The One Who Saved a World Before Will be Best at Saving Another

An old man voiced a doubt, and everyone turned their eyes back to me. Huh, how dare you doubt me.

I didn’t mind them fighting among themselves, but I wasn’t going to laugh off suspicions about me. I answered coldly.

“If you don’t want to believe in me, then don’t. I’ll just go back.”

As soon as I gave that chilly response, the others started blaming the old man who had raised the question.

“Hey, Mr. Jang, what are you saying to the man who came to help?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

Once the situation settled, I stood up and spoke.

“If there are any survivors, rescuing them is the priority. As for the remains of the dead, we’ll recover them later if the situation allows.”

I too agreed on keeping the living alive.

Once I explained the priorities I’d set, most of the people gathered there accepted it.

“Yeah, that seems like the right order.”

“We’ll proceed like this then.”

I finished speaking, then made some minor edits to the contract and held it out to them.

“I only added what we agreed on.”

After revising and reviewing the document, I stood up.

“Then we’ll begin right away.”

“Please, we’re counting on you. I see my husband in my dreams these days.”

“I’ve got some debts from this, and if I can’t get the boat back out, they’ll bleed me dry.”

People began sharing their personal stories with me. As I listened, I contacted the Busan Coast Guard. The boat was already there.

It was a small patrol vessel, commonly called P-Jeong. I had no complaints. Sending a large ship for just two people would be a waste after all.

As soon as we boarded, the boat departed for Tsushima. While staring at the sea, I spoke to Han Sang-ah.

“Come to think of it, you didn’t say a word after we met the others.”

She nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

She replied,

“Not really. I wasn’t really listening anyway.”

“Wow, that’s cold. They all had pretty desperate stories.”

She turned to look at me.

“You didn’t seem all that interested either.”

She’s sharp about stuff like this. Even if we did find survivors, if the conditions weren’t right, we’d have to leave them.

Even so, the contract we made was a kind of safeguard. Only the two of us would be entering Tsushima. Even the Coast Guard boat was set to drop us off and leave immediately.

What we chose to prioritize on Tsushima was entirely up to us.

“At least they’ll feel reassured.”

“Does that really matter?”

“At least it gives us the excuse that we tried to honor the contract.”

This wasn’t a government mission or a corporate request. We weren’t even part of a company. Unlike in Gyodong Island, there wouldn’t be a control room or support.

“By the way, your skills seem a little better.”

After hearing my comment, Han Sang-ah looked at her and replied. She was gripping it a bit tightly.

“A little?”

Was she a bit insulted by that? But from my point of view, that was accurate. And honestly, it seemed like she was going down the wrong path.

“Han Sang-ah, don’t go thinking about prolonged battles.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She turned to me.

“Looks like you saw me fight and found some appeal in long fights. But it doesn’t suit you.”

Her strengths were in quick battles. Fighting for hours or days like me didn’t suit her at all.

“Focus on killing your target instantly.”

The biggest strength of someone who used electricity was their overwhelming speed. There’s a reason people say lightning-fast attacks.

“What if I fail?”

I slid a thumb across my neck.

“That just means your opponent is stronger than you. That’s it. Even in long battles, if they’re stronger, you die all the same.”

The only difference is how long it takes.

“Your goal should be to end things within thirty seconds, no matter what.”

“…I’m not sure if I should trust your advice.”

In the other world, even accomplished knights used to line up to hear my words.

But hey, if she wants to throw away a stroke of luck, I’m not going to stop her.

“If I go all-out every time…”

“When did I say to go all-out every time?”

I never told her to use full power every fight.

“To finish quickly without wasting strength, your analysis of the opponent has to be accurate. That applies to long battles too.”

In short duels, you have to judge if you can kill them in an instant. In longer fights, you have to judge whether you can endure it. Either way, there wasn’t a solution without analyzing your opponent.

“...”

She fell silent, looking thoughtful. I thought it would continue, but it broke shortly after.

“Ghost ships, huh. Sure, why not.”

As the fog grew thicker, ominous silhouettes began to emerge in the distance. There was no way sane fishermen would have landed on Tsushima.

That meant they were abducted at sea. Which meant the enemy could move through water too.

“I was actually worried about krakens and stuff.”

Compared to a giant octopus, a fleet of ghost ships is a bit better, right? At least they wouldn’t dive underwater.

Tattered sails and broken masts atop moss-covered, barnacle-ridden ships stood out.

Shadowy figures circled the ship, and bloated corpses roamed the deck.

A foul wind blew in, hitting us with the stench of decay and rot. It was like leaving raw salmon out at room temperature for a month.

“Hey, do you think the coast guard can even handle this?”

I wasn’t scared. And from the look of it, neither was Han Sang-ah.

But the coast guard? A glance showed their faces pale with fear. I wouldn’t blame them if they turned and ran.

This wasn’t their job after all.

“Five ships.”

Five ghost ships blocked our path. Even if we got around them and reached Tsushima, it wouldn’t mean anything.

If we didn’t protect this boat, it wouldn’t make it back to Korea. Everyone on board would die.

We’d also be stranded if that happens.

“We have to deal with them all here.”

“I know.”

The monsters from a level-2 Erosion Zone would be far stronger than those from Gyodongdo.

If we couldn’t handle them now, we’d be done for.

Han Sang-ah spoke quickly.

“One of us should stay and defend. The other should go and wipe them out.”

“No. Even if we leave this boat alone, these people won’t die.”

I wasn’t certain, but it was worth trying before assigning someone to defense.

She flinched slightly and looked at me.

“You’re not wrong, but… that’s a cold call. Sure, those monsters abduct before they kill, but they could still kill if something goes wrong.”

I stared at her like she was spouting nonsense.

“What the hell are you even saying right now?”

Who said anything about just leaving them? What a garbage brain she has, so bad that it’d be hard to even recycle it.

I drew a shape across the deck with my spear tip.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

It was the Formation of Divine Protection. It was a technique I used in the other world. Even if the physical power I gained there was gone, the knowledge remained and I could use it.

As the name implied, it granted various blessings based on the pattern and ritual used.

Most weren’t great, but since blessings were about protecting something, this was extremely useful.

“What is that?”

“Like I said, just watch.”

I drew two squares inside a large circle in a star-like shape, then added small circles and overlapping stars inside them. My spear moved without pause.

The geometric figures grew more intricate. Han Sang-ah, watching quietly, murmured,

“...The ambient mana is reacting on its own.”

“It’s like a waterwheel.”

The mana moved along the figures, activating the desired effect. A faint light began to glow from the drawing on the deck.

It wasn’t that different from how I used mana which meant it shared the same strength.

“Once activated, it’s nearly permanent.”

It would remain until the pattern was destroyed. I turned to one of the crew and spoke.

“I don’t even know if it’s possible for you to, but don’t try to erase it.”

Since it was etched into the deck, it wouldn’t be easy to erase anyway.

“What if those things destroy it? Then what?”

I replied,

“They can’t get close to this ship.”

If the technique were that unreliable, I wouldn’t have bothered learning it. I watched the ghostly figures in the fog shriek and charge toward our vessel.

But if knowledge from the other world didn’t work here...

― Kah… Hahahak!

Fortunately, such a thing didn’t happen. With a twisted shriek like a distorted cat’s hiss, the monsters halted and shuddered.

“So it does work.”

“Where did you learn something like that?”

I answered confidently,

“Learn? I made it myself.”

That was totally a lie. I learned it in that hellish other world. You know those stories about bringing modern knowledge to another world?

Well, why not the reverse?

“Now that this place is protected, let’s go.”

Time to punish some clueless ghosts who dared show up in ragged 18th-century sailboats.

Han Sang-ah rose into the air slightly. After seeing that, I said,

“Hey, carry me. Otherwise, I’ll have to swim. You can manage that, right?”

I wasn’t strong enough to run on water yet. She nodded.

“Got it. Hop on.”

I jumped onto her back. She then took off along a magnetic rail she laid in the air and charged toward the ghostly ships.

“Hey, this is pretty comfy.”

“Of course it is when you’re the one being carried. We’re almost there.”

I could see it too, just beyond her flapping hair, the ghost ship drew closer.

“I’m stepping on your shoulder.”

“Go ahead.”

With permission, I leapt from her shoulder and landed on the rotted wooden deck.

“God, even a mackerel left at room temperature for a month wouldn’t smell this bad.”

The corpses rushed at me with rusted cutlasses. Their eyes had no sense and no reason.

They were just beasts with blades. As their weapons slammed the deck, rotted wood splinters flew.

“At least they seem to be hella strong.”

If we were only measuring strength, they could arm-wrestle that giant bat-head monster from Gyodongdo. But they were similar in size to me!