"Morning already?"
Hastora groaned, blinking his eyes open.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, taking in his surroundings.
"...What time is it?"
He reached for his smartphone and checked the time.
"Six in the morning?"
He stood and leaned against the ship's railing.
"Why is this ship still sailing?"
"It should have already docked at Coralva Island by now."
Something felt off.
Suspicion gnawed at him.
He pocketed his phone and headed towards the bridge.
He stopped, surprised to find Lysette and Mirellia asleep beside him.
"What are they doing?"
"Why are they sleeping next to me?"
He wanted to wake them up.
But he also didn't want to disturb their sleep.
"Why do I care?"
Ignoring them, he continued walking towards the bridge.
His breath hitched in his throat.
The bridge… was empty.
"Where's the captain?"
"More importantly… where is this ship heading?"
He immediately took over the controls.
The ship must have been drifting alone all night.
That meant…
How far off course was the ship?
"Damn it! Why does this always happen to me!?"
"...!?"
Suddenly, the ship shook violently, as if something massive had brushed against it.
"What the—?!"
He was tossed around on the bridge as the ship lurched upwards.
With a flick of his wrist, dark chains shot out and latched onto the wall, holding him in place.
The tossing stopped.
He needed to get out.
But how?
"I can't go through that door; I'll just get tossed around again."
"..."
"So…"
"I guess this is my only way out."
His hand was enveloped in pitch-black energy.
A shadow spear shot forward, shattering the window as he aimed his hand.
He was tossed around again as the shadow chains holding him to the wall vanished.
But this time was different.
He used the momentum to easily escape the bridge.
His hand was once again enveloped in dark energy.
A shadow net sprouted from his hand and latched onto the ship's railing.
"Almost there."
He held on.
His eyes glanced at the lower part of the ship.
"...! A giant octopus?"
Similar to a Kraken… only smaller. Too small to be real.
"Maybe it's just a regular sea monster."
The ship couldn't sink.
He had to drive the monster away, quickly.
Otherwise…
"Of course. A sea monster."
He drew a pistol from the shadows and aimed it at one of the monster's tentacles.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The tentacle severed as he fired.
Another tentacle suddenly attacked from the side.
The attack came from nowhere—no time to dodge.
The tentacle severed as a deep blue energy swiftly sliced through it.
"Who's that?."
He turned toward the attack's source.
"Ah, right. You two."
Mirellia and Lysette, newly awakened, took up fighting stances.
"You two, get ready!"
Lysette dashed down to the ship's lower deck.
Then, with a flick of her wrist—
"Blue Geyser!"
A rumbling sound came from below, followed by a high-pressure burst of water erupting from the water, slamming into both the monster and the ship, tossing them into the air in a dazzling blue vortex.
"Now! You two!"
Lysette shouted instructions.
Hearing that, Hastora created shadow wings and flew into the air, aiming his pistol at the monster's head.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The monster's head exploded as he pulled the trigger.
Ink-like blood bled into the sea, darkening it.
However, the monster wasn't defeated yet.
It had regenerative abilities.
Of course, Hastora wouldn't let that happen.
He aimed again but stopped when Mirellia's sword suddenly sliced through the monster's head.
The ship fell heavily from above, causing a large splash.
"Good work."
Lysette landed beside him, her smile soft and proud.
"It was nothing."
Mirellia approached, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You were amazing, Princess. If it weren't for your magic, this ship would have been destroyed."
They exchanged praises, chatting as if Hastora weren't even there.
Feeling ignored, he descended from the sky, then walked back to the bridge.
"Thank goodness."
He was relieved to find the controls undamaged.
No, maybe slightly damaged.
But it wasn't a big deal.
As he was about to take control, he spotted an island amidst the thick fog.
"Wait… is that…?"
His eyes narrowed.
"No mistake."
He took over the helm and steered the ship towards the island.
As the ship broke through the fog, his eyes widened at the sight.
The island was bustling.
Many ships were docked there.
"I need to hurry."
He pushed the throttle, speeding toward the harbor.
The atmosphere of the island was even more vibrant upon arrival.
"Coralva Island… I never expected it to be like this."
Coralva Island, a small island located on the southeastern border of the Glazareth Kingdom, was renowned as a center for high-quality seafood.
Known for its clear waters and rich marine ecosystem, Coralva was a prime location for fishermen, water mages, and maritime trade guilds.
The market was filled with marine treasures—corals, seaweed, shrimp, crabs, and fish shimmering under the morning sun.
Of course, the curse-healing plant was also here, but it wasn't sold in the market.
He had to find it himself.
He stepped out of the bridge and stopped abruptly as Lysette called out to him.
"Hey! , where were you just now" she asked.
"...The bridge."
"Huh? You were piloting the ship?"
"Yes."
"Where's the captain?!"
"Don't know. Maybe… he committed suicide."
It was a pretty strong assumption.
There was no stronger reason.
Maybe the captain had personal problems that led him to suicide.
It was impossible that the captain was attacked by a monster.
The bridge itself was still clean when he first arrived.
There were no signs of a monster attack.
"I see… It seems we should report this to the island's harbormaster."
Lysette leaned forward.
"But I'm impressed. You're amazing—just as I thought, a marine expert."
"...?"
A marine expert?
He seemed to be considered a marine expert from the start.
Why did she think so?
'The atmosphere of the island was even more vibrant upon arrival.'
He couldn't let her think of him as a marine expert.
That would make negotiations with Valeska much harder.
If he successfully found the curse-healing plant, Lysette would definitely invite him to the palace.
However, if he went to the palace as a marine expert, Valeska would most likely pay him off and send him away.
He couldn't let that happen.
He had to negotiate with Valeska, no matter what.
All for the Eidolith Crystal.
"I'm not a marine expert," he told Lysette.
"Huh?"
"I'm just a first-year student at Velmora Grand Academy."
"...? Ehhh?!"
Lysette's eyes widened.
First year?
The man from the underwater cave?
It sounded plausible enough considering his young and handsome face.
However… what was he doing in the underwater cave?
She was curious.
But she didn't want to ask.
'Maybe he was ona mission?'
For now, she would assume so.
"Alright then… shall we continue our journey?" Lysette asked Hastora.
"Alright, follow me."
The three of them walked briskly along the wet dock, past dockworkers busily moving crates of fish.
At the end of the wooden walkway stood a two-story pine-walled building, its windows open to the sea.
A metal plaque reading "Coralva Harbor Administration" hung above the door.
That's where the harbormaster was.
"So this is Coralva Island? You never told us during the journey."
Lysette spoke with a smile.
"You must have your reasons. I won't ask."
"Then," Hastora replied. "Let's report what happened first."
Lysette nodded.
The three of them stepped inside the building.
Suddenly, five strangers appeared.
Their bodies were burly, with weapons in hand.
The aura they emitted was wild.
Hastora knew who they were…
"Ah…"
Just thugs. Not even worth a sigh.