Gravity Mage with Level-Up System Chapter 2165: A Well Laid Trap

Forbidden Island

I gave the members some time to think. Next, I went to the control room to bring the Zero Puppet with me.

When I returned to the hall, the members had made their decision. In the end, they decided to help me.

At the same time, I knew they couldn’t disobey. If they did, the power of the Crimson Curse acting on them would intensify.

Next, I collected my thoughts. My gaze then fell on Hank.

"I’m going to take Hank first. The terrain holds the danger of corrupted mana. I’m going to find a path before letting the others out," I said.

Hearing that, the others agreed. Then, I took Hank and the Zero Puppet before appearing outside.

Swoosh!

We returned to the shore. Hank looked around, surprised by the scenery.

The Zero Puppet, in the form of red smoke, hovered in the air next to me.

"Hank, start exploring the terrain. If you find similar magic restrictions, don’t try to observe them, inform me first," I told him.

"Okay," Hank replied.

Hank then cast his spell and began slowly exploring the terrain.

Meanwhile, I kept an eye on our surroundings. Danger could come from any side.

A few minutes later, Hank made his first breakthrough. He found a route leading inland, formed into existence by foot traffic.

He immediately reported his findings.

I listened to Hank’s words, but I doubted things were that simple. If the Forbidden Island were so easy to enter, far more people would have visited by now.

However, with the system and the Zero Puppet by my side, I decided to take the risk.

"Show me the path." After saying that, I walked side by side with Hank.

We left the seashore and began making our way toward the island’s interior. I spotted the sandy path, packed down by the continuous footsteps of travelers.

Before long, though, overgrown grass began covering the trail. I instructed the system to alert me if anything unusual occurred.

We didn’t move quickly. My gaze swept across the area; strange trees and human-tall plants dominated the landscape.

Naturally, I couldn’t recognize many of them right away.

Hank paid close attention to our surroundings as well. If there were any movement nearby, he would sense it immediately.

After walking about 500 meters along the path, Hank paused. Seeing this, I stopped as well.

A thought struck me, and I asked the system to scan for threats. However, the results indicated there were no immediate dangers.

Still, I could tell Hank had found something. His spell must have sensed a disturbance.

Through his magic, Hank had detected a tremor, though he didn’t yet know its cause.

He could find out by moving closer to investigate, but recalling my orders, he turned back to me instead.

He said, "I found a strange spot ahead. The ground in that area is shaking slightly. I didn’t explore any further."

Hearing that, my eyes gleamed.

"You did the right thing. Now tell me, where is it?" I asked.

"If we follow this same sandy route, we’ll reach it within 500 meters," Hank replied.

Realization dawned on me. No wonder the system hadn’t detected an immediate threat, it could be a hidden base or a hazard from an unknown entity.

For Hank’s safety, I sent him into the system space, keeping only the Zero Puppet with me. As we pressed forward, we drew closer to the area.

The trail was faint, thoroughly overtaken by vegetation, but at least it remained relatively safe.

Had I explored alone, I might have blundered straight into pockets of corrupted mana, wasting valuable time searching for a clear route. Fortunately, Hank’s magic had proven effective here.

With every passing second, we drew nearer.

"Ding! An 11th-Order Tree Monster has been detected."

The system’s voice echoed in my mind, stopping me in my tracks. The Zero Puppet halted beside me as well.

If we stepped any closer, we would enter the monster’s territory and risk waking it from its slumber.

I looked around for a detour and instructed the Zero Puppet to scout the flanks.

Shrouded in red smoke, the Zero Puppet darted off to the right into the dense green underbrush.

It sensed no threats at first, but soon came to a halt before a verdant canopy.

The foliage looked unnatural, it was shrouded in black mana. The puppet knew full well what that meant. It tried searching for an alternate path, only to find black mana saturating that direction as well.

Left with no other choice, it promptly returned to my side.

"Master, the right flank isn’t safe. The canopy is saturated with corrupted mana, and it has spread throughout the area," the Zero Puppet reported.

I wasn’t surprised; I had already anticipated as much. I then directed the puppet to scout our left side.

Swoosh!

The Zero Puppet rushed left, only to run into a similar blockade. Corrupted mana choked that area as well, though for some reason, it abruptly stopped expanding past a certain boundary.

Noticing this detail, the puppet quickly returned and reported the situation.

Its findings gave me a critical clue, corrupted mana hemmed in both sides of the passage. It was dangerous.

The path from the shore led straight into the jaws of an 11th-Order Monster-it was a deliberate trap.

No wonder the trail was overgrown with weeds. It saw little use, and the locals must have known to avoid it.

Flying was out of the question; taking to the air would expose me to far greater dangers. If an elder-level powerhouse spotted me, I would be done for.

My only viable option was to slip past the sleeping 11th-Order Monster. I signaled the Zero Puppet to follow.

Activating just enough of my flight ability to hover inches off the ground, I drifted forward.

Swoosh!

We reached the location in no time. I used the system to scan ahead once more. The results confirmed the 11th-Order Monster remained fast asleep. This was our chance to slip away.