Into the Demon's Lair Alone

Pan Long arrived at a fishing village as dusk approached. The fishermen had finished their day's work, and cooking smoke curled above the village.

"Can anyone take me to Black Skull Island?" he called. "I'll pay a hundred Gold Piece."

At his words, the villagers came out of their homes. Dozens of men, women, and children looked at him, but no one answered.

Because the Demon King was sealed there, Black Skull Island was overrun with Demons. No one dared approach it except Pike Town's elite soldiers. Even they only dared dock at the pier on the island's edge, climb its watchtower, and observe the Demon King's Seal from afar.

For ordinary fishermen, merely going near Black Skull Island was an adventure.

Demons did not live only on land. There were Demons in the sea, too.

So Pan Long was met with silence. No one answered.

Instead, an elderly villager kindly urged him, "Young man, Black Skull Island is dangerous. Don't go!"

He sighed and took out a heavy purse.

"I have two hundred and four Gold Piece left altogether," he said. "Whoever takes me to Black Skull Island can have all of it."

The price was outrageously high. A soldier's monthly pay was only ten Gold Piece, and soldiers regularly had to fight Demons or bandits.

Fishermen like them could not save up more than two hundred Gold Piece in ten years.

At last, that extraordinary sum had an effect. A middle-aged fisherman stepped forward and asked, "Can you pay me first?"

Seeing the fear and resolve in the man's eyes, Pan Long understood what he meant.

He was willing to risk his life for the money.

"Of course I can pay you first. And... once you've taken me there, you can leave. You don't need to wait for