A Week of Smooth Sailing
About a week into our voyage across the Salacia Sea, everything had gone remarkably smoothly. No joke—there wasn't a single storm, just steady tailwinds, and the sea was utterly peaceful and serene. The crew kept glancing nervously at the gathering clouds, but Circe strolled out like she was on a casual walk, scribbled a few runes, and the clouds parted instantly, letting the sun greet us warmly.
"This can't be real... Are we actually under divine protection or something?" Even the captain, with his decades of seafaring experience, admitted he'd never seen anything like it, his face etched with bewilderment. Nex Hades Mortis had shared stories of how voyages like this usually meant braving at least three storms and fending off sea monsters attacking the ship, forcing everyone to take shifts guarding it day and night. But whenever Circe stepped out and murmured something to the sea, a massive shadow would slither briefly beneath the hull before vanishing. The monsters weren't approaching—they knew better than to come near, or they'd die.
I spent that week leisurely watering the trees I was growing in my cabin, occasionally jotting down letters. Before I knew it, my room had turned into a veritable botanical garden. Vines crawling up the walls, trees sprouting haphazardly everywhere. To test my limits, I experimented with grafting, even creating entirely new hybrid trees—and nothing was impossible. I succeeded in crafting a single miraculous tree bearing thirty-two different fruits: grapes, apples, walnuts, lemons, pears, persimmons, cherries, you name it, one of each.
It was the fruit of a week's idle research to kill time. Riko insisted on taking that tree to Witches' Island to plant it, tending it with greedy eyes, fertilizing and spraying it meticulously, kissing the leaves and singing to it like it was hers. But without my Forest energy, it would surely wither from lack of nutrients soon enough.
As for the Sea Triton's Trident, I had no chance to use it. Everyone from Kidd to the crew knew it as the legendary weapon gleaming with the deep blue of the ocean, so carrying it openly would cause an uproar. Plus, just possessing it would paint a target on my back from the Pirate King, so I'd kept it in bracelet form ever since receiving it—a coiled spiral ring like a serpent, perfect for arm protection if needed. For now, that was its role.
It must be incredibly precious to Circe, yet she'd handed it over without hesitation, which weighed heavily on me. Whether she sensed my unease or not, she crawled into bed with me at night, grabbed my wrist or sleeve when heading to the mess hall, and even tried following me to bathe—Riko had to drag her away. Circe showered me with straightforward affection, oblivious to any notion of personal space. Was everyone here like this? Larirure Larirarion had proposed on the spot too, handing over her trousseau and stamping her claim. Maybe that's just how it worked. I'd sensed something off when she gave me the pearl ring—she wore an identical one on her finger. Riko, ever the instigator, pushed relentlessly: "They're basically married already—just focus on making babies!" pressuring me to write letters. I explained the situation to Larirure, and she replied coolly.
"Yeah, Radamu's the one who seduced her. I don't mind."
My would-be wife didn't bat an eye at me bringing home a few women—it was like, "Handy for taking over the farm from my parents." Was that really okay? I'd decided to think seriously about marriage later. If Circe loved me, I'd cherish her equally. I didn't know much about love myself, so I couldn't gauge distance either. Fair trade.
Swoosh—After a week of experimenting with various woods, Circe succeeded in carving a bamboo stalk from the World Tree guardian into a talisman plate using multiple reagents. Looking exhausted, she handed over the Red Witch's Amulet. I gave her a skill-grown fruit in return and tucked her into bed to rest. She rolled around with a strangely delighted expression, nibbling the fruit.
"Look at her, tamed by fruit... Total homme fatale~ Stealing every witch's heart!"
"Riko, please, just one verse is enough. I'm human too, you know—I get tired."
"Knee pillow, Radamu-nim?"
"Give it to Hyacinth."
The amulet, made with a hefty dose of Circe's reagents, wasn't single-use—it could be reused multiple times. But conversely, I could inscribe a skill strong enough to make it single-use. Since it was made from World Tree guardian bamboo, I figured it might work, and sure enough, Demon God's Dark Annihilation Hell Orb LV.2 was etched into it. The question was, without "yin mana," would it even fire properly? Would it substitute with something else... or fizzle out entirely?
'Memorize Spellbook has plenty of options anyway—if it doesn't work, I can overwrite it.' I pocketed the amulet and headed back to the deck.
The voyage dragged on tediously. I swung my sword on deck to stay sharp, but... safety first, sure, but was it right to waste time on such a smooth run? I diligently used Daily Bonus every day, praying it wouldn't trigger, steadily boosting my stats.
'No word from the goddess lately...'
Total stats: 193. Astonishing growth. I'd soon breach the 200 wall. Hyacinth had hit 289 at our first meeting, now 342 thanks to elixirs and effort. "Upper races grow like this," he'd said, but the fact remained—I was the weakest in the party. Even Circe, limited by magic, could princess-carry me effortlessly.
'Gotta focus on power and stamina, then.'
Recalling the saintess's words, I stripped off my shirt on deck for push-ups or sword drills. Hyacinth demonstrated doing them on one finger. Racing Kidd to 1,000 reps, I quietly stuck to my measly 300 and swung my blade. I circulated mana through my body to adapt it, slowly strengthening. And fished idly too—any mana circulation worked. I could wield all attributes except yin mana with pure mana, but pure mana reinforcement for weapons and body was easiest. Separating the flows wasn't simple.
'The path to strength is long and arduous...'
"Land ho!!!"
On day 10, our first island greeted us. Confirming it matched the treasure map, we disembarked at the captain's order. It looked ordinary—trees, birds wheeling overhead, deer bounding away after spotting us. Penguins sunbathed on the beach; I eyed them curiously. Safe to pet?
"Meat!"
Kidd charged a penguin with his harpoon. It fled in panic; Circe, who'd wanted to hug it, stared at him in shock and tugged my sleeve, eyes pleading for intervention. (Publicly mute, she couldn't use runes, so she relied on me.) I drew my sword to thwack him non-lethally when the captain fired his pistol skyward.
"You idiot! I said no hunting—we have plenty of food!"
"Guh... But we're on land! Time to hunt, restock...!"
"So you target something that ain't even charging? Pussy-ass bitch."
"Wha—?! Take that back!! Fine! I'll bag an island monster! C'mon, Hyacinth!"
"Yahoo! Hunt time!"
Hyacinth, tail wagging, chased Kidd into the woods. The galleon was spacious, but cramped on the sea—guess his legs itched; he didn't even ask me. The captain sighed, ordering the crew to secure supplies, scout the island, and summon the navigator to check the treasure map.
"Shin Tugap's here?"
"Nah, no. As you know, the first Pirate King risked everything to the 'world's end' to save the continent. Won't be that quick."
Spreading the Salacia Sea chart from the Pantheon and several treasure maps, the plan was: hop islands collecting treasures, grab Shin Tugap from its isle, then loop back via others.
"All treasure islands?"
"Not quite. Some are merchant taverns, trade hubs... Casino Island too, but not hero-friendly. We'll loop like this."
The sea had its own rules—merchants and pirates had carved out ports. Sea taverns catering to pirates, trade isles for Chronicle goods, even Casino Island under Pirate King permit. The ocean was its own vast nation.
"So we might run into Empire or Holy Eagle Kingdom forces?"
"Or pirate fleets who've carved territories. They mind the Pirate King, but cross his crew? Bad luck. He's scouring the sea for the Sea Triton's Trident—the key to Witches' Island. Expect fights; warned ya."
"Have you ever killed, hero?"
"No. Prefer not to, if possible."
"Hm... Non-lethal's tougher than it sounds."
I shook my head with an "Ahh..." I didn't want to kill, but if I met that dwarf Maou candidate, I'd end her. And if hesitating cost allies or friends? Unacceptable. Besides—
"'If possible' means severing limbs or spine to neutralize—still alive."
Grinning, the captain got it. "Heroes are human too, eh?"