Chapter 313 (Patreon)

“Captain!” Mik shouted, wrapping both arms around one of the thick support pillars as the vessel lurched sideways. The words nearly vanished beneath the roar of the sea. “I don’t think we’re making it till evening!”

Another wave slammed into the ship hard enough to make the entire hull groan. Wood creaked. Ropes snapped tight. Somewhere below deck, something heavy crashed and rolled. The sea had turned savage without warning, like some sleeping beast had opened one eye beneath the water.

And the strangest part?

The sky remained beautiful.

Bright afternoon sunlight spilled across the ocean in glittering streaks. No dark clouds. No storm. No thunder. Just an endless blue horizon and waves that moved with unnatural fury, rising too high, crashing too violently, as though the ocean itself was angry at something hidden beneath it.

Captain Blitz stood near the wheel, boots planted wide apart while one hand gripped the railing hard enough for his knuckles to pale. Saltwater sprayed across his face. His red bandana whipped wildly in the wind. He tapped his fingers against the wood out of habit, fast and uneven, the same way he always did whenever he was thinking too hard.

Or worrying too much.

His gaze lingered on the spot where the three youths had disappeared beneath the sea hours ago.

Still no sign of them.

Blitz cursed under his breath.

He had spent nearly his whole life on the ocean. Seen storms split ships apart. Seen sea monsters drag entire crews into the depths. Seen waves taller than houses.

But this?

This felt wrong.

Not dangerous. Wrong.

As if the sea was reacting to something.

“We wait a few more minutes,” Blitz finally said through gritted teeth. “If the waves get any worse, we leave.”

Mik opened his mouth as though to argue, but another violent sway nearly threw him across the deck. He quickly decided silence was the wiser path.

Blitz exhaled slowly and muttered, quieter this time, “Can’t sink the whole ship for three bright-eyed kids.”

Yet even as he said it, something twisted uncomfortably inside his chest.

Because he had seen those kids before. Not them specifically, but their type. The ones born different. The ones who walked around carrying danger like it was another piece of clothing. Too strong for their age. Too fearless for their own good. People who rise on top.

The kind who either changed the world...

...or disappeared from it early.

Minutes crawled by.

The waves only became worse. The vessel rose sharply atop another monstrous swell before crashing downward hard enough for everyone aboard to lose balance. Jam nearly slammed face-first into the deck.

“That’s it!” Blitz barked. “We’re leaving! Pull the anchor!”

“Aye, Captain!” Mik and Jam shouted together.

The two men staggered toward the large wooden like wheel connected to the anchor chain. Their boots slipped against the soaked deck as they grabbed hold and began turning with all their strength.

The mechanism groaned.

The chain rattled then stopped. Both men blinked.

Mik frowned. “Heavier than usual.”

Jam spat seawater from his mouth and adjusted his grip. “One, two, pull!”

The two strained harder. Muscles bulged beneath soaked shirts. Veins stood out across their necks. The chain moved only slightly, inch by stubborn inch, as though something beneath the sea was pulling back.

Then suddenly—

Splash!

A figure burst violently from the ocean beside the ship slowly pulling herself up by using the anchor's chain.

A woman’s sharp gasp followed.

Captain Blitz whipped around instantly. For one brief second, relief flooded across his weathered face so quickly it almost looked painful.

“They’re back!” he roared. “Help them up!”

…

The bitter tea steamed between their hands, thin ribbons of heat curling into the cold sea air. Jam’s skill kept the cups almost painfully warm, yet none of the three complained. In truth, Kana barely felt the heat at all. Her fingers remained stiff around the wooden cup, knuckles pale, shoulders trembling beneath the rough cloak Captain Blitz had thrown over her earlier.

The waves had calmed now. Not completely. The sea still rolled beneath the vessel like some enormous creature breathing in its sleep, but compared to before, it felt almost peaceful. 

Captain Blitz leaned against one of the wooden pillars near the helm and studied them carefully. Earlier, the three had looked absurdly bright kids. Talented young adventurers. The kind who walked into danger believing the world would politely move aside for them.

Now?

Now they looked like survivors. He had seen those types of faces before.

Boris sat heavily near the edge of the deck, elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at the dark tea in his hands. His wet blond hair stuck to his forehead. The bruising around his jaw had darkened into ugly purple patches. Even breathing looked difficult for him. Thorne remained unusually quiet atop his head, curled tightly like a frightened cat instead of the arrogant little lizard she normally was.

Suri sat opposite them, one leg stretched awkwardly because of the injury she was hiding poorly. The bluish skin illusion around them had long disappeared. Her pale face looked exhausted beneath the sea salt dried against her skin. Yet her eyes remained sharp. Thinking about something.

Kana had the heaviest expression across them… as if she lost someone she truly cared about.

Blitz became relaxed now since they were out in the dangerous area of the sea. He crouched slightly in front of them, voice quieter this time. Gone was the swagger. Gone was the grin of a man trying to squeeze extra coins from naïve clients.

“It’s the reason I hired Jam. His useless skill [Boiling Point] is so useful when you’re in the middle of the sea. He can make every water warm.”

“......”

Blitz cleared his throat, he didn’t expect the trio was not in the mood to react.

His tone became serious,“What happened down there?”

No one answered immediately.

The creaking of wood filled the silence. Somewhere above them, the sail snapped softly against the wind.

Kana lowered her eyes toward the tea. She could still see it. That sword against her forehead.

An inch away from her face.

The pressure. The certainty of death. Then the world breaks apart like shattered glass. Replaying in her mind.

And most of all, the disappearance of the black creature.. For some reason it felt heart wrenching.

Her stomach twisted violently.

“We almost died,” Boris muttered first, voice rough like stone dragged across sand.

No. We already died. Kana thought to herself.

Blitz frowned slightly. “That bad?”

Boris laughed once. It was a terrible sound.

“You know those moments where your instincts scream at you to run?” he asked quietly. “That thing down there… it felt like my body already knew I was dead before the fight even started.”

Captain Blitz’s expression slowly stiffened.

Suri finally spoke, her voice calm in the strange way people became calm after surviving something horrific.

“It wasn’t a normal dungeon.”

Blitz waited then muttered,”Well. It's an uninspected dungeon in the first place. I’m very surprised you entered. You kids are either the bravest or the foolest people I know.”

Suri continued, staring somewhere far beyond the sea itself. Ignoring the captain's remarks, remembering every detail from the encounter. “No monsters. No traps. No sounds. Just an empty ruin underwater.” She swallowed once. “And at the center… something was waiting and the thing could talk.”

“Talk?” Blitz curiosity heightened. No dungeon monsters ever had talk. It must be so scary that they imagine it talking. However scary it was, the young ones were either able to defeat the scary thing or escaped from it.

Kana’s fingers tightened around the cup.

The creature’s voice echoed again inside her head.

My existence… is to kill whoever enters and prevent them from escaping. She suddenly realized her hands were shaking harder now.

Blitz noticed. His expression changed slightly. Less curiosity. More caution.

“Did you win against the dungeon boss?” he asked carefully.

Boris looked up at him then. There was something hollow in his eyes now.

“No,” he said. “We survived it.”

He lied. He knew himself they were supposedly dead back then. Something saved them. Something happened back then and only Kana could answer whatever the thing that saved them.

The deck fell silent again.

Even Mik and Jam stopped pretending not to listen.

Sea wind swept across the vessel, carrying the sharp scent of salt and wet rope. Somewhere overhead, gulls cried in the distance. Kana almost wanted to laugh at how absurd that felt after what happened beneath the sea.

Captain Blitz slowly scratched his beard.

Then, surprisingly, he did not ask more.

Maybe because he was a sailor long enough to recognize certain truths. Some storms were better left unnamed. Some parts of the ocean swallowed answers together with the dead.

Instead, he stood and grunted. “Well… whatever happened, you brats are alive. That’s already worth celebrating.”

Mik quickly forced another awkward laugh. “Y-Yeah! We’re not hauling corpses today!”

Blitz immediately smacked the back of his head again.

“You’re terrible at comforting people.”

Mik rubbed his head. “I was trying!”

For the first time since leaving the underwater dungeon, Suri’s mouth twitched upward slightly. Not because of their antics but from something else. The text of god that was still hovering in front of her. She would ask Kana later about it.. But not now. Probably not today.

Kana looked at the horizon where the golden evening light touched the calmer waters. The port city was still far away, only a faint shape in the distance.

Yet for some reason… she no longer felt the same excitement she had before entering that dungeon.

Because now she knew something terrifying.

There were monsters beneath this world that were capable of blocking a dungeon item and could easily end them.

And worse—

Something else had saved her. Something that knew her. And the worst part, that could be her last encounter with the black creature.

Post note:Suri got lvl 30 instantly.. 🎉

3rd chap of the week! 🙂

Hope you enjoy the chap!

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