petered out every few seconds, Jake ran out of things to rhyme about.
”Wait a second…” he said to himself, backhanding a raptor with the flat of his sword, causing it to collapse, ”let's run it back!”
Jake's stance relaxed.