Chapter 306: Infiltration

Then, all the shadows in the place started moving like a tide of water. They slowly gathered together, flowing toward the centre of the cave as if they were being pulled by an invisible force.

The shadows continued gathering in one place, gradually taking the shape of a human. Their forms merged together, creating a single figure that stood silently in the darkness.

After all the shadows had taken the shape of a human, light finally entered the cave where the Shadow had been staying.

The Shadow looked toward the light for a moment before slowly moving toward the cave’s entrance. It continued walking until it finally stepped outside.

Before it stretched a vast horizon filled with water; the ocean extended into the distance, its surface reflecting the light above.

The Shadow was standing on the northern shore of the Human Continent, completely alone.

This was the same Shadow vessel that Asher had captured during the Academy test, and it had reached the Master rank a few days ago.

The Shadow stood silently for a moment before turning its gaze toward the north, where the Grimwood Continent lay beyond the vast ocean.

It continued looking in that direction, seemingly observing the distant continent.

Meanwhile, something else was happening at the Southern Ocean, where most of Asher’s Master-rank vessels were staying.

One after another, they returned to their respective rooms. After reaching their rooms, all of them lay down on their beds at almost the same time.

Their eyes closed, and their bodies became completely motionless.

If someone had seen them in that state, they might have mistaken them for corpses rather than living beings. None of them moved even an inch, and their bodies remained still as if they had lost all awareness of their surroundings.

At almost the same time, across the entire continent, most of Asher’s other vessels also moved toward the safe places they had prepared beforehand.

After reaching those places, they too became almost lifeless, remaining completely motionless wherever they had settled.

Most of these vessels were individuals whose disappearances would hardly attract anyone’s attention. They had little to no connection with the outside world, and some of them had already been officially declared dead a long time ago.

Because of this, even if they remained hidden for an extended period, very few people would bother investigating their whereabouts.

After this, only a handful of Asher’s vessels continued functioning as usual.

The Empath Demon vessel was still working on something on the Southern Island.

The flying beast vessel was continuing its journey toward the domain of the Nightmare Saint.

The vessel at the Academy also continued its activities, along with a few other vessels scattered throughout the world.

These remaining vessels continued working just as they had before. Nothing about their behaviour changed, and as far as anyone could tell, everything remained the same.

However, the Shadow vessel standing on the northern shore of the Human Continent was experiencing something entirely different.

Its entire existence began to change.

Its presence gradually became harder and harder to notice. At first, it was merely difficult to pay attention to, but as time passed, even the faintest trace of its existence began to disappear.

Eventually, it reached a point where it seemed as though there was nothing there at all.

Eventually, it reached a point where it seemed as though there was nothing there at all.

Then, without any warning, the Shadow vessel suddenly vanished from the northern shore of the Human Continent.

Strangely, nothing changed in the surrounding environment.

The ocean continued moving as before, the wind continued blowing across the shore, and the surrounding space showed no reaction whatsoever to its disappearance.

There was no disturbance, no fluctuation, and no indication that anything unusual had happened.

In the next instant, the Shadow vessel appeared on the shore of the Grimwood Continent.

It simply appeared there without producing the slightest change in its surroundings.

The Shadow looked toward the Grimwood Continent for a moment before beginning to move forward.

It then entered the continent.

The Grimwood Continent was entirely under the domain of the Dragon.

The last time Asher had come here, the Dragon had sensed his presence almost immediately after he arrived. The Dragon’s control over the continent was so extensive that the arrival of an unfamiliar powerful being had not escaped his notice.

However, this time, things were different.

Asher’s Shadow vessel calmly entered the Grimwood Continent without attracting any attention.

After moving some distance into the continent, its human-shaped form gradually dissolved into shadows. Its body spread out and merged with the natural shadows surrounding it, becoming indistinguishable from them.

There was no obvious trace of its presence, and no one suspected that anything unusual had occurred.

The Dragon was still watching over the entire continent, carefully monitoring everything within his domain. He made sure that nothing could enter his territory without his permission, maintaining his watch over the land as he had always done.

However, Asher had already entered the continent.

And the Dragon had absolutely no idea.

The Dragon continued keeping watch over the continent, completely unaware of what had already happened.

Meanwhile, Asher’s Shadow vessel continued moving stealthily through the Grimwood Continent, travelling from one shadow to another without attracting the slightest attention.

The only three Master-rank vessels that were still operating were the Empath Demon, Shadow, and the Flying Beast that was heading towards the Nightmare Saint.

All of them were starting to complete their own tasks, while the other vessels remained lifeless. This was so that the Shadow vessel could act at full power, which wouldn’t be possible if every vessel was operating at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the Academy, inside the virtual test, Asher stood up, and the barrier vanished. The last round of the test then began, and a new area was marked on the whole map.

Only four students remained now, as one area was empty in the last round because no one entered it. In this final round, only one of them would become the winner.