Chapter 006: Unknown

"What on earth is this?"

If it weren't for half of his face submerged in water, Roger would have probably cried out in alarm just now.

The bright moon was in the sky, its silver light pouring down onto the sea, illuminating the area as if it were daytime.

The creature opposite was a pale blue overall, its height comparable to that of an average adult woman. From its external physiology, it seemed to be a female.

Her body was covered with a layer of extremely fine scales, her eyes bulging and round with yellow-orange pupils, and she looked completely relaxed while soaking in the water.

"Don't worry, we have all night," he said.

The man looked at the creature before him with affection, seemingly oblivious to her appearance. Under the moonlight, the whole world seemed to shrink; all they had in their sights was each other.

Roger watched from a distance, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably; a bad premonition suddenly emerged in his heart.

What followed was indeed as he had imagined. Well, although Roger had no intention of peeking, the space was limited.

The temperature of the sea at night was very low, and Roger had already been soaking in the water for quite a while. Staying in the water for an extended period was rapidly dropping his body temperature, and he even felt his legs were starting to cramp slightly.

"No, I can't go on like this. If my legs cramp and my tracks are discovered, it might attract unnecessary trouble," he thought.

With this in mind, Roger tried to move, but having stayed still in the water for too long, he made an unavoidably large movement, causing a splash that produced a sound.

Splash!

In the still night with no wind, even a small noise was excruciatingly sharp. At that moment, the murloc woman suddenly exerted force and sprung up.

She leapt onto a nearby rock, then hissed a low growl in the direction of the sound.

The man was taken aback by the sudden movement, but he quickly emerged from the water, looking confused at the murloc woman.

"What's the matter?"

He frowned, following the direction of the murloc's growl, but all the man saw was a large boulder.

He hesitated for just a moment, then soothed the murloc with his hand before carefully swimming in that direction.

As he drew near the rock, he slowed down, carefully climbed onto the rock, then suddenly exerted force and vaulted to the other side.

He was alert, scanning his surroundings, and a dagger somehow appeared in his hand, casting a cold gleam under the moonlight.

The waters were calm, and a shadow of doubt crossed the man's mind. Suddenly remembering the island's additional visitor, his mood sank, and without further delay, he hurriedly gathered his things and disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, Roger's figure suddenly popped up a hundred meters away from the shoreline, gasping for air. Holding his breath for so long had made his vision blacken.

But after just a short rest, he started moving his hands and feet, taking a wide detour as he swam towards the shore.

Upon reaching land, Roger didn't linger but hastened, swiftly returning to his own cottage.

After closing the door, he quickly dried the seawater off his body, and before he even had the chance to wipe his hair, a faint noise came from the open space outside the cabin.

Roger was startled; that was one of the little tricks he had set up around the perimeter of his room. There were no animals on the island, which could only mean one thing.

Someone was approaching!

In an instant, numerous thoughts clashed inside Roger's brain.

"What should I do?"

"Run?"

"No, that won't do. The island is too small, and without a boat or supplies, where could I possibly flee to?"

He quickly dismissed the thought.

"Act like nothing happened?"

"But I saw his secret, and if he wants to..."

"No, this is too passive, if he really intends to do something, I'll be utterly defenseless."

A surge of impulsion suddenly welled up inside him, his blood raced, and Roger quickly looked around, his gaze settling on a wood saw and an iron axe by the door, the only two weapons he had.

The man was with that bizarre creature, and now that I've discovered his secret, will he... to me...

His breathing grew rapid, the more Roger thought, the more frightened he became.

His scalp tingled, the footsteps outside were getting closer, leaving Roger not much time to think.

In the darkness, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, and then he dashed to the bed with the greatest speed.

A few breaths later, a burly silhouette appeared at the doorway.

He paused only briefly, then cautiously approached the window, peering into the room through the gaps in the wooden planks of the window.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps into the room.

The man's eyes moved, his gaze fixed on the figure on the bed, he walked up to the door, his palm resting on the thin wooden panel.

With just a gentle push, he could open the door.

At that moment, Roger, hiding behind the door, was sweating profusely, his heart pounding in his chest, almost exploding; he had to cover his mouth and nose tightly with one hand to prevent his heavy panting from alerting the visitor.

His other hand gripped the iron axe tightly; his grip so strong that veins bulged on his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Thump, thump, thump!

His heart beat violently, Roger didn't know what would happen next, he even felt like he was about to suffocate.

He didn't know how long it had been.

Maybe a few seconds, maybe a minute.

The man's hand on the wooden door loosened, then he quietly moved back, the sound of footsteps gradually fading away.

It was only after a long time that Roger violently let go of his hand, gasping for air, his body collapsing on the ground like a lump of mud.

"Ha...huff...ha!"

From lack of oxygen, his brain felt dizzy.

After a while, Roger supported himself up against the wall, staggering to the bed, he unfolded the blankets shaped like a human figure, and lay down naked.

If it weren't for the fact that he had stripped off his clothes earlier, he might have really struggled to find something quickly to fill the blankets with.

Roger didn't feel the slightest bit sleepy; he kept the axe close in his arms, half-closing his eyes to watch the window, continuously recalling the scene he had just witnessed on the beach.

"Who is this man exactly?"

"Is he some kind of Wizard?"

"Was that Murloc-like monster tamed by him or created?"

Numerous thoughts collided in Roger's mind, he stayed awake all night, only dozing off as the sky began to lighten.

In his dream, he saw the terrifying monster again; it bared its huge maw, pouncing on him and tearing open his chest with its sharp claws.

"Huh!"

In panic, Roger let out a loud cry and suddenly sat up.

Sweat soaked the bedding, he was still in shock when from outside the door came a light rapping sound.

"The lad named Roger, come open the door for me!"