Chapter 619: The Island That Cut the World Away
One man was clutching a VR headset, arguing heatedly with the officials. Ethan watched as he was shoved aside.
"We’ve already explained this—no one is allowed to bring Ethereal headsets onto the island. Hand them over voluntarily, or don’t blame us if things get rough!"
The speaker, a man with a neatly trimmed goatee, radiated the unmistakable aura of a Mutant.
His words sparked a wave of complaints from the tourists.
"This isn’t my first time here! I’ve never heard of such a rule!" shouted a woman from the back.
Ethan recognized her—the same woman he’d intimidated earlier at the restaurant with Blue Dragon’s Might. She had boasted about coming here before with her so-called sugar daddy and attending a Sacred Blood Ritual.
"Now that you’re here, you don’t have a choice," the goateed man said, raising his voice. "Hand over your headsets willingly. This time, our island is open for a full month, and all facilities are completely free. You’re actually getting a great deal. So... don’t make us take action. Nobody wants things to get ugly."
His words rippled through the crowd, quieting some but agitating others.
"A month? What do you mean?" protested a man wearing glasses, his expression tight with anxiety. "This trip was supposed to be ten days! I only took ten days off work!"
He looked like a modest office worker, standing beside a woman dressed like she belonged on a magazine cover. The two were clearly traveling together.
At the mention of "a month," the man’s face turned pale, but the woman beside him lit up.
"Stop looking so miserable—you’re such a buzzkill," she said, rolling her eyes. "Is it really a whole month? Everything on the island is free for that long?"
Her first words were for her companion; the second, she directed toward the goateed official.
"Miss, I suggest you don’t question what I say," the man replied, smiling thinly. "Haven’t you noticed that none of the previous ships have left? A full month of free vacation on Sacred Sea Island—what luck you have."
Then his tone hardened.
"Of course, the condition is that you must surrender your Ethereal headsets. For this entire month, you will not have access to the Ethereal world."
---
By now, Ethan’s group had reached the back of the line. As he listened to the repeated demands to surrender the headsets, his expression darkened.
Could it be...?
"Do you guys have cell service?" he asked quietly.
Varric and Emery both pulled out their phones. A moment later, they looked up and shook their heads.
"Looks like Sacred Sea Island wants to cut everyone off from the outside world," Ethan muttered.
"Why?" Varric asked, frowning.
"Fortress Wars? Ethereal... it’s just a game. Why is it causing so much trouble in the supernatural world?" Emery narrowed his eyes.
Ethan glanced at him. "Who are you asking? Isn’t this Dissenter territory?"
Emery gave a tight, bitter smile and said nothing. He knew Ethan’s tone was mocking.
In truth, Ethan was just as curious. Why had Ethereal become so important in this lifetime? In his previous life, he probably hadn’t climbed high enough to see the bigger picture—to realize that reality itself was filled with hidden currents and power struggles.
He wondered who the Dissenters were working with, and what orders Director Vaughn—Arthur Finch—had left them.
It seemed the Dissenters stationed on the island hadn’t yet made contact with the outside world. They probably didn’t know that within the US borders, their Ninth Division—the Dissenters—no longer had any foothold left to stand on.
Ethan remembered what Morzan had told him: expand your influence in Ethereal and gather more resources.
But what kind of resources? He still didn’t know. Was it currency? Power within the game? Powerful equipment? Or perhaps... all of the above?
"Emery," Ethan said, tilting his head slightly, "shouldn’t you report this to them?"
Emery nodded. "Let’s keep our distance for now. We’ll make contact later."
After speaking, he strode a few steps ahead, clearly heading toward the goateed man.
"What about you?" Ethan asked, turning to Varric.
"Me? I’d love to go my own way, but would you actually let me?" Varric said, spreading his hands helplessly.
"Go ahead," Ethan said with a faint smile. "I’ll find you for a chat when I have time."
"Really?" Varric’s eyes lit up, almost childlike with excitement.
Ethan rolled his eyes and ignored him, instead turning his gaze westward, toward the island’s interior.
From the moment he arrived, he’d sensed a strange aura drifting from that direction. It felt faintly familiar—akin to the power that radiated from Dragon Child.
Could there really be a dragon nearby?
Though the aura was weak, he could tell it was undoubtedly draconic. Were there still dragons on Earth? The thought stirred a deep curiosity in him.
"Did you notice something?" Amber whispered beside his ear.
"Hmm? Nothing much," Ethan replied, slightly startled, though he didn’t elaborate.
"You sent both of them away, and you say it’s nothing? If you found something interesting, go check it out. I’ll be fine."
Amber rarely spoke to him with such softness, but there was an understanding warmth in her tone.
"Uh..." Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, caught off guard by how perceptive she was.
"Later," he said after a pause. "It’s not convenient to move around in broad daylight."
He reached out and squeezed her hand, firm and reassuring.
Amber met his eyes, her lips curving into a playful, almost tender smile. She was well aware that his stealth abilities made daylight or darkness meaningless. He wasn’t delaying for tactical reasons—he was delaying for her.
The thought made her heart flutter. But she also knew this man didn’t truly belong to her.
Their connection had been unexpected, a product of chance and circumstance. Yet somewhere along the way, Ethan had quietly carved out a space in her heart.
When had that happened? She wasn’t sure. Maybe it was when he’d turned the tide at the Silverwood estate. Or... perhaps it was when he’d beaten her.
The memory made her cheeks burn.
When they reached the checkpoint, Ethan and Amber declared that they weren’t carrying anything. The goateed man looked at them with faint surprise.
In this age, it was rare to see travelers without Ethereal equipment. Among everyone who had arrived on their ship, they were the only ones empty-handed.
After stepping onto Sacred Sea Island, Amber suddenly swayed on her feet, nearly stumbling.
"Are you alright?" Ethan asked quickly, reaching for her. She’d been fine earlier—what was wrong now?
He wondered if it was some lingering exhaustion from their recent... vigorous days together. But she hadn’t shown any of the typical soreness or fatigue he half-expected from those movie clichés.
"I’m fine! Look, they’re the same way!"
Amber pointed ahead. Other passengers were staggering too, adjusting clumsily to solid ground after the voyage.
"Oh..." Ethan nodded, though he couldn’t say why her explanation left him faintly amused.
Amber giggled, clearly catching his expression. "You thought I was worn out, didn’t you? I’m a peak Sovereign-rank fighter, remember? You’ll have to do better than that to slow me down."
She twirled ahead, laughing as she moved, then looked back with a teasing sparkle in her eyes. "Ah... poor Lyla’s going to have it rough later."
Before Ethan could respond, Amber slipped from his grasp, her steps light and graceful as she skipped a few paces ahead. Then she turned, made a playful face at him, and darted forward toward the sunlit road that wound deeper into the island.