What Defines a Ship?

"What is a ship? A structure built to carry people or cargo..."

"Hey. Snap out of it."

The guild member, who had been pondering the philosophical definition of a ship, snapped back to reality at his friend's voice. Now was not the time to contemplate the nature of a ship. They had to board that thing in front of them!

"...But isn't it a bit too empty?!"

"It's unfinished, so what can we do? We'll have to finish the rest as we go."

Kyuuuu...?

The giant Carbanog that had followed Tae-hyun tilted its head in confusion. Board... that? Did I choose the wrong god to believe in?

"Ugh..."

"Mmm..."

The guild members groaned. The longer they stared at it, the more it began to resemble a ship. Was it an optical illusion? But they had good reason to react this way. It looked less like a ship and more like the skeletal frame of an unfinished building.

I thought that was a fortress.

Come to think of it, it was way too long horizontally to be a fortress...!

Steel pillars were loosely woven together like a skeleton, and the wind whistled freely through the empty gaps. If the wind could whistle through so easily, water would surely do the same! Wouldn't they sink the moment they set sail?

"Carbanog! Pull the ship forward!"

"Not you!"

Kyuuu.

The giant Carbanog stepped forward and began to drag the ship. True to its nature as a monster of this island, its strength was monstrous. The massive steel ship was dragged forward effortlessly.

"We're heading up!"

Tae-hyun climbed onto the ship without hesitation. The others closed their eyes tight and followed him up. Ah, whatever! Kim Tae-hyun must have a plan!

Tae-hyun also found the unfinished state regrettable, but there was no other choice. What they needed right now was to get the ship afloat!

It can't be helped.

Honestly, he could have made the ship much smaller. If he had built something the size of a rowboat, he could have finished it in an hour or two given his skills. However, Tae-hyun judged that a rowboat-sized vessel would be far too dangerous. He didn't know where this island was, but it was definitely in the middle of a brutally distant ocean. Sailing in a rowboat would get them killed! Even if he couldn't finish it in time, Tae-hyun chose to build it massive. He had a trick up his sleeve.

...Wait...

He was grateful, but...! Tae-hyun felt a bit conflicted. Sure, he appreciated the help, but why was the system encouraging ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this kind of behavior? Shouldn't it be stopping him?

No, I wasn't.

Tae-hyun wasn't crazy enough to rely on an unexpected blessing like this. What he was actually relying on was something else entirely.

—Deus Ex Machina!

A secret skill unique to Tae-hyun, who possessed a massive Divine stat and Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering: Deus Ex Machina! It was a powerful skill that temporarily breathed life into mechanical objects, making them move. However, he rarely had the chance to use it. Above all, this skill...

...Yeah, that's the risky part.

If the item was destroyed, the Divine power invested in it would vanish along with it—a horrific penalty! But he had no choice. Now was not the time to be picky. He couldn't possibly attempt to sail in an unfinished ship. He wanted to complete it as much as possible, but...

Ah.

...It'll be fine, right?

Flash!

A brilliant light erupted from the entire vessel, and life was breathed into the ship.

—Master!!

The steel-bodied ship called out to Tae-hyun in a gruff, metallic voice.

"Yes!"

—Why did you build me so half-heartedly?!

"...I-I'm sorry."

Tae-hyun had no choice but to apologize. My bad...!

—Ah! Did you perhaps do this to reduce weight so I could move faster and lighter??

"For now, can you block the water? You can do that, right?"

—Of course.

Whoosh—

The Iron Ship of Archisus shook its body, pouring out all the water that had leaked inside.

Rumble! Crash!

With a deafening roar, the Iron Ship of Archisus began to shake violently. The players, who had been standing perfectly fine, were startled out of their wits when the ship suddenly came to life and started thrashing around.

"What the hell is this?!"

"What's wrong with the ship?! Are we sinking before we even set sail?!"

"Hold on tight!! Aaaah!"

The guild members tied themselves together with ropes and struggled to hold on. They couldn't die here! Not after going through all that hell to finally escape!

Kyuuuu!

However, the ship was extremely safe, despite the heavy shaking. It had used various skills to reinforce its hull, cast a barrier to block external attacks, and immediately began to accelerate. Investing that massive amount of Divine power into the skill had truly paid off!

Whoosh—

Flames erupted from the rear of the ship as it surged forward with incredible acceleration.

"...!!!!!"

"This is... insane...!"

The guild members gasped in shock. What on earth was this? A ship that looked so flimsy was gliding across the ocean with such ease! It made no sense!

"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"

"We're sorry we doubted you!"

"It's my fault! I should have firmly scolded the other guild members!"

"Hallus, don't overdo it. What's gotten into you?"

"I had no idea you had prepared such an amazing and magnificent ship!"

As everyone showered him with excited praise, Tae-hyun nodded with a pleased expression.

"However."

"?"

"Once the skill's duration ends, this ship will revert to its original state."

"......"

"......"

Everyone's faces turned pale. W-what did he just say?

"B-by then, won't we be in the middle of the ocean?"

"Exactly. That's why we need to prepare in advance. Everyone, head below deck and get ready to reinforce the hull."

Silved spoke up, his voice cracking with emotion. "I've been building fortresses, gathering materials, and doing every single chore since we were back on that island, and now you want me to do more?!"

"Do you want to get off?"

"...No... I want to do it..."

Silved turned around, his shoulders slumped. If he was told to do it, he had to do it!

Whoosh—

By the time the Golden Gorillas arrived at the fortress, the ship was already far in the distance. The gorillas threw boulders with expressions of sheer frustration. Once their anger subsided a bit, they turned back. However, their chieftain, Umbaka, stood still with a deeply profound and enigmatic expression.

Kuer?

Kuer-er?

Umbaka was still holding the two heads of the 1st Prince, lost in thought. How on earth was this possible? Umbaka stared intently at the two heads, then looked around the fortress. In a corner of the fortress, he spotted a small emblem of Archisus.

Kuer-er...!

Umbaka nodded, his face lighting up with sudden realization.

"?"

Tae-hyun, who was on the ship, stared at the sudden message in confusion. What was this? Did the remaining knights convert to the Archisus Church to seek revenge?

...You didn't have to be that harsh...

Tae-hyun felt slightly dejected.

But can faith even spread when there are only monsters around? I mean, monsters can have faith, but...

Usually, the gods that monsters worshipped were different. Slimes worshipped the god of slimes, rabbits worshipped the god of rabbits! They didn't typically worship major deities of the Central Continent like Archisus. So why was it spreading?

Well, it's not that important.

Tae-hyun looked away. The most crucial task right now was preparing for the voyage. The first step was a success. Deus Ex Machina had performed far better than expected. Honestly, considering the massive amount of Divine stats he had invested, this level of performance was only natural. However, Tae-hyun had suffered through all kinds of absurdity and unfairness while acting as the Avatar of Archisus. Whenever a skill actually worked properly, it brought tears to his eyes.

But the real problem lay ahead. He had to reinforce the ship in preparation for when it lost its life, gather food and water, and prepare for any enemies they might encounter during the voyage...

By the way, when is this Incarnation of Idergo state going to wear off?

Tae-hyun was starting to find this Incarnation of Idergo state highly annoying. Sure, he could level up his magic skills quite nicely—he had even managed to reach Advanced Level 7. But other than that, everything was incredibly inconvenient. His swordsmanship was sealed, and many of his other skills were locked as well... If even his Engineering had been sealed, Tae-hyun would have thrown Idergo's Fragment away long ago.

"I need to reinforce this with Engineering, but the constant penalties are making it impossible to do anything."

—But are you not pleased to feel the power of Lord Idergo?

"Not really."

—?!??!

Tae-hyun was slowly starting to show his true colors. Come to think of it, he didn't need to play along with this amnesiac priest of Idergo anymore! There were probably still Idergo cultists left on the island, but that didn't matter to him...

—H-how could you say such a thing? How saddened would our comrades of the Idergo Cult be if they heard you, especially when they are traveling such a long distance to rescue us right now??

"...When I said I wasn't pleased, it was because this is far too grand and sacred an event for a mere mortal like me to judge with simple feelings of pleasure or displeasure."

—Ah... Indeed...! The priest was convinced. Of course, such a devout believer would never say something so disrespectful!

"...So, where are those guys coming to rescue us coming from, and how? What is their equipment like? What magic do they use? What are their weaknesses?"

—I do not remember that part...

Can't we just shock him a bit more? Tae-hyun was tempted, but he held back. If he did, dealing with the aftermath would be too troublesome.

Let's wait just a bit longer.

"So, how long does this state last?"

—It will last until all the Divine power received at that time is consumed. Are you not pleased? Ah, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right. You said this is not a matter for you to judge. If it lasts a long time, it means you are deeply loved by Lord Idergo...

That feels disgusting.

Idergo's Fragment wept silently inside the bag. What kind of bastards are these guys!

If he couldn't do repairs, he could just start with something else. Tae-hyun decided to check the items he could inspect first. The items obtained from defeating the 1st Prince! He had been too distracted on the island to check, but defeating the 1st Prince was easily one of the greatest raids in Pan-On history. Who else could have taken down a boss monster like the 1st Prince? What could he possibly have dropped?

It would be great if the 1st Prince dropped something like a key ring to the Erangs Kingdom's hidden secret treasury.