Cruise Ship (3)
Jump. The moment he leaped, the rope was flung out. The spinning gun flew far, heading toward the railing of the outdoor staircase on the upper second deck—the target Go Cheon-su had aimed for.
Clang! But it didn't catch on the staircase railing. Instead, it bounced off.
"Kuh!"
Go Cheon-su's body plummeted without touching the cruise ship. Dragged by the rope he gripped, the gun was pulled all the way to the corridor railing beside the stairs.
Clatter! It caught.
The gun's curved body snagged on the corridor railing, like iron bars, halting Go Cheon-su's fall.
Not yet. To call it survival, he had to climb up.
Grit.
As Go Cheon-su reached up and pulled himself higher, the gun jolted against the railing with friction. It looked like it might slip out any second.
Just a little more...!
Go Cheon-su glanced ahead. There, amid the sea, floated a familiar green line.
A green line branching out over the ocean. The fork point was right there in the water.
"Just a bit more!"
Even with the gun hooked on the railing, climbing higher was another challenge. Go Cheon-su had no intention of boarding the ship itself, but he was determined to at least cross that green line he'd spotted moments ago.
A buoy. One floated nearby. If he couldn't make it up, his plan was to cross the fork and swim to the buoy.
Passed the fork point.
A new skill has been added.
Skill possession rules have changed from now on.
Check details via the skill window.
But that was for the worst-case scenario. Go Cheon-su was a man who always aimed for the optimal play.
"Raaah!"
He crossed the fork point. Now it was just a matter of whether he could board the cruise ship or not.
Clack-clack.
The gun teetered on the verge of slipping from the railing. Go Cheon-su scrambled up the rope like a spider.
Thud! Then it happened. The gun slipped free.
In the instant before, Go Cheon-su hurled himself toward the lifeboat attached to the cruise ship's outer wall.
Splash! He collided.
Slipping without a proper landing, Go Cheon-su grabbed the steel chain securing the lifeboat.
Plop! The gun and rope vanished into the sea.
"Hoo...!"
But he climbed onto the lifeboat.
"Raaah!"
He did it. Cleanly, without needing the buoy.
The praise pouring in was only natural.
The mood was great, but there was still work to do. Turning his gaze, he spotted people on the crane platform staring blankly his way.
He could leave them, but that would betray his word.
"Info window."
Constant Info: Lingering long in one area is dangerous.
Info 1: Parts of the cruise ship Nachala, departed from Pohang Airport, are prowled by several threatening monsters.
Info 2: The ocean harbors various threats to small boats.
"Brothers, I'm taking these folks with us."
As expected, this mystery cruise ship harbored threats. With unknown people aboard, he needed reliable allies to ensure safety together.
"Brothers, you never ridden a cruise ship? Nah, me neither."
Go Cheon-su was on the roof of the lifeboat. It resembled a small submarine, not your typical boat.
"First off, this is a gravity-drop lifeboat."
"Simply put, it's a lifeboat you can launch solo."
Release the lashings, board inside, and operate the controls. Go Cheon-su quickly undid the lifeboat's lashings. He entered, pulled the visible line to release the brakes, and lowered it to the sea as instructed. Then, following the onboard guide, he activated the release mechanism.
Clunk.
The final chain link securing the lifeboat snapped free. Go Cheon-su opened the battery box per the manual, flipped the switch, and headed to the controls.
"Brothers, honestly, without the manual, I'd have given up."
He couldn't remember that much. But the handy guide let him start and operate the lifeboat.
"Sheesh. Don't you know lifeboats are designed not to capsize?"
No time for arguments. Go Cheon-su turned the lifeboat toward the platform.
Rumble.
He pulled the lever to halt, climbed to the roof, and faced the group.
"Yep, faces just like I pictured."
Seeing their stunned expressions, Go Cheon-su chuckled.
"I'm kinda reckless like that."
If it seemed doable, he did it. Go Cheon-su's survival strategy was to never hesitate when needed—no matter how insane it looked to others.
"Hop on quick. No time."
The people hesitated on the platform. Go Cheon-su smacked the lifeboat roof.
"Want me to come get you? Can't do that much."
"B-but the height..."
The driver swallowed dryly, sweating coldly. Go Cheon-su held out what he had in hand.
"Figured as much. Grabbed a rope from inside. I'll lower it—hold tight. All at once."
He tied a weight at the rope's end, spun it, and tossed it onto the platform.
Thud! Fortunately, Park Chang-sik caught it.
"T-tie this on, right?"
"Yes."
Park Chang-sik secured it to the platform railing and peered down at the lifeboat.
"Slide down it!"
"Yes, exactly."
But he wouldn't wait long.
"Gotta be quick, though."
Boom! Kaboom!
Chaos erupted at the pier. Big Bodies had appeared, smashing everything around.
"Aaaah!"
"Damn it!"
Woof!
A Big Body's projectile struck the mobile crane, making it wobble. The people and dog atop screamed as they swayed.
"Get on now! Better to fall in the water! Heukgu, jump quick!"
If they could float, he'd toss another rope to save them.
"G-got it!"
Hearing Go Cheon-su, Park Chang-sik slid down first with gusto. But his landing sucked.
"Aaaah!"
Slipping near the entrance, Go Cheon-su grabbed him.
Boom!
Meanwhile, the platform rocked side to side.
"Wh-what?"
No, it was worse—nearly toppling. A Big Body was hitting the mobile crane.
"Aaaaah!"
"Kuh!"
The already unsteady driver, Heukgu, and Jin So-ryeong's acquaintance finally fell.
Plop!
Go Cheon-su sighed briefly at the near-simultaneous drops. Luckily, the man and the swimming-proficient Heukgu surfaced quickly and swam to the lifeboat. With Park Chang-sik inside, Go Cheon-su opened the side hatch and tossed another rope to the driver.
The driver grabbed it and was rescued. The man and Heukgu swam in on their own.
"Phew."
Finally saving everyone and locking the hatch, Go Cheon-su exhaled.
"We lived."
Thud!
But no time to relax.
"Buckle up, everyone. Heukgu, corner over there."
The crane-toppling sound rang out. Go Cheon-su drove the lifeboat away fast.
Splash!
A massive splash drew all eyes to the rear window. The crane that brought them here was twisting around its pillar and crashing into the sea, vivid in view.
"Lieutenant Colonel Jin..."
The man muttered, fists clenched. Go Cheon-su silently stared at the distant pier through the window.
No sign of Jin So-ryeong. Nor the 7.5 Division company commander. Too far. Only Big Bodies and sporadic gunshots visible and audible.
"Hope he survives."
Muttering like a futile prayer, Go Cheon-su looked ahead again.
"So, sir, your name's Cha Dong-jin?"
En route to the cruise ship, they'd exchanged names.
"Yes, that's right."
"And a ten-year friend of Lieutenant Colonel Jin."
Not just some acquaintance.
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
Muscular like a big-port worker, his rough build belied gentlemanly speech.
Birds of a feather, huh.
Considering Jin So-ryeong's character, it made sense.
"I-I'm..."
"I got a guess."
Go Cheon-su cut off the driver. His name was emblazoned on his chest.
"Sergeant Joo Young-hoon, right?"
"Pardon? Oh, yes."
As he fidgeted, Park Chang-sik raised a hand.
"Park Chang-sik here."
"Thanks, driver. And I'm Go Cheon-su. Remember it."
Introductions done. Go Cheon-su pointed at the front window, toward the cruise ship.
"We're boarding that."
No plans to reach Jeju by lifeboat. They had to transfer.
"Not taking this?"
Predictably, Park Chang-sik asked, but Go Cheon-su shook his head.
"Can't go far in this."
The sea threatened small boats. Unsure what, but no need to risk testing on this balanced craft.
"We'll board the cruise first, then launch another lifeboat if needed."
Explaining, Go Cheon-su caught up to the ship in the lifeboat.
"Skill window."
He murmured, and it appeared.
※ Skill Slot 1 — Max 3 skills total.
Aggro (10 min): Grow stronger the more monsters target you. +10% physical stats per monster (based on base self). Count accumulates from activation to end.
[Delete]
Record Accumulation: 10% of peak Aggro boost permanently adds to base stats. Updates with new records.
[Delete]
Recovery: (Unavailable. Unlocks on specific conditions.)
[Delete]
※ Skill Slot 2 — Max 3 skills total.
New Owner's Reward: Steal target's vision for 10 min (1 use). Activate freely.
[Use] [Delete]
As notified, a new skill was added.
Unavailable yet?
No wonder the alert felt off.
It wasn't "now usable"—just announcing the addition.
He could sense the new skill would be usable soon. Added right before boarding, likely related.
"Manager, what's with the banned words?"
"Ah, got it."
Manager was great at afterthoughts. More pressing: what were the "specific conditions" for the new skill? Not listed meant it'd unlock naturally anyway.
Whirr.
Meanwhile, the lifeboat reached the earlier hooks. Go Cheon-su sorted his thoughts and addressed the group.
"Alright, let's board."
Unaware what awaited him.