NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
According to the reader’s advice that it takes three days to arrive based on a sailboat’s standards, I’ll extend the distance to 800km.
“It’s almost all gone. What a pity.”
“…How about going back and catching the Kraken too?”
“Find your booze snacks after we return to the mainland.”
“But honestly, this is the first time I’ve had such delicious booze snacks. I wonder if regular octopus tastes this good?”
“Probably.”
A week since encountering the Kraken. We were smoothly heading toward the mainland.
Since we got out of the foggy sea area, we’ve faced no troubles, only peaceful days with calm waves walking alongside us. We leisurely spent our time munching on the Kraken octopus sashimi, which had absorbed the scent of booze left behind by the Wilsons we passed.
“Johann. What do you plan to do when you get to the continent?”
“I still don’t know.”
What I do isn’t really up to me. Sadly.
Still, it seems like they give some kind of rewards, so it’s somewhat comforting… or can I say that? They can’t just throw a single stat at me as a reward, right?
“If you really don’t know, just follow us. I can find you a decent spot. Someone like you should be able to work somewhere good enough.”
“Right. You’re good at cooking, you can steer a boat, and also…”
It’s a bit embarrassing to say this seriously. But it feels good. Being recognized by others is what it’s all about. I finished my share of the meal and got up. Since I’m the only one who can hold the steering wheel, there isn’t much time to rest. Plus, I can’t leave it to the others for even a moment.
Karina isn’t strong enough to steer well, Renny does well but often breaks the steering wheel with her reckless spinning, and leaving it to Millia makes me anxious. She can steer pretty well, but she often moves us in the wrong direction while being distracted.
In the end, it’s most stable for me to take the wheel. I’m the only one who accurately perceives directions, after all.
I leaned against the steering wheel and opened the status window. Since the day my status window got fixed, the only change has been the distance in the mission slot; it’s a cruel status window that shows no variation today either. I feel like I’ve used an absurd amount of skills, but my rank isn’t rising. I want to live an easy life with an SSS rank skill too! But why is A the best I can get?
At least give me an S.
…Speaking of which, is the rank attached to skills and traits a fixed value?
Or does it increase according to my proficiency?
Since it differs from the system in the Survival Academy that I remember, I can’t gauge it. I still don’t understand why I got this status window. Would it have been better if they just gave me the Survival Academy style status window? Did they change the entire system with the true ending DLC patch?
The more I think about it, the more dizzy I feel.
Nothing seems to be sorting itself out, and it’s just frustrating.
Why is life so hardcore now that I’ve reincarnated? Why can’t my life be easy? I want just one cheat skill or cheat item like the protagonist in a web novel.
Crafting isn’t a bad skill, but compared to something like overwhelming mana or a hidden job, it feels a bit lacking.
“…Fine. Just stepping on the ground will somehow work out.”
What good does complaining do?
Let’s think positively.
At least becoming close to Karina is a big gain, so I’ll consider my deserted island life somewhat meaningful.
Now that the start has become a bit easier, what matters more is how to leverage this to reach the true ending. It would be much more constructive to recall useful items or in-game knowledge.
But what was there?
I remember there being five or six heroines.
First is the main story’s core, Karina. Then there’s Rana from the magic department, and… who was the next one? One from the alchemy department, one from the knight department, one among the teachers, and… who was it again?
Anyway, that’s about how many heroines there were.
Other important characters were the principal and the vice principal… um, one of those two was the mastermind, but who was it again?
But what happens to the protagonist?
I don’t think I’m the protagonist…
If I remember correctly, the protagonist had some special marking on their body.
So there must be a protagonist in the Survival Academy.
Is it a default character that appears when no settings are made? But isn’t it supposed to be a selection from several presets?
And is it a male or female? I can’t tell the gender.
What was the default name again?
My head is spinning.
I’ve run into an unexpected puzzle. I wanted to sink into my thoughts leisurely, but it felt like I was jolted awake from a nightmare.
“…Whatever will be, will be.”
I’ll remember when I see it in person.
Just like how I immediately remembered Karina after ten years. Human memory is astonishing; sometimes, even very old memories can be revived.
—————-
“Johann! Look over there! Land! Land!”
I heard Karina’s cheerful voice while I was leaning against the steering wheel and zoning out. It seems because she hadn’t stepped on land for so long, she looked genuinely happier than I’d seen her in a while. It’s no surprise, considering that around 100km left, everyone was clearly showing signs of boredom.
Only seeing the blue sea, and the world’s most annoying seagull as the only attraction, how could we not feel bored? Damn. Another bird droppings fell on the deck. Who was the cleaning duty for today? Was it Millia?
Just as I thought of Millia, she came out with a mop and started cleaning up the droppings on the deck.
She may complain, but she diligently does her assigned tasks. I sometimes wonder if she’s actually enjoying it in her own way.
I scratched my rough chin and slightly turned the steering wheel. I must’ve slightly twisted the direction while I was leaning.
“When we dock at the port, we should first go to the currency exchange.”
I have to sell the possessions left to us by the Wilsons who met their end at sea.
From jewelry with expensive gems to quite decent antiques. We gathered all the items that could be exchanged for cash, so at least we could cover the travel expenses needed to get to the academy. Ah, maybe I should keep a little as is. If I do some research, I feel like I could utilize it for my skill.
“Captain! I see the port over there!”
“I know, Millia.”
Could you please put away that disgusting mop? You just cleaned bird droppings with it.
“Captain! What will you do when we get to the port?”
“…First, we’ll dock the ship and then exchange the gems.”
In the end, what’s most important in society is money. Without money, you can’t eat, find a place to sleep, or buy clothes, so exchanges come first. So I should probably start folding the sails. If I keep going at this speed, we won’t dock at the port but make a suicide charge instead.
“Millia, go tell Renny to fold the sails. We’ll be arriving at the port soon.”
“Got it!”
Millia hurried off, making a ruckus as she ran to Renny, who was hanging onto the railing in the distance.
I squinted my eyes against the bright sun as the sails folded, revealing an even wider view, and looked toward the port. The port, wrapped in bright sunlight, was as splendid as its size. It was probably about half the size of Busan.
Or not, to be honest, I’ve never lived in Busan, and I’ve only been there once as a child, so it feels a bit inappropriate to compare sizes. Still, that’s the only port city I know, so I don’t have many options for comparison. Anyway, I watched the ships passing by our boat, feeling my heart pounding with excitement after a long time.
Fishing boats with nets, merchant ships boasting splendid designs, ships with cannons strapped to their sides like those from movies. Seeing the people on those ships, I could feel I had finally entered a place bustling with people.
People as numerous as rabbits.
Hmm, so this is what it’s like to live among people.
Not like that deserted island where I was the only one.
“Johann! Get it together! Put on some clothes!”
“Got it.”
Following Renny’s words, I obediently put on my shirt. I know enough not to walk around shirtless in a civilized society. I wore the shirt Karina had picked out for me, which at least looked somewhat ordinary. Ugh, the smell. There’s no way to do proper laundry on a boat, so even if the clothes are in good condition, there’s no way they wouldn’t smell.
Once I have some money, the first thing I’ll buy is clothes. Preferably something durable.
Buy clothes, find a tavern, and eat a meal loaded with spices. Then…
“Captain?”
“Ah, Millia.”
“Captain, the atmosphere seems strange.”
“First, fix your hair properly.”
Millia’s hair, which was off by about 30 degrees, finally returned to normal.
“So, what seems strange?”
“There are scary-looking people with weaponry gathering at the port.”
“What?”
I rushed to the front of the ship and stared toward the port.
Soldiers?
Why?
Are they looking our way?
…Oh.
“Stop! Unregistered ships are prohibited from docking under the imperial law!”
One of the soldiers, dressed like he was some high-ranking official, shouted toward us. The glint of suspicion was clear in his eyes peeking through his helmet.
…It seems we’ve been misunderstood because of our ship’s appearance.