The ground trembled slightly, and a figure nearly three meters tall emerged at the edge of the island's primitive forest. It was gray-white in color, appearing as if composed of massive stones, its face pitted and uneven, with no clear eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. "A stone giant..." said Gadeleia, the "Star Commander," softly, naming the creature. Yet neither Cline nor Andersen had any prior knowledge of such a being. Still, neither of them glanced at Gadeleia with a questioning look; instead, they remained focused on the monster, projecting an air of professional attentiveness. Gadeleia turned to face the "Future," which had come to a halt on the side, and raised her right hand halfway, speaking clearly: "Aim!" The pirates on board immediately adjusted the orientation of the several dozen cannons on the port side, aligning them all to target the steadily advancing stone giant. Boom! Boom! Boom! Bullets flew out, striking the area around the giant, instantly raising dust that blanketed a wide stretch of ground. Within the evident tremor of the earth, flames danced, fragments flew, as if capable of destroying everything. Thud! Thud! Thud! The tall, ash-white figure emerged through the smoke, suffering only minor surface cracks. "Star Sovereign," said Gathelira with unwavering composure, "this is not a giant—it is a stone monstrosity. Its core is composed of the primary material of the 'War God' Path, Sequence 5, 'Guardian,' which grants it exceptional defensive strength." Amid the resonant cannon fire, Kline nearly doubted his hearing. If you're familiar with the stone giant's strengths, why launch a full broadside? Isn't that simply wasting cannon fire? he thought, half-inquisitive, half-irritated. Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Gathelira turned to the stone giant advancing steadily. "I have never encountered a creature of such rarity before, so I wished to conduct a test." I'm convinced by that reasoning... Kline found himself at a loss for words. At that moment, Anderson Hude, who had been observing the stone giant, raised his hand and said, "Who among you has an exceptional ability in the domain of frost?" "Me," replied Gathelira, the "Guardian of the Stars," calmly. Seeing that the "Seer" lady had a solution, Caine silently swallowed the words that had been about to leave his lips. It wasn't necessary—indeed, he simply didn't want to activate his "Crawling Hunger," even though the "undead" did possess control over frost. ——On this island, he estimated he wouldn't find suitable food anywhere! Gathelira drew a gray-black scroll from a hidden pocket of her wizard's robe and softly uttered an ancient Hermes word: "Frost!" Instantly, the scroll was consumed by a shimmering blue flame, and in silence, a cascade of translucent beams of light began to descend. They swiftly settled upon the stone giant, freezing him in place and adorning him with one crystalline icicle after another. With a series of cracking sounds that made the teeth ache, the ice broke successively, and the stone giant slowly emerged from the area. However, its gray-white exterior had deepened slightly, and its movements were now noticeably more rigid than at first. At this moment, Anderson lifted both hands, as if a conductor were signaling the audience to give applause. Instantly, a flame of orange-white surged beneath the giant's feet, as though it had stepped into a trap. Water vapor rose swiftly over its surface, followed by a series of deep cracks spreading across it. Anderson drew back his right arm, and a long lance of blazing white formed in the palm of his hand. The tip of the lance condensed into a single point, radiating a brilliant, piercing light. The lance shot out and struck precisely at the crack in the giant's abdomen, instantly melting it into a large opening. Meanwhile, Anderson Hude, who had been standing on the sand, seemed to have merged completely with the lance of white fire; as the light intensified, he appeared mysteriously behind the stone giant. He clenched his left fist, his arm swelling with force, delivering a upward hook that plunged directly into the stone giant's core from the central opening. What seemed a simple attack produced an exaggerated effect—the stone giant instantly stiffened in place, its interior emitting a continuous series of cracking sounds, collapsing into a pile of rubble within mere seconds. A truly decisive blow… Klein's gaze narrowed slightly. "The Star General," Gathelya, calm and composed, stood motionless, speaking without surprise: "The Sequence 5 of the 'Hunter' path is called 'Reaper.' And they are particularly skilled at identifying their prey's vulnerabilities." 'Reaper'… reaping life? That explained it… Klein gave a small, quiet nod. At that moment, Anderson knelt down, rummaging through the remains of the stone giant. Then he turned to face them, offering a wistful, bitter smile: "This isn't the real monster." In other words, no harvest! As Anderson described the situation, the pile of rubble gradually vanished from sight, visible to the naked eye. …You, this unfortunate soul, really shouldn’t be opening boxes and touching the corpses…Klein couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. Anderson returned reluctantly, constantly complaining, “The biggest issue here is precisely this—not every monster can bring you wealth!” Since these manifested monsters belong to a part of the more powerful, higher-tier monsters, of course, it might also be due to the lingering influence of their residual strength and aura…Klein had already formed this judgment. Over the course of this journey, he had observed clear traces of the extraordinary linked to the “Sun,” “Night,” “Storm,” and “Audience” pathways, which had refined his earlier speculations into more concrete ideas. He had long suspected that this sea region was a battlefield left behind by the ancient deities of the Second Age: "The Storm" belonged to the King of Elves, Sunyassolem; "The Audience" to the King of Dragons, Angerwid; "Night" to the Destroying Wolf, Fregral. As the small "Sun" repeatedly provided mythic records of the Silver City, Caine had gradually established the domains each of the eight ancient deities held. Yet, the persistent presence of midday daylight and the golden "Sun chariot" cast a certain doubt on his judgment, for none of the eight ancient deities possessed dominion over the "Sun" path. Soon, Caine recalled the father of Amun and Adam—the Silver City's creator, who bore the ancient title of Sun God. After awakening, this creator had fought fiercely and reclaimed the powers of the ancient deities! Thus, why was there such a battlefield of divine conflict left behind? In Klein's mind, a fragmented mural he had seen within the ancient elven ruins suddenly came to life: the Elven King Sunyassolim was engaged in battle against the Silver City's artisan, the ancient sun god! As his thoughts raced, Anderson had already regained his cheerful demeanor and looked at him, saying, "What's your name?" "Germán Sparo," Klein replied simply. "Germán Sparo?" Anderson paused slightly, then returned to normal. "I've heard of you— the adventurer who nearly slew the 'General of Illness,' known for your most daring pursuits! Last month, while sailing past the Rosted Islands and Orlavi Island, I had intended to find you for a drink, to meet you properly. But somehow, you'd vanished." Last month? I've been volunteering at the hospital... Klein nodded. "Now we've met." "And, try to keep your speech to a minimum." “…,” Anderson forced a smile. "I know my misfortunes will make my ill words come true. Just look away now—I won’t speak anymore. You can put down your spell." With the appearance of the stone giants, the pirates' relaxation period had been shortened, and the "Future" soon resumed its voyage, heading deeper into the ocean. Throughout the journey, Caine remained on deck, leaning against the rail, observing the surroundings, while Anderson wandered about the ship, skillfully engaging with the pirates. What a remarkable ability—he had effortlessly grasped the entire ship's dynamics. Caine watched Anderson, now conversing with several pirates in the shade of the cabin, and sincerely admired him. Of course, this "strongest hunter" probably didn’t know that the wine he was drinking contained a calming agent produced by some unknown source. Caine held back a smile, thinking with a touch of playful disdain. With Anderson's assistance, the "Future" smoothly navigated past two concealed vortices and a floating palace ruin, continuing along the safe course. About three hours later, night fell once again. Crane quickly regained his clarity and sense of reason in his dreams, opening his eyes to survey his surroundings. His vision was completely dark—nothing visible. ……Did I just go blind? That thought flashed through his mind reflexively. Then, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a box of matches. This was a fundamental magical material for a magician. He skillfully extracted a match, struck it with a swift motion, and instantly a faint flame appeared before him. The flame struggled to grow slightly, gradually illuminating the surrounding area and blurring the details of the scene. It was a cell—a cell with its iron gate slightly ajar! How had he ended up here? Neither beside the "Star Above the General" nor in Anderson's mural hall… Was this a random occurrence within a certain range? As his thoughts turned, Caine flicked his hand, snuffing out the match that had nearly scorched his fingers. His left palm quickly glowed with a pure, radiant sunlight, as if two miniature suns had appeared within his eyes. Drawing upon the soul of the "Priest of Light," he now possessed the night-vision ability belonging to the "Sacred Light." Surveying the room, he noted that though it wasn't particularly narrow, the floor was dirty and cluttered, with numerous footprints scattered across it—suggesting a past event had taken place. "Most are human footprints, a few unusually large—perhaps belonging to giants... The single bed is broken in the corner, and there's a key by the door—someone must have escaped!" Caine approached the slightly ajar iron gate and carefully looked out. Outside, the room was enveloped in an unbroken darkness, the stone corridor ahead dim and shadowed, with cold, solid walls stretching out on either side, seemingly leading to more cells beyond. Klein withdrew his gaze, picked up the key from the ground, and closed the iron gate a bit more securely. He didn't attempt to open the door and exit—he remained inside the cell. He remembered clearly what the "Snake of Fate," Will Aunseit, had instructed him: never to explore the world of dreams. So he would simply wait here until noon! The cell was just a cell, after all—he wouldn't be leaving it. Klein settled into the corner, sitting on one half of a single bed, blending seamlessly into the surrounding deep darkness. In this profound stillness, Klein's head suddenly tilted slightly, as he faintly heard the sound of footsteps! The footsteps echoed through the vast, distant space, slow and steady, growing closer.