The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 27 Lakeside Cottage

—I have seen dragons.

Now, Horn can say this with complete confidence.

However, the price behind this was far too terrible.

"...Tahm? Tahm?"

Horn used the master-servant contract to call Tam, but his thoughts sank without a response.

Finally, after a long wait.

"The injury... is serious..."

"I need to sleep...for a long time..."

Intermittent mental fluctuations were transmitted, and then some light shone in from the outside, indicating that the exit of this enclosed space had been opened.

First, send out a member of the household to investigate.

After confirming there was no danger, Horn's true form slowly crawled out of Tam's stomach.

"here it is……?"

All around was a wide, calm body of water, where a gentle breeze rippled the surface, creating layers of waves.

What a huge lake!

You can't see the other side at all.

Turning around, I saw that Tam's body was charred black, and both of his catfish whiskers had been burned off.

It was barely breathing, its eyes were closed, and its injuries were healing themselves at an extremely slow pace.

Further away, the sky was crimson, billowing black smoke rose from the direction of the former swamp forest, and raging flames continued to burn, carrying a pungent, acrid smell on the wind.

After understanding the current situation, Horn was not in a good mood.

There's a touch of sadness in it.

Who could have predicted this!

I was eating [Mossy Crocodile] and leveling up when I suddenly encountered a dragon!

For some unknown reason, the dragon casually breathed a few times downwards, and by sheer coincidence, it landed in the swamp forest.

Ordinary flames might not be able to ignite the entire swamp.

But that's dragon's breath!

Dragon breath compressed from a high concentration of magic!

Ten swamps wouldn't be enough for that dragon's breath.

If Tam hadn't used [Mud Dive] at the crucial moment to take Horn deep into the depths, he would probably be roasted tentacles by now!

At this point, it's highly likely that Tam used some underground river beneath the swamp to escape to this lakeside.

Horn took stock of the losses from this unexpected disaster.

The nest is gone, the fungal carpet is gone.

More than two hundred of their relatives were gone.

The familiar swamp forest is gone.

Fortunately, Horn had previously stored some valuable items in Tam's stomach.

The Contract Orb is still there, the Concealment Orb is still there, and the paralyzed and stunned little mouse Phoebe is still there.

There are also about seventy or eighty members of the [Carnivorous Mushroom] family.

It wasn't exactly a complete financial ruin.

Most importantly, the main body is still intact and unharmed. As long as the main body is safe, it can make a comeback!

Even so, Horn still harbored a burning anger within him.

—You evil dragon, you deserve to die!!

You just wait, one day I'll eat you alive!

To be honest, Horn didn't have that strong a desire for power to begin with. Becoming stronger step by step and developing slowly was a reasonable strategy.

But after being attacked by the evil dragon, his thoughts underwent a subtle change.

Given the danger level of this "mysterious island," even if you stay obediently in your own territory, you could still be easily crushed by a powerful monster that happens to pass by.

For example, the monsters in the swamp forest.

Unlike Horn, they were not so lucky; they had already perished under the terrifying dragon breath.

Horn didn't want to die silently like that.

Therefore, he must climb step by step to the top of the monster's lair!

Ideas are one thing, but the first step is to find a suitable location to build a nest.

Horn sent his retinue to circle the lake briefly, and they soon made an unexpected discovery—

A small, abandoned wooden cabin!

This was the first time he had seen a building that was clearly left by humans since leaving the laboratory.

Speaking of which, I wonder how the lab is doing now?

Horn remembered that when they escaped, Ronan, the former captain of the Golden Sun, seemed to have released an extremely terrifying monster.

They've probably already completely destroyed that laboratory, haven't they?

While reminiscing about the past, Horn sent one of his companions ahead to investigate the condition of the cabin.

The fleshy mushroom's tentacles gathered strength, propelling it into the air as it leaped.

[Frog Jump Lv3]

This skill, obtained from the [Mud Frog], effectively compensates for the mobility of the summoned creatures.

The purplish-black mushroom jumped directly onto the window of the cabin.

The cabin's windows were made of glass, and a large piece of them had long been broken, allowing it to easily squeeze through.

The cabin was quiet, devoid of any sign of life.

The furniture inside was simple and dilapidated, and some of the iron products were covered with rust.

It appears to be just an abandoned wooden hut.

And luckily, it wasn't taken over by other monsters.

Horn, however, had his eye on this place.

The cabin is conveniently located by the lake, allowing him to create both land and water companions simultaneously, enabling him to advance or retreat at will! He can both attack and defend!

After being burned by the dragon, Horn developed a psychological aversion to fire, and this lake gave him a great sense of security.

After making up my mind.

Horn immediately took action.

Dozens of her kin sprang out of Tam’s belly and began to laboriously carry its body.

Tamm had rendered a service by protecting him, so Horn would naturally not treat him unfairly.

At least during the time it is asleep, Horn will take good care of it.

Just ...

This thing is way too heavy!

Even with dozens of their relatives pulling together, they couldn't budge it.

Horn had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and, with great effort, drag it into the lake next to the cabin.

Tamm is, after all, an aquatic creature.

Soaking it in water helps its injuries heal themselves.

Immediately afterwards, Horn's true form wriggled into the cabin.

……Um?

On the table in the cabin, he saw a picture frame that was tilted to one side.

The black and white photo shows a man, a woman, and a young girl.

The man was dressed like an adventurer, with a scruffy beard, but he was quite handsome.

The woman was wearing a white lab coat, and looked like a researcher.

It looks like a family photo?

Horn didn't pay much attention, and stretched out his tentacles to release magic.

A layer of mycelium gradually spread out in the wooden house...

……

……

Whoosh—!

The sailors lowered the small wooden boat, splashing water.

This is a boat aboard the Golden Sun, typically used for fishing, island exploration, and emergency escape.

Right now, its purpose is fishing!

Of course, we have to catch fish.

The majority of the food on board actually came from fish in the ocean.

Even though many sailors were already sick of eating fish, they still had to keep eating it.

Evan and Mike were also on this small boat.

"Why are we being made to do this work again?"

Evan couldn't help but complain, "In the past, the first mate and second mate would take turns fishing."

Mike said calmly, "Say less."

Upon hearing this, Evan gave him a strange look.

Ever since the day Mike came out of the captain's cabin, Evan had sensed that he was a little different.

Has he become more composed and patient?

Evan pursed his lips, muttering to himself.

"What are you pretending for? You'll never become a Secret Pathfinder anyway."

Noticing Evan's gaze, Mike sighed inwardly.

He had originally intended to introduce Evan to Brother Mushroom, but now it seemed that Evan's personality wasn't quite suitable...

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Evan caught sight of a shadow in the sea.

"Huh? There's a jellyfish here..."