Marcus openly stole several glances, then decisively averted his gaze and said, with a straight face, "Uh... I'll go get you some clothes."
As he turned, he couldn't help but think, "So fair! And those long legs are remarkable!"
Walking to where he'd left his clothes, Marcus looked at the T-shirt and beach shorts he'd taken off earlier to save her. He glanced at himself, now bare-chested and wearing only a pair of boxer briefs.
He pulled out his phone, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter from his beach shorts pocket, walked back to the woman, and handed her the clothes.
"Thank you!" The girl's face was flushed as she struggled to sit up, but she was too weak and couldn't exert any strength.
She could only weakly ask for help: "Can you help me? I don't have any strength!"
Marcus could only brace himself and help her put on her clothes.
During this time, physical contact was unavoidable, and when they touched some sensitive areas, both of them were extremely embarrassed.
After much fumbling, the clothes were finally on. Both of them let out long sighs of relief.
With the clothes on, the awkward atmosphere finally eased slightly.
"Click." Marcus silently took out a cigarette and lit it. As he exhaled smoke, he slowly suppressed the flutter in his heart. He'd actually had a reaction just now!
Thinking about it, with a normal orientation and being in the prime of his youth, facing such a beautiful body, plus some physical contact, having a reaction was normal! Not having any reaction at all would be the real problem!
After a moment of silence, Marcus tossed away the cigarette butt and spoke first: "Hello! My name is Marcus. Today, I was feeling a bit down, so I came to the reef area to clear my head, and I just happened to meet you."
"Hello, Marcus! My name is Isabelle, and I really can't thank you enough today! Thank you for saving me!" Isabelle's face was red as she sincerely thanked him again.
After a few exchanges, they got to know each other a bit. It turned out Isabelle was from a nearby fishing village and was currently attending university in the city. Today, she had come to the beach with a few classmates to play in the water. As a local, Isabelle naturally knew some good free beach spots.
The Côte d'Azur Resort was a commercial establishment, and swimming, surfing, jet skis, and other entertainment activities there definitely cost money. Of course, there were also professional rescue personnel patrolling the area.
To save some money, she had brought her friends to a nearby free natural cove to swim and play in the water.
Having grown up by the sea, Isabelle was the best swimmer among them! At first, she also splashed around in the shallow water with them.
After a while, she felt bored and, after a quick greeting, she unknowingly drifted away from the group.
Suddenly, a rogue wave hit her when she wasn't paying attention. In her panic, she swallowed a few mouthfuls of seawater, and an indescribable discomfort shot to her head, instantly making her limbs feel weak. She was swept into the sea by the wave and drifted over here with the current.
"Marcus, could I borrow your phone for a moment? I want to call my classmates and have them come pick me up!"
"Of course! Here you go!"
Isabelle nodded, took the phone, and made the call.
"Hello~"
"It's Isabelle. Yes, Sophie! I'm fine!"
"Mm-hmm~ Mm-hmm~ I was swept away by the ocean current and someone saved me!"
"Add this number on WhatsApp, and I'll send you my location."
After a few taps, the phone was returned to Marcus.
While the girl, with those remarkable long legs, was on the phone, Marcus took the opportunity to observe her carefully: her delicate skin was as fair as snow, and her exquisite features were like a meticulously carved portrait, as if every stroke had been carefully considered.
Marcus couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart: "So beautiful!"
They chatted awkwardly for about half an hour when they heard shouts from the path above them: "Isabelle, Isabelle! Are you down there?"
"They've found me!" Isabelle said happily.
"Sophie, I'm down here!"
Finally, three girls found their way over.
The girls excitedly pulled Isabelle, checking her all over, chattering and asking about her well-being. It was clear they had a good relationship.
Seeing the three girls surrounding Isabelle to help her change clothes, Marcus, wearing only his boxer briefs, felt a bit awkward in public. He wasn't an exhibitionist or a voyeur.
He also felt uncomfortable watching the girls, so he silently turned his body and looked out at the sea.
A moment later, the group of girls came over to Marcus. Isabelle had already changed into her own clothes and thanked Marcus again.
After introductions, the other girls also thanked Marcus for saving their friend.
Isabelle returned Marcus's clothes to him, promising to treat him to a meal next Saturday. Then, she waved goodbye and left with her friends.
Afterward, Marcus also put on his clothes, lit another cigarette, then climbed up to the roadside, got on his electric scooter, and rode back.
Not wanting to cook today, he happily ate a hearty plate of schnitzel and fries near his apartment. Marcus returned to his rented room.
He had been living in this rented room for almost a year. The rent was due in about half a month, and he had originally planned to move out and return to his hometown after two days of relaxation.
Now that he had gained his ability, he would definitely have to postpone that. For now, moving out was not an option, as it was at least a place to stay.
To put it poetically, it was a studio apartment; to put it bluntly, it was a single room. The rent was 1200 euros a month.
It was a room on the third floor, less than twenty square meters, containing a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and a combined dining and living room.
The room also came with air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a bed, and a wardrobe.
It truly was small but complete!
Marcus simply washed up and lay on the bed.
He stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, unmoving, but his heart was far from calm.
He was thinking about what path to take next. Having gained an ability, he definitely had to make good use of it.
"Working a regular job is out of the question!"
Since he could see through seawater, he definitely had to utilize this characteristic.
His future career would definitely be in the ocean; that was the "treasure trove," possessing endless marine resources and underwater treasures!
"From now on, my goal is the stars and the sea!"
Marcus didn't dare to think too much about what the future held, but for his immediate development, he still needed to plan as much as possible!
"Professional fisherman."
Marcus quickly thought of this title. Of course, he also thought of going out to sea on a boat to find fish schools and fish.
But these were a bit far-fetched for him. Having grown up in a landlocked region, he had never even been on a boat.
Besides, he thought about how he had saved diligently for two years of work and only had a little over ten thousand euros in total.
"My pockets are a bit empty!"
"I'll wait until I've earned some money before making any further plans!"
Fishing was something he was slightly more familiar with; at least he had fished a few times in the rivers back home when he was a child.
Learning to fish now would definitely be easier to pick up.
"Nothing else, just fishing!"
He would start by becoming a professional fisherman!