The shore was too shallow. Reefs jutted out of the water like broken teeth. The sharks couldn't push the life raft any closer without beaching themselves.
They gave one final shove in the deep water and sent the raft drifting toward shore. Then, at Liam's command, they vanished beneath the surface, swimming away into the darkness.
Liam's final order echoed through the Star Marks: Swim for ten minutes. Then destroy each other's marks. Use whatever method works. Ideal outcome: all marks destroyed simultaneously. Leave no trace.
The logic was simple. Every time a Star Mark activated its healing function, Liam felt a slight cough-like sensation on his end. Which meant he could sense the mark's location and take control of the target even if they were nowhere near him.
Useful for allies. Annoying as hell for disposable tools.
If dozens of sharks were swimming around the ocean, constantly bumping into things and triggering their marks every few days, Liam would be "harassed" by random pings forever.
These weren't companions. They were tools. Use them, dispose of them, move on. No loose ends.
The life raft floated closer to shore. Liam and Shizuku jumped into the water. Kortopi followed, body moving against his will.
They waded through the shallows and dragged themselves onto the beach, clothes soaked and heavy. Liam turned back to check the raft.
It was drifting away, empty.
Pariston was gone.
"Looking for someone?" Pariston's voice came from right beside him. The man stood on dry sand, smiling that infuriatingly bright smile despite the darkness. "That distance was short enough that you wouldn't end up looking like a drowned rat. Ah, sorry. I wasn't talking about you specifically."
"Shizuku," Liam said, voice flat.
"Blinky. Suck the water off our clothes."
Blinky materialized in a flash of pink light. The vacuum's mouth opened wide, and water mist streamed off Liam and Shizuku's bodies in visible currents. Their soaked clothes became lighter instantly, going from waterlogged to merely damp.
Shizuku flipped a switch on Blinky's side. "Now spit it at him."
The water sprayed toward Pariston in a pressurized jet.
He sidestepped it easily.
Liam and Shizuku hadn't expected it to work. Just wanted to mess with him.
Kortopi, still dripping wet, stood nearby and received zero assistance.
Am I kind enough to help him? Liam asked himself. No. Definitely not.
Shizuku didn't offer either. She didn't take hints from Liam on who to help, and she certainly wasn't going to waste energy on a stranger. Even if that stranger was from Meteor City like her.
The four of them walked inland from the coast.
The night was dark. Stars overhead. A thin crescent moon hung in the sky, barely providing light. February 2nd. New moon. The island's silhouette loomed ahead, mountain ridges winding across the horizon like the spine of a sleeping dragon waiting to devour them.
Three birds circled overhead. Flapping. Calling.
Through Jaku and the two crows' high-altitude perspective, Liam could see faint lights deep in the island's interior. A town. Maybe multiple buildings.
At least it's not completely deserted, he thought, tension easing slightly.
Then a tall figure emerged from the darkness ahead, walking toward them with unhurried confidence.
Liam's relief evaporated instantly. His mood sank like a brick through water.
I'm going to kick Pariston in the face. Right now. This is his fault.
Starlight and moonlight fell across the approaching figure. Short-sleeved shirt and shorts, like he'd just come from a beach volleyball game. Muscles bulging beneath the fabric. Hair spiked straight up in a style that screamed "I'm too cool to care." A small ponytail at the back of his head. And those eyes. Squinted. Untouchable. The kind of eyes that said "I could kill you with my pinky but I'm choosing not to."
Razor. One of Greed Island's developers. No mistaking him.
Pariston's mouth is cursed, Liam thought venomously. He jinxed us. I swear to god.
The four of them stopped walking. Pariston looked interested. Liam's expression went dark. Shizuku stared at the newcomer with open curiosity. Kortopi's face was hidden behind his hair, but he probably wasn't feeling much of anything anymore.
"Been a while since we've had uninvited guests..." Razor stopped a few meters away, hands in his pockets.
He started to say something else, then paused.
The kid standing next to the girl with glasses was radiating killing intent. Sharp and focused. But not aimed at Razor.
Aimed at the person beside him.
Kortopi felt the murderous intent lock onto him like a targeting laser. His eyes widened behind his hair. He wanted to react, wanted to defend himself, but his body wouldn't respond.
Manipulators, Kortopi thought bitterly. Completely unreasonable.
He'd figured out how Liam's ability worked. Which meant he knew exactly why the kid suddenly wanted him dead.
But the killing intent appeared for only a second. Then vanished like it had never existed.
Liam had changed his mind.
He's worried about the airship survivors, Kortopi realized. He doesn't know if killing me will make the copies disappear immediately. The life rafts. The Pariston Island. Everything.
Pariston, watching from the side, noticed the shift too. He could guess what Kortopi had guessed. But he was confused about the timing. Why did the murderous intent appear the moment Liam saw this man?
He studied Liam's expression from the corner of his eye. The kid didn't seem to be reacting to anything specific.
Killing intent showed up in your aura whether you wanted it to or not. Top-tier assassins could compress that intent down to a hairline fracture, invisible until the moment they struck. The Zoldyck family, allegedly, had that kind of professional control. Could kill you before your brain even registered danger.
Liam clearly didn't have that kind of training.
But it was just a momentary thing. Pariston's mind worked fast, processing a dozen theories in the span of a breath. Razor, by contrast, didn't seem to care at all.
Razor kept his hands in his pockets and squinted at them. "You're not here for anything good. Makes me nervous."
Shizuku raised her hand like a student in class. "Who are you? Is this Greed Island?"
If she's asking that question... Razor filed that away. "Let me ask you something first. Did you drift here from the ocean? Because logically, it's impossible to drift to this island just by following natural currents."
"Don't answer a question with a question," Pariston said, smiling brightly. "And logically, would anyone notice us landing this quickly and show up with such perfect timing?"
Three birds descended from the sky and landed beside Liam and Shizuku. One on each of their shoulders. One on Liam's outstretched hand.
Razor's squint narrowed further. "I'm Razor. This is Greed Island. I'm one of the game's developers."
He reached into his shorts pocket, rummaging for something. "I mainly handle Emission-type game mechanics. Spell cards for movement. And..." His tone shifted. "Dealing with intruders."
Liam saw where this was going and remembered the manga. "Wait! Hold on!"
Razor paused, looking at him.
Liam squinted right back, matching Razor's expression. "Who said we're intruders? Who said it's impossible to drift here? We literally just drifted here! If you don't believe us, go check the beach. The life raft's still floating out there. We've got witnesses and physical evidence. We're refugees, okay? You've got thick eyebrows and big eyes and you're still being unreasonable..."