He reached out and tossed down the dagger. The axe-wielder didn’t even spare a glance at the two people whose chests were spurting blood. He took off his suit jacket, wiped the blood from his hands, and strode away.

“Am I dead? Or...”

“Welcome to Devil’s Island. Here is your Book of Devils, please take it. You are our 16,821st visitor. According to the rules of Devil’s Island, there’s a reward for you!” Before I could figure things out, a pleasant and melodious voice sounded in my ear. Immediately after, a gigantic, heavy tome—about the size of a large quarto, as thick as an Oxford dictionary—smashed into my forehead and knocked me to the ground.

When I sat up, gritting my teeth and struggling to push away this massive book that could easily be used as a weapon, I saw that its cover was made of fine sheepskin, decorated with a pentagram, and inside the pentagram was a small bagua taiji symbol. It was a heavy and peculiar printed work. As I slowly opened the cover, a petite, lively, and pretty girl emerged from the first page, beaming brightly as she spoke to me. She was wearing an outrageously revealing outfit that no girl in real life would dare to wear.

Her ultra-short skirt was so brief it didn’t even cover her underwear, with a hint of lace peeking out. The tiny vest only covered the most essential part of her chest, leaving a large expanse of snowy white skin exposed to view. Aside from that, only her long boots could be considered somewhat proper, but even those were full of intricate cut-out patterns, making her delicate calves and cute toes faintly visible.

But the most surprising thing wasn’t any of that—it was the pair of adorable little wings fluttering behind her head, causing her whole body to float about a dozen centimeters above the book’s pages.

I was stunned for a moment. When my brain finally started working again, I foolishly asked an irrelevant question: “Why does the number 16,821 come with a reward? There’s nothing special about it.”

Chapter Two: Welcome to Devil’s Island

“Because! That number just happens to be my age, so you’re especially lucky!”

“You’re sixteen... sixteen thousand years old?” I asked loudly, barely able to keep my jaw from dropping. “Where am I? What about those murderers?”

The lively, pretty girl giggled and said, “I already told you, welcome to Devil’s Island. So of course, this is Devil’s Island. As for those people, if you want, I can show you a recording of what happened, which will save me a lot of explanation.”

With a crisp, stylish snap of her fingers, the lively girl made the air in front of me ripple like water, and then the scene of the axe-wielder fighting Benjamin Ford appeared in midair.

“So I turned into that white light, and then ended up here?”

I looked around in surprise. Earlier, I’d been too tense to notice my surroundings. Now I realized this place looked a lot like the legendary Hawaii.

Everywhere were tropical plants, warm and gentle sunlight, rolling waves of heat on the beach. Where there’s a beach, there’s bound to be a crystal-clear sea where you can see all the way to the bottom. I could even see beautiful, unfamiliar schools of tropical fish swimming leisurely in the water. In the distance, at the foot of a mountain, there was a super luxurious, world-class hotel.

“Bingo, your comprehension isn’t bad. Next, you’ll definitely ask me what Devil’s Island is, and who I am. So let me introduce myself first!”

“My name is Julia! I’m your narrator and assistant, and I usually stay inside this Book of Devils. Don’t ask me where Devil’s Island came from, because its history is so ancient that even I don’t know. All I can tell you is that Devil’s Island is a world just like the real one—there’s sunshine, beaches, bikinis, and of course, beautiful women. The only tiny difference is that the permanent residents here are all rather eccentric people. They often cook and eat the new arrivals. Of course, if they find a new resident pleasing, they’ll throw a party and enjoy them together!”

“Cook! Cook... and eat them?”

I jumped up at once, but with a tap of Julia’s slender finger, I began to float gently in the air. No matter how hard I ran, I couldn’t move an inch.

Recalling how Julia had conjured up the murder scene out of thin air, I suddenly “saw the light” and practically dove forward, hugging Julia’s long, smooth leg, begging desperately, “I get it, you’re here to teach me magic, right? Please teach me these abilities! I promise I’ll study hard and never slack off like I did in class!”

At first, I was just trying to save my life, but the soft, smooth sensation under my hand distracted me, and I couldn’t help but think of something shameful: “Evelyn York’s figure is pretty nice too. I wonder if her thighs feel this good...”

“Wow! You’re such a perv! You can still think about your girlfriend’s thighs at a time like this.”

Julia shouted out my inner thoughts, leaving me utterly embarrassed. Having someone read your mind is awkward for anyone, but it also gave me a much more direct understanding of this world.